The Ship Beneath the Ice: Sunday Times Bestseller - The Gripping Story of Finding Shackleton's Endurance

I very like the fact that Shackleton is still being eulogised.

A wonderfully descriptive and beautifully balanced read from Mensun Bound which is a welcome modern addition to the literature on Ernest Shackleton

If you have an interest in everything Shackleton then this one is for you. There are also some nice technical nautical details. Unfortunately the author does not really bring any characters to life, it is very much a factual description of what happened. And we don’t really learn anything of the emotional impact of success and failure which is a shame.

Written in the present but also drawing parallels with what Ernest Shackleton and his crew wrote in their diaries. A page turner!

The heroic age of Antarctic exploration continues to hold a mesmerising fascination on the public even after more than a century.Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 to 1917 and the loss of his ship the Endurance was an epic failure but the manner in which every single person on the crew made it home safely is one of the greatest accounts of adventure and survival ever told.This new book, which recounts the story of the search for the wreck of the Endurance a century later in one of the most inhospitable parts of the world, will fascinate those with yearnings for that earlier age.To use a phrase favoured by the author Mensun Bound, the director of exploration on the two expeditions to find and survey Shackleton’s ship, this book is a real rip-snorter.It weaves entries from the diaries of Shackleton and his crew along with fascinating details of the challenges faced by the modern expeditions to locate and survey the famous ship, while sharing the concerns of the modern crew about the real risk of being trapped in the ice just like Shackleton.The Ship Beneath the Ice is a compelling read with high and lows along the way as extreme as the waves of the Southern Ocean that the expedition encounter on the way. The book recognises the bravery of Shackleton, the dangerous beauty of the Antarctic but also acts as a warning call to the people of the world that we must do more to save the ice and wildlife of the polar regions.Bound cites Shackleton as saying that polar expedition is all about “the creation of new bricks for the great wall of knowledge”. This book does that and more. Bound has a wonderful turn of phrase, introducing the reader to maritime terms and everyday life on expedition with humour. Whether you know the outcome of the two recent expeditions or not, this book is a wonderful place to escape the modern world.

My only *complaint’ is photos within a block barely linked to the TOC, That’s lazy publishing in my book. Otherwise, near perfect.

Once you start reading you cannot put the book down. I feel I am present on board and part of the expedition! A great and an enlightened narrative.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was written in an easy informative way, about a great man, great ship and a great journey of discovery.

So we have two parts in this book that are completely different from one another. The first is a masterpiece, filled with literary marvels, tension for the search, love for exploration, and a healthy and caring relationship with Nature and the environment. The second part is as if the author was forced to complete it, with only one single sentence dedicated to concern for nature and the environment, almost a shopping list of activities reaching a goal. I would be fine with ending the first part where it was, with the failure to locate the Endurance, replaced by a short addendum with the schedule of the second mission and a couple of photos from the triumphal findings. Maybe the author underestimated his overall contribution via mission one. Frankly I wouldn't care less if the Endurance was found, and I hope it remains there undisturbed. I am grateful however for all the love for nature and exploration, the dedication to the task, the sensitivity and wealth of knowledge shared by the author in the first part. I hope there may be a revised edition sometime in the future. Long story short... there is a lot of work and results, but little heart in the second part. Makes me wonder if there was some contractual limitation for the second mission to not mention climate change or any other environmental issues. Five stars for the first part, I don't care much for the rest.

I have no quarrel with the book but the price for a new hardbound copy was through the roof.Since the pandemic,book prices on Amazon,at least in Canada,have rocketed into the stratosphere.This was advertised as a new,soon-to-be -released book which \I pre-ordered and promptly for got about.I received it,read it,enjoyed it but,afterwards,discovered it listed on Abe Books for less than half what I had paid on Amazon as a used hardbound book in new condition.Book sales are where Bezos supposedly got his start but make sure you shop arpund before buying a book from Amazon

This book gave me goosebumps.I love Shackleton, Antarctica and shipwrecks, therefore this is my cup of tea, but even if you’re not into it, this text is about expeditions that made history, adventure and, of course, endurance.You don’t read it just to learn about emotional, historical and technical aspect of this discovery, but also to enjoy the way it is written.Furthermore, I have learnt more about Shackleton’s most famous journey, since the author has even studied unpublished diaries of the expedition members.Unmissable.Thank you Mensun!Valeria

I admit that I have read almost every book written on Sir Ernest Shackleton and have twice gone to Antarctica to savor a bit of the allure that drew him and his crew south. So therefore I was a captive reader before I even opened the first page. Was this book as fascinating as Alfred Lansing's ENDURANCE? No. Absolutely not! But it was very engaging and drew me back each night to continue the journey south!And I learned some things too that I won't reveal here as I'll let a reader discover for his/her self. If one has read all or most of the books on Sir Ernest then by all means buy and savor this book too.

Mensun takes us on an awe- inspiring trip, describing the 2 expeditions to look for Shackleton’s famous ship, The Endurance in its last resting place under the Weddal sea in Antarctica. The narrative is gripping as well as highly educational. Mensun after all is an archeologist. It is a great tribute to the original adventurers, and the modern day scientists who still have to discover our natural world. I have been lucky enough to have touched the Weddal sea, so this book as brought back great memories and reinforced my awe and passion for this amazing continent.