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The Age of Melt: What Glaciers, Ice Mummies, and Ancient Artifacts Teach Us About Climate, Culture, and a Future Without Ice
An entertaining pop-sci narrative investigating ice patch archaeology and the role of glaciers in the development of human culture.
Glaciers figure prominently in both ancient and contemporary narratives around the world. They inspire art and literature. They spark both fear and awe. And they give and take life. In The Age of Melt, environmental journalist Lisa Baril explores the deep-rooted cultural connection between humans and ice through time.
Thousands of organic artifacts are emerging from patches of melting ice in mountain ranges around the world. Archaeologists are in a race against time to find them before they disappear forever. In entertaining and enlightening prose, Baril travels from the Alps to the Andes, investigating what these artifacts teach us about climate and culture. But this is not a chronicle of loss. The Age of Melt explores what these artifacts reveal about culture, wilderness, and what we gain when we rethink our relationship to the world and its most precious and ephemeral substance—ice.
Glaciers figure prominently in both ancient and contemporary narratives around the world. They inspire art and literature. They spark both fear and awe. And they give and take life. In The Age of Melt, environmental journalist Lisa Baril explores the deep-rooted cultural connection between humans and ice through time.
Thousands of organic artifacts are emerging from patches of melting ice in mountain ranges around the world. Archaeologists are in a race against time to find them before they disappear forever. In entertaining and enlightening prose, Baril travels from the Alps to the Andes, investigating what these artifacts teach us about climate and culture. But this is not a chronicle of loss. The Age of Melt explores what these artifacts reveal about culture, wilderness, and what we gain when we rethink our relationship to the world and its most precious and ephemeral substance—ice.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 17, 2024
18 people are currently reading
2833 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 1, 2025
I tend to avoid reading nonfiction about climate change as it feels like an overwhelming/hopeless topic, but I heard an interview with this author on CBC radio and was immediately interested in checking out this book... and then read the whole thing in 24 hours! This was a fascinating discussion about "ice patch archeology": the study of artifacts that are melting out of glaciers and perennial ice patches as the earth warms up. The book details some of the most scientifically significant finds since the early '90s and uses them as the basis for an anthropological study of the human relationship with ice and alpine environments from the neolithic period forward. There was a portion at the end of chapter 8 about generational environmental amnesia that actually got me a little emotional. Overall, it ended on a positive note about the enduring adaptability of humans to changing environments.
December 18, 2024
In The Age of Melt, environmental journalist Lisa Baril travels the world to tell stories about how melting ice due to climate change is both uncovering ancient artifacts and other hints to how people lived in the past stored in ice for centuries or millennia (spurring the field of glacier archeology), and threatening the livelihoods of societies whose agricultural practices, tourism sectors, and cultural practices rely partially or fully on glaciers and climate conditions that allow them to persist. This was an interesting read, though it got a bit repetitive at times; one also wonders if Baril considered the carbon emissions from her global travel reporting on this book (rather than conducting interviews more sustainably) when she made the analogy that the brutality of Incan child sacrifices (referring to the Children of Llullaillaco, discovered as a series of ice mummies in 1999) are morally equivalent to the future we are giving our children with climate change, and the repeated references to various cultures' end-of-the-world stories all somehow predicting our 21st century crisis.
Further reading:
Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe - for further discussion on the study of ice cores
My statistics:
Book 210 for 2024
Book 1913 cumulatively
Further reading:
Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe - for further discussion on the study of ice cores
My statistics:
Book 210 for 2024
Book 1913 cumulatively
May 5, 2025
When part of a glacier melts, there is often ancient artifacts on the ground that was preserved by the ice. What you find is often in the same shape as it was thousands of years ago. But if not gathered quick enough, nature will cause rapid deterioration. The author calls this Ice Patch Archaeology. She starts with the Alps, then Norway I think, the Yukon, the Andes, the Himalayas and some other areas. The book starts off strong with a 5300 year old find but does get a little bit boring as it goes along. However, it is packed with good information throughout.
March 24, 2025
How do I become a glacier archeologist?
This book is full of great information and discussion points around artifacts being found as ice is melting.
Author contradicts herself occasionally with some of her statements.
Great book.
This book is full of great information and discussion points around artifacts being found as ice is melting.
Author contradicts herself occasionally with some of her statements.
Great book.
November 5, 2024
The audiobook narrator has ATROCIOUS pronunciations of foreign names.
