Fatal North: Adventure Survival Abaord USS Polaris 1ST U S Expedition North Pole

What makes this book unique from many other polar exploration works is that it also revolves around a more than century-old murder mystery on board the ship; that of Captain Hall himself. These two aspects provide a chilling account of what happens when there is lack of discipline and unwavering leadership on board any seabound vessel.

A terrific true account that reads like a novel. Great addition to any polar exploration library.


A terrific yarn -- and it's true, too!   October 22, 2001
I am a sucker for survival tales and this is one of the best I have read. Written by newspaperman Bruce Henderson, it is well researched and presented in a clear, concise manner with just the right amount of detail and suspense enough for several books. This was America's first attempt to reach the North Pole and unfortunately the government had to stick its hand in. It was during one of America's worst administrations -- that of U.S. Grant, and he and his cohorts bungled this venture, too. They spent the money to do it right, but put the wrong people in charge and put together contracts that spelled doom from the start. The hero of the tale is George Tyson, and what a hero he is...fighting almost unsurmountable odds as he struggles for months on an ice flow with 19 deserted shipmates in the Artic. There are enough villians -- a drunken sea captian, a murderous physician, a crew that refuses to take any orders. I highly recommend this one without fear of contradiction from anyone who appreciates a good adventure.


First rate, worth reading   April 13, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Even if the subject matter doesn't seem exciting to you, this book is well worth reading. This book is in the "can't put down' category.


Made for TV?   March 7, 2001
This a very readable book. After finishing The Icemaster by Houston, and Ice Blink by Cookman, I felt that this was a script rather than a book. It tied in nicely with some of the opening chapters of Ice Blink, however. The avarice of Buddington seemed extremely drawn out and causes one to wonder if such evil can truly exist in a man who has volunteered for such an expedition. Still this is another good work in the plethora of Polar expedition books that we have been blessed with in the past year. On to the Poles!


Fatal North: No footnotes, no bibliography   February 25, 2001
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Fatal North is a compelling account of Charles Francis Hall's last expedition. Bruce Henderson does a good job of painting the personalities of the officers and crew, a number of whom never got along with Hall -- or one another.

But but the lack of any footnotes nor any bibliography makes the reader wonder whether parts of this drama actually occurred, or whether they flowed from Henderson's pen. Those seaching for a more scholarly account would do well to stick with Chauncy Loomis' landmark work, "Weird and Tragic Shores," and, of course, Pierre Burton's "Arctic Grail," which has an excellent chapter on Hall.