Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue

by Buddy Levy

National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Buddy Levy's thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.

Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as a self-promoting egomaniac known mostly for his catastrophic failures. Instead he was a courageous innovator who pushed the boundaries of polar exploration and paved the way for the ultimate conquest of the North Pole—which would be achieved not by dogsled or airplane, but by airship.

American explorer Dr. Frederick Cook was the first to claim he made it to the North Pole in 1908. A year later, so did American Robert Peary, but both Cook’s and Peary’s claims had been seriously questioned. There was enough doubt that Norwegian explorer extraordinaire Roald Amundsen—who’d made history and a name for himself by being first to sail through the Northwest Passage and first man to the South Pole—picked up where Walter Wellman left off, attempting to fly to the North Pole by airship. He would go in the Norge, designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. The 350-foot Norge flew over the North Pole on May 12, 1926, and Amundsen was able to accurately record and verify their exact location.

However, the engineer Nobile felt slighted by Amundsen. Two years later, Nobile returned, this time in the Italia, backed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. This was an Italian enterprise, and Nobile intended to win back the global accolades and reputation he believed Amundsen had stripped from him. The journey ended in disaster, death, and accusations of cannibalism, launching one of the great rescue operations the world had ever seen.

Realm of Ice and Sky is the thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Adventure, Travel, Science, Survival, Biography

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2025

About the author

Buddy Levy BIO--
Writer, educator, public speaker and entertainer, Buddy Levy is the author of Realm of Ice and Sky (St. Martin's Press, 2025); Empire of Ice & Stone (St. Martin's Press, 2022); Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition (St. Martin’s Press, 2019); No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (co-authored with Erik Weihenmayer, Thomas Dunne Books, 2017; a national bestseller and Honorable Mention Award Winner in the Outdoor Literature category of the 2017 National Outdoor Book Awards); Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of An American Warrior (with Mike Leach, Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, 2014); River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon (Bantam Dell, 2011). His other books include Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Bantam Dell, 2008), which was a finalist for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, 2009, and nominated for the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, 2009, and the PEN Center USA Award 2009; American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett (Putnam, 2005, Berkley Books, 2006); and Echoes On Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge (Pruett, 1998). His books have been published in six languages. CONQUISTADOR is currently being considered for a television series.
As a freelance journalist Levy has covered adventure sports and lifestyle/travel subjects around the world, including several Eco-Challenges and other adventure expeditions in Argentina, Borneo, Europe, Greenland, Morocco, and the Philippines. His magazine articles and essays have appeared in Alaska Airlines Magazine, Backpacker, Big Sky Journal, Couloir, Discover, Denver 5280, Hemispheres, High Desert Journal, Poets & Writers, River Teeth, Ski, Trail Runner, Utne Reader, TV Guide, and VIA. He is clinical associate professor of English at Washington State University, and lives in northern Idaho with his wife Camie, and his black Labs Dugan and CJ.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An airship in the Arctic? What could go wrong? The answer is so, so much. Quite frankly, not nearly as much as I expected, though. As an avid reader of anything about the Arctic, I knew I would enjoy Buddy Levy's latest, Realm of Ice and Sky. Adventure and survival stories are Levy's sweet spot, and I was not disappointed.

Levy tells the story of three different Arctic campaigns aimed at the North Pole. My only wish is that I knew nothing about all three before I started reading. I was aware of the Italia disaster and Roald Amundsen's trip to the pole. However, I knew nothing about their predecessor, Walter Wellman. The three stories are captivating and they work best when sitting in front of a fire otherwise you may catch a chill.

Levy is one of those authors I can recommend to anyone. Yes, this is non-fiction and history, but Levy is the master of just telling the dang story and getting on with it. While I would have loved a book twice the size, Levy knows not everyone needs to know the listing of the stores taken on each expedition. The people and their survival is all that matters. The story tells itself. Levy is just the (very well qualified) tour guide.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.)

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book has written several excellent books about polar expeditions and knows the triumphs and tragedies of early expeditions. In this history, he looks at three early explorers who won or lost in their attempts to be the first to fly over the North Pole in the early 20th century.

The popularity of the lighter than air machines (dirigibles) was world-wide during this time as the airships were the most technologically advanced flying machines in the world. Additionally, being the first to North Pole by air was the goal of many explorers.(It should be noted that Perry and Cook claimed to be the first but these claims have been since debunked.)

