Name: Max Riley's review of Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton
Item: Madhouse at the End of the Earth
Rating: 4
Author: Max Riley

Julian Sancton

The “exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing” (The New York Times) true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry—with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter “The energy of the narrative never flags. . . . Sancton has produced a thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache’s plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship’s occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Julian Sancton unfolds an epic story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica’s men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition’s lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook—half genius, half con man—whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship’s first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice—one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean’s bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica’s crew and with exclusive access to the ship’s logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep.

The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night

Madhouse at the End of the Earth

jenn kause

"The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry-with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook--half genius, half con man--whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice--one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom."--

The Belgica's Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night

I think of the nonfiction works I've read about expeditions, this book kept me on my toes the most! I was constantly wondering and worried who would die and how they could escape. I knew that most of them lived, but the writing really kept me engaged and wondering how things would turn out. I enjoyed this more than "The Endurance" (another artic expedition gone wrong) and would recommend to most people!

Max Riley

altlovesbooks

"We are no longer navigators, but a small colony of prisoners serving their sentence."

This is my second voyage (ha!) with a polar expedition book, the first being In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette. Rather than going for the North Pole like the Jeannette several years previous, the Belgica and her crew gave it the honest college try in being the first to reach the magnetic South Pole. As you can imagine, in such an extreme environment and it being 1897 without modern advances and conveniences, things go south (haha!) quickly.

I thought this book had a bit of a slow start, but it quickly drew me in once the Belgica got underway and the actual expedition began. Some backstory of the ship and its crew is necessary to really establish a connection between the reader and the characters, so I didn't particularly mind. I thought the writing style was engaging, if a little bit sensational -- I get that it reads like an adventure book, but it's ultimately supposed to be a historical account, and it feels like the author played it a bit fast and loose with the day-to-day dialogue and accounts of what happened. The transition of the crew as their voyage became much longer than anticipated was especially interesting, and I liked the inclusion of the epilogue of sorts at the end that showed what happened to everyone at the conclusion. 

In summary, a very engaging adventure book about the impact of hubris and stubborness on polar exploration. A bit of a slow start rewards the reader with much drama later on. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

erin s

I love reading about the Arctic, so I decided to venture southward and learn more about its polar (ha) opposite. Madhouse at the End of the Earth is a detailed, gripping account of the Belgica expedition in the late 1890s. Julian Sancton has deftly recreated the unforgiving Antarctic landscapes the crew encountered, using excerpts from the sailors’ diaries to bring the ship’s fraught tensions to life. 

It took the story awhile to get to the southernmost continent, and I wasn’t as captivated by the backstory as I was by the time spent in Antarctica (though it was helpful groundwork for certain decisions and dynamics). I was especially intrigued by the ship surgeon (Frederick Cook, who later became an infamous huckster after oil schemes and widespread doubt over his purported discovery of the North Pole). Cook’s innovative tactics and keen observations saved the Belgica and her passengers more than once. 

4/5: An entertaining (and stressful) story of polar exploration gone awry. Perfect for fans of other survival stories and anything Arctic/Antarctic. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

jenn kause &
Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton

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Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton