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Hal & Roger Hunt Adventures #14
Arctic Adventure
Hal and Roger Hunt are colder than they've ever been in their lives, up among the ice floes of Greenland. This harsh land holds many dangers, from killer whales to grizzly bears, but an evil man may turn out to be the deadliest threat the boys have to face.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Willard Price
142 books77 followersWillard DeMille Price was born in Peterborough, Ontario, and moved to the US when he was four. He got his MA and Litt.D from Columbia. He held a special interest for natural history, ethnology and exploration and made numerous expeditions for the American Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society. Price also went on to edit various magazines on travel and world affairs and spent six years working in Japan as foreign correspondent for New York and London newspapers. He travelled in seventy-seven countries before his death in 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 6, 2020
I’m never entirely sure if this fourteenth novel in the Willard Price “Adventure” series was originally intended. The ending of “Tiger Adventure” sent the boys back to their studies and appeared to close the series, as did the ending of “Arctic Adventure”, which did turn out to be the ending. Given that lack of adventure in the previous novel, I wonder if Price was running out of story ideas, but this one last chance to put the boys in a completely new situation was too hard to resist going for one last round.
Although “Tiger Adventure” had the boys in the Himalayas, there is a colder place for them to go, namely Greenland and Alaska. Although they have come across bears and sea creatures before, there are still plenty of species that they haven’t previously encountered due to never having been in such cold places and that is what they are after this time. To find everything they need, they must dive into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, traverse the ice cap with a husky train and build igloos.
The main failing with “Tiger Adventure” was that Price seemed to have run out of ideas for making things interesting, both in the animal capturing and in the antagonist. Unfortunately, that has continued with this last novel in the series, suggesting that Price had plenty of locations for fourteen novels, but not quite enough variation in his ideas to stretch the series out that far. The main antagonist this time around is a guy called Zeb, who appears briefly to make an annoyance out of himself on a couple of occasions and then disappears equally quickly, without ever making a huge impact on the story and whilst his attitude is similar to Vic’s in the previous novel, his impact is even lesser.
The animal capture sequences are also very brief and very simple, with none of them putting up much of a fight and, again similarly to the previous novel, many of them are captured in kindness and there is no element of threat as there was in earlier novels. Price does account for this in the sheer number of animals the boys are sent to catch, but whilst this gives the novel plenty of breadth, it leaves it with no depth and whilst this makes the novel incredibly readable thanks to the high pace with which events move on, it does little to encourage reader engagement, as none of the events last long enough to really involve yourself in from a reader’s point of view.
Whilst Price does attempt to add a little threat to proceedings, these come from the natural world rather than from the animals, as has happened before. However, even these circumstances aren’t terribly fulfilling, as the river crossing, the lack of food on their journey and the trip on the iceberg are all covered in the same brief way as the animal encounters, meaning that before there has been time for a reader to believe that there is any reason to worry, the situation has resolved itself and the threat has passed, which again lessens engagement and excitement.
As much as I loved this series, it has largely sputtered out and I’m not sad to find that “Arctic Adventure” is where it ends for Willard Price. The last couple of novels in the series, including this one, have a feel of someone who has run out of decent ideas and is largely rehashing things from memory. With the book having been written around 40 years ago, there isn’t the focus on the melting of the ice cap which is so important now and this feels like a missed opportunity to talk about conservation in areas other than the protection of animals when read in a modern context. I recall enjoying these novels as a younger reader, but they don’t appeal in an adult context, as with greater knowledge the shortcomings of the series in general and this book in particular are more glaring.
Although “Tiger Adventure” had the boys in the Himalayas, there is a colder place for them to go, namely Greenland and Alaska. Although they have come across bears and sea creatures before, there are still plenty of species that they haven’t previously encountered due to never having been in such cold places and that is what they are after this time. To find everything they need, they must dive into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, traverse the ice cap with a husky train and build igloos.
The main failing with “Tiger Adventure” was that Price seemed to have run out of ideas for making things interesting, both in the animal capturing and in the antagonist. Unfortunately, that has continued with this last novel in the series, suggesting that Price had plenty of locations for fourteen novels, but not quite enough variation in his ideas to stretch the series out that far. The main antagonist this time around is a guy called Zeb, who appears briefly to make an annoyance out of himself on a couple of occasions and then disappears equally quickly, without ever making a huge impact on the story and whilst his attitude is similar to Vic’s in the previous novel, his impact is even lesser.
The animal capture sequences are also very brief and very simple, with none of them putting up much of a fight and, again similarly to the previous novel, many of them are captured in kindness and there is no element of threat as there was in earlier novels. Price does account for this in the sheer number of animals the boys are sent to catch, but whilst this gives the novel plenty of breadth, it leaves it with no depth and whilst this makes the novel incredibly readable thanks to the high pace with which events move on, it does little to encourage reader engagement, as none of the events last long enough to really involve yourself in from a reader’s point of view.
Whilst Price does attempt to add a little threat to proceedings, these come from the natural world rather than from the animals, as has happened before. However, even these circumstances aren’t terribly fulfilling, as the river crossing, the lack of food on their journey and the trip on the iceberg are all covered in the same brief way as the animal encounters, meaning that before there has been time for a reader to believe that there is any reason to worry, the situation has resolved itself and the threat has passed, which again lessens engagement and excitement.
As much as I loved this series, it has largely sputtered out and I’m not sad to find that “Arctic Adventure” is where it ends for Willard Price. The last couple of novels in the series, including this one, have a feel of someone who has run out of decent ideas and is largely rehashing things from memory. With the book having been written around 40 years ago, there isn’t the focus on the melting of the ice cap which is so important now and this feels like a missed opportunity to talk about conservation in areas other than the protection of animals when read in a modern context. I recall enjoying these novels as a younger reader, but they don’t appeal in an adult context, as with greater knowledge the shortcomings of the series in general and this book in particular are more glaring.
January 5, 2025
A very simple story that endears Greenland and Alaska to the reader.
It's business as usual for Hal and Roger as they encounter the dangers they're accustomed while attempting to specimens alive. Their Eskimo friend Orlick and a Polar Bear named Nanook whom Roger tamed are the other protagonists.
The duo accompany the Hunts on an exciting trip to the Ice Cap on a husky sleigh which was the most entertaining part of the story.
Unfortunately, there are no devious antagonists to add spice to the story. The exception being, a pompous and cruel New Yorker named Zeb who occasionally attempts to annoy the Hunts. He ends up being spanked by Hal , Roger and Orlick for stealing their food and that's the last we hear of him. Compared to villains like Kaggs , Croc and Sking in previous books, Zeb is nothing more than your average cowardly school bully.
Interestingly, the boys pay a visit to the North Pole , explore the fierce uninhabited East Coast and a visit to the Polar bear majority town of Churchill in Canada. Price portrays the old Eskimos as kind but superstitious while their youth like Orlick and Aram have received excellent Western education at American universities.
Price is at his best when he describes Hal and Roger's encounters with the animals they capture like the Narwhal, Walrus , Seals , Musk Ox etc
The Second half of the story is set in the wilds of Alaska. Again, Price provides a treasure trove of information about Alaska's rich wildlife and some exciting places the reader would enjoy experiencing such as listening to the Elk's song in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes or spotting Sea otters and Beluga whales in the Bering Sea.
The story ends on a touching note as the boys restore a gigantic furious and greving Kodiak Bear his cubs which had been stolen by a nasty farmer.
As a reward their father John Hunt proudly says they deserve the best and promises to sey up a trust offers to make them the best wildlife scientists.
As the last installment of the series , Arctic Adventure never matched its predecessors but left the reader smiling as we bid farewell to Hal and Roger for the last time having traveled around the world together increasing our passion for wildlife and adventure with each tale.
It's business as usual for Hal and Roger as they encounter the dangers they're accustomed while attempting to specimens alive. Their Eskimo friend Orlick and a Polar Bear named Nanook whom Roger tamed are the other protagonists.
The duo accompany the Hunts on an exciting trip to the Ice Cap on a husky sleigh which was the most entertaining part of the story.
Unfortunately, there are no devious antagonists to add spice to the story. The exception being, a pompous and cruel New Yorker named Zeb who occasionally attempts to annoy the Hunts. He ends up being spanked by Hal , Roger and Orlick for stealing their food and that's the last we hear of him. Compared to villains like Kaggs , Croc and Sking in previous books, Zeb is nothing more than your average cowardly school bully.
Interestingly, the boys pay a visit to the North Pole , explore the fierce uninhabited East Coast and a visit to the Polar bear majority town of Churchill in Canada. Price portrays the old Eskimos as kind but superstitious while their youth like Orlick and Aram have received excellent Western education at American universities.
Price is at his best when he describes Hal and Roger's encounters with the animals they capture like the Narwhal, Walrus , Seals , Musk Ox etc
The Second half of the story is set in the wilds of Alaska. Again, Price provides a treasure trove of information about Alaska's rich wildlife and some exciting places the reader would enjoy experiencing such as listening to the Elk's song in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes or spotting Sea otters and Beluga whales in the Bering Sea.
The story ends on a touching note as the boys restore a gigantic furious and greving Kodiak Bear his cubs which had been stolen by a nasty farmer.
As a reward their father John Hunt proudly says they deserve the best and promises to sey up a trust offers to make them the best wildlife scientists.
As the last installment of the series , Arctic Adventure never matched its predecessors but left the reader smiling as we bid farewell to Hal and Roger for the last time having traveled around the world together increasing our passion for wildlife and adventure with each tale.
August 3, 2020
- Arctic Adventure was published in 1980 by Willard Price, where Hal and Roger go to Greenland to capture wild animals and send them back to their father's farm on Long Island (New York, America).
- What I liked
- I really enjoyed reading about all the different animals they encounter and their traits. The author did a really good job at going into detail about each animal and the communities in the arctic circle, and I felt a learnt a lot from reading this.
- What I disliked
- The storyline followed a different structure to most other books. Most books have a general plot with a rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, and along the way there are many different micro plots of problems and resolutions. This book wasn't like that. While it did have small problems and resolutions, there wasn't an overall sense of a plot.
- I also found it fairly amusing that we're given a chapter about how endangered a certain species is and how people are hunting it, and then right after that explanation we are told how the boys kidnap the animal, take it out of its habitat and send it to a zoo. This happened so many times that it almost became funny.
- I would recommend this book to people who like adventure stories and to people who like animals.
- What I liked
- I really enjoyed reading about all the different animals they encounter and their traits. The author did a really good job at going into detail about each animal and the communities in the arctic circle, and I felt a learnt a lot from reading this.
- What I disliked
- The storyline followed a different structure to most other books. Most books have a general plot with a rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, and along the way there are many different micro plots of problems and resolutions. This book wasn't like that. While it did have small problems and resolutions, there wasn't an overall sense of a plot.
- I also found it fairly amusing that we're given a chapter about how endangered a certain species is and how people are hunting it, and then right after that explanation we are told how the boys kidnap the animal, take it out of its habitat and send it to a zoo. This happened so many times that it almost became funny.
- I would recommend this book to people who like adventure stories and to people who like animals.
January 27, 2022
This is the last book in the series that I have yet to read. I finish the rest when I was a teenager and now return to finish it off. I really love the adventure with the brothers Hal and Roger Hunt. Perhaps I was naive and wide eyed then but reading it now filled me with how simple the plots are. The book is nothing but a big book of animal facts that come straight from Britannia book of animals. Some of their methods of catching animals are ridiculously easy that borders on incredulity. Maybe as a boy I might love it but now reading it in the cold light of adulthood logic I am left scratching my pate in frustration. Anyway if you are still young at heart go ahead and read it.
May 8, 2021
Now finished this series, this is the fourteenth and last of Willard Price's adventure series. Written a long time afterwards ot makes the series come to a poor end.
There is a baddie we dont see much of him but we dont know what motivation he has against the Hunts.
Thete is peril not much is made of that eother and most of the wold animals are collected too easily.
The boys go off to university at the end of the book.
There is a more modern spin off which i'll read at some point.
There is a baddie we dont see much of him but we dont know what motivation he has against the Hunts.
Thete is peril not much is made of that eother and most of the wold animals are collected too easily.
The boys go off to university at the end of the book.
There is a more modern spin off which i'll read at some point.
