Average customer rating:
- ONE MORE THING...
- Amazingly Detailed
- Terrifying (but sometimes tedious)
- Not Simmons' best
- Absolutely Amazing!
|
The Terror: A Novel
Dan Simmons
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Simmons, Dan
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ASIN: 0316017442 |
Book Description
The bestselling author of Ilium and Olympos transforms thetrue story of a legendary Arctic expedition into a thriller worthy ofStephen King or Patrick O'Brian. Their captain's insane vision of a Northwest Passage has kept the crewmenof The Terror trapped in Arctic ice for two years without a thaw. But thereal threat to their survival isn't the ever-shifting landscape of white,the provisions that have turned to poison before they open them, or theship slowly buckling in the grip of the frozen ocean. The real threat iswhatever is out in the frigid darkness, stalking their ship, snatching oneseaman at a time or whole crews, leaving bodies mangled horribly or missingforever. Captain Crozier takes over the expedition after the creature kills itsoriginal leader, Sir John Franklin. Drawing equally on his own strengths asa seaman and the mystical beliefs of the Eskimo woman he's rescued, Croziersets a course on foot out of the Arctic and away from the insatiable beast.But every day the dwindling crew becomes more deranged and mutinous, untilCrozier begins to fear there is no escape from an ever-more-inconceivablenightmare.
Customer Reviews:
ONE MORE THING..........2007-10-08
I agree 100% with the 5-star reviews already submitted but would like to add one thing that seems to have been played down a bit: this book is bloody TERRIFYING!
Amazingly Detailed.......2007-10-03
You have to admire the sheer amount of research that went into this novel, because after reading this book I guarantee that Dan Simmons knows every bit of maritime trivia, every conceivable thing about living in the arctic, and enough Esquimaux mythology to boggle the mind. The story is that of Captain Crozier, who commands one of two ships on a doomed mission to find the northwest passage. Early in the expedition, the ships become frozen into pack ice, stranding the captain and crew. This leads to many problems, including the inevitable accidents, starvation, disease, mutanies, etc. In and of itself, that would be enough to doom any expedition. However, it gets much worse than that -- there's this monster out there on the ice that has an unstoppable desire to kill Crozier's crew in the most sadistic ways possible. The story isn't so much about the creature as it is about the crew's ability (or inability) to deal with the situation. I have to warn you though, this story is long. There are more than a few times when I was hoping it would simply hurry up and get on with it.
Terrifying (but sometimes tedious).......2007-09-30
I enjoyed both the horror and the historical aspects of this book. Unlike some reviewers, I thought Simmons melded those styles and approaches together well. And there were so many characters, so well developed. Half of the enjoyment here, for me, was in learning about the characters and wondering what they would do next, how they would react in the various situations that confronted them. Also, it was just straight-out terrifying to imagine being in some of those situations.
All of that said, occasionally I thought the writing was a little slow and tedious and I probably even skimmed parts. But then, I'm impatient.
Not Simmons' best.......2007-09-27
After the sun-lit world of Olympos, Simmons plunges his readers into his darkest material at least since Carrion Comfort. That in itself is not necessarily a problem, but there is an issue with the way the novel is being billed.
It is NOT a historical novel with a metaphorical element of horror. It is a HORROR novel that happens to have a historical setting.
Again, not in itself a problem. But Simmons himself seems to have difficulty deciding which kind of a novel he's writing, so the historical elements place constraints on the story that keep it from having a fully satisfying plot, while the horror elements introduce things that are historically ridiculous.
After Olympos, Terror's Hobbesian theme is stunningly bleak. But then, life WOULD be nasty, brutish, short, etc. if one were on an early 19th-century Arctic expedition whose captain made astonishingly bad decisions based on an irrational faith that God would see them through--or if one were an Inuit of that time. So the final Rousseau-like chapters romanticizing the "noble Inuit" are particularly strange. Simmons is inordinately impressed with the only two things the Inuit could do: build igloos, which really isn't that hard (I did it as a boy scout at age thirteen or so, though mine no doubt lacked the mathematical symmetry of those Simmons describes, though it's not as if the Inuit, lacking a system of writing, could actually have grasped the higher mathematics of what they were supposedly doing); and hunting seal, which, well, they'd pretty much HAVE to be good at. (None of this is meant to belittle or morally criticize the Inuit of the time, as given their circumstances, it would have been near impossible for them to advance much beyond that.)
Also, Simmons has already done the "what if their primitive mythology were true?" bit in Fires of Eden, with the much more entertaining Hawaiian mythology, and unhampered by claims of historicity.
Still, Simmons' style here is beautiful, and many of the characters are among the best he's created, so it's certainly worth a read, like everything else he's written.