Walter Wellman: This was the slowest section of the book which lowered my rating. It had quite a bit of technical information which was sometimes rather hard to follow. Wellman was not particularly an expert on the dirigible and his several attempts were unsuccessful, although no lives were lost.

Roald Amundsen: The "White Eagle of Norway" was, and is, the most well-known arctic explorer of his time and revered by his country and the world. He was not a particularly young man when he took his airship, the Norge and steered it from Spitzenberg, Norway toward the North Pole. He circled the Pole three times, took photographs, and then continued across the Arctic Ocean to Alaska. He became the first man to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole.

Umberto Nobile: The Facist explorer who was part of the crew of the above mentioned Norge felt that he was not given enough credit for being part of Amundsen's crew and approached Italy's leader, Mussolini, to sponsor a polar flight. In order to bring attention and glory to Italy, Mussonlini agreed and the Italia was built for that purpose.This was the most tragic of the attempts as the ship crashed, killing most of those aboard. The rest, including Nobile, survived on an ice flow for many weeks and were finally rescued. But even more tragedy struck, when Amundsen, in an effort to find the survivors, was lost over the ocean and his remains were never found.

A very interesting, well written book of a subject of which I had little knowledge. I would recommend it.

[Vanessa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who ever said history is boring? Not so in Buddy Levy's hands!

I finished this narrative history of airship exploration and rescue operations in the Arctic yesterday and I'm still a little breathless.

Levy's book focuses on the race to the geographic North Pole by detailing the attempts made by three brave explorers and their crew to reach the pole by airship. The specifications of the ships, their construction, their handling in the polar elements; all are very interesting. Included with biographical details of the men we are given passage into their hubris, to the world politics of the early twentieth century, to the actions of scandals and derring-do's.

I highly recommend this for readers who like reading about aircraft and for those who in general enjoy thrilling, page turning adventures. 4.5 stars ✨

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue on audiobook. All other arctic exploration books I have read have been about explorers on land or on boats. This book is about polar exploration by airship---it looks like a huge inflatable cigar. Visualize the Goodyear blimp.

Various personalities attempted airship polar exploration, including Walter Wellman, Roald Amundsen, and Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. Different nationalities, motivations, and personalities make for an interesting journey. And throw in Italy's Prime Minister Benito Mussolini's interest and support for the adventure.

This year I read a few other books on arctic exploration or living on the North Pole that I rated four or five stars:
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition
The White Darkness
Life on Svalbard: Finding Home on a Remote Island Near the North Pole

[Michael Schramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third book by Buddy Levy, an author who appears to be getting better with each one he writes. Specializing in polar voyages gone awry, “Realm of Ice and Sky” tops them all and is a bona fide page turner.

Books about the airship industry, the genesis of which more or less coincided with the development and evolution of heavier than air aircraft is in itself a fascinating subject (for me, anyway) for a history book—as I discovered in “Empires of the Sky”. But when one couples that with intrepid polar explorers who were drawn to the last realm on Earth shrouded still in mystery in the very early 20th century, attempting to unveil the secrets of the geography of the North Pole and surrounding regions with fledging aeronautical tech, that all makes for one fascinating subject.

Buddy Levy has performed a magnificent job providing the reader with a “you are there” feeling in the body of his book, and it is reminiscent of the same feeling I obtained in reading books from one of my favorite history writers, Hampton Sides.

From the thrilling exploits of a polar pioneer you’ve probably never heard of (Walter Wellman) who astonishingly embarked on airship polar exploration beginning just four years after the Wright brothers’ first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, to the further hardships endured by Norwegian Roald Amundsen, James Ellsworth and Italian Umberto Nobile, embarking on transpolar crossings on the airships “Norge” and “Italia” Levy’s book is a cover-to-cover page turner. What each of these individuals (and the many able bodied crewmen) endured in their quest to reach their goals, their travails in surviving aviation mishaps and their subsequent long period of abandon, doing all that was super-humanly possible to survive for extended periods on ice floes with minimal provisions, food and medicine is simply nothing short of astounding.

I look greatly forward to Mr. Levy’s next book!

[Catharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for offering me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Back in 2023 I had the pleasure of reading Buddy Levy's book Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk. So when the opportunity to read another ice adventure through the words of Levy came to me, of COURSE I said yes! I was so excited to crack this book open and it did not disappoint!

