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Summary: Somewhat unbelievable to say the least...read on
Review: This book is very gipping but there are parts I definatley cannot believe. I read many outdoor adventure books and find some things about this story disturbing. How can a person be crossing a frozen ocean in 40 degress below zero temps wearing only muckluks and deerskins and fall through a lead of water and get totally submerged and then continue on travelling for hours only to rest for the evening in a frozen igloo? Noone could survive the elements. The cover of the book reads Into Thin Air meets Titanic. If you read Jon Krakaurs book "Into Thin Air" you will note similar disturbing conditions with whiteouts in which some people including Rob Hall freeze to death! and they had the best gear money could buy! Jennifer, I know you take this info from first hand accounts but I think they stretched the truth a bit. Otherwise, very well written!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Boring
Review: The Ice Master starts off to be very interesting when Jennifer Niven talks of their expedition but in the middle of the book of she writes about the hardships the crew went through it got boring. She kept on writing about the same hardships over and over. For example, she writes constintly about how cold they were. I knew that the first few times she wrote about it. Every new chapter I began to read just sounded like the one I just finished. I could not finish the book. If you want to read about an artic expedition I do not suggest this book.
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Summary: Harrowing and brilliant
Review: I could not put this book down! Niven has done the survivors of the Kurluk justice. She is their saving angel. Thank you for writing this book. An excellent combination of history and greek tragedy.
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Summary: Classic Arctic tale
Review: QUICK REVIEW
This is a strong and well written account of the tragedy of the Karluk and it's men. We see and feel the struggle to cope and survive in the harsh environment of the Arctic. It is a good book, and makes a nice addition to Arctic adventure literature. FULL REVIEW
This is a wonderfully composed telling of the story of the Karluk. It is well written and nicely put together. The author draws from many different sources to give a full account of the story, including diaries and journals of the men, articles, books, newspaper clippings and interviews. The character development is superb - allowing us to really picture each person and their individual personalities. This is so important. The book centers around who these people were so that we can understand their actions and why tragedy befell them. Readers will be amazed at the strength and endurance of some men while being angered by the selfishness and ineptitude of others. The story is made richer by this, but the story is great on it's own. A ship-full of men surviving in terrible arctic conditions in desperate situations. Men struggling to travel to safety over torn-up ice and seemingly impassable ice walls and open leads of water between large ice floes. On top of this - the fight against starvation and disease. The beginning part of the book can seem semi-slow or boring if the reader is looking for adventure right away, but much of it sets up the story and develops characters so we get the full picture if the entire tragedy. Overall, though, it is a great book and will be enjoyed by anyone interested in Arctic adventure (sad though it may sometimes be).
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Summary: Amazing story
Review: I just finished this book and was so moved. It is amazing what these men went through-a true testament to human endurance. The author has done an amazing job of collecting information and bringing life to these people. I highly recommend this book!
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Summary: The Ice Master - The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk
Review: I first came across this story while researching information on my ancestor Capt. Joshua Gage Baker, who was a whaling captain of the Bark Reindeer. The Karluk (along with the Bark Reindeer) is referenced in the book "Fifty Years Below Zero" by Charles D. Brower -- another excellent book about life in the far North. The author, Jennifer Niven, has done a phenominal job of stringing together a lifetime's worth of research from many different sources into a succinct and well told, entertaining story. In my opinion, the story line is more gripping and compelling than other survival stories such as "Into Thin Air" and other ventures that have recently come out in print.
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Summary: Chilling Tale
Review: As a tale of icy death and the lessons to be learned from it, "The Ice Master" ranks near the classic "The Last Place on Earth." As the author reveals, the "heroic" Vihjalmur Stefansson was not just a poor leader and planner, he was a coward who abandoned his people at the first opportunity, then blamed them for the ensuing disaster. At least Scott, for all his lack of foresight, had the courage to face death along with his men and to take responsibility for the failure. My only problem with the book was trying to follow all the crew's movements after the Karluk sinks. A few more detailed maps would have been helpful. I also wished for a more precise description of the firearms and equipment. These are minor flaws, however, and are more than made up for by the many haunting scenes. I find it hard to forget the main party's encounter with the doomed Beuchat sitting on the sea ice, his feet and hands too swollen to fit back in his shoes and gloves. Later on, the possibility of murder adds another dimension to the tale. Most terrible of all is the revelation of what became of the lost party. Read this book along with "Endurance" for a contrast, and to realize just what could have happened to the Endurance crew without Shackleton.
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Summary: The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk
Review: I got this book for Christmas and just finished it. I'm not the fastest reader. I'll sit and read a few pages then won't read for several days. Make no mistake this is an excellent book. The perils of the crew on Wrangel Island and the story of Captain Bartletts trek across the arctic are exciting and adventurous. My only complaint is that the chapters are exceedingly long. I have an annoying habit of liking to end my reading with the end of a chapter. With this book you need to allow at least an hour of solid reading to get through a chapter. Also, and this shouldn't be a complaint since the book is about a group trapped in the ice, but the discussion of being trapped in the ice seems to go on forever. Seems some editing could have been done to reduce the number of pages. Don't get me wrong, I loved the book and I think Jennifer did an excellent job of portraying the story. Would I read it again? You bet!
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good
Review: Overall I think that Jennifer Niven's account of this epic adventure is very good. I've got two areas of "criticism," one of which is probably unfair and one of which is speculation on my part. First (unfair), the second quarter of the book gets to be a bit mundane and reads, in some places, like a "data dump" of the survivor's diaries. The fact that this section of the book is a bit boring is probably quite reflective of the feelings that the subjects of the book had during this period of the adventure. Second (speculative), the book seems to me to be biased towards the views and observations of one of the characters (McKinley). I understand why this happened as he is the person who created the most first-person documentation of the adventure but I would advise the reader to take the descriptions of some of the more controversial events with a grain of salt. Overall, a great read. After getting through the mundane portion mentioned above I couldn't put it down.
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Summary: A Fascinating Story
Review: I was drawn into the story immediately. It is well written and suspenseful. There are times when you really feel like you are trapped with the crew. A definate must read
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