Absolutely Amazing!.......2007-09-26
Quite honestly, I bought this book as a gift for my son in law, but, being momentarily out of reading material, decided to tackle the volume myself. And I was gob-smacked. The amount of research that had to have gone into this book is simply unimaginable. And, Dan Simmons has somehow managed to turn blank historical figures into real people with real problems. He has breathed life and depth into an expedition that still remains enigmatic. And, boy, did he do his homework. Real history is so much more interesting than fiction. We are talking here about an expedition into the arctic some 160 years ago, fuelled by coal and tinned foods and not much more. These guys definitely didn't know what they were getting into and suffered greatly for that lack of knowledge. I trust Dan Simmons. Well, I've read his other books. I trust that his search for the facts has been rigorous and absolute, and that he has endeavoured, and very successfully, to interweave those facts with the ficticious personas of his characters. In doing this, he has written an absolutely incredible book, extremely readable and continuously fascinating. He has kept, without any judgement, within the mores, the cultural values of that time, and that is also fascinating.
I greatly applaud this book and the man who wrote it. To have been able to create such a tale, interwoven with a cumbersome amount of detail and enhanced true characters is indeed a feat worth applause. And, man, it is just really interesting. Not since The Swarm has a book captivated me to this extent.
Book Description
The SAS Survival Handbook is the Special Air Service's complete course in being prepared for any type of emergency. John 'Lofty' Wiseman presents real strategies for surviving in any type of situation, from accidents and escape procedures, including chemical and nuclear to successfully adapting to various climates (polar, tropical, desert), to identifying edible plants and creating fire. The book is extremely practical and is illustrated throughout with easy-to-understand line art and diagrams.
Customer Reviews:
Good if you are not in a megalopolis.......2007-10-12
I think this book is very good for certain situations, but I feel that it does not meet the needs of most average folks in case of major catastrophy.
I would recommend Ron Foster's practical guide for all scenarios. Since he works in the field of emergency response, he has the most up to date and useful methods of urban and rural survival.
If you seriously want to learn more than "how to live off the land" short term, I would highly recommend Mr. Foster's publication, "The Rural Ranger: A Suburban Manual & Field Guide of Traps and Snares for Food and Survival".
I know how to live off the land if one can even get to such a ideal location, but hunger, thirst and the elements will wear out the millions of people trying to vacate their huge cities all at once.
This book gives one a fighting chance no matter what your skills are or where you live.
Seriously,
David Highum
Amazing survival book - Incredable - Can't stop reading it!.......2007-10-10
This book is gold. If you decide to donate money to homeless people STOP. Donate this book instead. They will be able to live forever with the helpful survival tips in this book. It sits on my coffee table and has been a talking point with everyone who sees it. It has everything in it - including 'Emergency Child Birth in the Bush'. The trapping and food sections are amazing. This book was everything and much more than I thought it would be. Easily the best few dollars I ever spent on a book. Thanks to the sling traps I have no more stray cats claiming my yard as their own! Then using this book I was able to skin, prepare and cook these cats. I was also able to discard the offal that was not nutrient dense. Note: No cats have really been caught or cooked yet - but I could if I wanted to.
SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea.......2007-09-27
With the new tv shows showing actual survival skills in the wild my family and I have developed a real interest in this topic. I am enjoying the book. It was written in a very easy and understandable way. I feel confident that with this book by my side that I could survive quite well in a variety of situations.
What about cabin avalanche?.......2007-09-19
I found this book to thoroughly take me through the fundamentals of survival, however, I am always thinking of some very particular situations that I could find myself in that weren't addressed.
For instance, what about the "trapped in a cabin by avalance" that we're all fearful of? I play it over and over in my head. Most likely it would be 3 or 4 of us on a weekend ski trip. I've always felt that it would be best to go ahead and turn on the others very early on in the event of an avalance instead of waiting for starvation to decimate the group.
For one, each day trapped in that cabin means that everyone will be burning calories, making themselves thinner and thinner, not leaving much of a meal if natural course is left to do the dirty work of finishing them off. Not to mention, you might be too weak for a death match days later.
Also, turning on them early will almost assuredly be unexpected, since ditching ethical behavior at first opportunity is not the norm and especially with so much food still in the fridge. You're going to need that element of surprise, b/c let's face it, when you start helicoptering that timber axe over your head, the line will clearly be drawn in the sand and its 1 versus 3 at that point. You'll need to mow them all down very quickly. Don't worry that you aren't hungry yet, as there should be plenty of snow at the windows that can be used to keep the bodies from spoiling.
But I definitely liked the informative chapter on which leaves are ok to eat and which are poisonous.
Great!.......2007-09-14
Contains just about anything you would want to know about survival. I am reading the whole thing, and it is quite interesting!
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Amazon.com
The facts speak for themselves. In 1857, the Central America, a sidewheel steamer ferrying passengers fresh from the gold rush of California to New York and laden with 21 tons of California gold, encountered a severe storm off the Carolina coast and sank, carrying more than 400 passengers and all her cargo down with her. She then sat for 132 years, 200 miles offshore and almost two miles below the ocean's surface--a depth at which she was assumed to be unrecoverable--until 1989, when a deep-water research vessel sailed into the harbor at Norfolk, Virginia, fat with salvaged gold coins and bullion estimated to be worth one billion dollars.
