First published 1940
Fridtjof Nansen stands on the deck of his ship, staring across the endless Arctic ice. The Norwegian explorer has committed himself and his crew to a bold plan that others call madness. He will allow his vessel to become trapped in the polar ice, then drift with the currents toward the North Pole. For months, the men live in cramped quarters as their ship creaks and groans under the pressure of shifting ice floes. Nansen watches his crew battle fear, boredom, and the constant threat of being crushed. When the drift proves slower than expected, he makes an even more dangerous choice. He will leave the ship with one companion and attempt to reach the pole on foot across the treacherous ice. Hall brings readers into the mind of a man driven by scientific curiosity and national pride, willing to risk everything for discovery. This is the story of how ambition and endurance collide with the brutal realities of polar exploration.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: ambition, endurance, man-vs-nature
Setting: Arctic, North Pole, Norway
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century
165 pages · Hardcover · The Viking Press