October 18, 2021
And so ends the adventures of Roger and Hal. I’ve been rereading this series as a little reminder of my childhood and they’re as good as I remember. I recommend them for any children who enjoy reading. The characters are engaging, the stories are simple but exciting and you find yourself being educated without realising it!
October 12, 2018
I loved this series of books when I was a boy but this one along with Whale adventure was probably one of my least favourites.
December 2, 2020
When you're twelve, you'll love Hal and Roger. When you're 50, not so much.
March 27, 2019
Action, adventure, survival, environment, conservation...
I loved these books when I was a kid. At the time, they seemed to border on sci-fi regarding the at-the-time-amazing technology the boys used.
Of course, looking back you can see how these stories are flawed, but I still think they are enjoyable. In fact, it would make for a really interesting middle school science project for children to read one of these books and then compare them with the knowledge of the world and technology we have today.
I loved these books when I was a kid. At the time, they seemed to border on sci-fi regarding the at-the-time-amazing technology the boys used.
Of course, looking back you can see how these stories are flawed, but I still think they are enjoyable. In fact, it would make for a really interesting middle school science project for children to read one of these books and then compare them with the knowledge of the world and technology we have today.
January 6, 2021
The final book in the adventure series is a bit of a disappointment. On this final job, the Hunt brothers are sent to Greenland and Alaska to capture polar animals for their father's Long Island animal farm. It feels like going through the motions just so Willard Price can tick off the tundra location on his series. The writing is flat and the characters uninspired. There's Olrick, a helpful Eskimo lad who helps them out, Zeb, a half-hearted villain with zero menace who drops out after a few chapters, and Nanook, a friendly polar bear that is again unrealistically tamed by Roger. The boys get into all manner of scrapes and adventures as usual, including near starving to death, being cast adrift on an ice floe, and caught in various types of Arctic storms. There's very little sense of plot progression across chapters as the animals are dutifully rounded up. There is also no real mention of global warming when the ice cap is visited, as this was written before such concerns were around.
Although this last entry tries to be conservation minded, there are still some unpleasant reminders of historical cruelty, such as Hal's remark that their captured killer whale will be happy learning tricks in a zoo. There are also some more unbelievable acquisitions in the form of a giant squid and a humpback whale, both of which have never been bagged for entertainment purposes. Two thirds of the way through the book, the boys leave the North Pole behind and travel to Alaska to complete their collection. Their final animal is a huge Kodiak bear that's been massacring people after his mate was shot. Price inaccurately tells us that the Kodiak is the largest bear on the planet, when it is in fact the polar bear. With their work done, the book ends abruptly with the brothers being awarded a trust fund so they can study to become fully qualified naturalists.
Although this last entry tries to be conservation minded, there are still some unpleasant reminders of historical cruelty, such as Hal's remark that their captured killer whale will be happy learning tricks in a zoo. There are also some more unbelievable acquisitions in the form of a giant squid and a humpback whale, both of which have never been bagged for entertainment purposes. Two thirds of the way through the book, the boys leave the North Pole behind and travel to Alaska to complete their collection. Their final animal is a huge Kodiak bear that's been massacring people after his mate was shot. Price inaccurately tells us that the Kodiak is the largest bear on the planet, when it is in fact the polar bear. With their work done, the book ends abruptly with the brothers being awarded a trust fund so they can study to become fully qualified naturalists.
May 10, 2009
This is a feeble effort that is dramatically worse than the disappointing Tiger Adventure. The story is impaired once again by the animals being captured without a struggle, but even a child's credulity is challenged by the swift taming of a polar bear and the capture of a whale. With chapters such as 'A Sheep Can Kill' and a villain called Zeb, this book marks a desperate end to the otherwise fine Adventure series.
July 23, 2010
Certainly one of my favourite Price books, I ended up buying three different copies over 6 years as I just read and re-read them so frequently the spines fell apart!
October 21, 2010
Tough book about survival in the extreme.
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December 6, 2011One of my favourite Adventure books by Willard Price. action packed and filled with fun this a great book for 9-12 year olds.
November 29, 2015
I used to love this book as a kid.
February 6, 2016
I loved this book
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews