When Stefan‘s northern expedition got set to head to the northern sea of Alaska it was a trip made on falsehoods and a selfish man’s dream of glory. And when the going got tough for the car lock the leader Stevenson got going, but thanks to God he left the ship in the capable hands of captain Bartlett and without his where with all, talents and capabilities more would’ve Parished then the 16 who did. Captain Bartlett new hall to keep the men’s spirits up and have them hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. As opposed to Stevenson who when he knew the worst was coming he claimed he was going on a “caribou hunting excursion it would only be gone for 10 days, but walk straight through for more supplies went to visit his family and finished his expedition and gave not another thought to the men on the car lock. then head the nerve to try to place the blame on Captain Bartlett. Did I mention caribou were extinct in the part of the wilderness he went to hunt for them? He was a selfish self-absorbed man who is only thought was for his old glory and not the safety of men who risk their lives to see his dream come true. This was such a great book and it was documented so well that it reads like an adventure story as opposed to a real true to life non-fiction adventure. Oh I was thoroughly engaged in this book I started it this morning and didn’t stop until I was done it was so so good! It was sad to see men who I had come to really like nourish, but thanks to Captain Bartlett and his awesome wherewithal some men did survive. Not only that Steffensen would get his glory because although the expedition did accomplish a lot it also cost the Canadian government 10 times the amount they were willing to spend and he got the newspaper coverage he thought he deserves but it was captain Bartlett who got the awards. I really love this book I received it from netGally and Saint Martin’s press but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

4.5 stars. Buddy Levy's Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk is a great addition to the annals of Arctic exploration. The Canadian Arctic Expedition departed in 1913, organized by the vainglorious Vilhjalmur Stefansson, whose deficiencies as a leader included his rush to the sea in a thoroughly inadequate ship with an absence of planning, desertion of his crew when they became icebound, and heinous failure to attempt any sort of rescue effort once he returned to habitable areas. In contrast, the Karluk's captain, Bob Bartlett, heroically led most of his crew to Wrangel Island, crossed ice floes and ridges to Siberia, made his way to Alaska, and rallied forces for a rescue.

Levy's narration of the events, heavily reliant on primary sources such as letters and diaries, is clear and eminently readable. The text conveys the challenges faced by the expedition in both practical and human terms, treating the principal personalities with respect and authenticity. Bartlett's journey from Wrangel is harrowing, and Levy captures the tension and danger he and his Inuit companion Kataktovik.

This book is both a fascinating historical read and an intriguing character and leadership study, and Levy's authorship brings both to life.

<quote>Stefansson told Bartlett that he expected to be gone about ten days, "if no accident happens" – he added rather ominously – and that he would leave written instructions for the captain to follow during his absence. It was all very sudden and to most on board seemed spontaneous, unnecessary, and ill conceived.</quote>

The story of the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913 is a familiar tale of tragedy in the arctic, but with an unusual twist. Vilhjalmur Stefansson was already a well-known and charismatic arctic explorer when he proposed a scientific expedition to study the frozen north and hopefully reach the North Pole (Peary’s 1909 claim to having reached the Pole was questioned by some). The Canadian government gave Stefansson the approval to outfit the expedition, and he hired a veteran of previous expeditions, Captain Robert Bartlett, to lead the ships.

Bartlett had come close to reaching the North Pole with Peary and longed for another chance. But Stefansson’s plans for the trip seemed haphazard and poorly thought out. Although there were three ships altogether, the supplies for the excursion were not loaded on the right boats (this was to be sorted out later, according to Stefansson). Even worse, the Karluk, the flagship of the enterprise, needed extensive repairs and was not ideal for a voyage into the polar ice.

As was common with such expeditions, disaster struck. Even worse, Stefansson inexplicably abandoned the ship for a supposed caribou hunt when the ship became frozen in the ice. And when the Karluk drifted away, he wrote the crew and passengers off as dead and reorganized the expedition on the blank checks of the Canadian government.

