I love reading about the Arctic, so I decided to venture southward and learn more about its polar (ha) opposite. Madhouse at the End of the Earth is a detailed, gripping account of the Belgica expedition in the late 1890s. Julian Sancton has deftly recreated the unforgiving Antarctic landscapes the crew encountered, using excerpts from the sailors’ diaries to bring the ship’s fraught tensions to life.

It took the story awhile to get to the southernmost continent, and I wasn’t as captivated by the backstory as I was by the time spent in Antarctica (though it was helpful groundwork for certain decisions and dynamics). I was especially intrigued by the ship surgeon (Frederick Cook, who later became an infamous huckster after oil schemes and widespread doubt over his purported discovery of the North Pole). Cook’s innovative tactics and keen observations saved the Belgica and her passengers more than once.

4/5: An entertaining (and stressful) story of polar exploration gone awry. Perfect for fans of other survival stories and anything Arctic/Antarctic.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Julian Sancton's Madhouse at the End of the Earth tells the story of the exploration ship Belgian, of Belgium and it's crew who became trapped in the ice during an expedition to Antartica.

The book focuses on two men, Roald Amundsen, at and American Doctor and polar expert Frederick Cook. Both men would go onto fame in different ways, one as a famed explorer, the other explorer/fabulist with financial chicanery as his legacy.

A scientifically interesting and emotionally gripping story about what it takes to survive, and what makes a leader lead. Sanction does a tremendous job of unearthing this story, and shows what future explorers might have to face in the cold vacuum of space

Belgium. 1897.

Commandant Adrien de Gerlache has dreamed his entire life about sailing to uncharted Antarctica. Finally, having impressed enough purse-string holders, he is granted his lifelong desire. Putting together a rather motley crew, he sets sail on the sturdy Belgica for a three-year adventure of any explorer’s existence.

In no time, the young Belgian Commandant, his ship and crew are battling ferocious storms, the ship running aground, and barely keeping at bay the constant threat of rebellion and mutiny.

Having made it to the edge of Antarctica, the Commandant makes a decision that will impact the rest of their lives forever. Rather than turn back to avoid wintering on a frozen pack, he forges ahead in hopes of claiming victory and capturing notoriety. In doing so, the Belgica becomes frozen solid in the ice pack.

As the crew and ship endure the unforgiving, relentless frigidness of the Antarctic winter, even the long-awaited spring cannot seem to stir the men from their lethargy. Until the mere mention of having to spend another winter on the frozen pack ignites the flame of survival in the crew and fans into a fire hot enough to melt the most glacial iceberg.

Brimming with historical fact, extraordinary detail, and firsthand accounts from the crew of the Belgica, page upon brilliant page, Sancton entrances and mesmerizes in the superb Madhouse at the End of the Earth. The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night.

Unequivocally, a must-read of all time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the read of Julian Sancton’s, Madhouse at the End of the Earth. The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night.