The true, harrowing story of the ill-fated 1913 Canadian Arctic Expedition and the two men who came to define it.
BUDDY LEVY is the author of nine books, including Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition, Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs; River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana's Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon. He is co-author of No Barriers: A Blind Man's Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon and GERONIMO: Leadership Strategies of An American Warrior. His books have been published in eight languages. He lives in Idaho.
"Levy writes beautifully about the cold. His Arctic is fearsome and
sublime, his ice a living thing. His passion for this alien
landscape is infectious -- something to appreciate from underneath
a pile of blankets while wearing very warm socks." --New York Times
Book Review "The gripping account of a fatal polar adventure.
Hair-raising suffering and heroism in the Arctic." --Kirkus Reviews
"Full of evocative descriptions, harrowing action scenes, and
incisive character sketches, this is a worthy addition to the
literature of Arctic exploration." --Publishers Weekly
"[R]eads more intensely than a thriller." --Library Journal
"Readers who love a well-told Arctic tale of adventure and courage
should add Empire of Ice and Stone to their winter reading."
--Shelf Awareness
"Levy tells the incredible tale of the genius of Bartlett leading
his unseasoned crew over the ice to Wrangel Island in the dead of
winter, and then of his own desperate 700-nautical-mile journey
over the ice to Siberia to try to find help to rescue the
survivors, vividly bringing this harrowing tale to life."
--Explorers Journal
"[Levy] is a master storyteller whose latest thoroughly researched,
spellbinding narrative is both profoundly horrifying and
heroic...His well-paced, captivating writing is chock-full of vivid
imagery and description, making a gripping true tale all the more
haunting, powerful, and hard to put down...an intense and riveting
read." --Washington State Magazine
"Against the backdrop of incomprehensible Arctic Ocean survival at
the close of the age of exploration, Buddy Levy contrasts the
consequences of men's motives for leadership in a page-turning
life-and-death epic that is so detailed and so well-developed that
a reader can feel the frozen brine of an open lead in mid-winter
pack ice, the gnawing pit of starvation, and the heart-warming
compassion of a ship's captain who will stop at nothing to save the
men, women, children, and animals for whom he is responsible."
--Roman Dial, adventurer and national bestselling author of The
Adventurer's Son "With a cast of eccentric and fascinating
characters on a grand adventure - and misadventure - in one of the
most extreme regions of the world, Empire of Ice and Stone ranks
with the great exploration and survival epics in history. Hubris,
jaw-dropping incompetence, callous self-interest and ultimately
heroic determination and sacrifice all grapple for top billing.
Buddy Levy's writing and narrative sense is top notch and really
brings this incredible story to life." --Stephen R. Bown, national
bestselling author of Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and
Triumph on the World's Greatest Scientific Expedition and The Last
Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen "With Empire of Ice and Stone,
Buddy Levy once again proves his mastery of historical journalism,
spinning exhaustive research into storytelling gold. In vivid
details and haunting images that graphically recreate often heroic,
often horrifying events, Levy keeps us spellbound, turning page
after page, breathless to see who, if anyone, can survive such
unimaginable conditions. Whether a fantastic feat of human endeavor
or the folly of man's quest to conquer the final reaches of terra
incognito, in Levy's sure hands, the Canadian Arctic Expedition
becomes a life-and-death drama of tragic proportions. Brimming with
malevolence and malfeasance but also humble charity and true
nobility, Empire of Ice and Stone is a triumphant exploration of
the forces that drive the human heart to extremes." --Kim Barnes,
Pulitzer finalist and award-winning author of In the Kingdom of Men
"Brace yourself for an edge-of-the-seat excursion not only through
one of the more harrowing environments on the planet, but into an
utterly vanished era, when exploration of the globe's farthest
reaches seemed to require equal parts bravery and lunacy. Buddy
Levy relates the terror, travails, and sheer will to survive when
such an expedition went disastrously awry. Expertly documented and
beautifully described, Empire of Ice and Stone is a grand testament
to the human impulse to risk adventure, seek new shores, and try to
return again from the frozen beyond..." --Malcolm Brooks, national
bestselling author of Painted Horses and Cloudmaker "In his
profoundly engrossing follow-up to Labyrinth of Ice, Levy
brilliantly unveils new, terrifying dimensions of the Arctic's
cruel power, and further outlines the admirable folly of the men
who dared to confront it. Like so many explorers of the so-called
heroic age, Levy has been pulled back to that deadly landscape as
if by magnetism. How fortunate we all are for it." --Julian
Sancton, New York Times bestselling author of Madhouse at the End
of the Earth
"With Empire of Ice and Stone, Buddy Levy brings the harrowing
story of the Karluk to vivid life. The doomed ship and her crew
face catastrophes beyond enduring again and again, and Levy
skillfully keeps the reader dreading what will happen next."
--Andrea Pitzer, author of Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the
World
"Levy's masterful storytelling put a chill in my bones and despair
in my heart as the survivors of the Karluk tragedy struggled
onward. Empire of Ice and Stone is a wonderful telling of a
horrible voyage." --Jim Davidson, high-altitude climber and New
York Times bestselling author of The Next Everest "If it has Buddy
Levy's name on it, I just know it's going to be a great read, and
"Empire of Ice and Stone" does not disappoint! It's one of my
favorites this year." --Marya Johnston, Owner, Out West Books
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