This is a fascinating and well-written account of the Karluk and the disaster that befell those still on it. Captain Bartlett is the clear hero of the tale, with his cool-head and 1,000 mile journey to save his people, and it’s an amazing story! In spite of the suffering, the story never became bogged down in miserable details, although I found myself shaking my head at times. An inspiring read. (I received an advance electronic copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I've never been a fan of cold weather so reading about arctic explorers rather than experiencing it firsthand was definitely the way to go, especially learning about all of the frostbite and malnutrition they experienced while waiting to be rescued. It seems amazing that any one would've wanted to go on these trips, but they did.
Mr. Levy has put together an incredible account that reads more like a well-crafted story that really kept my attention The attention to detail is quite amazing.

This book follows a doomed Arctic expedition and explores the personalities and perils encountered. The story is true, but it rivals any work of fiction. While being a great read - incredibly well researched and written - the words transport you onto the ice in a fight for life. It is so hard to imagine the desire to embark on this journey considering the past failed attempts and the knowledge of limited communication once there, as well as the expected day-to-day rigors just to maintain your camp. The author does a fantastic job of portraying their hopes at the start, the interaction among the men, and even the loss of hope as the expedition falls apart. This is history, so there is no real surprise ending, yet I hoped with the men, cried with their challenges and results, and couldn't put the book down until I learned the final outcome. This book is an incredible read and needs to be on your TBR list!

Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy is a superb read with a well-drawn plot and vivid characters. A read well worth the time. is a superb read with a well-drawn plot and vivid characters. A read well worth the time.

This is the true story of two men. One a great leader and one not so great.

With everything going on on the world stage in 1913, a wooden-hulled brigantine named Karlud departed Canada for the Arctic. Bob Barlett, who was considered a legend navigating ice manned the helm, and Vilhjalmur Stefansson, who just wanted to be famous.

About six weeks after they leave, they are surrounded by giant ice floes. Stefansson leaves the ship with five others and leaves for what he said was a 10-day hunting ship. Will they ever see him again?

22 men and an Inuit woman with her two daughters are now sitting on a mile-square ice floe, their ship and leader are gone. They make the best of the situation by building shelters and trying to stay alive.

Bartlett made the decision to take one of his hunters on a 1000-mile journey to save them.

This was such an interesting book. These men couldn’t have been any more different. And the conditions were awful. I have such admiration for the courage shown by this leader.

NetGalley/St. Martin’s Press December 06, 2022

While I have done a fair amount of reading about various polar expeditions, I am by no means familiar with even a large percentage of all that have occurred. That being said, I am always intrigued by tales of adventure and hardship undertaken by people pushing the limits of physical endurance and scientific discovery.

Buddy Levy's tale of the final voyage of the Karluk as part of the ill-fated Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913 was masterfully told. Centered around two strongly divergent individuals, nominally leaders in their own right, the story unfolds straight from the personal journals of those souls that set out to expand the known world. Buddy has very clearly done extensive research to pull relevant information together and artfully put it together so it reads like a novel while it instructs like a history book.

This book was very well done, and easily recommended for anyone that has an interest.

Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy

This five star account of an expedition ship frozen in Arctic ice and the race against time for survival will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat.

Robert Bartlett captained the Karluk, commissioned by explorer Vilhjalmur (Willie) Stefansson, to search the Arctic and map new lands for Canada. As it turns out, the Karluk and its crew were ill prepared for such a voyage.

Disaster strikes and the Karluk cannot escape the firm grip of the ice. Stefansson heads out with two crewmen to hunt caribou leaving Bartlett in charge of the ship and many lives. After a time, the Karluk sinks leaving the men and one Eskimo family alone on the ice. Boredom and hunger set in.

The bravery of all the stranded and their many hardships is astounding.You will cheer for their survival and rescue, as well as a proper punishment for Stefansson’s negligence.