December 4, 2024
If you love the mountains, if you’re worried about melting glaciers and unpredictable rainfall, this could be the book for you. Unlike many books about climate change, this one contains some realistic hope. The stories Lisa Baril tells are absolutely fascinating and cover a wide range of ice-related topic, including cultural aspects and the way people in remote places have used and worshipped glaciers and mountains, and how their lives are affected by the melting ice. This is the best sort of book; one where you learn something new and have fun doing it.
‘The Age of Melt’ is the result of climate change, but it’s not telling us how awful it is or how to solve it. Lisa Baril has chosen some specific cases of how it is affecting people around the world, but not all of those stories are doom-laden. For some people, melting ice is providing an opportunity to learn more about our ancestors. This is creating new types of archaeology she calls ice patch archaeology, though it is also known as glacial archaeology, and this is reinvigorating research into how precolonial peoples lived and hunted. It’s also creating opportunities to collaborate with Indigenous communities to make sense of the artefacts found on melting ice patches. In some cases, this has renewed interest in their own communities into the ancient techniques used by First Nations peoples. During a trip to Peru, Baril sees how mountain culture can be affected as the snows retreat. A Christian shell has been added to ancient rituals for worshipping mountain deities, with a vibrant annual pilgrimage to visit a glacier high in the Andes. As the glacier recedes, cultures are forced to adapt, putting their traditions and beliefs at risk.
But all is not lost. One of the highlights for me were the stories about growing glaciers. This sounds so far-fetched, but in the Himalayas and Karakoram regions in the north of India and Pakistan, people have been growing their own glaciers for a very long time using sophisticated but low tech methods to irrigate their crops. In recent years, the technique of creating artificial glaciers using terracing has been implemented to help manage unpredictable meltwater surges and provide farmers with water for irrigation. And in 2016, an Indian civil engineer won an environmental innovation prize for his low tech technique for creating ice stupas (large cones) that is now being developed in collaboration with Swiss engineers. This is not only good news for the future of glaciers, at least in the decades to come, but it is helping to preserve cultures and communities. I was in Switzerland this summer and missed the ice stupa, but I saw another Swiss glacier-saving technique in action: covering the flanks of glaciers with reflective white plastic fleece; this has even allowed glaciers to increase in volume. Amazing!
Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy via NetGalley. This is my unbiased review after reading.
Lisa Baril’s style reminds me very much of a Reader’s Digest article, making the story visual and gradually introducing people and concepts so the reader isn’t overwhelmed. Rather than say that the famous Ötzi mummified body found in the Austrian Alps was found by hikers, she tells a whole story about why they happened to be there, why that area of snow was melting for the first time and why it was so well preserved. Scientific details are added gradually and naturally in the course of the story. Just occasionally, the story descends into over-fanciful detail, specifically when the author says that Ötzi wasn’t alerted to the approach of his attackers by a warning call from marmots or squirrels. This is hardly surprising as he was above the tree line. I also suspect she’s thinking of North American ground squirrels which do not live in Europe and are nowadays found higher than they should be in North America, attracted by humans feeding them.
One minus point: an occasional slip into over colloquial American slang that this British English speaker wasn’t sure about, though context subsequently explains. First instance, the theory that Ötzi, the mummified Alpine corpse, had “tied one on”. I might just have managed “on the lam”, which keeps turning up in recent years. I suspect she would be equally mystified if I wrote “three sheets to the wind”.
‘The Age of Melt’ is the result of climate change, but it’s not telling us how awful it is or how to solve it. Lisa Baril has chosen some specific cases of how it is affecting people around the world, but not all of those stories are doom-laden. For some people, melting ice is providing an opportunity to learn more about our ancestors. This is creating new types of archaeology she calls ice patch archaeology, though it is also known as glacial archaeology, and this is reinvigorating research into how precolonial peoples lived and hunted. It’s also creating opportunities to collaborate with Indigenous communities to make sense of the artefacts found on melting ice patches. In some cases, this has renewed interest in their own communities into the ancient techniques used by First Nations peoples. During a trip to Peru, Baril sees how mountain culture can be affected as the snows retreat. A Christian shell has been added to ancient rituals for worshipping mountain deities, with a vibrant annual pilgrimage to visit a glacier high in the Andes. As the glacier recedes, cultures are forced to adapt, putting their traditions and beliefs at risk.
