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Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition
The spellbinding story of the greatest cold case in Arctic history—and how the rare mix of marine science and Inuit knowledge finally led to the recent discovery of the shipwrecks.
Spanning nearly 200 years, Ice Ghosts is a fast-paced detective story about Western science, indigenous beliefs, and the irrepressible spirit of exploration and discovery. It weaves together an epic account of the legendary Franklin Expedition of 1845—whose two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror , and their crew of 129 were lost to the Arctic ice—with the modern tale of the scientists, researchers, divers, and local Inuit behind the recent discoveries of the two ships, which made news around the world.
The journalist Paul Watson was on the icebreaker that led the expedition that discovered the HMS Erebus in 2014, and he broke the news of the discovery of the HMS Terror in 2016. In a masterful work of history and contemporary reporting, he tells the full story of the Franklin Sir John Franklin and his crew setting off from England in search of the fabled Northwest Passage; the hazards they encountered and the reasons they were forced to abandon ship after getting stuck in the ice hundreds of miles from the nearest outpost of Western civilization; and the dozens of search expeditions over more than 160 years, which collectively have been called "the most extensive, expensive, perverse, and ill-starred . . . manhunt in history."
All that searching turned up a legendary trail of sailors' relics, a fabled note, a lifeboat with skeletons lying next to loaded rifles, and rumors of cannibalism . . . but no sign of the ships until, finally, the discoveries in our own time. As Watson reveals, the epic hunt for the lost Franklin Expedition found success only when searchers combined the latest marine science with faith in Inuit lore that had been passed down orally for generations.
Ice Ghosts is narrative nonfiction of the highest order, full of drama and rich in Lady Jane Franklin, who almost single-handedly kept the search alive for decades; an Inuit historian who worked for decades gathering elders' accounts; an American software billionaire who launched his own hunt; and underwater archaeologists honing their skills to help find the ships. Watson also shows how the hunt for the Franklin Expedition was connected to such technological advances as scuba gear and sonar technology, and how it ignited debates over how to preserve the relics discovered with the ships.
A modern adventure story that arcs back through history, Ice Ghosts tells the complete and incredible story of the Franklin Expedition—the greatest of Arctic mysteries—for the ages.
Spanning nearly 200 years, Ice Ghosts is a fast-paced detective story about Western science, indigenous beliefs, and the irrepressible spirit of exploration and discovery. It weaves together an epic account of the legendary Franklin Expedition of 1845—whose two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror , and their crew of 129 were lost to the Arctic ice—with the modern tale of the scientists, researchers, divers, and local Inuit behind the recent discoveries of the two ships, which made news around the world.
The journalist Paul Watson was on the icebreaker that led the expedition that discovered the HMS Erebus in 2014, and he broke the news of the discovery of the HMS Terror in 2016. In a masterful work of history and contemporary reporting, he tells the full story of the Franklin Sir John Franklin and his crew setting off from England in search of the fabled Northwest Passage; the hazards they encountered and the reasons they were forced to abandon ship after getting stuck in the ice hundreds of miles from the nearest outpost of Western civilization; and the dozens of search expeditions over more than 160 years, which collectively have been called "the most extensive, expensive, perverse, and ill-starred . . . manhunt in history."
All that searching turned up a legendary trail of sailors' relics, a fabled note, a lifeboat with skeletons lying next to loaded rifles, and rumors of cannibalism . . . but no sign of the ships until, finally, the discoveries in our own time. As Watson reveals, the epic hunt for the lost Franklin Expedition found success only when searchers combined the latest marine science with faith in Inuit lore that had been passed down orally for generations.
Ice Ghosts is narrative nonfiction of the highest order, full of drama and rich in Lady Jane Franklin, who almost single-handedly kept the search alive for decades; an Inuit historian who worked for decades gathering elders' accounts; an American software billionaire who launched his own hunt; and underwater archaeologists honing their skills to help find the ships. Watson also shows how the hunt for the Franklin Expedition was connected to such technological advances as scuba gear and sonar technology, and how it ignited debates over how to preserve the relics discovered with the ships.
A modern adventure story that arcs back through history, Ice Ghosts tells the complete and incredible story of the Franklin Expedition—the greatest of Arctic mysteries—for the ages.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2017
267 people are currently reading
4412 people want to read
About the author
Paul Watson
3 books39 followersPaul Watson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best selling author, whose accolades include a Canadian National Magazine Award, the George Polk Award and Hal Boyle Award, both for foreign reporting, the Robert Capa Gold Medal and the Freedom of the Press Award. He is also featured in Dan O'Brien's award winning and critically acclaimed play, "The Body of an American," and Martyn Burke's Academy Award shortlisted documentary "Under Fire: Journalists in Combat," which won broadcasting's prestigious Peabody Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
February 28, 2017
I am fascinated by anything to do with the Arctic, a place I will never go, truth to tell probably not even want to go, but I love reading about this extremely cold, ice packed place. Add in the Franklin Expedition and the very long effort it took to find the wrecks of Erebus and Terror, and I'm all in.
Starts in 1845 with the expedition itself, for John Franklin, now in his seventies this is his last ditch effort to find and complete the northwest passage and to redeem his shattered reputation. Was bowled away by the huge amount of supplies on this ship, provisioned enough to supposed last 129 men for many years. After the ships are lost, not heard of, many efforts by John Ross and Lady Jane Franklin to impel a rescue mission falls on deaf ears. lady Jane even offers some of her own money and out of frustration will turn to spiritualists for short time. She was an admirable and indefatigable woman, fighting for her husband.
This is a dense read, so many names, so many missions that ended in failure throughout the years.
Fascinating to me but difficult to process and remember all the information. The Inuit, had passed down through the years their tales of white men, ships rising from the ice, and there tales were deemed as unreliable. It would take an Inuit, a professional mam who remembers these passed down stories to finally light the spark that would lead to some major discoveries.
An enduring mystery brought to light, loved reading this book but if one does not have the same fascination might be a completely different reading experience. For me, it was grand.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes March 21st by W. W. Norton
Starts in 1845 with the expedition itself, for John Franklin, now in his seventies this is his last ditch effort to find and complete the northwest passage and to redeem his shattered reputation. Was bowled away by the huge amount of supplies on this ship, provisioned enough to supposed last 129 men for many years. After the ships are lost, not heard of, many efforts by John Ross and Lady Jane Franklin to impel a rescue mission falls on deaf ears. lady Jane even offers some of her own money and out of frustration will turn to spiritualists for short time. She was an admirable and indefatigable woman, fighting for her husband.
This is a dense read, so many names, so many missions that ended in failure throughout the years.
Fascinating to me but difficult to process and remember all the information. The Inuit, had passed down through the years their tales of white men, ships rising from the ice, and there tales were deemed as unreliable. It would take an Inuit, a professional mam who remembers these passed down stories to finally light the spark that would lead to some major discoveries.
An enduring mystery brought to light, loved reading this book but if one does not have the same fascination might be a completely different reading experience. For me, it was grand.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes March 21st by W. W. Norton
May 13, 2017
So, you’ve had a bad day?
Maybe.
But consider yourself lucky that your boss wasn’t Sir John Franklin, and that your day job wasn’t as a sailor on Franklin’s mid-19th century, multi-year Arctic expedition. Because no matter what, your day at work probably didn't involve getting stuck fast in the ice, disappearing from outside human contact, and dying agonizingly in the frozen wastes, numbed by cold, ravaged by hunger, perhaps brought low by botulism, forced, by inches, to contemplate the unthinkable, your existence almost entirely erased, only fragments remaining to be unearthed over the years.
