A great listen

This really is a wonderful account of Antarctica and everything from its history, climate change, what it’s like to actually be there together with much more is skill-fully woven together, I am looking forward to listening to it again in the not too distant future!

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it's a different world!

I couldn't stop listening, it was such an interesting read you just had to find out what amazing revelation was going to be offered next.

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ice

great story a real eye opener,interesting story of the frozen south and all what happens there in a year,thank you.

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A warning to. Is all

It is a shame Politic Ian's and Industry do NOT take Scientists warnings about true effects of Global Warming as the Antarctic and Attic melt.

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I'd now like to visit!

I read this in 2018 and it still has me thinking what a good book this is, so surprised it doesn't have more reviews.
fascinating onsite and descriptions of what it was like being there, which filled me with a desire to visit and experience it for myself

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Fake voice should be stated on purchase

This is not a real voice audible book.
Refund will be requested, can’t believe it.

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Disappointing and has untruths

I was overall unimpressed with this book largely because it features a lot of inaccuracies that also become untruths. McMurdo is not considered the capital of Antarctica, nor are the American’s in charge of this very empty continent, and the mountains are mostly smaller and none are larger than the Alps.
 
The book would be best titled "US science in Antarctica". Its weak on actual Antarctic geography/information and only has a little history. It would also benefit from a non-Americano centric approach, a shame the author visited few to no other nationalities stations and barely references them. The Concordia chapter redeems international aspect slightly especially as the ice coring writing is fascinating.
 
Tony Stark offers the author a valid opinion on their meeting and her questionable presence... Also, the way the author brings up the Antarctica treaty seems to be making a deliberate effort to devalue its attempts at political harmony and the pursuit of science. The USAP more industrial approach to Antarctic science, however, is well portrayed.

To worsen the tone the geopolitical implications of the writing on Argentina, Britain and Chile, particularly surrounding the Falklands is tone deaf and verges on flouting ignorance. The Falklands/Malvinas are over 400 km off the coast of South America not “next to Argentina”.
 
There is also some possibly deliberate entanglement of Scott and Shackleton’s expeditions, that while this may meant to be descriptive of the time is confusing to those that know the stories better.
 
The author also clearly lacks an understanding of pragmatists work mainly in the way station support staff are referred to e.g. "Jake Speed". Good that she spoke to him to debunk the initial judgemental opinion but clear she has little understanding of the demands of practical work, and tragic to hear about his frostbite. His/the references to "toasted" winterers seems on point from my experience.
Also, interesting to hear about the "old pole", building certainly not come across that before.

Esperanza children and colonisation stuff is fascinating. And the dinosaur! Very interesting to hear the pole was once warm in the cretaceous (ish?) period with land life there.

The differences between East and West Antarctica are not particularly true from my perspective. As while the East does have the 3 permanent stations and all other stations are confined to the coast or peninsula a lot of fieldwork goes on from field camps or summer only camps/stations in the West, both US and British and other activity. Where the East Antarctic plateau is a few thousand meters in altitude and the surface often has wave like frozen sastrugi making travel and plane landings very hard. It also seems odd that the author mentions Thwaites and Pine Island glacier complexes and the work there, but still refers to West Antarctica being hardly visited. Perhaps the WAIS (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) major field camp was more minor when this book was written, although this seems unlikely.
 
Great to hear about the mention of the dogs at Rothera but even with the 1984 ban the British held out with dogs on the station till the early 90s. And the referral to poor rations being sent out from Rothera is wrong, they are no different from rations used elsewhere. It is also a real shame the author embellishes sexism at Rothera. Redeemingly the description of the mid-winter world service broadcast is apt, it is enchanting.
 
Given historic and ongoing issue it seems strange that the issues of sexism (and harassment) in Antarctic programs are only ever mentioned in passing (if at all) by the author.
 
On the whole this book was just slightly disappointing although slightly redeem by some of the science described.

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