Levy is hands down one of my favorite history writers. He does his homework and gets into the nitty gritty details of whatever situation he is explaining. You can feel the emotions these men went through soaring over the North Pole in their air ships...the elation AND the devastation. I appreciate that Levy sticks to the historical documents and does not try and fluff up his writing either. I think some writers tend to express how they THINK a person would have felt, or they THINK they know what they would've done...whereas Levy only writes it if he KNOWS. The historical accuracy is what makes it that much more special.

I am such a fan of the polar explorers of the 18th and early 19th century. I can already tell you that any book Levy is writing concerning polar escapades will be at the top of my list! Even though this book is heavy in detail and backstory, it does not over encumber the narrative. The book soars by quickly once you get into it, and the emotions run high while the story is moving along! I commend these men for what they have achieved, and I am saddened for the losses along the way.

Another AMAZING HIT by Buddy Levy! If you love polar explorers, if you love air ships, if you have ANY sense of adventure...this is the book for you!!

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some polar explorers in the early 20th century chose to venture to their destination by airship, a new and somewhat untried and dangerous means of transportation. This book chronicles the trips of Amundsen, Cook, Wellman, and Nobile--their rivalries, failures, and triumphs. I was more interested in the airships themselves than the explorers, and found the end chapter on current airship development particularly interesting. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC.

[Joy D · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The polar airship age was an age of heroes, and the men who flew airships between 1906 and 1928, aeronauts Walter Wellman, Roald Amundson, Umberto Nobile, were the equivalent of the first astronauts.”

Buddy Levy’s fascinating nonfiction tells the story of a lesser-known period in Arctic exploration history – a time in the early 1900s when explorers took (or tried to take) dirigibles to the North Pole. It focuses on the adventures of three men who played prominent roles in the Age of Airships: Walter Wellman (United States), Roald Amundson (Norway), and Umberto Nobile (Italy). These three led expeditions in the use of lighter-than-air vehicles in polar exploration, supplanting the older traditional travel by dogsled.

It is told in three parts with increasingly dramatic results, starting with Walter Wellman’s visionary attempts in 1906-1909, moving to the international cooperative effort with Roald Amundsen in charge of a joint American, Norwegian, and Italian expedition, and finally, covering in gut-wrenching detail, the crash of the Italia, captained by Umberto Nobile, on its final flight. Afterward, it involved an international cooperation to locate and rescue the survivors.

This is one of those books that fits the label “non-fiction that read like a fiction.” It is well written, providing insights into historic events and the personalities of those involved. I found it easy to become invested. I always seem to enjoy true tales of exploration history in the extreme cold. Be sure to read the postscript about the latest development in airship innovation. Apparently, they are making a comeback.

“In the early years of the 20th century, Walter Wellman was conceiving, designing, and flying motorized hydrogen-filled aircraft hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle, which was at the time as daunting and uncertain as the first manned spaceflights that would leave the earth’s atmosphere a half century later.…His vision had been realized during his lifetime by a Norwegian-led, and American-financed, expedition flying in an Italian-built airship.”

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was stunned. I never expected to read about an Arctic exploration team blessed by the Pope and funded by Mussolini. How did Fascist Italy ever get involved in such an endeavor?

It was their state-of-the-art airship that was the attraction. After a hundred-plus years of sailing into the Arctic and finally reaching the North Pole, men of adventure were looking for the next big thing. The cutting edge technology of air power–airplanes and dirigibles–appeared to be the next vehicle to scientific discovery and fame.

The explorers of the frozen Arctic and Antarctic were the culture heroes of their time, like astronauts were in the early days of the Space Race. Of course, scientific discovery was their tacit reason, but who could deny the attraction of fame and the wealth that came with it, the newsheadlines, the income from speaking engagements and writing articles and books.

The first to use air power was explorer and newspaperman Walter Wellman. After his failure, the first man to reach the South Pole, Roald Amundsen, selected an Italian manufactured airship for his endeavor. The Italian engineer who designed the airship, Umberto Nobile, went along, and when Amundsen failed, Nobile determined to organize his own expedition, which met a most grievous end.

Such hubris! We imagine our science and technology can arm to battle nature’s gales and squalls and ice and freezing temperatures! We risk our lives and are shocked to discover our fate leads to tragedy.