But all is not lost. One of the highlights for me were the stories about growing glaciers. This sounds so far-fetched, but in the Himalayas and Karakoram regions in the north of India and Pakistan, people have been growing their own glaciers for a very long time using sophisticated but low tech methods to irrigate their crops. In recent years, the technique of creating artificial glaciers using terracing has been implemented to help manage unpredictable meltwater surges and provide farmers with water for irrigation. And in 2016, an Indian civil engineer won an environmental innovation prize for his low tech technique for creating ice stupas (large cones) that is now being developed in collaboration with Swiss engineers. This is not only good news for the future of glaciers, at least in the decades to come, but it is helping to preserve cultures and communities. I was in Switzerland this summer and missed the ice stupa, but I saw another Swiss glacier-saving technique in action: covering the flanks of glaciers with reflective white plastic fleece; this has even allowed glaciers to increase in volume. Amazing!
Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy via NetGalley. This is my unbiased review after reading.
Lisa Baril’s style reminds me very much of a Reader’s Digest article, making the story visual and gradually introducing people and concepts so the reader isn’t overwhelmed. Rather than say that the famous Ötzi mummified body found in the Austrian Alps was found by hikers, she tells a whole story about why they happened to be there, why that area of snow was melting for the first time and why it was so well preserved. Scientific details are added gradually and naturally in the course of the story. Just occasionally, the story descends into over-fanciful detail, specifically when the author says that Ötzi wasn’t alerted to the approach of his attackers by a warning call from marmots or squirrels. This is hardly surprising as he was above the tree line. I also suspect she’s thinking of North American ground squirrels which do not live in Europe and are nowadays found higher than they should be in North America, attracted by humans feeding them.
One minus point: an occasional slip into over colloquial American slang that this British English speaker wasn’t sure about, though context subsequently explains. First instance, the theory that Ötzi, the mummified Alpine corpse, had “tied one on”. I might just have managed “on the lam”, which keeps turning up in recent years. I suspect she would be equally mystified if I wrote “three sheets to the wind”.
January 6, 2025
There was more pop in this than I prefer and less science than I would like. I was annoyed at the speculative fanfiction written about the Iceman in the first portion of the book. And then I put it down as a dnf at 30% ish when the author wrote, even though climate doesn't determine our future, it's great for understanding our past. I don't know what planet the author lives on where understanding climate isn't going to determine their future but it certainly isn't earth.
November 4, 2024
With the rising global temperatures, former bastions of ice, glaciers, are increasingly shrinking or disappearing altogether. As they melt and retreat, thousands of organic artifacts are emerging, both increasing our archeological knowledge and highlighting the loss brought by these changes. The Age of Melt: What Glaciers, Ice Mummies, and Ancient Artifacts Teach Us about Climate, Culture, and a Future without Ice serves as both an introduction to the growing field of ice patch archaeology and a history of the major archaeological discoveries since the 1990s.
To anyone with a passing interest, no doubt the discovery of the natural mummy named Ötzi will be familiar. In September 1991 his body was discovered by hikers in the Alps, who believed they'd found a dead mountaineer. It was quickly apparent the body was far older than at first thought and an archeologist examined the body and found evidence that he was believed to have been murdered. From this well reported case, Baril moves around geographic regions, such as Mongolia, Norway, Yellowstone or the Andes. In each area she speaks with experts, both archeological and environmental and locals.
The narrative is both travelogue, science reporting and history. Alongside detailing the discoveries and what analysis or collaboration with indigenous peoples reveals, Baril also discusses different strategies or businesses focused on fighting climate change. There are descriptions of building glaciers or shielding them from the sun with fleece or man-made snow. One chapter focuses on the Ice Stupa Project in Ladakh, India where out of season ice melts are captured in artificial glaciers and saved for later use.
It is a work both fascinating and alarming. The latter section details the placement of plaques to mark glacial locations as they might be just geographic locations. The revealing of these organic artifacts is a highlight of climate change, if not discovered and preserved many of them will return to the earth just like the ice that melts them.
Recommended for readers of environmental science, climate change and archeology.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
To anyone with a passing interest, no doubt the discovery of the natural mummy named Ötzi will be familiar. In September 1991 his body was discovered by hikers in the Alps, who believed they'd found a dead mountaineer. It was quickly apparent the body was far older than at first thought and an archeologist examined the body and found evidence that he was believed to have been murdered. From this well reported case, Baril moves around geographic regions, such as Mongolia, Norway, Yellowstone or the Andes. In each area she speaks with experts, both archeological and environmental and locals.
