Rating: 
Summary: A problematic book
Review: About 20 pages into the book, it started to dawn on me that there is something very strange about it. There are descriptions of interactions between people and descriptions of nature of a sort that could only have been written by someone who was actually there. Yet it seems hardly possible that the author was indeed there, unless he is 200 years old and a mind reader to boot. This is not artistic license. This is rubbish. The author does not provide any footnotes or bibliography, not for these descriptions, not for long passages freely quoted from god knows where.Perhaps it is pure fiction, and should be read as such.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling page turner
Review: Despite the years that have passed from Douglas Mawson's journey it was extremely difficult not to feel emotional about Mr. Bickel's account. The book is well executed in that you actually feel as if you are on the journey with Mawson and his unfortunate companions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and in fact have read others of Mr. Bickel's works and have found the same writing style. A style that is highly researched, gritty while having a precision that allows the reader to follow any and all aspects of the adventure. By the end of this book I thought that I knew Douglas Mawson. A tribute to the author and his fine writing style not to mention the amazing subjects chosen. If you read only one book on polar exploration this would be the one I would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Most memorable True-Life Book
Review: I first 'heard' Mawson's Will as it was read, unabridged, on PBS in 1979. I soon found the book and have read it repeatedly over the years. Mawson's Will, along with Niven's Known Space series of Sci.Fi. adventures might be all a soul would need if sealed up with only a few books to choose from.
The description of the soles of Mawson's feel as they separted from his body and had to be tied on with leather strips is something you'll never forget, remembering he was hundreds of miles from safety. He ate what he could find without knowing he was slowly poisoning himself with excess vitimin A with every bite. The author writes in a way that makes the story seem immediate and real.
Rating:
Summary: Most memorable True-Life Book
Review: I first 'heard' Mawson's Will as it was read, unabridged, on PBS in 1979. I soon found the book and have read it repeatedly over the years. Mawson's Will, along with Niven's Known Space series of Sci.Fi. adventures might be all a soul would need if sealed up with only a few books to choose from.
The description of the soles of Mawson's feel as they separted from his body and had to be tied on with leather strips is something you'll never forget, remembering he was hundreds of miles from safety. He ate what he could find without knowing he was slowly poisoning himself with excess vitimin A with every bite. The author writes in a way that makes the story seem immediate and real.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!!!
Review: I first learned about Mawson when reading a children's book on Antartic Explorers. First of all, I read Shackleton's "South" and found that to be a great adventure on saving 20+ men... but Mawson's is a whole different situation. Imagine traveling with 2 buddies, dozen dogs, plenty of food, and equipment. Now imagine that being taken away from you in the middle of Antartica, hundred miles from base camp! What a survival story! What emotions he must have went through! It was Providence that saved him! Read this story especially if you are interested in your own faith and positive attitude.
WOW!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!!!
Review: I first learned about Mawson when reading a children's book on Antartic Explorers. First of all, I read Shackleton's "South" and found that to be a great adventure on saving 20+ men... but Mawson's is a whole different situation. Imagine traveling with 2 buddies, dozen dogs, plenty of food, and equipment. Now imagine that being taken away from you in the middle of Antartica, hundred miles from base camp! What a survival story! What emotions he must have went through! It was Providence that saved him! Read this story especially if you are interested in your own faith and positive attitude.
WOW!!!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the few honest accounts of polar exploration
Review: I read this book when it was first published and was captivated by the heroic nature of Mawson's journey druing which both of his companions died.It is a remarkable tribute to a man of very unusual abilities. Unlike the Scott expeditions, which were of no significant scientific importance, Mawson was a trained geologist with an interest in locating the South Magnetic Pole and extablishing its geographic variation. He was also the first to establish communication by radio to Australia from Antarcticia via a relay station on Mcquery Island. Read this book to appreciate how a man driven to the extreme manages to survive under conditions which are almost impossible to believe. Ponder on his accomplishments compared to those of Scott and marvel at how the British managed to make a hero out of Scott, a villain of Amundsen and a foot note in polar history of Mawson. Amundsen is reported to have described Scott as one of the better sled dogs the British brought to Antarcticia. This was in part a response to the way his success was received by them. For those interested in the details of Mawson's Austrialian- New Zealand expedition, a reprint of his own book is now available. It makes interesting reading as well
Rating:
Summary: Greatest? You bet!
Review: I'm a little leary of books that have the audacity to rate themselves "the greatest," but in this case, the accolade fits. I am a big fan of arctic stories, and this is the best I have ever read. And what a challenge it is for author Bickel: How do you take days upon days after days of one man's struggle against overwhelming odds in Antarctica and not make it boring. Well, Bickel found a way. This is a very exciting, very well told tale of one man's courage and fight to survive. I would highly recommend this. One major fault: How can you publish a book of exploration without one map? I read this book with an opened Atlas on my lap, but the names of locations in the book are so obscure or outdated that most Atlases don't cover them. A map would have been most helpful. Still, the excitement of the book is worth five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest? You bet!
Review: I'm a little leary of books that have the audacity to rate themselves "the greatest," but in this case, the accolade fits. I am a big fan of arctic stories, and this is the best I have ever read. And what a challenge it is for author Bickel: How do you take days upon days after days of one man's struggle against overwhelming odds in Antarctica and not make it boring. Well, Bickel found a way. This is a very exciting, very well told tale of one man's courage and fight to survive. I would highly recommend this. One major fault: How can you publish a book of exploration without one map? I read this book with an opened Atlas on my lap, but the names of locations in the book are so obscure or outdated that most Atlases don't cover them. A map would have been most helpful. Still, the excitement of the book is worth five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Survival against all probability
Review: In a land of dreadful snow and wind conditions, Mawson set out with two companions to explore far from his coastal base. The story of his trek back after the loss of vital supplies ranks alongside Shackleton's 'Endurance' and Nansen's 'Fram' odysseys. His tale was long overshadowed by the concurrent loss of Scott's party, so a renewal in public awareness of Mawson is to be welcomed. Bickel's account is generally of high quality, and concentrates on the sledging journey. For those interested in the scientific aspects of the expedition, Mawson's own 'Home of the Blizzard' is a good read.
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