Nobile’s party crashed, were separated. Men died. His failure looked bad for his country and their story was suppressed and lost to time. Plus, Amundsen had flown into the Arctic searching for them, never to be seen again.

Levy again delivers a nail-biting, page-turner of an adventure story from the pages of history that reminds us of our fragility compared to the forces of nature.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this much-appreciated historical non-fiction. This was an intensive and thoroughly researched factual account of early Arctic exploration, primarily focusing on the little-known fact that dirigibles were involved in the early 1900s. The author cannot be faulted for his detailed description of all items, situations and background, but the saying 'less is more' comes to mind regarding the general public's ease of reading. This may be precisely what readers who are fascinated with polar exploration and /or airships and are deep into their study are looking for. My Kindle version of the ARC contained no maps for the numerous Arctic sites mentioned, so I failed to have a mental picture of the various journeys. I expect this will be remedied before the book is published.
I admit skimming through the first two sections of the book, which mentioned materials, measurements, and technical language of the designing, building, and testing the earliest dirigibles in the early 1900s, at the same time that airplanes were in their infancy. It was hoped that airships would replace dogsleds and skis for exploring the far north. The first Marconi wireless was remotely set up to inform people of their progress or the possible need for rescue. Although I had difficulty following the paths of exploration, I had a minor personal picture of what it was like being stuck in pack ice. In the 1990s, I was on a small tourist ship travelling in the high Arctic in August. We became trapped in the ice, and food had run out. Luckily, a Russian icebreaker was in the vicinity and soon freed us.

The first two sections did include two of the earliest attempts to reach the North Pole by airship. They described the earliest attempts. by Wellman, the designer and builder, and the heroic Roald Amundsen to obtain scientific and meteorological knowledge while mapping the area below. Amundsen travelled with Nobile, and rivalry and animosity developed between them. The early explorers had the fame of later astronauts who landed on the moon. Now, snowmobiles have replaced dogsleds.

Early airship travel was hoped to be the most practical and efficient method of reaching the goal of standing on the North Pole. Still, early journeys revealed the difficulty due to strong winds, volatile hydrogen, sufficient gas supply, fog, and the scarcely tried airship construction, not to mention polar bears. The author believes that Amundson was not only the first man to reach the South Pole but also the first to arrive at the North Pole and that the previous claimants exaggerated or were mistaken.

It is not the author's fault that the book's first part was not what I expected. I wanted the story of the Italian crash, the efforts of the victims to survive despite horrific injuries for some, and rescue. This was an exciting, tension-packed story, but only addressed in the book's third section, weakened by the lack of maps. Of the sixteen aboard the Italian led by Nobile, only nine survived the crash, some with painful broken bones. Seven others were still airborne in part of the airship. They dropped supplies to those below and then floated away into oblivion. The Italian was sponsored for the glory of the fascist regime under Mussolini to improve their image. The Pope had blessed the journey and gave Nobile's crew a cross to leave at the North Pole. Attempts to communicate their position seemed to fail until a farmer in a remote part of Russia heard their pleas on short-wave radio and alerted the world.

Eight countries rushed to the rescue, which involved 14,000 searchers, 23 airplanes, six ships, and dogsleds. Nobile was rescued by a small ski plane, and a Russian icebreaker saved the majority still alive. An inquiry blamed Nobile for the disaster, and Mussolini's government stripped him of his military rank, profession, and salary. He had to leave the country to find employment. It was not until 1943 that he was exonerated and returned to his position in Italy, even with his back salary restored. It was determined that his leadership had been exemplary, and the crash was probably due to human fatigue and failure of the hydrogen release valves., but the public blamed him for the death of their greatest hero, Amundson, during the rescue attempt.

The beautiful cover is eye-catching, but adding illustrations inside these early airships would be helpful.

The massive bibliography is impressive. It includes books, documents from museum archives, historical newspaper resources, film, TV and a website.
The final chapter describes modern attempts to build safe airships to provide humanitarian aid and medical supplies for remote disaster areas, as well as dirigibles to offer luxury travel across the Atlantic and even an African tour. The mention of a 48-hour tour to the North Pole would cost $200,000.

I highly recommend the story of the Italia crash and its aftermath. Some of the early details seemed like fillers—immaculate and factual research.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

REALM OF ICE AND SKY

And so who discovered the North Pole? Dogsledders Frederick Cook or Richard Peary? Matthew Henson? Richard Byrd in his Fokker airplane? Or was it an airship man? In a dirigible. A blimp. A modified Zeppelin. National honor and bragging rights, a lot of intense competition, the answer isn’t exactly settled.