Author Gary Kinder wisely lets the story of the Columbus-America Discovery Group, led by maverick scientist and entrepreneur Tommy Thompson, unfold without hyperbole. Kinder interweaves the tale of the Central America and her passengers and crew with Thompson's own story of growing up landlocked in Ohio, an irrepressible tinkerer and explorer even in his childhood days, and his progress to adulthood as a young man who always had "7 to 14" projects on the table or spinning in his head at any given moment. One of those projects would become the preposterous recovery of the stricken steamer, and the resourcefulness and later urgency with which the project would proceed is contrasted poignantly with the Central America's doomed battle in 1857 to stay afloat.
Thompson, who spent nearly a decade planning and organizing his recovery effort, emerges as one of the great unsung adventurers of these times (the technical innovations alone required for such a task produced a windfall for the scientific community and defined a new state of the art for deep-sea explorers and treasure hunters), and the story of the steamer's sinking is compelling enough to make any reader wonder why the Central America sinking isn't synonymous with shipwreck in this Titanic-happy age. --Tjames Madison
Book Description
"White knuckle reading...with generous portions of adventure, intrigue, heroism, and high technology interwoven."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
This enthralling true story of maritime tragedy and visionary science begins with a disaster to rival the sinking of the Titanic.
In September 1857, the S.S. Central America, a side-wheel steamer carrying passengers returning from the gold fields of California, went down during a hurricane off the Carolina coast. More than 400 men--and 21 tons of gold--were lost. In the 1980s, a maverick engineer named Tommy Thompson set out to find the wreck and salvage its treasure from the ocean floor.
With knuckle-biting suspense, Gary Kinder reconstructs the terror of the Central America's last days, when passengers bailed freezing water from the hold, then chopped the ship's timbers to use as impromptu liferafts. He goes on to chronicle Thompson's epic quest for the lost vessel, an endeavor that drew on the latest strides in oceanography, information theory, and underwater robotics, and that pitted Thompson against hair-raising weather, bloodthirsty sharks, and unscrupulous rivals.
Ship of Gold is a magnificent adventure, filled with heroism, ingenuity, and perseverance.
Customer Reviews:
What an Adventure !.......2007-09-21
This is an appealing book on many levels. 19th century sea adventure, heroes, tradegies, great survival stories, heart stopping excitement, 20th century high tech recovery adventures, interlopers and bottom feeding lawyers and insurance companies, it's got it all. Why 4 stars rather than 5 ? I found it a tad long after they found the boat and began that part of the story. But, that is a small point. Well worth the reader's time.
Ship of Gold is a good story with excellent details about the recovery of the gold........2007-08-28
Ship of Gold is a good story with excellent details about the recovery of the gold.
In my next recovery book I will look for more diving experience. The ROV's do not have the same adventure value as the human diving experience we have on the North Sea but then again the North Sea is maximum 40 meters deep. We don't need ROV's at these depths.
I liked the sonar specialist story and the systematical scanning of the area's with the best values in the probability matrix.
Hands down one of the best book ever! .......2007-08-20
This is by far the best book ever. I have purchased more copies then I can count and I have given it to all of my family members and most of my friends. All of them loved it. Even my mom told it was one of the best books she had ever read. Being she reads a book every two weeks that's a pretty good compliment.
This is a short book, but it takes a long time to read. It's not that it's a hard read; it's just that it's so good you will take your time to read it. Almost like savoring a great wine.
I don't recommend many books, but this one should be on the top of your reading pile. Once you read it you will understand why and I'm willing to bet you will recommend it to all of your friends.
Good modern day treasure hunt.......2007-07-04
I liked the way the author took the reader back and forth from the past to the present. It was interesting to see how much planning and inguenuity it took to accomplish the recovery of the gold. Once the treasure was found, I have to admit to having a mild case of 'gold fever' due to the vivid descriptions provided by G. Kinder. The only reason I didn't give it the full 5 is because of the Tommy (the technical mastermind of the recovery) praising!!!! Alright already, he certainly must walk on water, and if he doesn't, he'll surely invent a way to. Inspite of the Tommy factor, this is a good book.
Also recommended: In the Heart of the Sea
Fantastic Nonfiction.......2006-12-28
When the Central America sank in 1857 she took 21 tons of gold and more than 400 souls to the bottom of the sea, including one of my ancestors. Kinder's incredible book weaves the tale of the shipwreck together with the story of the thrilling recovery more than 130 years later.
Ship of Gold is a fantastic book from historic and scientific perspectives. If you read this book, you will gain new insights about the Gold Rush and 19th-century sea travel; better yet, you will be amazed by the technological and biological advancements which were a direct consequence of Tommy Thompson's recovery.
I read Ship of Gold to fill in the details of an old family legend. I was pleased to discover a truly amazing work of nonfiction.
Book Description
Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan's dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. "Utterly absorbing" (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library.
Customer Reviews:
Compared to these 76 days, life for most of us is a cakewalk.......2007-09-12
The open ocean asked Steven how badly he wanted to live, and he answered by enduring over two months of loneliness, near starvation, constant thirst, and countless open sores from his unending saltwater bath. Through it all, he never knew if all his suffering would lead to redemption or death. This is indeed a story of courage and strength in the face of the natural adversity of thousands of square miles of open ocean. Compared to these 76 days, life for most of us is a cakewalk. Steven's story is compelling, memorable and inspiring.
sea-savvy sailor boredom.......2007-06-22
Amazing? Hardly! As hard as it was for Steven Callahan to survive 76 days asea in a rubber dingy, it doesn't make for a very interesting book. How much can happen in a setting of a dingy and an ocean of saltwater? Well, three things: fish, water and blisters. If you find any of those three things excitingly interesting, them jump on in to this book. If you're a sea-savvy sailor, unlike me, maybe you'll understand more of the seamen terminology, techology and boredom. How was this story worthy of 344 pages is beyond me. I'm not just uncompasionate, just uninterested. If you want to read a "lost at sea book" and don't care about fiction/non-fiction, then read Life of Pi.
Great story .......2007-05-27
A really great well written story. I read the book within a day it was so captivating. Buy it, you'll enjoy it and learn a lot !!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BOOK.......2007-05-25
this book was simply incredible- it is BY FAR the most exciting, interesting and amazing story i have ever read in my life- my favourite book i have ever read i may even say and i am a huge reader- (and i'm approaching 40)- i feel it changed my life if you can believe it- his descriptions of the events that took place and his feelings that went along with them were so well told that i really felt i was along in this survival adventure with him- you feel such compassion and hope when you read this book, it really touched my soul i must say- i am not a sailor and know little about sailing, so you don't need to appreciate sailing to love this book- i still felt like i was on the atlantic with him and this may sound crazy but this book was so rivetting that i sometimes feel i really have been on the atlantic adrift in a dinghy- sounds crazy i am sure but i think this is a testament to how well he relates it to us the reader- i can only imagine what it would be like to read this book if you are an avid sailor... this is a must read book for everyone in my opinion-
A revealing odyssey.......2007-05-14
This is the fascinating story of a resourceful sailor who drifted in a life raft across the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike other adventurers who have chronicled solo transoceanic journeys (Joshua Slocum, Thor Heyerdahl, Alain Bombard, William Willis, etc.), his journey was unplanned. After the sudden sinking of his sailboat, he had to hurriedly abandon ship into an inflatable life raft with whatever supplies he could snatch. His seventy-six day ordeal takes place in this constantly leaking raft too small to accommodate his full body length. He knows from the outset that his food and water supplies are inadequate. His story of survival thus becomes not one of simple endurance, but a confrontation of many external and internal challenges ranging from securing food and water to dealing with isolation and despair. He meets these with remarkable ingenuity and determination. Forced into introspection that borders on the mystical at times, his reflections on how his mindset and personal characteristics responded to these challenges make for as fascinating an inner journey as the one his body endured. This is what separates this from most adventure stories, and why I think it will endure as a classic of the genre.
Book Description
The unforgiving descent of Alaskan winter has Jayce Kincaid and Jacob Barringer struggling for survival after their ship is trapped in the ice floes of the Arctic. Back at Last Chance Creek, Leah and Helaina endure the long separation-Leah wondering if her children will ever know their father and Helaina longing for the chance to express her love to Jacob. When unexpected loss invades their world and tragedy looms once again, will they find the strength to trust in God's faithfulness?
Customer Reviews:
Slightly anticlimatic but worth the read.......2007-08-01
This is a book of closure-- for both the Yukon and Alaskan quest books.
While certainly not the best book in the 2 series, it is a must as it is the conclusion to both.
It rushed to wrap up storylines in order to move onto new ones which is the biggest flaw. Tracie is not afraid of using tragedy and sadness to build faith. It is, as usaul, well-written and full of excitement. Despite its downfalls it is still a good book. Just not EXCELLENT.
Not much to recommend here.......2007-06-10
"Poorly paced; forced plot; tragedy after apparent tragedy; lots of 'huh?'s; shallow. Finally over!" That's what I wrote in my personal book journal. Somehow I made it through the whole series--skimming at times because I was so bored--but it never succeeded in reeling me in. Characters and relationships had the potential to be memorable and endearing but were insufficiently developed. I felt cheated as I would love to have gotten to know some of these people! The pace of the story was uneven--lurching into unbelievable places then dragging as characters dealt with what had happened. Disappointing from such a popular novelist. Two stars instead of one because, despite the story, I was at least given a glimpse of what life was like in early 1900's Alaska.
Whispers of Winter (Alaskan Quest).......2007-03-09
I loved the book. I love the trilogy. I knew I liked Tracie Peterson but this series sold me on her as my new favorite author.
A terrific Ending to a Magnificent Series.......2007-01-28
In picking up where UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS left off, Tracie Peterson quickly immerses the reader in the gripping conclusion to her thrilling "Alaskan Quest" adventure and historical inspirational series.
While Jacob Barringer and Jayce Kincaid are struggling for survival along with fellow crew members after their ship the Regina was stuck in Arctic ice floes, Leah Kincaid and Helaina Beecham are home in Last Chance Creek praying for their safe return.
Not always friends, Leah and Helaina had a tumultuous past. As a former Pinkerton Agent, Helaina has finally come to embrace the Lord, redefined who she is, and what has become really important in her life. Most of all, she's realized her love for Jacob Barringer and hopes that `when' he returns, for she will not believe otherwise, he will still love her and want her in his life. Leah naturally wants her husband home but finds her faith in God being tested after having to overcome many trials that have been put in her path. The journey has been long and hard, but through it all faith in God's graces will prevail.
People living in the Alaskan wilderness not only had to have strength of body and fortitude, but a devout strength in a belief of a higher power and this is brought home in spades in this final book in the Alaskan Quest series. Ms. Peterson has a rare gift for storytelling and this entire series (see SUMMER OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN and UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS) is a testimony to her well written and well researched stories as she gifts readers with an unforgettable historical inspirational tale featuring tremendous and brilliant characterizations with great historical background. This story packs an enormous emotional punch as you follow these wonderfully endearing characters from Last Chance Creek to Ship Creek (aka Anchorage) as they make their way in a challenging world. The story is bound to overwhelm you as you experience the trials and tribulations these people experience in their struggle to live in the glorious yet unforgiving Alaskan territory. Like me, you'll most likely cry both tears of joy for the gifts of life, and sob for the loss of loved ones, but through it all, you will be buoyed up by faith in the Lord and welcome the gift of storytelling from this amazing author.
While this third and final inspirational adventure could and does easily stand alone, I suggest it would be even more gratifying to start at the beginning and experience the thrill of this most impressive and absolutely superb inspirational series.
Marilyn Rondeau
Whispers of Winter.......2007-01-10
This is the 3rd book in a series of 3. I wish there were more. Excellent.
Book Description
A compelling, at times devastating, ultimately inspiring account of how much can go wrong on the ocean and how, miraculously, one person conquered her own fears.
Tami Oldham and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, set sail for Tahiti under brilliant blue skies, and their future together was just as bright. Young and in love, they were both expert sailors who had already seen much of the world and planned to see more.
Twenty days into their journey, Tami and Richard sailed directly into a monumental hurricane. With every ounce of their strength, they battled the elements. Richard tethered himself to the boat and sent Tami below. Seconds after leaving the deck, she heard Richard's terrified scream over the roar of the wind. And then all went black. Red Sky in Mourning is the story of tami Oldham Ashcraft's forty-one-day journey to safety, which she survived through fortitude and sheer stregth of character. The description of her awaking to the boat's capsize -- realizing that Richard had been blown overboard, her motor was shot, and her masts were gone -- is only one of many moments captured with wrenching realism in this dramatic, detailed account.
Even more remarkable, though, is how Tami overcame seemingly insurmountable tragedy, injury, and mechanical failure to navigate herself to safety. Interspersed with flashbacks to her romance with her doomed fiancé, this survival story offers an inspiring reminder that even in our darkest moments we are never truly alone.
Customer Reviews:
More a love story than a survival story.......2007-06-26
It's really more a love story than a survival story. I have read good 'lost at sea' non-fiction such as 'The Raft' and excerpts from the Adrenaline series by Listen and Live audio. However this book really does not come close to the near death experiences by crew who are lost at sea without food and water. But it is a good love story, so for that reason I give it 4 stars.
Amazing Story of Survival!.......2005-08-14
You will not be able to put this book down! I learned so much about sailing from reading this book and the other reviews make it clear that even experienced sailors have as well.
One reviewer who really enjoyed the book criticized the fact Tami and Richard were so much in love they were not afraid to show it in the way they spoke with each other. I find nothing at all odd about calling each other "Love". It is similar to using the nickname "Sweetheart". Absolutely and totally believable in my opinion.
As I read this book the descriptions of the places and the story was such that I found myself back in time, caught up in their beautiful world 22 years ago. Tami if you ever come to New England to speak I would love to attend! Now more than ever I would love to sail. Tami and Richard shared moments which many people will never experience in an entire lifetime.
I recommend this book to people of all ages and backgrounds. This is a story which even those who live far from the sea can relate to. The freedom and exuberance of youth and love, the excitement of an adventure, the loss of one we haved love with all our heart, tragedy, despair, hope, courage, survival....and once again living and loving.
This book held me spellbound. I was surprised when I found myself reaching for the kleenex as I finished the book. Perhaps I had finished the journey with Tami as I read the book. The fate of the Mayaluga was probably the final incident which started the tears for me. I will not ruin the ending for all of you. We all know what Richard would have chosen for the Mayaluga and it would be great to have an update on this.
The photographs were so nice to have included in the book and I only wish there had been more photographs of the places they had visited! Purchase this book and you will treasure it!
Alone with The Voice.......2005-02-26
Tami lost her boyfriend and the rigging of the boat they were delivering from the South Pacific to San Diego, during a hurricane they tried to avoid.
Her story is of profound love, desperation, madness and survival, told like only that lived through it can.
Beautifully written, entertaining and a few lessons for the rest of us sailors.
On top of the entertaining and poetical value (has both) it has important information on what to do (and avoid) on a similar situation. More importantly, how to avoid being in one on the first place!