The narrative is both travelogue, science reporting and history. Alongside detailing the discoveries and what analysis or collaboration with indigenous peoples reveals, Baril also discusses different strategies or businesses focused on fighting climate change. There are descriptions of building glaciers or shielding them from the sun with fleece or man-made snow. One chapter focuses on the Ice Stupa Project in Ladakh, India where out of season ice melts are captured in artificial glaciers and saved for later use.
It is a work both fascinating and alarming. The latter section details the placement of plaques to mark glacial locations as they might be just geographic locations. The revealing of these organic artifacts is a highlight of climate change, if not discovered and preserved many of them will return to the earth just like the ice that melts them.
Recommended for readers of environmental science, climate change and archeology.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
January 12, 2025
Deeply well written book about the symbiotic relationship that human beings have had with ice, as
strange as it may seem. Baril first gives you an overview of the planet’s relation to ice, across millennia, and then to the emergence of homosapiens, to give you a grounding of what to expect. She then has some chapters of exciting ice archaeology finds, what they tell us about the lives of the people at the time, and the condition of the planet, while also telling you about ice archaeology and all the joys and complications thereof. Homo sapiens possibly evolved critical thinking and survival instincts when the earth started cooling during a mini Ice Age, and humans had to start figuring out how to adapt to a very different environment, possibly leading to them inventing a needle and thread and sewing together hides to keep warm. This all seems obvious now, but would have taken years of trial and error, for that inspiration to even strike. A mini Ice Age also a possible reason for Out of Africa migrations, which is pretty much the creation of the world as we know it. The book then looks at communities that depend on ice, or rituals around glaciers and ice and how changes in climate are affecting them. I loved her chapter on Peru and the Andean ritual that combines both indigenous practice and Catholicism. She also has interesting accounts of hunting in these landscapes and how that would have evolved. The last few chapters are about communities that are trying to preserve glaciers in their areas, and has some great descriptions of glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh. This is an excellent book on a facet of nature that we don’t acknowledge has played a huge part in our development as a species.
strange as it may seem. Baril first gives you an overview of the planet’s relation to ice, across millennia, and then to the emergence of homosapiens, to give you a grounding of what to expect. She then has some chapters of exciting ice archaeology finds, what they tell us about the lives of the people at the time, and the condition of the planet, while also telling you about ice archaeology and all the joys and complications thereof. Homo sapiens possibly evolved critical thinking and survival instincts when the earth started cooling during a mini Ice Age, and humans had to start figuring out how to adapt to a very different environment, possibly leading to them inventing a needle and thread and sewing together hides to keep warm. This all seems obvious now, but would have taken years of trial and error, for that inspiration to even strike. A mini Ice Age also a possible reason for Out of Africa migrations, which is pretty much the creation of the world as we know it. The book then looks at communities that depend on ice, or rituals around glaciers and ice and how changes in climate are affecting them. I loved her chapter on Peru and the Andean ritual that combines both indigenous practice and Catholicism. She also has interesting accounts of hunting in these landscapes and how that would have evolved. The last few chapters are about communities that are trying to preserve glaciers in their areas, and has some great descriptions of glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh. This is an excellent book on a facet of nature that we don’t acknowledge has played a huge part in our development as a species.
May 16, 2024
In The Age of Melt, Lisa Baril explains how ice patches and glaciers work and how they help us reconstruct and understand human history and our relationship with ice through time. Baril talks about how humans and ice bodies have experienced climate changes in the past, compared to how the current severe climate warming affects the melting of glaciers. As the ice melts, artifacts found get older, which helps us understand better how our ancestors lived and our climate history.
The book also analyses the implications of the loss of ice in how it affects the Earth's climate, our water supplies, and the challenges it represents to different communities and cultures. It also studies a few solutions some communities currently use for water scarcity. I believe the writing is accessible and explains concepts clearly so readers can understand scientific terms and ice patch archeology regardless of their background. I expected the book to expand more on the historical context and how our understanding of ice patches and glaciers has shaped human history and different cultures. I also wished it would have focused more on solutions and how our future may look instead of questioning whether we have done enough.
I highly recommend this book if you want to understand more about glaciers and how the ice and the artifacts found in them give us an insight into what the past looked like for the glaciers and the people living near them.