This was a really terrific nonfiction book set in the early 1900s about the exploration of the polar region by airship. It focused mainly on three people and their attempts to be the first to reach the North Pole. In each case there is a very detailed description of the goals they set, the preparation for their individual trips, and results of these attempts.

Walter Wellman, American journalist with extensive business and political connections, was an early believer that the days of dogsledding to the North Pole were to be replaced by air travel. As Frederick Cook and Robert Peary attempted land exploration, Wellman’s vision of flying over the polar region set the course for future ventures. His background in the news business inspired him to use the De Forest Wireless Telegraph system to report the journey in real time from the Airship America, increasing public interest in his daring polar adventures.

Norwegian explorer Ronald Amundsen, with his successful prior expeditions to Antarctica, partnered with wealthy American Lincoln Ellsworth to attempt reach the North Pole. Beloved as a Viking hero in his homeland, Amundsen was an explorer at heart. His flight of the airship Norga resulted in historic navigational feats, and some stiff competition with Richard Byrd’s airplane Fokker.

Italian General Umberto Nobile, furthered polar airship exploration under the rule of Mussolini’s facism. National pride fostered competition among the world’s nations to be the first to the North Pole. Nobile’s voyage of the airship Italia resulted in the greatest polar rescue attempt in history.

I love to be amazed by the things that people will do, things that I wouldn’t ever even think to do. To command an airship - a dirigible - a blimp. To be responsible for a crew of many men, and fly over the polar region? Never in a million years.

All amazing stories and terrific to learn about these brave and determined men. Nothing better than learning history told in story form, and this book does it very well. Exciting and tension filled, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I both read and listened to the audiobook version, which was also very good. I would like to thank NetGalley, Buddy Levi, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are only an estimated 25 blimps in existence worldwide, with about half of them still active

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I am not overly interested in Arctic exploration though I have read several books belonging to this genre in the past. This book tells the story of three men who attempted to explore the Arctic by airship. They are American explorer Walter Wellman, well-known explorer Norwegian Roald Amundsen, and Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile. It discusses the problems encountered inn early airship design and how these were magnified under Arctic conditions. It also discusses how the personalities of each of these explorers impacted their efforts. Roald Amundsen is well known. Whiteman is less well known today. The actions of Nobile once disparaged is generally vindicated in this account.

I highly recommend this book. I read my first book by this author last year. I have greatly enjoyed both of them and will go back to read some off his earlier works.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Another exceptionally researched and written book about polar exploration by this author. I absolutely adored his last one.

This one takes readers into the history of aeronauts from the early 20th century and their quests to conquer the north pole. This was all new information for me, and it was fascinating. It was also incredibly dangerous, which had me shaking my head and wondering how these explorers are able to do what they do.

This book follows three prominent aeronauts in particular and their accomplishments. Their stories were varied, and I found the last one by far the best. The book read more like three short stories to me, with the first two interesting but lacking in jawdropping polar adventure. For this, it lost some points.

The audio narration was good. A nonfiction worth the listen if you enjoy polar exploration stories.

Thank you, #NetGalley, for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool topic! Exploration of the North Pole by gigantic airships in the early 20th century. I wish I had liked this more and I’m not sure why I had such trouble getting and staying engaged in what should have been exciting adventure and rescue stories. I suspect it was because the book was split into three stories. Levy insists on including Walter Wellman even though the book would have been more cohesive if it focused only on Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile, whose stories are much more intertwined. He is also really committed to defending the legacy of Walter, who apparently has been maligned for being a self-promoter and egomaniac. It is kind of like:

No one: …
Absolutely no one: …
Levy: no no guys Walter was sooooo great

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite read of 2025!

I've always been interested in airships, and since I spent one year in Ny-Alesund, where the Amundsen mast is still standing, I've been wanting to learn more about the polar explorations using airships. This book read more like an adventure novel than a history book, and I couldn't put it down! It's not often that a book can keep me awake in the evening, making me read until 3AM. I didn't know much about Walter Wellman, I'm glad I do now. Well researched, engaging and just fun to read!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book for people with very niche interests, or those who want to expand their knowledge into areas they know little about. For me, as someone who is mostly interested in actual exploration, I was often bored since a large portion of the book is more about the invention of dirigibles and early planes than it is about true exploration, though the two subjects collided often. There just were too many instances of detailed information about flight and flying to keep me interested, too many stories about people flying places other than the North Pole. There also was, in my opinion, way too much time spent on the background of the main characters. It often felt like the author had a decent idea for a book but couldn't figure out how to make it long enough, so he shoved in as much background data and many things only tangentially related to the main story to reach a certain word count. It made the book really drag on and on for me. However, between some of this fluff, there were really interesting sections that shocked me, made me laugh out loud, and kept me eagerly turning the pages. Looking back from this point in time, it seems ridiculous what some of these people tried to do, but they didn't know then what we know now and it added a cool layer to the book.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Carson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buddy Levy is better than this book. The titular "Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Artic Rescue" is over halfway through and then an altogether 'new' story of Roald Amundsen (same story of Amundsen every other artic enthusiast already knows) takes the other half of the book. I am really not sure why the editor or Levy himself decided on this. I lost interest after Wellman and Vanimans' story finished. This sucks for me personally because I love artic books and really enjoyed many other Buddy Levy books, but this one is a big miss.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding account of polar explorers attempting to use airships to reach the North Pole that reads like fiction.

This is an excellent example of how wildly entertaining narrative nonfiction can be when it’s well told. I’ve long been fascinated by both polar exploration and air ships, and the combination of the two felt like a sure winner.

But we have to credit Levy for writing a rollicking, intense account of these events, which can and have in the past felt quite banal in the telling if the wrong person is in charge of the material.

Levy covers multiple air ship voyages to the Arctic here, culminating in Captain Nobile’s disastrous trip, which ended in tragedy and resulted in multiple deaths, most notably that of Amundsen, who disappeared while trying to rescue his rival and was never seen again.

Though this topic was of particular interest to me, I’m now very sold on Levy as an excellent chronicler of narrative nonfiction, and look forward to his next offering, no matter the subject.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the three explorations of the North Pole using air ships. The first trip was led by William Wellman, the second by Roald Amundsen and the last by Umberto Nobile. Each accomplished different achievements. The first that it could be done, the second that the Arctic was an ocean and could be flown across and the last involved scientific studies. The last one resulted in a crash that necessitated at rescue of those that survived. Overall a well written and researched book that read move like a novel than history.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

[Deity World · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowww a must read for those who are into historical travel for sure from trauma to survival and a discovery

[Valleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue was quite different from what I was expecting. I thought I was going to be reading about the crash of the airship Italia and the subsequent rescue of the survivors. The last 40% of the book delivered on that, and I found it to be fascinating. However, I found the first 60% to be akin to reading a textbook. It was all about the invention and first flights of dirigibles.

That said, there may be readers who find that first part to be exactly what they're looking for. I completely get that. It just wasn't what I was expecting. If you're more like I am, you, too, will be engrossed by that last 40% of Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue!

Thank you #StMartinsPress for providing this book for review consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. It has an expected publication date of January 28, 2005.

#Dirigibles #History

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading and thoroughly enjoying Levy's previous book, Empire of Ice and Stone, I probably had very high expectations for his latest work.

Although interesting, Realm of Ice and Sky didn't have enough tragedy, exploration, and rescue ops for me. The book primarily focused on the engineering, mechanics, and construction of dirigibles as well as the people behind them. It was, in my opinion, a little boring.

As another reviewer mentioned, the excitement doesn't start until at least the 60% point. But even then, it still wasn't nail biting or memorable to me.

Realm of Ice and Sky is still a decent read. And I'll still look forward to other works by this author. Two okay stars.

I was invited to read the DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest opinions.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book, I knew I had to [request] read it as all my previous reads about arctic exploration have been ship-based and this is about an AIRSHIP [actually several of them when its all said and done] that makes the attempt, and it was completely mind boggling to even think about it. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right? *grimace*

One of the things that I continue to see in book like this is, while these men were brave, daring, and smarter than I will ever be, they were also incredibly arrogant [beyond the arrogance one would need to do ANY kind of exploration] and selfish. Their inability to see past their own wants and arrogance results in unnecessary danger and quite often death [so. much. death.], and while I love the whole adventure and daring of this [and the others] book, this knowledge always tinges these book with anger and frustration for me.

That said, this was an amazing read [even with the arrogance, I cannot imagine going to the Arctic in any conveyance, much less in a hydrogen-filled {essentially} BALLOON], that was edge-of-your-seat for most of it [I DID get bogged down with some of the technical parts of it], and then you get to the final flight of the book and the crash and the rescue and BOY-HOWDY I dare you to take a breath!!!

If you love history and adventure [tinged with deep sadness, arrogance, and deep, deep, regret], this book [and any book Mr. Levy writes in my humble opinion] is 100% for you. I was captivated from the very beginning and very sad at the end and was left just marveling at all I had just read. Amazing.

Will Damron is one of my top 10 favorite narrators and once again, he does an amazing job, given that there is a lot of technical language, Swedish/Norwegian/Italian names and places, and often tough subject matter [I am not sure how narrators get through scenes like the one where two men have to leave a friend on the ice to die - I was crying my eyes out listening, and I am sure had I had to read it out loud, no one would have been able to understand me!!]. If you are an audiobook listener, this will be a real treat for you. If not, this is an excellent one to start with, especially if very cool history is your jam. Very well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Buddy Levy, Will Damron - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

[AltLovesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Today the sun has set on airships and ... it is feared that it has set forever."

Buddy Levy's arctic expedition books continue to not disappoint. I've read both Labyrinth of Ice and Empire of Ice and Stone, and rated both of those an enthusiastic 5 stars. This one, with its inclusion of the history of airship travel and the arctic, was no different, to no surprise of mine. There's just something incredibly compelling about these explorers who endure so much in the name of planting a flag.

This book's three parts tell the reader about a different airship attempt in each part. We first are introduced to Walter Wellman and the Chicago Record-Herald Polar Expedition, whose struggles to get airborne set the stage for what comes after. The second part brings in Roald Amundsen (a familiar name for anyone who's read about polar expeditions in the past) and his journey on the Norge, where both him and Umberto Nobile become rivals and enemies at the conclusion. Finally, part three involves the Italia, Nobile's attempt to cross the north pole, funded by Italy and Mussolini, that ends rather poorly. It turns out quite a lot can go wrong with giant bags of gas in a cold environment.

As usual, each part is well researched and well written, with footnotes included, as well as an extensive bibilography at the end. I evidently really need to read Amundsen's biography The Last Viking, because his inclusion (history spoilers(?) here) and conclusion was a huge surprise for me. I wasn't a huge fan of Nobile as a historical figure, but I sort of felt bad for the guy on his return.

Just a fun, informative, tense book all around. The only reason it took me so long to make it through this one is because life happened and I didn't get much time to read until now. I binged the last 50% in two days, it was that good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

How had I never heard that some of the earliest Western exploration attempts of the Arctic were by dirigibles? Hydrogen airships equipped with gasoline engines?!!

At the same time my reaction was “what on earth were they thinking?” And reading about the extreme work it took to schlepp the pieces up there, put them together, fuel them, and build a huge warehouse to store it until they had the right weather to leave was awe-inspiring.

Of course, it takes a certain type of ego and competitiveness to attempt something like this and Buddy Levy does a great job of bringing the players to life. But the drama is not limited to the explorers. The unforgiving Arctic demands its price. How the people who did survive found the mental fortitude to do so is astounding.

Great read for anyone who likes exploration histories. I found the Walter Wellman part less interesting but was rewarded for continuing by the remainder of the book.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. It’s a bit different than the other Buddy Levy artic adventure books I’ve read, but still interesting. It’s kind of crazy to think that they were essentially taking a prototype Goodyear Blimp without any modern technology and thought “Let’s take this into the unknown artic and see what we find!” (Although, that’s easy to say now… I’m sure in 100 years from now, people will be laughing at us for all sorts of stupid things we do)

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will write a full review when I'm back to full health. For now, suffice to say that it was worth 4 stars.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent narrative of polar exploration by air (1900-1930) focusing on three men, two of whom I was unaware: Walter Wellman and Umberto Nobile. Nor was I aware that the greatest polar explorer, Amundsen, died searching for Nobile in what was then the world's largest SAR to date. Wellman, the American, does not get his due in history. He was a true visionary and innovator. And airships are back as new airframes for tourism and climate friendly travel.

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! I’ve ready many books on Antarctic and Arctic exploration, but was not familiar with these stories.