Like a lot of these types of books , which I enjoy, they don't have enough , or even any, Maps..u don't know where they are and I find that is a real loss to the story line..and no pictures of the boats,the huts, etc.
An amazing story and such tough characters, beggars belief that anyone would survive...3.5-4 stars

There is nothing like reading a book about the arctic in the summer. This book was a pleasant surprise! I didn't know that a story of Arctic survival (and many, many deaths) could be so readable and interesting. As far as Arctic exploration books goes: there isn't any better out there than this one. Not that I have read them all, but I am THAT confident.

Unfortunately, I don't think he ever wrote another book, so this is the first and last I will ever read by him.

It's a sad day. A really, really sad day.

I felt this book was rather boring. If it was something I was interested in I'm sure I would've enjoyed it a bit more. It was just so difficult for me to get into. Very repetitive. Although how the paragraphs are set up in a way that you don't feel like you're reading this super long book. If you're interested in this type of thing you'll definitely enjoy it but if not I don't recommend.

This is a great a little book. After their boat was frozen in for 2 years, a group sets off across the ice flows to find help. The only bad thing was the journal that Valerian kept on the ship for the 2 years was lost!!! I would have loved to read that story. This first hand account of the trek across a frozen ocean is amazing. Well documented and gripping. His experience is truly something that very few have or ever will understand. I actually read the book twice... back to back. Yes, when I finished reading it I started over and read it again. I love exploration history and few stories rival this accomplishment. It shows that the will to survive can drive men to almost super human feats of strength and endurance. Beware the walruses!!!

Amazing and harrowing - this is the incredible first hand account of a desperate (costly but successful) attempt to find rescue in the arctic after being icebound on a ship for over two years. If you like survival stories, this is a great one! Just...make sure you're warm and well-fed while reading it.

An excellent story. There is nothing like reading a book with the arctic cold while my area is in a
heat wave. Very emotional story.

5 stars for the mere fact that this book, written in Russian originally, then translated to French, of which a copy sat on the shelf in Harvard's Widener Library for 68 years before being "discovered" again. Robert's and Krakauer go to great lengths to give Albanov great credit for a well written narrative, and well they should. Very readable, but I did find myself frustrated with the lack of readable, easy to read maps. After all the adventure, to die only a few years later seems such a waste of someone who was quite obviously a naturally talented writer, with a beautiful knack of writing about dramatic events with finely crafted phrases and observances.

The ingenuity, resourcefulness, and resolve presented in this first-hand account are admirable, and a testament of Albanov's expertise as a sailor. This was an intriguing glimpse of unintended adventure and willpower being pushed to the limit.

Xmas gift from Gordon 2000

A couple years ago, I read "Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing, which chronicles Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1914 that led to a harrowing experience being stuck on the ice in extremely cold conditions for over a year. It was an exciting book, and I assumed that "In the Land of the White Death" would be a quite similar read. However, to my surprise, I discovered this book is written by a member of the expedition party himself, the navigator Valerian Albanov. At first, I expected the quality of the writing to be inferior to Lansing's, coming from a sailor instead of a distinguished author and historian. On the contrary, Albanov proves to be a wonderful writer, to the extent that I felt I was right next to him on the ice in the frigid Siberian Arctic Ocean. This book was not just the "polar" opposite of "Endurance", but also a completely different narrative with alternate circumstances, parties involved, human emotions, tensions, desires, losses, and triumphs.

Without giving away the ending, it is remarkable what Albanov had to overcome to survive in the extreme circumstances he found himself and his companions in. He had to make life-or-death decisions and proved to be an effective leader. I felt great empathy and sadness for all the ordeals he and his men had to endure, ordeals which pushed their humanity to its limits. I highly recommend this book, and have found a personal hero of sorts in Valerian Albanov!

yikes, and i complain about walking from work to my car in the winter? this was wild. cannot even imagine. tiny bit tricky keeping some of the men apart from one another, as there aren’t really many descriptors to differentiate, but it didn’t really hinder the overall impact.

A good followup to Endurance, this time a true story about a Russian ship trapped in the ice with some of those on board making a trip to dry land to seek help. This group is not as lucky, losing most of those who go and those who stayed who disappeared.