Capt. Pablo Vitaver
Important Life (and Sailing) Lessons Revealed.......2003-10-04
What a wonderful book, by a courageous woman. As I read the book, I felt that I was there with her during her struggles and triumphs. And the ending is very positive and doesn't leave the reader hanging. She's overcome a great deal in life at a young age, and has gone on to become a very solid and interesting wife and mother, I suspect. Yes, the book describes a real tragedy, the kind of thing that a sailor prays to avoid. However, there are real lessons to be found, such as equipment and design flaws aboard her boat, as well as the 'human factors' which she discusses openly. I've made purchases and upgrades to my boat (I liveaboard and cruise fulltime) based on her book and her lecture at the Annapolis sailboat show. Just buy the book, and you won't be sorry!
An intense story.......2003-08-15
This is an intense and riveting story of talent, guts and luck. I would have left out some of the slightly gooey romanticism, but it's her story, not mine.
She does a great job narrating on the audio cassette.
Amazon.com
Frantic and entertaining in a guilty sort of way, Nights of Ice is like Endurance on steroids. The book presents eight true stories of disaster and survival involving commercial fisherman off the coast of Alaska (said to be one of America's most dangerous occupations). Included are tales of subzero temperatures, 100 mph winds, 60-foot-high waves, boats encased in ice and capsized, men trapped underwater, and other horrors. Author Spike Walker, who interviewed many of the survivors in compiling this book, is no stranger to such tales of the high seas; he worked as a commercial fisherman off the Alaska coast and wrote about it in Working on the Edge.
Nights of Ice begins promisingly enough but unfortunately gives way to a sensationalism that cheapens the whole affair: "At that moment, Bruce Hinman's past life flashed before his very eyes. Launched instantaneously through time, he watched the events of his life play out before him...they flashed and froze there in his consciousness, in a kind of nostalgic collage of all that had once mattered in his life." As a result, there are a lot of unintentionally funny moments. Despite its problems, though, Nights of Ice is fun to read, and lovers of true-adventure stories or those interested in the dangers of the Alaskan fishing industry should enjoy it. --Andy Boynton
Book Description
Spike Walker has spent more than a decade fishing in the subzero hell of Alaska's coastal waters. This collection--coming on the heels of his classic memoir Working on the Edge--is a testament to the courage of those who brave nature's wrath each fishing season, and to the uncontrolled power of nature herself... The crewmen in Nights of Ice face a constant onslaught of roaring waves, stories-high swells, and life-stealing ice. Tested by the elements, these seamen battle for their vessels and their lives, on every page evincing a level of courage and a will to live seldom found elsewhere in modern society.
Customer Reviews:
Deadliest Catch.......2007-10-02
A MUST READ for anyone interested in surviaval, Adventure, Commercial Fishing or just a great read! If you like the show Deadliest Catch you will love this book!
Must Read for fans of "The Most Dangerous Catch".......2007-07-28
Better than anything that could be shown on TV - you feel each and every up and down of the ship as Spike Walker spins the yarn of the life of each and every Berring Sea fisherman... must purchase "Working the Edge" also by him FIRST before reading this book. Like to see it available in a normal paperback format also for easier reading.
For "Deadliest Catch" junkies!.......2006-06-19
As a huge fan of "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel I'm very interested in learning the true stories of these fishermen. Watching the show reminds me how easy my life is and kinda boring too! Spike Walker's "Nights of Ice" is a non-fiction compilation of stories about rescues of fishing ships in the waters around Alaska.
He does a good job painting a picture of the dangers involved for both the stranded fishermen as well as the rescue workers. Reading this book gave me a better insight into the world these men live in - and the daily dangers they face. It reads rather quickly - and is a very easy to read book.
My one complaint about "Nights of Ice" is that the author tends to lean toward melodrama when describing much of the action. It just seems exaggerated to slightly beyond belief. My other caution would be, the stories start to sound alike. Boat in trouble, men in trouble, rescue made.
I would have liked more of the day to day living experienced onboard, as well as the actual near-death (or in some cases death) faced by the fishermen.
entertaining subject--marginal writing.......2002-09-05
I read this on a trip to Alaska, so I got into it's "spirit" on location. The stories are quite entertaining, but when writers make junior-varsity comments and mistakes, it makes me wonder about the veracity of the actual stories:
1) Does everyone see their entire lives flash before their eyes when they are near death?
2) Some guy's one-year old child asks him if he is Santa Claus upon his return from an ordeal at sea. Clearly Spike has never spent time with a one-year old; not only can very few of them speak more than a word or two, but this one is so eloquent and knowledgeable that he thinks the old man is Kris himself!
3) The helicopter pilot makes it to a "small village airport" just before running out of fuel (which means it must have been between 5-10 minutes from the rescue locale since they only had 30 minutes of fuel left before the rescue attempt(hmmmm), but somehow a C-130 can get in and out of there to send them home while the chopper gets an inspection (hmmm hmmmm).
I'll leave it at that...
Nights of Ice ... Spike Walker is great read.......2001-04-04
Having lived my entire life in and around Seattle, In March 2001, I ventured North to Alaska to visit my daughter and her family. While there I picked up "Nights of Ice".
Spike Walker's subject matter is, first of all, relevant to anyone who has lived near the sea. The Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, as one non-fisherman said, "I can't drink it all and I'm damned sure I can't swim that far."
Life at sea in a boat, rolling and plowing through the next wave, gets into some folks blood. I'm sure it's that way with fishermen and women but the money don't hurt either. In any case its a perilous life.
Nights of Ice takes us along for a ride with people, real people, who have experienced the worst the sea has to offer. Walker's intimate knowledge of workin' the boats has us searching for lights in a "can't see your hand in front of your face" stateroom, attempting, frantically, to pull on the survival suit. We are terrified of the boat goin' down with us still on board. We gasp for air and our heart seems to stop when we hit the 37 degree water. We, along with actual survivors, use every ounce of strength and resource our bodies are able to muster in order to survive.
Nights of Ice and its individual, sometimes heroic, stories are an adventure in itself.
Amazon.com
In February 1983, two crabbing vessels set out from port in Alaskan waters at the peak of crabbing season. Filled to the brim with crab pots, both ships, the Americus and the Altair, were considered state-of-the-art for the industry: each only a few years old, equipped with thousands of dollars' worth of lifesaving equipment. Neither ship returned to port, and none of their 14 crew members was ever seen again. It was the worst commercial fishing accident in America's history.
In Lost at Sea, Patrick Dillon examines how the Americus/Altair disaster is indicative of the problems with American fishing, an industry that annually tops the list of "Most Dangerous Occupations," and what has been done in the tragedy's aftermath. During his research, including a season as a crew member aboard a fishing boat, Dillon encountered a murky sea full of men fiercely opposed to government regulations, an industry that always expects to do business the same way--its own way--and, conversely, an American government that prodded its fishing industry into possibly unsafe practices in order to compete with foreign fishing powers. Dillon interviews dozens of friends, coworkers, and family members of the lost fishermen, and the scenes that describe the small Washington town of Anacortes, which hosted the lost fleet and is almost completely reliant on fishing for livelihood, are touching. In the end, despite years of hearings and probes into the fishing industry, not much has changed, Dillon reports. Every year a certain number of men go out into rough seas, and every year a smaller number of them return home, as the industry remains largely free of regulation. --Tjames Madison
Book Description
On February 3, 1983, the men aboard Americus and Altair, two state-of-the-art crabbing vessels, docked in their home port of Anacortes, Washington, prepared to begin a grueling three-month season fishing in the notorious Bering Sea. Eleven days later, on Valentine's Day, the overturned hull of the Americus was found drifting in calm seas, with no record of even a single distress call or trace of its seven-man crew. The Altair vanished altogether. Despite the desperate search that followed, no evidence of the vessel or its crew would ever be found. Fourteen men were lost. And the tragedy would mark the worst disaster in the history of U.S. commercial fishing.
With painstaking research and spellbinding prose, acclaimed journalist Patrick Dillon brings to life the men who were lost, the dangers that commercial fishermen face, the haunting memories of the families left behind...and reconstructs the intense investigation that ensued, which for the first time exposed the dangers of an industry that would never again be the same.
Download Description
'On February 14, 1983, two state-of-the-art fishing boats were lost without a trace in the Bering Sea. Award-winning journalist Patrick Dillon delivers the story of this tragedy, the worst commercial fishing disaster in American history.
Customer Reviews:
Don't expect a riveting read.......2007-06-17
In this book, Dillon describes the tragedy that struck an Anacortes, WA based fishing fleet when two of its boats mysteriously sunk on the same day in the Bering Sea. Since so little is known about how the boats sunk, this is not a gripping page turner detailing a heroic survival attempt at sea such as you would find in books by Spike Walker. Instead, the book focuses more on the aftermath and the Coast Guard's inquiry into how the accidents happened. While I found the section on the Coast Guard inquiry interesting, some might find it a little dry. Later in the book, Dillon focuses on efforts in Washington to implement safety regulations on the historically unregulated fishing industry. This section, again, is a little dry, but I found it interesting.
The bottom line is, if you are interested in the fishing industry in general, you will enjoy this book, but don't expect a gripping page-turner like "Perfect Storm" or something like that.
Good reporting; writing needs some help.......2006-12-05
Early passages were overwritten, hard to follow, and occasionally just clunky. Lots of imprecise phrasing and standard imagery. Prose is full of vague references to an ever-changing "it," which clutters meanings and takes some of the fun out of reading. Looks as if author had lots to report. I appreciate that, as well as the passion to tell the story. But he could have tried harder to write well, given the silly hype on the back cover. I lost interest. What ever happened to understatement?
A Visual tour back to my adolesence.......2006-04-20
I can still remember standing in a downtown field where McDonalds is now erected mourning the losses of my friends, classmates and fellow Fisherman with half the town of Anacortes. It was almost spooky as I picked this book up and could not stop until I finished it visualizing that day that had become burned into my long term memory. Patrick Dillion depicted the story with a bias view, and helped the reader to understand the highs and lows of commercial crabbing.
A Little Book Sick.......2003-12-08
This book was okay. Since it was a true story it kind of was boring. I understand though, because people's life's arent a 24 hour action story. It was well written though, for a true story.