The last chapter will tie up all the loose ends, and is a good finale to an exciting adventure.
Many thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoy reading non-fiction because it allows me to live vicariously through real people and this story definitely succeeded in that regard!
The novel begins with the organization of a scientific expedition to the arctic. Willie Stefansson, the mastermind behind the project, manages to secure funding from the Canadian federal government and recruits some of the best polar explorers of his time. They ready the Karluk and set out in 1913. Unfortunately, winter ice arrives early that year and they quickly run into trouble. It doesn't take long for the self involved Stefansson and his small entourage to abandon the ship and leave it's responsibility to Captain Bob Bartlett. As the ship is stuck in ice and drifting further away from land, the group starts to worry. The ship is in danger of being crushed by sea ice and if this happens, the chance of survival is dismal. Bartlett steps up and manages to keep people's spirits from drowning in despair. He assigns tasks to the crew, keeps an eye on their mental health and organizes a sporting event for Christmas to bring everyone together. The ship eventually succumbs to nature and the survival of its passengers is the sole focus.
The author did such a great job writing this book that I felt like I was right there, experiencing the hunger, cold, snow blindness and pain with the survivors. I felt invested in the people and hoped that they would survive, especially Bartlett, McKinlay, Mamen, Kataktovik, Kuraluk and his family. Overall, this was a great read!

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance reader's copy. Buddy Levy's telling of the story of the Karluk's demise and the survival of most of her crew. A story I was not at all familiar with but truly brought to life in this book. It is so hard to imagine the hardships they endured and survive but the details and the style of writing brought it all to life. A superlative read!
#EmpireofIceandStone#St.Martin'sPress#NetGalley

Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy was spectacular.
This book is about the famous ship Karluk and its passengers. They set off to the Arctic on a mission of exploration and science, but before they even reach the first stop of their journey, they are trapped in ice and swept off into the middle of the Arctic Ocean. What follows is a harrowing journey to survive and get rescued. Along the way they lose many people, starve, run out of shelter, get frostbitten, and otherwise face extreme hardships. Eventually, some of them make it back home, thanks to their bravery and fortitude.
Empire of Ice and Stone is expertly written. It is almost written like a novel, keeping me absorbed, with not too many facts all at once. Levy did extensive research, and included many of the explorers' own words in the form of snippets of their journal. Not only does Levy cover the entire adventure, he also lists what happened to each adventurer afterwards, including the ship cat and dogs.
I grew to love these people, and feel distraught as bad things continued to happen to them. Levy wrote the characters in such a way that they felt very real, and caused you to care.
This book was awesome, and l would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Arctic explorations. I feel like this is a must read, and easy for people who know nothing. Some of the descriptions, such as the descriptions of frostbite and decaying corpses, are gruesome and disgusting, so beware of that.

First read by this author. Ge makes you feel as if you are there. Fascinating and hard to put down. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Having never heard of this Canadian expedition to the Arctic, finding another story of incredible hardship, frostbite, starvation, bad behavior, good behavior, impossible ice, sled dogs, pemmican, and calls to abandon ship and build cairns was a pleasure. Given how our world and both poles are melting, these stories may one day read like fairy tales, but at least they won't make us long for life stuck in remote fastnesses where the winter temperatures drop to -50F!

Fans of Shackleton will meet some familiar faces, and the "Eskimo" family that comes along is worth twice its weight in gold and valuable survival skills. I would love to read a physiological explanation for how the native family survived so much better in the conditions than the explorers from the Lower 48.

Thank you to the publisher for the chance to review this book.

Buddy Levy’s “Empire of Ice and Stone” is an excellent non-fiction tale of Arctic adventure and survival. Painstakingly researched and so very well-written, it tells the story of Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s Canadian-backed, ill-planned, ill-equipped, and ill-fated expedition to explore above the Arctic circle; of how its ship the “Kulak” became trapped in Polar ice; and of Captain Bob Bartlett’s month’s long journey on foot to bring rescue to stranded expedition members struggling to survive a world of ice, snow, freezing temperatures, and man-killing wildlife.

Based in part on contemporaneous journals written by expedition members, “Empire” gives vivid accounts of the challenges inherent in Arctic life and of the methods employed—especially by its indigenous peoples—to meet those challenges. Building igloos and yarangas for shelter; fashioning kayaks from driftwood; hunting birds, bears, seals, and walrus for food; traveling by foot and dogsled over treacherous, heaving ice prone to splitting open without warning to the freezing waters below; battling frostbite, exhaustion, rotted food, and strange, wasting illnesses; not to mention conflicts between and amongst expedition members—all these form part of the expedition's story. As does one leader’s self-centered perfidy and his subordinate’s self-sacrifice and absolute determination to rescue the men, women, and children he left behind.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

This is an incredible story of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, an ill-planned, ill-equipped, and unlucky foray into the Arctic that killed 16 people and left many of the survivors with lifelong injuries.