Thank you to Timber Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy of the book!
The book also analyses the implications of the loss of ice in how it affects the Earth's climate, our water supplies, and the challenges it represents to different communities and cultures. It also studies a few solutions some communities currently use for water scarcity. I believe the writing is accessible and explains concepts clearly so readers can understand scientific terms and ice patch archeology regardless of their background. I expected the book to expand more on the historical context and how our understanding of ice patches and glaciers has shaped human history and different cultures. I also wished it would have focused more on solutions and how our future may look instead of questioning whether we have done enough.
I highly recommend this book if you want to understand more about glaciers and how the ice and the artifacts found in them give us an insight into what the past looked like for the glaciers and the people living near them.
Thank you to Timber Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy of the book!
February 11, 2025
A well-written and interesting read about the cryosphere and climate change with a particular focus on ice-patch archaeology, glacier mechanics and the impact of mountains and glaciers on culture. The author explores these topics in eleven chapters that describe climate change, ice-patch field work and cultural experiences in a number of different locations around the globe, including: Switzerland, Norway, Canada, the United States, Peru and Ladakh. The book covers a lot of ground, for the most part, in a relatively succinct manner that doesn't go into excessive technical detail. In that regard, it's a work that can be readily understood by readers who are new to the subject matter. I enjoyed this book, found it very interesting and learned a lot. I especially liked the chapter on the creation of artificial glaciers and the building of ice stupas to improve irrigation in Ladakh. Ingenious and amazing. Left me with a sense of hope for human creativity.
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October 2, 2024Baril expands and instructs effectively the Glacial episodic events and interplay with humans. The past two decades have witnessed archaeological research into the lifeways of the changing environmental post Wisconsin glacial conditions of the late Pleistocene earliest inhabitants of North America. It seems most likely that the initial ice-free corridor migration from Beringia occurred very soon after the beginning of the B0lling-Aller0d period when temperatures rose abruptly in the northern hemisphere. The people who made Clovis points and associated tools perhaps enjoyed a unique technological/adaptive advantage, and rapidly expanded their range throughout North America. The book leaves us wondering what the global topography and humanity ultimately will look like when the present glacial melt cycle is completed with abrupt temperature rise, and the next cycle begins.
December 22, 2024
5⭐️ This isn’t a book that explains how or why our world is getting hotter. It’s a given that it is. This book explains what we are discovering about the people who came before us and ultimately who we are due to our action or inaction.
There is a lot of information about the ice on our planet and how we can learn from what is inside of it. The author does a phenomenal job telling a compelling story about the various lives/ places she highlights.
Overall this book is more anthropological than climate science, and I recommend it. She quotes Salk and it sums up her feelings about the melting ice.
Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.
Also, I liked the narrator. She was lively.
There is a lot of information about the ice on our planet and how we can learn from what is inside of it. The author does a phenomenal job telling a compelling story about the various lives/ places she highlights.
Overall this book is more anthropological than climate science, and I recommend it. She quotes Salk and it sums up her feelings about the melting ice.
Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.
Also, I liked the narrator. She was lively.
July 20, 2025
Fascinating subject, and I applaud the author for addressing it, but I had trouble with the writing style. I'm not sure if I can articulate it accurately, but to me, it felt as if it was a high school textbook or written at an adolescent level (quickly hit the subject and move on, written for short attention spans).
Also, for anyone who is interested in reading this book, the concept of glacial melt doesn't need to be sold. Explanations of items seemed simplified and left me wanting more detail.
I have to admit, however, that I may be wrong. For me, this book is in the category of "Did-Not-Finish," so maybe if I waited longer and read more, I could be proved wrong.
Your results may vary. I do suggest you try it because the subject is worthy of your time.
Also, for anyone who is interested in reading this book, the concept of glacial melt doesn't need to be sold. Explanations of items seemed simplified and left me wanting more detail.
I have to admit, however, that I may be wrong. For me, this book is in the category of "Did-Not-Finish," so maybe if I waited longer and read more, I could be proved wrong.
Your results may vary. I do suggest you try it because the subject is worthy of your time.
