What made this account most interesting is knowing that this was happening over a century ago, and the experience is no less immediately reminding of the value of human life than if it were written any other time. On the note of timelessness: This account is also interesting for its ability to offer perspective on what goes on in the mind of a person caught in a survival bubble.

The amazing tale of a daring escape from the arctic exploration vessel "Saint Anna", locked in polar ice while on an ill-planned voyage. The ship's navigator, Valerian Albanov, left the ship with thirteen crew who volunteered to accompany him, and set out on foot with jury-rigged kayaks and sledges over the ice to attempt to reach a base in Franz Josef Land, an archipelago north of Siberia. A series of mishaps resulted in the loss of several groups, until finally Albanov and one comrade, Alexander Konrad, reached relative safety in a set of ruined huts at Cape Flora. While preparing to overwinter, they were picked up by a ship, itself part of a failed polar expedition. The book is told in a matter-of-fact style in Albanov's own words, partially recreated from logs he kept on this awful journey.

A quick read and an enthralling tale of survival that would have blanched Shackleton himself. Mr. Albanov’s ordeal is unrelenting in the geographical distance and terrain to be covered and in the threats along the way. Ravenous polar bears abound, canoes take water on the frozen sea, ice floes suddenly open beneath travelers’ feet, and always, there are the vagaries of the weather. How Albanov and another companion pulled through beggars the mind. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Roberts and Mr. Krakauer for restoring this epic to the canon of polar exploration literature.

Have been waiting for a cold and snowy day to read this. Started it yesterday but all the snow melted! Anyway once I started I couldn’t stop. Very good polar memoir, obviously Albanov believes mental toughness is more important than physical stamina. The epilogue was just as interesting as the memoir itself—Konrad’s account is fascinating and gives a good insight into Albanov and the rest of the crew. Clearly no one had an idea what they were doing except Albanov and it’s one of the tragedies of this account that so many of the hardships were so avoidable.