Not really a book about being lost at sea.......2003-09-20
I picked up this book expecting it to be about a great tragedy at sea, maybe encorporating a great survival story or a heroic struggle with the ocean. However, this is a book more about courts and hearings to assess liability for the accident and set new safety standards for the fishing industry not too much about the tragedy itself. If you like to read about politics and policy, this is the book for you, but if you like to read about stories at sea, you'd be better off choosing a different book.
Book Description
After their 43ft schooner was stove in by a pod of killer whales, the six members of the Robertson family spent 37 days adrift in the Pacific. With no maps, compass or navigation instruments and rations for only 3 days.
Customer Reviews:
VERY VERY GOOD.......2007-07-29
this was a great book- i liked "adrift" better but this was still very enjoyable and an amazing true story- it was maybe too technical for me but not unbearably so- the dad is a bit pompous in his writing and tries to sound like a better writer than he is and the infighting he recounts was a bit unpleasant for me, but it was still very interesting to read their survival techniques and see their eventual rescue- i mentioned to my friend (who had also read the book) that i was disliking the father while reading it but his response was "the man is a hero for goodness sake! he single handedly is responsible for saving this entire family plus their guest!" and you know what? my friend is absolutely right, you may not like the father (or not mind him at all like my friend) but what matters is that he saved his entire "crew" and didn't play favourites with his family- he was brilliant and if my boat ever capsized, i would definitely want him on board with me- this is a good story that all should read-
Gone in sixty seconds.......2007-07-21
In this fascinating book, Dougal Robertson describes the survival at sea of six people for over a month. Their 43-foot schooner sank in only a minute after being attacked by killer whales.
Um, killer whales? A couple of hundred miles west of the Galapagos? In warm water? That's pretty rare. That was truly awful luck. They were lucky to get their life raft and 9-foot dinghy launched, so that they did not go down with their ship.
Surviving at sea is not easy, but the most critical elements are buoyancy and water. We see plenty about both. The life raft lasted a little more than two weeks, and the dinghy only had a few inches of freeboard when all six people were on board. Any swamping would almost surely be fatal, so they sailed their dinghy stern-first, with a flotation collar at the bow end and a sea anchor behind the bow.
What about water? There wasn't going to be much near the equator, so they chose to sail north. At around 5 degrees north, rain is more plentiful. It took two weeks to accomplish this, and the day after that, it rained enough to give them good chances to reach land (in fact, they did run low on water again, got more rain, and finally were rescued by a Japanese fishing boat when they were less than 300 miles from Costa Rica). By the way, one can drink sea water, but it just makes things worse. The Robertsons were wise to avoid trying it.
And, of course, what about food? They did catch some fish and turtles, and they eventually wound up with adequate provisions.
I was curious to see what stores Robertson advises for life rafts. There's a discussion of food and water, as well as a rain-catcher. And there has to be a means of propulsion. A useful knife. Fishing equipment (a gaff is the most important of these). A spear head. A bailer. A first-aid kit, a repair kit, and some line. A couple of sea anchors.
And, oh yes, some navigational equipment, including a clock and compass, as well as "dividers strong enough to be used as small fish spears." Along with a series of world charts "showing shipping lanes with frequency of use, ocean currents with set and drift, seasonal weather with, most important of all, rainfall expectations."
All these things probably ought to be made to float, and there probably needs to be an instruction manual.
Of course, as Robertson mentions, it would be useful to have a (battery-operated) phone or radio phone. He does not discuss beacons, and while I think these are better than nothing, I'd rather have two-way communications before staking my life on staying put.
Given that the life raft did not last all that long, Robertson also has some suggestions for making rafts that might last longer.
Of course, none of this will do you much good if you go down with your ship, so the most important thing is to make sure that you can get yourselves and the lifeboat off the ship very quickly, and under terrifying and unexpected conditions.
I recommend this book.
Hard to Swallow.......2006-09-26
I tried to read this book, but only made it about 50 pages. Despite the many rave reviews and status of this book, it did not ring true to me. I read it while vacationing in the Galapagos, and I just didn't buy it. I love the genre, Krakauer being number one. In the Heart of the Sea, etc, all good. But this one did not work for me. Sorry.
Engaging story..........2006-03-19
This was a very engaging account of this families survival at sea. Told in an understated and concise voice, I couldn't put it down.
Worth reading.......2006-03-08
I thought this was an excellent book. I have read several ocean survival tales & this is one of the best. The five other people that were stranded at sea , besides the author, I feel owe their lives to the author. He made some very important decisions & most had lives hanging in the balance. Most other people lost at sea just seem to drift aimlessly until they are sighted by another ship, hit land or die looking for help. Dougal Robertson had a far better knowledge of the prevailing winds / currents / weather systems than your typical person stuck in the same situation. He didn't have any maps to rely on.
The book does an excellent job of telling you how to make a little go a long way. Another thing I thought was very well done in the book was the illustrations - sometimes he would describe an item he made & on the next page would be a detailed sketch of that item. Worth reading for both the adventure part of it & the survival knowledge you may gain.
I thought it was a great book. I still think I enjoyed "Adrift" slightly more - just because it was a solo effort.
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