In 1845, Sir John and 128 men set sail on two ships – the Erebus and Terror – to find the Northwest Passage. Now, I know what you’re saying to yourself. With ship names like that, what could possibly go wrong? Turns out: just about everything.
The Franklin Expedition was last seen by two whalers in Baffin Bay. We know, based on a message lodged in a cairn, that the two ships were locked in the ice as of September 12, 1846. The message contained the hopeful valediction: “All well.” A second message, written on the same piece of paper as the first, took a decidedly grimmer turn. It reported that Sir John and 24 of his crew had already died. The ships had been abandoned. The survivors would “start on tomorrow…for Backs Fish River.”
None lived to tell us more.
As far as evidence goes, we have the two-in-one message, three near-perfectly preserved bodies, the detritus of the expedition, including items taken by the Inuit, and the oral histories of the Inuit themselves – widely ignored – which told of white men struggling across the ice, men desperate enough to eat the dead.
As far as mysteries go, this one is tough to beat. We have just enough information to build a dozen supportable hypotheses, but not enough to simply close the case. (The ship’s logs and charts, an invaluable trove, have never been found).
Now, as of 2014 and 2016, we also have both the ships, discovered in an Arctic that, with a push from a changing climate, is starting to give up her secrets.
Paul Watson’s Ice Ghosts sets out to tell the story of “the epic hunt for the Franklin Expedition.” A reporter by trade, Watson is a self-proclaimed Franklin obsessive who was actually aboard the icebreaker that found the Erebus in 2014. With his obvious talents, interest in the subject, and personal connection, the most surprising thing about this book of discoveries is how average it turned out to be.
Watson breaks 346 pages of text into three sections. The first covers the expedition itself. It introduces us to Sir John and his ships, and takes us along with them as far as he can, until they disappear from view. The second deals with the many rescue missions sent to find Franklin, and the various things that were learned from these efforts. The central character here is Lady Jane, Sir John’s wife, who spent a great deal of her fortune funding trips to the Arctic. There were no lengths to which she would not go, up to and including relying on information gathered during séances. The final section brings us into more modern times, as the search for Sir John’s ships (and his corpse) continued apace. Watson details the work of an amateur Inuit historian named Louie Kamookak, who gathered oral histories from his people regarding Franklin and his men. He also follows a 1967 expedition led by the Canadian military to find Franklin’s grave. Ice Ghosts ends (abruptly, I might add) with the hurried discovery of Erebus and Terror.
The material here cannot be beat. If you like mysteries, if you like history, if you like exploration, or if you like all three, the story of the Franklin Expedition is irresistible. The problem is in the presentation. For me, this was a big problem.
The writing in Ice Ghosts suffers from an internal disorganization. Typically, when I’m reading, I don’t think about things such as paragraph structure, or transitions between sentences. I thought about it a lot, here. The prose had no flow. One topic blurred into another without resolution. I kept losing the thread of the story, as the writing veered one way, then the other. Ice Ghosts includes a timeline of major events; without it, I wouldn’t know where I was in the story. Watson does a poor job of connecting the dots, of showing how one discovery led to the another, or how one expedition built on the work of previous ones. For instance, Watson gives a lot of space over to Louie Kamookak, who worked so hard to collect Inuit testimony. The Kamookak chapter, in a vacuum, was quite interesting. I learned a lot about Inuit history, culture, and customs. What I didn't learn is what role Kamookak played in the overall story. Did anything he uncovered help with finding the ships?
Throughout my reading, I kept comparing this, unfavorably, to Gary Kinder’s Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. Both books detail a hunt for lost vessels. Both merge latter-day history with present day technological breakthroughs. Whereas Kinder’s book had strong narrative force, centered on treasure hunter-cum-criminal Tommy Thompson, Watson’s does not. There is no center, no spine on which to hang everything else. (Perhaps this is the reason he through Louie Kamookak’s story into the mix).
Another issue I had was Watson’s strange refusal to engage with some important topics concerning the Franklin Expedition. He mentions that botulism (from improperly soldered food tins) might have been an extenuating circumstance, but he never explains the genesis of this theory. Similarly, he unequivocally states that lead poisoning (at one time a popular hypothesis) played no role whatsoever. I have no problem with this, as long as it is backed up by facts. Watson does not do this in the text. When I went to his “Source Notes” (how I hate them! Just use endnotes!) I learned where he’d gotten his conclusion; however, as before, there was no explanation of why. Apparently, if I want to find out, I have to get a JSTOR subscription. Part of the reason I got this book is that I don’t want a JSTOR subscription!
The end is singularly unsatisfying. The discovery of each ship is anticlimactic. More importantly, we don’t learn anything from their finding! Aside from a few bare descriptions of their state of decay (they seem to be in good shape), we don’t find out what was found, what was not found, and what it all means to the larger tale. It’s like getting to the mountaintop and then closing your eyes.
I wonder what is going on behind the scenes. Maybe there are proprietary issues. Perhaps people are trying to make money off those ships, so the history within those crafts must remain hidden until properly commodified by those with the proper licensing agreements. If this is the case, Watson owes that explanation within these pages. Moreover, if he has a beef with other Franklin searchers (and it seems like he does), then he needs to be up front about that too.
It’s possible I’m being too cynical. Quite possibly, this book feels rushed because it was rushed. The discovery of the Terror just happened, after all. I might charitably call this a first draft of a new period of an old historical mystery. With that said, it is a rough first draft.
Maybe.
But consider yourself lucky that your boss wasn’t Sir John Franklin, and that your day job wasn’t as a sailor on Franklin’s mid-19th century, multi-year Arctic expedition. Because no matter what, your day at work probably didn't involve getting stuck fast in the ice, disappearing from outside human contact, and dying agonizingly in the frozen wastes, numbed by cold, ravaged by hunger, perhaps brought low by botulism, forced, by inches, to contemplate the unthinkable, your existence almost entirely erased, only fragments remaining to be unearthed over the years.
In 1845, Sir John and 128 men set sail on two ships – the Erebus and Terror – to find the Northwest Passage. Now, I know what you’re saying to yourself. With ship names like that, what could possibly go wrong? Turns out: just about everything.
The Franklin Expedition was last seen by two whalers in Baffin Bay. We know, based on a message lodged in a cairn, that the two ships were locked in the ice as of September 12, 1846. The message contained the hopeful valediction: “All well.” A second message, written on the same piece of paper as the first, took a decidedly grimmer turn. It reported that Sir John and 24 of his crew had already died. The ships had been abandoned. The survivors would “start on tomorrow…for Backs Fish River.”
None lived to tell us more.
As far as evidence goes, we have the two-in-one message, three near-perfectly preserved bodies, the detritus of the expedition, including items taken by the Inuit, and the oral histories of the Inuit themselves – widely ignored – which told of white men struggling across the ice, men desperate enough to eat the dead.
As far as mysteries go, this one is tough to beat. We have just enough information to build a dozen supportable hypotheses, but not enough to simply close the case. (The ship’s logs and charts, an invaluable trove, have never been found).
Now, as of 2014 and 2016, we also have both the ships, discovered in an Arctic that, with a push from a changing climate, is starting to give up her secrets.
Paul Watson’s Ice Ghosts sets out to tell the story of “the epic hunt for the Franklin Expedition.” A reporter by trade, Watson is a self-proclaimed Franklin obsessive who was actually aboard the icebreaker that found the Erebus in 2014. With his obvious talents, interest in the subject, and personal connection, the most surprising thing about this book of discoveries is how average it turned out to be.