August 27, 2024
From the Alps to the Andes, melting glaciers are revealing ancient artifacts and sparking a race against time to understand their secrets. This book explores the deep cultural connection between humans and ice, revealing how these melting landscapes tell stories of climate change, resilience, and the enduring power of nature. Entertaining and easy to read, this book provides a unique perspective on human history and humanity’s future.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
October 26, 2024
A very cool mix of archeology science and climate change and cultural archeology as well from indigenous people around the world in ice patches and glaciers. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in any of these things, it was very informative and very interesting to listen to. Climate change is depressing but still a book to listen to or read!
January 2, 2025
What a fascinating book! I have to confess that I had not heard of ice patch archeology until reading this book. Lisa Baril writes in a very accessible way that makes the science easy to understand. I really enjoyed the in-depth stories about the artifacts. I definitely need to read more of her books!
dnf
November 7, 2024DNF - just a little bored listening to this. The content feels equally split between climate science and archaeology, but I really just wanted the latter. Also the narrator pronounces names in a way that almost feels offensive, but at minimum was really distracting.
November 9, 2024
What was presented was interesting and relevant, so certainly read it. But I want so much more from this book than it gave- please someone write more comprehensive book on glaciers that is still digestible!
January 9, 2025
super intriguing. i never expected to be so invested in a book about ice but it was interesting as hell and a great read as i was lying in the overly hot sun and wishing i wasn’t melting. thank you lisa!!
October 6, 2024
Managed to finish this, but I'm so sick I genuinely can't remember what was said in the last 10%. Sure sign that reading is currently beyond me.
October 24, 2024
Velmi zajímavé, ale místy divné...
October 28, 2024
Brilliant
January 12, 2025
I think this is a really excellent book! So glad I picked it up. Very comprehensive, complete, science based, and readable. Loved every bit of it!
May 16, 2025
A little repetitive and unfocused at times, but I did learn a lot I wouldn't have read elsewhere
June 14, 2025
Some inspiring insights in this one.
June 18, 2025
It’s very interesting. Lisa provided the history of ice patches while delivering a look at the future.
August 7, 2025
There was a lot in this book to like, but unfortunately I simply ended it being glad it was done. I like boring things, but this I didn't enjoy too much. Sorry Lisa 🤷♂️
November 15, 2025
Interesting book about Ice melt archeology.
April 7, 2025
This was one of my first Goodreads ARC wins that I was looking forward to, and
Baril's look into a very niche topic-the human artifacts found in melting perennial ice patches-was a wonderful dive into a small but fascinating aspect of anthropology and climatology. One thing I greatly appreciated Baril's writing was how she always wished and worked to humanize and bring to life the people behind each discovery; from the murder of Otzi to the caribou hunters who knew the herd better than the species itself. This extended sometimes into an almost fantastical degree, but I think making these "anicent people" more human is so important, especially because they had the sme brains and bodies as us, and we can't forget that.
For me, the story that stayed embedded in my brain the longest was about the hunting blinds found-or more accurately: rediscovered-in the Yukon and how, 9000 years later, the people who built them outsmarted us. It's always so humbling and fascinating to learn just how well people used to know their lands; the animals, the climates, the ebb and flow of herds and glaciers.
My only major complaint was that the story felt... A bit repetitive. I suppose there's only so many ways you can write about old arrows being discovered in ice patches, and it did dip more into a travelogue than a scientific writing, but I still learned a lot about ice coring (who knew they had to melt the ice to analyze it?) and Baril's expressive stroytelling made this for a compelling read.
Baril's look into a very niche topic-the human artifacts found in melting perennial ice patches-was a wonderful dive into a small but fascinating aspect of anthropology and climatology. One thing I greatly appreciated Baril's writing was how she always wished and worked to humanize and bring to life the people behind each discovery; from the murder of Otzi to the caribou hunters who knew the herd better than the species itself. This extended sometimes into an almost fantastical degree, but I think making these "anicent people" more human is so important, especially because they had the sme brains and bodies as us, and we can't forget that.
For me, the story that stayed embedded in my brain the longest was about the hunting blinds found-or more accurately: rediscovered-in the Yukon and how, 9000 years later, the people who built them outsmarted us. It's always so humbling and fascinating to learn just how well people used to know their lands; the animals, the climates, the ebb and flow of herds and glaciers.
My only major complaint was that the story felt... A bit repetitive. I suppose there's only so many ways you can write about old arrows being discovered in ice patches, and it did dip more into a travelogue than a scientific writing, but I still learned a lot about ice coring (who knew they had to melt the ice to analyze it?) and Baril's expressive stroytelling made this for a compelling read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews