"In the Kingdom of Ice" Compels and Intrigues

In the Kingdom of Ice

by Hampton Sides

At turns compelling, suspenseful, factual, and humanizing, Hampton Sides’s latest historical masterpiece is sure to enthrall both fans of Arctic exploration and newcomers. 

Granted, the Jeanette does not leave her San Francisco dock until page 137, which means Sides does plenty of background-building.  Why Arctic exploration was so important and who these men were, at heart, take up the first quarter of the book.  Never monotonous, Sides nevertheless occasionally gets too bogged down in the minutia.

Once the boat gets underway, an exciting and daring expedition begins.  Instead of focusing merely on the commander De Long, Sides ensures that we know the rest of the crew, some of whom sacrificed their lives in this attempted Arctic venture.  Interspersed throughout are letters from De Long’s wife, Emma; she is, in turns, depressed, optimistic, and numb throughout this three-year ordeal.

Suffice it to say that the ending is almost incomprehensible to a mere reader – slogging through ice packs with the wind howling, temps twenty below zero, what’s left of your boots soaking wet, gnawing on pieces of your leather jacket.  The sheer bravery and fortitude of these men reads like a fiction story, but it is all too real.

Throughout, Sides’s lyrical prose flows naturally.  One of my favorite examples:  “He passed through the Thuringian Forest, the ancient land dipping and heaving like a dark green sea. The train dropped into a fertile basin, a patchwork of cow pastures and mustard fields, and then chuffed into the prim village of Gotha” (75).

Even if you do not have any interest in historical exploration, you will enjoy this as a story of unparalleled determination.