An excellent read. Written in a daily journal style, this is a book that drew me in and held my interest from start to finish. Easily one of the best survival stories that I've ever read.

Truly harrowing journey with only two surviving! Absolutely courageous amid grave dangers. May those who follow in their footsteps find inspiration.

Truly harrowing journey with only two surviving. Absolutely courageous amid grave dangers. May those who follow in their footsteps find great inspiration.

Absolutely astonishing.

A really gripping, nicely told first hand account of an escape from the ice. It's interesting to read something from the Russian point of view, as a change from British and American tales. Astonishingly, there was a woman as part of the expedition, although, sadly, she doesn't form part of the party who left the ship to trek across the ice. Albanov's alternating determination, and irritability and fury at his apparently lazy shipmates makes for a wonderful tale to follow.

Amazing. By chance, I read this book at the same time as “In the Heart of the Ocean,” which tells the story of the sinking of the Essex and the journey of its crew back to land. “In the Land of the White Death” is the story of a Russian exploration ship and its crew. After the ship became stuck in the ice for longer than expected, the crew started to get a bit concerned, so navigational officer Valerian Albanov decided to take his chances in the wild. He and 12 others set out across the ice, water, and, eventually, land, in hopes of being rescued. He’s a great storyteller. He kept a diary of his ordeal, and the great white north comes alive under his pen.

Albanov did everything possible to lead the men to salvation, despite “laziness” and “stupid” crewmates. He was resourceful and determined. Thankfully, he also had a superb internal compass to supplement his actual navigational tools. Between seals, walruses, polar bears, and dwindling supplies of tea and tobacco, Albanov and his shipmates dodge ice floes, paddle kayaks, ski, and search for land.

Fascinating, well written, horrifying! This is a mesmerizing story by Russian navigator Valerian Ivanovich Albanov of the plight of the Russian schooner _Saint Anna_, which attempted an Arctic voyage across the Northeast Passage to Vladivostok in 1912. Two years later, only Albanov and one other crew member survived, and the _Saint Anna_, which they departed with about 14 men in homemade kayaks and sledges when it became frozen in ice, was never recovered.

If you like the adventures of Shackleton, you must read the memoirs of Albanov. A mesmerising account of survival in the Arctics. During these times of elevated anxieties caused by the pandemic; this adventure is a refreshing reminder of the resilience and persevarance of mankind. It is also humorous and containts subtle, obvious insights. For instance, I loved this self reflection from Albanov during a moment of frustration :)

“One should not poke one’s nose into places where Nature does not want the presence of man.”

Enjoy this lovely book.

This is a superb little book! I have always enjoyed stories about arctic exploration, including those that that go horribly wrong (i.e. Sir John Franklin's expedition with the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus).
This is a similar tale told by Valerian Albanov, navigator of the Russian ship Saint Anna, which embarks on a voyage to scout hunting lands near the Arctic Ocean only to become hopelessly frozen in the ice for a year and a half. That is until Albanov and a a dozen other men wisely elect to separate from the captain and crew, and walk south across the frozen Arctic for months in search of civilization. The men suffer every hardship imaginable and their numbers begin to dwindle rapidly. But this is a masterfully written tale told by a highly intelligent and indefatigable man! Albanov's prose is is both beautiful and deeply haunting. How is this book not a well-known classic tale of human triumph read by every schoolboy and schoolgirl? Read this book. Thank you David Martin and Jon Krakaer for discovering this story! Did I say read this book?!

I love books about artic exploration and survival, and this one was no exception.

Pros: this is a firsthand account, written by someone who seems to grasp the deep challenges of survival, unlike many in his group. Their experiences with walruses, polar bears, seals, birds, etc. are included which I loved. I especially enjoyed the ending as he writes about some of the "if onlys" that could have saved some of the other men, as well as returning to WWI filled civilization.

Cons: I felt like lots of helpful context was missing from this story--background on their specific ships mission, and background on several of the previous voyages that are referenced frequently (such as the Nansen expedition). Also background on the navigation would have been great as the author was the ship's navigator.

It is also not very interestingly written (could be due to translation or due to the journal format) or simply because little information is given about any of the character's personality/reactions/feelings to their situations. As it's a firsthand account, obviously, this context was apparent to the author, but I would love to read a narrative about this voyage the leans on this book as the primary source, but that brings in further research and context.

Good "arctic explorers" read. This one was different as it was almost entirely from one man's perspective, a Russian who was trapped in the Arctic back in the early 1900's. It isn't a widely known story because it wasn't translated for many, many years. The story follows his ordeal from the time he abandons ship until he is rescued. What made the story even better is the additional chapter at the end where another survivor's diary is found and translated at the first time giving some amazing insight to the overall tale.

An amazing Siberian Arctic memoir! Two years of survival 1912-1914 of Valerian Albanov, this is a taught, harrowing thriller as well as a beautifully insightful observation of both Albanov's comrades and the terrifying natural world. I have now read quite a few accounts of forays in to Siberia and the Arctic, each one very different from the next. Albanov's recounts the desperate need to survive, which he does by the sheerest of margins, ice and snow. These are his foes--daunting, treacherous, variable. Almost every piece I have read speaks of food because there is never enough of it as the expeditions progress often through accident or mishap. Albanov also ran out of biscuit, tea, chocolate, canned meat but his pages dwell more and more on turning to seal and walrus, polar bear and Eider duck, eating these raw, having difficulty melting enough drinking water when fuel runs low, how ice doesn't quench thirst. He lost most of his dozen companions through malnutrition and dehydration. Despite these travails, his piece is not grim. I dashed right through it. A classic and beautiful piece.

Exceptional! From the introductions to the original works and journal entries of the survivors, this is a living, breathing work that deserves notice and applause. How these men made it through this ordeal is astounding, oftentimes shocking, and always gripping. A must read.