Watson breaks 346 pages of text into three sections. The first covers the expedition itself. It introduces us to Sir John and his ships, and takes us along with them as far as he can, until they disappear from view. The second deals with the many rescue missions sent to find Franklin, and the various things that were learned from these efforts. The central character here is Lady Jane, Sir John’s wife, who spent a great deal of her fortune funding trips to the Arctic. There were no lengths to which she would not go, up to and including relying on information gathered during séances. The final section brings us into more modern times, as the search for Sir John’s ships (and his corpse) continued apace. Watson details the work of an amateur Inuit historian named Louie Kamookak, who gathered oral histories from his people regarding Franklin and his men. He also follows a 1967 expedition led by the Canadian military to find Franklin’s grave. Ice Ghosts ends (abruptly, I might add) with the hurried discovery of Erebus and Terror.
The material here cannot be beat. If you like mysteries, if you like history, if you like exploration, or if you like all three, the story of the Franklin Expedition is irresistible. The problem is in the presentation. For me, this was a big problem.
The writing in Ice Ghosts suffers from an internal disorganization. Typically, when I’m reading, I don’t think about things such as paragraph structure, or transitions between sentences. I thought about it a lot, here. The prose had no flow. One topic blurred into another without resolution. I kept losing the thread of the story, as the writing veered one way, then the other. Ice Ghosts includes a timeline of major events; without it, I wouldn’t know where I was in the story. Watson does a poor job of connecting the dots, of showing how one discovery led to the another, or how one expedition built on the work of previous ones. For instance, Watson gives a lot of space over to Louie Kamookak, who worked so hard to collect Inuit testimony. The Kamookak chapter, in a vacuum, was quite interesting. I learned a lot about Inuit history, culture, and customs. What I didn't learn is what role Kamookak played in the overall story. Did anything he uncovered help with finding the ships?
Throughout my reading, I kept comparing this, unfavorably, to Gary Kinder’s Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. Both books detail a hunt for lost vessels. Both merge latter-day history with present day technological breakthroughs. Whereas Kinder’s book had strong narrative force, centered on treasure hunter-cum-criminal Tommy Thompson, Watson’s does not. There is no center, no spine on which to hang everything else. (Perhaps this is the reason he through Louie Kamookak’s story into the mix).
Another issue I had was Watson’s strange refusal to engage with some important topics concerning the Franklin Expedition. He mentions that botulism (from improperly soldered food tins) might have been an extenuating circumstance, but he never explains the genesis of this theory. Similarly, he unequivocally states that lead poisoning (at one time a popular hypothesis) played no role whatsoever. I have no problem with this, as long as it is backed up by facts. Watson does not do this in the text. When I went to his “Source Notes” (how I hate them! Just use endnotes!) I learned where he’d gotten his conclusion; however, as before, there was no explanation of why. Apparently, if I want to find out, I have to get a JSTOR subscription. Part of the reason I got this book is that I don’t want a JSTOR subscription!
The end is singularly unsatisfying. The discovery of each ship is anticlimactic. More importantly, we don’t learn anything from their finding! Aside from a few bare descriptions of their state of decay (they seem to be in good shape), we don’t find out what was found, what was not found, and what it all means to the larger tale. It’s like getting to the mountaintop and then closing your eyes.
I wonder what is going on behind the scenes. Maybe there are proprietary issues. Perhaps people are trying to make money off those ships, so the history within those crafts must remain hidden until properly commodified by those with the proper licensing agreements. If this is the case, Watson owes that explanation within these pages. Moreover, if he has a beef with other Franklin searchers (and it seems like he does), then he needs to be up front about that too.
It’s possible I’m being too cynical. Quite possibly, this book feels rushed because it was rushed. The discovery of the Terror just happened, after all. I might charitably call this a first draft of a new period of an old historical mystery. With that said, it is a rough first draft.
September 4, 2020
Most arctic exploration books (well, at least the ones I've read) are focused exclusively in the past. Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition begins that way, with a description of the events leading up to and including Sir John Franklin's effort, late in his life, to discover the Northwest Passage, a route from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the ice and islands above Canada.
The second half of the book documents more recent efforts to discover the truth about what happened to the ships and the men on them back in 1845-1847. Despite the many efforts in the decades following the disappearance of the Terror, the Erebus and their crews, often mounted at the prodding of Franklin's wife Jane, nothing definitive about their fate was ever determined.
The principal strength of this book is Watson's descriptions of how prejudice against the knowledge of the Inuit people indigenous to the area, passed down by oral tradition, hampered the efforts to find answers. This bias continued well into the 20th century, and it wasn't until Louie Kamookak, an Inuit historian who had woven together many recollections of natives of the area, connected with trained archaeologists that true progress was made. Watson also highlights the ways in which politics, both 160 years and and more recently, affected the searches.
Along the way Watson introduces the reader to many colorful people who contributed in one way or another to the ultimate resolution of the mystery. And that is part of my problem with this book: because the scope is so broad, there are simply too many characters to keep straight. Although it can be interesting to learn snippets about the dozens of people involved, eventually it becomes too much, a distraction from the narrative, which, once we enter the 20th century, loses some linearity as different players come on stage.
That could also reflect a shortcoming of reading the audio version of the book. I do most of my reading through listening, and struggling to hold on to people and places mentally is not a problem I often encounter. It could be the relatively fast pace of the latter half of this book that made it an issue.
Compared with other books of arctic exploration I'd rate it a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to a 4 because after all, it IS a book about arctic exploration!
The second half of the book documents more recent efforts to discover the truth about what happened to the ships and the men on them back in 1845-1847. Despite the many efforts in the decades following the disappearance of the Terror, the Erebus and their crews, often mounted at the prodding of Franklin's wife Jane, nothing definitive about their fate was ever determined.
The principal strength of this book is Watson's descriptions of how prejudice against the knowledge of the Inuit people indigenous to the area, passed down by oral tradition, hampered the efforts to find answers. This bias continued well into the 20th century, and it wasn't until Louie Kamookak, an Inuit historian who had woven together many recollections of natives of the area, connected with trained archaeologists that true progress was made. Watson also highlights the ways in which politics, both 160 years and and more recently, affected the searches.
Along the way Watson introduces the reader to many colorful people who contributed in one way or another to the ultimate resolution of the mystery. And that is part of my problem with this book: because the scope is so broad, there are simply too many characters to keep straight. Although it can be interesting to learn snippets about the dozens of people involved, eventually it becomes too much, a distraction from the narrative, which, once we enter the 20th century, loses some linearity as different players come on stage.
That could also reflect a shortcoming of reading the audio version of the book. I do most of my reading through listening, and struggling to hold on to people and places mentally is not a problem I often encounter. It could be the relatively fast pace of the latter half of this book that made it an issue.
Compared with other books of arctic exploration I'd rate it a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to a 4 because after all, it IS a book about arctic exploration!
November 13, 2021
In 1845, Sir John Franklin set out with two ships, Erebus and Terror, and a crew of 128 to find the Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific. The first part describes the preparations, what is known of the voyage, and the many attempts made to locate the lost ships and crew (including guidance from the spirit world.) The second tells of the Inuit’s life in the arctic, oral traditions, superstitions, and their knowledge of the expedition. The third depicts the modern-day search, which eventually resulted in the discovery of both ships.
I had heard of the Franklin Expedition but had never read any detail about its failed attempt. I am impressed by Lady Franklin’s diligence in trying to find her husband. I am glad the Inuit finally got credit for what they knew. If anyone had bothered to listen to them without racial prejudice, more artifacts could have been found closer to the time of the tragedy.
It is more focused on the attempts to find the ships than on the expedition itself. It is for people that do not mind a bit of meandering into topics that are related but not necessarily essential. I gained an understanding of the basics, but there are many remaining questions.
I had heard of the Franklin Expedition but had never read any detail about its failed attempt. I am impressed by Lady Franklin’s diligence in trying to find her husband. I am glad the Inuit finally got credit for what they knew. If anyone had bothered to listen to them without racial prejudice, more artifacts could have been found closer to the time of the tragedy.
It is more focused on the attempts to find the ships than on the expedition itself. It is for people that do not mind a bit of meandering into topics that are related but not necessarily essential. I gained an understanding of the basics, but there are many remaining questions.
December 5, 2020
In 1845, at the age of 59, Captain Sir John Franklin set out to discover the Northwest Passage. A veteran of multiple Arctic explorations, he was considered to be an old man, and not considered a good candidate for the rigors of multi-year adventures in the Arctic. He set out with 134 sailors officers aboard two ships. They never returned; this book is about the numerous attempts to find them and to learn their full history. In fact, it wasn't until 2014 and 2016 when the ships were re-discovered, underwater and well preserved.
Much of the book centers on the numerous expeditions to discover the whereabouts of Franklin and his crew. These expeditions traveled to various places in the Arctic, and interacted with the local Inuits. These explorers were unintentially misled by Inuits, as they have a different spatial referencing system. Their directions (north, south, etc.) are not based on the earth's coordinate system, but instead one based on local geography, and a coordinate system whose origin is "home". Also, differences in culture and language hampered these expeditions.
This book was an eye-opener into a chapter in history. I had never heard of Franklin before this book, and the energy and inducements that were poured into them. The dangers of early Arctic exploration and the interesting interactions between two cultures make this a fascinating book.
Much of the book centers on the numerous expeditions to discover the whereabouts of Franklin and his crew. These expeditions traveled to various places in the Arctic, and interacted with the local Inuits. These explorers were unintentially misled by Inuits, as they have a different spatial referencing system. Their directions (north, south, etc.) are not based on the earth's coordinate system, but instead one based on local geography, and a coordinate system whose origin is "home". Also, differences in culture and language hampered these expeditions.
This book was an eye-opener into a chapter in history. I had never heard of Franklin before this book, and the energy and inducements that were poured into them. The dangers of early Arctic exploration and the interesting interactions between two cultures make this a fascinating book.
March 14, 2017
In 1847 Sir John Franklin left England and his adoring wife Lady Jane to seek the fabled Northwest Passage. He was 59 years old and it was his fourth journey to the Arctic. He had survived starvation on his second journey. This expedition was prepared with three years of food, included new-fangled canned foods. He had powerful, heated ships. The explorer Ross promised to rescue Franklin if he did not come home.
Nothing went as planned. Extreme ice stranded the ships. Their canned food was tainted. Their maritime boots and clothing were inadequate. Franklin died and his men left the boats encased in ice, journeyed on foot, and died of exposure and starvation.
Lady Jane pressed for a search and rescue mission and spent her fortune in the quest to find her husband. For over a hundred years, enthralled by the mysterious disappearance, men went on the hazardous journey to the Arctic, hoping to solve the mystery of the lost Franklin Expedition.
My interest in polar exploration dates to junior high when I read The Great White South about the lost Scott Expedition. Over the years I've read books including Frances Spufford's I Shall Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination and Knud Rasmussen's biography White Eskimo by Stephen Bown. I loved the historical fiction book based on Franklin Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett and Dan Simmons' supernatural take in The Terror.
The first part of Ice Ghosts recounts the history of the expedition and the early rescue attempts, presenting the historical facts. The second part of the book is a wonderful examination of the the modern search for Franklin, including Inuit culture and history and their contribution of new information about Franklin.
Watson vividly describes the experience of the Arctic--the initial thrill followed by the freezing that can take mere minutes. The months of darkness and isolation. This environment demands cooperation to survive. I loved learning about the Inuit culture and people and their contribution to the knowledge of Franklin through their oral histories.
Louie Kamookak is the great-grandson of an Inuk storyteller and respected shaman who assisted the the Inuit anthropologist Knud Rasmussen. Rasmussen recorded the Inuit way of life as it was before being disrupted by Europeans, including enforced separation of children into mission schools where they faced abuse, resulting in 4,100 deaths.
Kamookak also had a grandfather who was an Irish trader, Gibson, who had found a marker left by an 1859 search party, and who found skeletons in another location. Kamookak's grandmother had told him that as a girl she had seen Franklin artifacts; she had taken a blunt metal knife and refashioned it into an ice chisel.
A history of tragedy and bad luck shared by Franklin searchers did not prevent Kamookak from an obsession to learn more. He recorded oral histories from his elders to understand what had happened to the expedition. The native people knew where Franklin's men had died and where the ships settled.
The search for the Terror, Erebus, and Franklin's grave has become an international battleground. Artifacts left in situ can be disturbed by a storm and lost. But if they are collected they will soon decay. As climate change melts the ice it turns the land into swamps. Oil companies hope to drill in the Arctic, which would endanger the environment; they have funded researchers whose knowledge and new equipment are helpful to their goal.
The ships have now been found and some artifacts collected. But the grave of Franklin is yet to be discovered. The 'epic hunt' remains, as does our fascination. Watson's book is an important contribution and is sure to help another generation fall under the thrall of the tragic story of the Franklin Expedition.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Nothing went as planned. Extreme ice stranded the ships. Their canned food was tainted. Their maritime boots and clothing were inadequate. Franklin died and his men left the boats encased in ice, journeyed on foot, and died of exposure and starvation.
Lady Jane pressed for a search and rescue mission and spent her fortune in the quest to find her husband. For over a hundred years, enthralled by the mysterious disappearance, men went on the hazardous journey to the Arctic, hoping to solve the mystery of the lost Franklin Expedition.
My interest in polar exploration dates to junior high when I read The Great White South about the lost Scott Expedition. Over the years I've read books including Frances Spufford's I Shall Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination and Knud Rasmussen's biography White Eskimo by Stephen Bown. I loved the historical fiction book based on Franklin Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett and Dan Simmons' supernatural take in The Terror.
The first part of Ice Ghosts recounts the history of the expedition and the early rescue attempts, presenting the historical facts. The second part of the book is a wonderful examination of the the modern search for Franklin, including Inuit culture and history and their contribution of new information about Franklin.
Watson vividly describes the experience of the Arctic--the initial thrill followed by the freezing that can take mere minutes. The months of darkness and isolation. This environment demands cooperation to survive. I loved learning about the Inuit culture and people and their contribution to the knowledge of Franklin through their oral histories.
Louie Kamookak is the great-grandson of an Inuk storyteller and respected shaman who assisted the the Inuit anthropologist Knud Rasmussen. Rasmussen recorded the Inuit way of life as it was before being disrupted by Europeans, including enforced separation of children into mission schools where they faced abuse, resulting in 4,100 deaths.
Kamookak also had a grandfather who was an Irish trader, Gibson, who had found a marker left by an 1859 search party, and who found skeletons in another location. Kamookak's grandmother had told him that as a girl she had seen Franklin artifacts; she had taken a blunt metal knife and refashioned it into an ice chisel.
A history of tragedy and bad luck shared by Franklin searchers did not prevent Kamookak from an obsession to learn more. He recorded oral histories from his elders to understand what had happened to the expedition. The native people knew where Franklin's men had died and where the ships settled.
The search for the Terror, Erebus, and Franklin's grave has become an international battleground. Artifacts left in situ can be disturbed by a storm and lost. But if they are collected they will soon decay. As climate change melts the ice it turns the land into swamps. Oil companies hope to drill in the Arctic, which would endanger the environment; they have funded researchers whose knowledge and new equipment are helpful to their goal.
The ships have now been found and some artifacts collected. But the grave of Franklin is yet to be discovered. The 'epic hunt' remains, as does our fascination. Watson's book is an important contribution and is sure to help another generation fall under the thrall of the tragic story of the Franklin Expedition.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
November 17, 2017
No chain of islands on Earth is more vicious than the Arctic Archipelago. Like teeth lining colossal jaws, some ninety-four large islands, and 36, 469 smaller ones, stretch across a territory about half the size of the contiguous United States. They can bite down and swallow ships whole. Even the earliest, most hopeful, searchers, who mapped large parts of the archipelago as they looked for Erebus and Terror and their crews, knew it would take a miracle to find anyone in that gigantic maw.
In his introduction to Ice Ghosts, author Paul Watson explains that the search for the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845 – which was itself an abandoned quest to find the Northwest Passage and which saw the loss of two British ships and 129 men – has been the most “extensive, expensive” and “abundantly written-about manhunt in history”. He writes:
At the heart of the Franklin mystery is why people would spend so much time, money, and effort, for so many generations, searching one of the most unforgiving places on Earth to discover what seems obvious: Franklin and his men challenged the Arctic, and the Arctic won.
If this “why” was indeed the mystery that Watson intended to explore, he didn't quite hit the mark: Ice Ghosts is a dull and plodding recitation of historical events; one more volume on the pile of an “abundantly written-about” topic that adds little more than the author's own experience in the modern day – Watson was on the search vessel that found the Terror in 2016, and one can, therefore, understand why he would have rushed to print a book that affixes the Franklin mystique to his own name – but one wished he might have gone a little slower; attempted to answer that “why”. For a history lesson that catches the Franklin story up to modern times, this is a fine effort; for a “fast-paced historical adventure story”, look elsewhere.
I picked up Ice Ghosts as a companion read to Ed O'Loughlin's Minds of Winter; a novel which does attempt to explore the “why”; its form allowed O'Loughlin to explore the humanity behind the draw of the High Arctic and the search for Franklin's trail. The novel opens with a beautiful chapter about a ball that was held aboard the Terror and Erebus, tethered together off Van Diemen's land during Sir John Franklin's tenure as its Lieutenant-Governor, and it was an engaging introduction to the main players and their motivations. By contrast, Watson summarises these events this way:
If Francis Crozier, Franklin's second-in-command, had had the strength to turn and watch the well-wishers recede from Terror, it would have been with a broken heart and a sense of foreboding. Crozier had fallen madly in love with (Franklin's niece) Sophy when Erebus and Terror stopped at Hobart Town, the once-swampy capital of Van Dieman's Land, while serving with James Ross' Antarctic expeditions. But Sophy seemed infatuated with Ross, who was already betrothed to another woman. Crozier did not depart in an optimistic mood.
Because I read these two books back-to-back, this paragraph came off as a tuneless clunker. But on the other hand, O'Loughlin didn't explain that soon after that ball, Franklin was recalled to Britain in disgrace and that he fought a hard campaign to be allowed to lead another expedition in search of the Northwest Passage in order to redeem his reputation; that his wife, Lady Jane, would push the aging Franklin hard in his campaign and that this might explain her own extraordinary efforts to mount search and rescue missions for many years after her husband's presumed death. So, there's a “why” for the Lady Jane funded/arranged expeditions, and near the end Watson descends to name calling to ascribe malevolent motives for a certain Conservative Canadian PM's relaunch of efforts to find Franklin's lost ships in 2008, but in between, Ghost Ships is overstuffed with dull research. The following is an example of an author eager to use everything he comes across:
Paranormal sources were literally all over the map with their search tips. Useful leads were as rare as the South African quagga caged up at the London Zoo.
And the following is an example of an author who could have used a more ruthless editor to cut out the banal:
Ice is an obstacle few outsiders even try to understand in its confounding, immaculate complexity. Knowing that it's cold, hard, and slippery, and chills food and drinks nicely, is good enough for most of us.
And yet, I did like some of the quirky historical bits: that the Terror was an active warship in the War of 1812 and its mortars firing on Fort Henry were the “bombs bursting in air” that inspired Francis Scott Key; that a tattered prayerbook recovered from a Franklin search effort was (maybe?) interred with President Lincoln. And so, to return to the ascribing of malevolent motives, cue the horns and let enter the Darth Sweatervest of Canadian politics:
A new leader had just taken power in Canada, and he had his own designs on the Arctic, including a strategy to market his broader conservative agenda through heroic tales of the North. Prime Minister Stephen Harper immediately began to ratchet the bolts on what quickly became an excruciatingly tight information-management machine. He set it to work gagging federal scientists, especially experts warning of human-driven climate change, and anyone else who might think of challenging his plans. Harper wanted the Arctic to be the shiny white wrapping around his government's darker policies.
So, that might be off-putting to some. I appreciate that Watson put the Inuit and their knowledge in places of importance throughout this book – one can't help but conclude that the shipwrecks could have been found generations ago if their information had been gathered and treated as the expertise it obviously was (the place where the Terror was eventually discovered was one named by the Inuit, decades ago, a name that can be translated as “where it sank”; you could almost laugh). On the other hand, there's a difference between honouring a people's knowledge and promoting their superstitions: I got the sense, repeatedly, that Watson was making a case that it wasn't so much that Franklin had the misfortune to have travelled during a cycle of extraordinary ice, but that, as the Inuit believe, these qalunaaq (white men) brought a curse upon themselves and the land by their intrusion.
Again, Ice Ghosts feels like it was rushed to publication after the author happened to be present for the discovery of Franklin's second lost ship: The history is a long, mostly dull infodump of names and dates, and essentially, Paul Watson's is just one more in the list. As a final note and interesting coincidence, just yesterday, Britain officially gave the wrecks of the Terror and Erebus to Canada; one more factoid on the history pile. Three stars is a rounding up.
March 5, 2017
The oceans always have some great unsolved mystery disappearances. In the mid- 1840s the Royal Navy bomb ketches, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror disappeared in the Arctic of Canada.
Paul Watson tells the story of their loss and discovery in his book “Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition”. The two ships and every member of their crews-129 officers, seamen, and marines under the command of the Admiralty’s third choice for the job, Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin-were lost somewhere in the Arctic. The ships and all hands disappeared while searching for the several hundred miles of the central Northwest Passage, the shortest route between Europe and China. The Passage’s eastern and western ends had been discovered earlier.
In 2008 Ottawa decided to fund a six-year hunt for the ships. Over the years many have searched unsuccessfully for the lost ships. But with the melting ice and the glaciers shrinking, another hunt was begun. In 2014 The Erebus, the expedition’s flagship, was located off the west coast of the Adelaide peninsula. The Terror was discovered in 2016 about forty miles away at the southwestern corner of King William Island. The HMS Terror was found intact. How did the ships, beset in the ice at the northern end of Victoria Strait in September 1846 and abandoned in October 1848, arrive at their final resting places? The author tells of the help he received from the Inuit people who had information in their collective memory and oral history about the wrecks and the crews.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. He uses his journalistic talents to tell the story about the hunt to solve the mystery of these two ships. The book has maps, Illustrations and notes. The book is 383 pages and was published in 2017.
Paul Watson tells the story of their loss and discovery in his book “Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition”. The two ships and every member of their crews-129 officers, seamen, and marines under the command of the Admiralty’s third choice for the job, Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin-were lost somewhere in the Arctic. The ships and all hands disappeared while searching for the several hundred miles of the central Northwest Passage, the shortest route between Europe and China. The Passage’s eastern and western ends had been discovered earlier.
In 2008 Ottawa decided to fund a six-year hunt for the ships. Over the years many have searched unsuccessfully for the lost ships. But with the melting ice and the glaciers shrinking, another hunt was begun. In 2014 The Erebus, the expedition’s flagship, was located off the west coast of the Adelaide peninsula. The Terror was discovered in 2016 about forty miles away at the southwestern corner of King William Island. The HMS Terror was found intact. How did the ships, beset in the ice at the northern end of Victoria Strait in September 1846 and abandoned in October 1848, arrive at their final resting places? The author tells of the help he received from the Inuit people who had information in their collective memory and oral history about the wrecks and the crews.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. He uses his journalistic talents to tell the story about the hunt to solve the mystery of these two ships. The book has maps, Illustrations and notes. The book is 383 pages and was published in 2017.
March 28, 2018
Maybe 2.5 Stars.
Fascinating story, but this telling left me disappointed. The best section is the first part of Part III, but the author digresses back to his tendencies to over-dramatize, speculate, and repeat himself (perhaps to make up for the at times scattershot/tangential story telling). Probably could have dropped half the book and told a more concise and meaningful story.
Fascinating story, but this telling left me disappointed. The best section is the first part of Part III, but the author digresses back to his tendencies to over-dramatize, speculate, and repeat himself (perhaps to make up for the at times scattershot/tangential story telling). Probably could have dropped half the book and told a more concise and meaningful story.
Currently reading
April 12, 2018The author has won a Pulitzer.
I regret to say that I am less than 10% in and can report at least one sentence fragment, and multiple spliced sentences.
The topic is fascinating - but the writing is getting on my nerves. (My parents are English professors, and I feel the urge to pull out a red pen.)
I regret to say that I am less than 10% in and can report at least one sentence fragment, and multiple spliced sentences.
The topic is fascinating - but the writing is getting on my nerves. (My parents are English professors, and I feel the urge to pull out a red pen.)
February 4, 2017
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this title. So, the failed Franklin Expedition of 1845 has been a subject that I have been obsessed with ever since reading The Terror by Dan Simmons. For those not familiar with the lost expedition, Sir John Franlin set out from England in the mid 19th century to find the elusive Northwest Passage. The purpose of the expedition was to shorten the amount of time it would take to conduct trade between Europe and Asia. Franklin was convinced that there was a way to navigate the harsh and icy northern Canada waterways and come through clean on the western side. In Simmons' The Terror, the expedition was the backdrop of his horror story and although many details about the expedition were factual and hashed out, I've always been looking for a more comprehensive treatment of the entire mystery of what occurred. Needless to say, I was very excited to see this title on NetGalley as the summary described it as being a factual telling of the entire expedition as well as a modern-day story detailing the 2014 discovery of many of the artifacts from that fateful event. Based on that description alone, I had a feeling that this may be the historical book that I was looking for to satisfy my curiosity where the Terror just fell short. The book begins with a brief introduction of the 2014 exploration and what was needed to bring that to fruition. After the introduction, we really get into the meat of the story and are treated to a wonderful account of what was believed to have happened to the crew of the HMS Terror and Erebus. As the historical account is told, the book also flashes forward to 2014 and the discoveries of the exploration team. I thought this worked incredibly effectively as it allowed me to connect the discoveries that the modern-day team made with what was depicted in the historical account. Watson does a great job of dispelling many of the myths that have circulated over the years as to the cause of the tragedy. I was especially intrigued by his inclusion of the Inuit tribes of the far north and how he was able to surmise that they could have been of great assistance to Franklin and his men, if not for the inherent prejudice of the crew that may have stopped them from asking for help. In the end, Watson comes to the conclusion that many factors decided the fate of the doomed crew, not the least of which was the harshness and unpredictability of the arctic weather itself. I thoroughly enjoyed Ice Ghosts and highly recommend it to anyone interested in this historic event or readers who are simply looking for a terrific adventure story. I can't recommend this book enough and I believe that it deserves five stars.
December 8, 2019
Once again, I am team Unpopular Opinion it seems, because I enjoyed this despite the slightly lower rating.
For me this was a different, refreshing spin on the Franklin disaster, focusing as it does towards the end on more indigenous sociology and folklore of the region than most recounting, and also the Canadian politics at play during the most recent, successful searches. Maybe the author not seeming a fan of Stephen Harper put people off, I dunno.
Anyways, the search is mostly what you CAN focus on when it comes to the doomed Franklin expedition, since we had almost nothing to go on and no survivor accounts, so focusing on the Indigenous people of Nunavut and the far north was a lot more fascinating than the England-central accounts of Lady Franklin’s desperate funding of frantic rescue expeditions. There was a lot of that for the first third of the book, but I liked that it veered off. Some people comment on the disorganization of the writing, but having listened to the audiobook, I didn’t find anything jarring or an abrupt change in topic.
This being a modern book, it was great to read an account of the ships actually being found. After reading, I found myself down Wikipedia rabbit holes of maps of searches, the mummies discovered, and all sorts of affiliated spooky stuff. The belief in a curse or haunting of King William Island by the local tribes was of course crazy interesting to read about; and I never realized just how frustrating a search for a grave or artifacts could be if the terrain they’d been placed on/in could have literally melted away, especially now given climate change effects.
In short, this fed the doomed-expedition beast inside me very well, and I learned a lot. Solid four stars.
For me this was a different, refreshing spin on the Franklin disaster, focusing as it does towards the end on more indigenous sociology and folklore of the region than most recounting, and also the Canadian politics at play during the most recent, successful searches. Maybe the author not seeming a fan of Stephen Harper put people off, I dunno.
Anyways, the search is mostly what you CAN focus on when it comes to the doomed Franklin expedition, since we had almost nothing to go on and no survivor accounts, so focusing on the Indigenous people of Nunavut and the far north was a lot more fascinating than the England-central accounts of Lady Franklin’s desperate funding of frantic rescue expeditions. There was a lot of that for the first third of the book, but I liked that it veered off. Some people comment on the disorganization of the writing, but having listened to the audiobook, I didn’t find anything jarring or an abrupt change in topic.
This being a modern book, it was great to read an account of the ships actually being found. After reading, I found myself down Wikipedia rabbit holes of maps of searches, the mummies discovered, and all sorts of affiliated spooky stuff. The belief in a curse or haunting of King William Island by the local tribes was of course crazy interesting to read about; and I never realized just how frustrating a search for a grave or artifacts could be if the terrain they’d been placed on/in could have literally melted away, especially now given climate change effects.
In short, this fed the doomed-expedition beast inside me very well, and I learned a lot. Solid four stars.
May 27, 2021
A lot of work went into this book, and the burden of the research meanders through the text almost as much as the Franklin search parties battling the whims of the Arctic.
For all the belated respect offered to Inuit in the last part of the book (Inuit oral history proved to be extremely accurate), why not just focus on that aspect and avoid rehashing all the old tales of hapless explorers and misguided rescuers?
Watson here has magnified the tales of incompetence and hubris. Of course, finding the sunk ships, right where the natives always said they were, doesn't make much of an epic hunt.
For all the belated respect offered to Inuit in the last part of the book (Inuit oral history proved to be extremely accurate), why not just focus on that aspect and avoid rehashing all the old tales of hapless explorers and misguided rescuers?
Watson here has magnified the tales of incompetence and hubris. Of course, finding the sunk ships, right where the natives always said they were, doesn't make much of an epic hunt.
August 10, 2017
I kept telling myself I should be impressed by this book or maybe enjoying it because this guy won a Pulitzer. But the book was so poorly structured, I was adrift with the flotsam from other times, places, people, and had to paddle desperately to keep track of the narrative line, not to mention to make sense of his needlessly convoluted sentences.
I'd give this one star for its sheer annoyance value, but I did manage to learn things, so here's a grudging two.
I'd give this one star for its sheer annoyance value, but I did manage to learn things, so here's a grudging two.
March 11, 2022
*4.5 stars rounded up. Review coming soon*
August 26, 2024
The fifth book I’ve read this year about failed polar expeditions. All it took was one to convince me I didn’t want to go there. I don’t think I have any more on my bookshelf.
June 15, 2018
Having both read Dan Simmon's book The Terror and watched the AMC show based on it, I wanted to know a bit more of the history of the Franklin Expedition. This was an excellent way to learn about the expedition, the search for survivors, and what was happening in the world at the time.
April 23, 2023
This is the true story of the 1845 Franklin expedition and his search for the Northwest passage that links the Atlantic and Pacific.
A good chunk of the book deals with the preparations before they take off. Then, the focus shifts to the numerous rescue attempts.
The final chapters of the book depict the modern-day search and discovery that the author, Paul Watson, was involved with.
It's a sad tale of events that shows the total lack of respect for the local people, and their knowledge was the key reason this matter wasn't resolved about 100 years earlier.
This book feels very disjointed, and I would assume that there are better books out there on the subject. I think you can tell it was written by a journalist and not a historian. Disappointing.
A good chunk of the book deals with the preparations before they take off. Then, the focus shifts to the numerous rescue attempts.
The final chapters of the book depict the modern-day search and discovery that the author, Paul Watson, was involved with.
It's a sad tale of events that shows the total lack of respect for the local people, and their knowledge was the key reason this matter wasn't resolved about 100 years earlier.
This book feels very disjointed, and I would assume that there are better books out there on the subject. I think you can tell it was written by a journalist and not a historian. Disappointing.
May 25, 2018
As I discussed some of the events of this book, my husband pointed out that I'm a little obsessed with the Arctic. Yes, that is true. Why that is, I cannot say. I can't see myself going there, unless it's on a cruise from Norway to check out Svalbard, where Christianne Ritter lived with her husband for an entire polar winter, as told in her memoir A Woman in the Polar Night. I did check out a few articles about the events of this book online, such as the graves of some of the Franklin men on Beechey Island, and I noticed that there are tourists there too. I suppose I could handle that as well. But I doubt I'm made of stuff stern enough to withstand an entire winter up there. I am in awe of the Inuit that have not only survived but thrived there.
I'm also fascinated by shipwrecks, having grown up in a Navy family (and married my own sailor). Naval history amazes me, that boys as young as ten would be enlisted and would sail across the seas, not coming home but every few years. I think of my husband's eight-month deployments, and how much I missed him even though we had email, plus Skype when he came into port, and I can't conceive of how these mothers and wives managed.
Perhaps that's why Lady Franklin was so adamant in her mission to have someone go after her husband after his expedition didn't return home again. I so enjoyed reading how this woman, in a time of Victorian deference and modesty, basically lit a fire under the asses of the Admiralty again and again, and attempted to shame them into sending someone after her husband, though she was frequently ignored and turned down. You definitely have to admire her strength of character.
I have to say that as much as I loved this book, it was difficult to keep straight the thread of the plot. There were so many missions that went after the Franklin expedition, and so many names and dates and places to keep track of. I probably would have had a better time of it had I read it in a paper book, since I could flip back and forth to the maps in the front. But at times it felt like Watson would drop a fact or event down on the page, then never really follow up on it. He wouldn't weave that information into the whole of the story he was telling, so it feels as though there are so many unraveled ends just hanging loose.
It makes me so angry that the information that the Inuit had about the Franklin expedition was ignored for so long because of their status as natives. You'd think that the white explorers would take note of what they had to say since they had lived there for so long, but instead they were dismissed as ignorant savages. Plus what the Canadians did to the children of the Inuit, by basically kidnapping the kids and taking them away to school, is horrifying. So much of their culture has now been lost, thanks to these methods of "civilizing."
My favorite part of the book was learning about the Resolute Desk. One of the expeditions that went after the Franklin party included the HMS Resolute. Fearing being trapped in the ice for another winter, after having already spent two winters in the Arctic, the commander Belcher ordered the abandonment of four of his five ships, the Resolute being one of them. It eventually broke free and drifted quite a ways south until it was rescued by an American whaler. The US government paid to have the ship refurbished and sailed it back to England. Queen Victoria was so pleased by this gesture that when it came time to decommission the Resolute, one of the desks that she had made from her timbers was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes, and most Presidents since then have used it. It's the iconic desk in the Oval Office, the one from which JFK Jr. peeked out while his father was behind it. There's also a smaller lady's desk on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and now I must go back there and see this piece of amazing history for myself.
I'm also fascinated by shipwrecks, having grown up in a Navy family (and married my own sailor). Naval history amazes me, that boys as young as ten would be enlisted and would sail across the seas, not coming home but every few years. I think of my husband's eight-month deployments, and how much I missed him even though we had email, plus Skype when he came into port, and I can't conceive of how these mothers and wives managed.
Perhaps that's why Lady Franklin was so adamant in her mission to have someone go after her husband after his expedition didn't return home again. I so enjoyed reading how this woman, in a time of Victorian deference and modesty, basically lit a fire under the asses of the Admiralty again and again, and attempted to shame them into sending someone after her husband, though she was frequently ignored and turned down. You definitely have to admire her strength of character.
I have to say that as much as I loved this book, it was difficult to keep straight the thread of the plot. There were so many missions that went after the Franklin expedition, and so many names and dates and places to keep track of. I probably would have had a better time of it had I read it in a paper book, since I could flip back and forth to the maps in the front. But at times it felt like Watson would drop a fact or event down on the page, then never really follow up on it. He wouldn't weave that information into the whole of the story he was telling, so it feels as though there are so many unraveled ends just hanging loose.
It makes me so angry that the information that the Inuit had about the Franklin expedition was ignored for so long because of their status as natives. You'd think that the white explorers would take note of what they had to say since they had lived there for so long, but instead they were dismissed as ignorant savages. Plus what the Canadians did to the children of the Inuit, by basically kidnapping the kids and taking them away to school, is horrifying. So much of their culture has now been lost, thanks to these methods of "civilizing."
My favorite part of the book was learning about the Resolute Desk. One of the expeditions that went after the Franklin party included the HMS Resolute. Fearing being trapped in the ice for another winter, after having already spent two winters in the Arctic, the commander Belcher ordered the abandonment of four of his five ships, the Resolute being one of them. It eventually broke free and drifted quite a ways south until it was rescued by an American whaler. The US government paid to have the ship refurbished and sailed it back to England. Queen Victoria was so pleased by this gesture that when it came time to decommission the Resolute, one of the desks that she had made from her timbers was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes, and most Presidents since then have used it. It's the iconic desk in the Oval Office, the one from which JFK Jr. peeked out while his father was behind it. There's also a smaller lady's desk on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and now I must go back there and see this piece of amazing history for myself.
May 26, 2018
One of the things that separates us humans from the animals is our stubbornness. That stubbornness is at the heart of this 150 yr old mystery. The British Navy sent ship after ship into the Artic to hunt for a shortcut to the Pacific, a brand new trade route. The problem was all that ice, the ships that went there could end up stuck in the ice for years or as with the Franklin expedition they might not come back at all. Makes me think what was the point, if they found a route it would only be useable briefly every few years. The stubbornness is there again with those who dedicate their life to find the wrecks or at least some small clue as to their whereabouts.
Another thing that separates us from the animals is our arrogance. Again and again those in charge of sending out the expedition would ignore advice/warnings/assistance of those they considered beneath them. If only they had taken the Inuit seriously then all of this mystery could have been wrapped years go.
The writing in this book is spot on, it feels like a fictional historical mystery, which is a good thing as it makes it easy for the reader to get wrapped up in the story and it's amazing characters. It is written chronologically from Franklin wanting to lead the expedition to it becoming doomed, then it continues with the hunt and how the science and technology developed to assist with that hunt, right up to the discovery of the ships.
The research seems to be spot on from what my google searches showed me and the icing on the cakes was the amazing maps at the beginning of the book, especially the map showing the locations of various finds.
If there is any kind of treasure hunter in you then pick up this book and have a read.
Blog review is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
Another thing that separates us from the animals is our arrogance. Again and again those in charge of sending out the expedition would ignore advice/warnings/assistance of those they considered beneath them. If only they had taken the Inuit seriously then all of this mystery could have been wrapped years go.
The writing in this book is spot on, it feels like a fictional historical mystery, which is a good thing as it makes it easy for the reader to get wrapped up in the story and it's amazing characters. It is written chronologically from Franklin wanting to lead the expedition to it becoming doomed, then it continues with the hunt and how the science and technology developed to assist with that hunt, right up to the discovery of the ships.
The research seems to be spot on from what my google searches showed me and the icing on the cakes was the amazing maps at the beginning of the book, especially the map showing the locations of various finds.
If there is any kind of treasure hunter in you then pick up this book and have a read.
Blog review is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
May 28, 2017
Dan Simmon's novel, The Terror, was my introduction to the failed Franklin Expedition in 1845--a voyage of discovery to find that elusive Northwest Passage that would like Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Since then, I've read several books that relate to Arctic (and Antarctic) exploration, both fiction and nonfiction, and now that I think back, I wonder if Andrea Barrett's fabulous Voyage of the Narwhal touched on Franklin as well. The snow and ice almost always win, but really when you've named your ships Erebus and Terror, you have to wonder if you're jinxed from the outset. This book isn't so much about the expedition but about the obsessive search to find the ships and discover what happened. The ships weren't discovered until 2014, despite the modern scientific tools. A book for true adventure fans and readers of history. More than anything it reminded me of Kurson's The Shadow Divers about the investigation to discover the identify of a German U-Boat, sunk off the coast of New Jersey (another excellent read!). The same sense of history, biography, investigation, survival in difficult circumstances.
April 1, 2018
This was a fairly good history of the Franklin expedition and the subsequent efforts to locate the survivors or ships. Heavy on the "The Inuit knew all along if only someone would have believed them" theory. A real turn off was that it only had 3 maps (all in the front). I was constantly turning back to the front to look for this strait or that island. Many times those were not even on the maps provided. It's a book full of geographic features and locations, it needs a map in every chapter.
The oddest thing was that suddenly during the narrative the pronoun 'me' is used. Wait! Why is the author suddenly injected into the story without preamble or preparation. (Reading between the lines: he interviewed one Inuit historian). Then, toward to end he describes being on a search boat. (Reading between the lines: he got a tour of the activities, but was not involved).
The oddest thing was that suddenly during the narrative the pronoun 'me' is used. Wait! Why is the author suddenly injected into the story without preamble or preparation. (Reading between the lines: he interviewed one Inuit historian). Then, toward to end he describes being on a search boat. (Reading between the lines: he got a tour of the activities, but was not involved).
October 15, 2017
I only picked this up because of the author being a Pulitzer prize winner. Turned out to be a fascinating read. A lesson about how you treat the natives of the land in this book too. Highly recommended even though I'm not usually one for nautical wrecks.
January 1, 2021
This is primarily about searches for the Franklin Expedition, and refuses to speculate on unknown elements, including contributing factors to its loss. It has the benefit of being published after the ships were found, so it has satisfying payoff. The running themes are pointed and equally satisfying: learn from the Inuit when venturing to the Arctic; when looking for something in the Arctic, listen to the Inuit who tell you where it is (even if it takes effort and cultural adjustment!). But the stance on the titular ghosts, the human cost both of Arctic exploration and of chasing famous wrecks, is rather more weak than it is nuanced. And the actual narrative is unfortunately tedious. Overarching elements--like Lady Franklin's persistence; like, again, Inuit relations and knowledge--are successful, but the frequent asides and anecdotes less so. This was my first book on the Franklin Expedition, and it's thorough and certainly adequate. But it didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would given the subject.
August 1, 2022
I love historical mysteries, and have always loved the story of the lost Franklin Expedition, who disappeared searching for the Northwest Passage in the mid-19th century. This was a very well researched book that outlined all of the different attempts to find the Erebus and Terror from just a few years after their fateful voyage up until their discovery in 2014. My only complaint about the text is that Watson didn't really keep the mystery alive, but instead told a straight-forward, chronological narrative. I would have preferred that instead of revealing to the reader in the earliest pages what happened with the Franklin Expedition, to learn these facts as they were discovered in the century and a half of searching. But I still enjoyed this because of the subject matter. (I listened to the audiobook, where the narrator did a tremendous job). 3.5/5
February 6, 2019
Audiobook. Reader pretty good.
More trekking through arctic, this time looking for a lost expedition lost while looking for a northern passage across the north arctic. One most interesting thing about this was the obsession of Franklin's wife to find him. Leaving her with power of attorney over his estate, she had the money to have it done. Her family thought she was crazy and tried unsuccessfully to stop her and get her money.
Another thing of note was the unpreparedness of many of the 19th century search parties. Then so many displayed utter arrogance and racism toward the native Inuit people who have successfully lived in such a climate for thousands of years, even when offered help by them.
It took until well into the 20th century to find any substantial information. However one of the key characters was an Inuit. I found some parts of this a bit tedious in detail.
Overall this sort of exploration seems a bit crazy to me. There certainly have been numerous expeditions, failures and successes all over the world as Britain and other countries expanded their imperialist empires so very often at the cost of their lives and the indigenous peoples they encountered.
But then I think spending millions to go to space while so many people have few resources for health care, decent food, giant education debt or are homeless is crazy.
More trekking through arctic, this time looking for a lost expedition lost while looking for a northern passage across the north arctic. One most interesting thing about this was the obsession of Franklin's wife to find him. Leaving her with power of attorney over his estate, she had the money to have it done. Her family thought she was crazy and tried unsuccessfully to stop her and get her money.
Another thing of note was the unpreparedness of many of the 19th century search parties. Then so many displayed utter arrogance and racism toward the native Inuit people who have successfully lived in such a climate for thousands of years, even when offered help by them.
It took until well into the 20th century to find any substantial information. However one of the key characters was an Inuit. I found some parts of this a bit tedious in detail.
Overall this sort of exploration seems a bit crazy to me. There certainly have been numerous expeditions, failures and successes all over the world as Britain and other countries expanded their imperialist empires so very often at the cost of their lives and the indigenous peoples they encountered.
But then I think spending millions to go to space while so many people have few resources for health care, decent food, giant education debt or are homeless is crazy.
January 5, 2023
An interesting look at the fate of the doomed Franklin expedition and the efforts to find out what happened to them.
This was a super interesting read and I really wish there was more information on what happened. I would have liked some more speculation and description of what evidence was recovered. I really appreciated the author's emphasis on how much the native Inuit already knew, but how the white explorers flat-out ignored them.
This was a super interesting read and I really wish there was more information on what happened. I would have liked some more speculation and description of what evidence was recovered. I really appreciated the author's emphasis on how much the native Inuit already knew, but how the white explorers flat-out ignored them.
August 6, 2017
This is a well written book about the lost Franklin Expedition. The book is broken down into three parts, which gives an overview of the expedition, the hunt over a hundred and sixty some years and then the discovery. The follies and arrogance of humans can be seen in this history. It was pleasing to see a peek of Inuit culture in this book. Overall, an enjoyable and interesting read.
April 11, 2021
Read this after watching The Terror. What curious mysteries unfolded during the course of tying to solve it! Would highly recommend to anyone intrigued, it does a good job of exploring how various cultural and political influences through the search impacted the outcome.
February 11, 2021
Muy entretenido
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