The description is the easiest way to summarize the events leading up to this futile misery.

"After a celebratory four-year polar expedition for the American Museum of Natural History that brought him fame, explorer and ethnologist Vilhjalmur Stefansson proposes an even bolder arctic mission. A charismatic, flamboyant impresario, he recruits a team of renowned scientists—including two who accompanied Ernest Shackleton aboard the Nimrod to the South Pole—and secures financing from Canada to journey into the high arctic to investigate the region’s resource potential.

Considered the world’s greatest living ice navigator, Captain Bob Bartlett was a veteran of three North Pole excursions with Robert Peary between 1898-1909, making him more than qualified for Stefansson’s Canadian Arctic Expedition. Commissioned to captain the Karluk, a more than thirty-year-old steam brigantine that served as a fishing tender and whaler, Bartlett found a vessel less than sea worthy and ordered a complete refit, putting him at odds with his impatient employer.

Once underway in June 1913, it became clear that even with extensive repairs, the Karluk was ill-equipped for Stefansson’s enterprise, as was its crew and scientist passengers. After six weeks of travel, the ship became icebound. Accompanied by five men, Stefansson crossed the floes to hunt caribou, and never returned. Responsible for the twenty-five souls left in his charge, Bartlett endured the sinking of the Karluk and traversed nearly 1000 miles of frozen wilderness to save his marooned shipmates—fighting to survive excruciating, frigid temperatures in makeshift shelters with scarce food sources as months pass with no sign of rescue."

The expedition was accompanied by an Inuit family composed of mother, "Auntie," father, and TWO children! Auntie saved the expedition by making clothing constantly, trying to make up for the poor planning of Stefansson. If she hadn't been along, they would have all been doomed.

A kitten also made the journey, cuddled by one of the children much of the time. Spoiler alert: the cat survived and came home to live with one of the surviving crew for the rest of her life. She actually outlived the man who brought her home, as he was killed on another expedition.

The suffering experienced by the members is horrendous. They had a pack of sled dogs, most of whom fought at every opportunity, caused a lot of work in their care and rescue when they got into trouble, and don't seem to have been that useful in this journey much of the time. Of course, the expedition never planned on being stranded in an ice pack and the many disasters that followed. One dog, Molly, did prove to be savior, companion, and a favorite among the travelers. She saved one man by towing him many miles to a distant camp.

One man may have been murdered late in the travails that kept dogging this expedition. Circumstances, purposeful or coincidental, resulted in the expedition leader leaving the ship relatively early on, making it to shore for a caribou hunt, and never managing to return. His further contribution - he survived, proceeded to launch ANOTHER expedition and never did much to rescue the shipload of travelers he left in the ice pack. It seems he wrote them off as lost early on, and expended little effort to confirm this.

Another expedition member, Bartlett, took over the ship, and while not all of his choices worked well, helped keep some alive. Auntie's husband hunted constantly. Most important of all, Auntie sewed replacement clothing from the hides and skins, repaired damaged items, and kept her children alive.

The few Inuit/Inupiat contacts made by expedition members were friendly, with the natives sharing their scant larders with the starving men at their doors. Even the Chukchi on the Russian side of the strait were hospitable to the strangers they couldn't understand.

As an expedition in quest of information, this adventure was largely a dud except as a handbook in what not to do in the future. One of the scientists fished for oceanic specimens and captured some that he felt were undiscovered. Regrettably, all of his data was lost when the ship sank.

The second from final chapter of this book is the best. The author followed the subsequent lives of the survivors, who were rescued just in time to participate in WWI. Some returned to the sea, or continued working for exploratory expeditions. Strangely, there are some men who do much better in the hardships of the ice lands than at home.

Auntie had more children. Her youngest daughter at the time of the expedition, Mugpi lived to be 97, receiving an award at age 90 for her family's contributions to Arctic science. The Spanish Flu claimed one survivor.

Bartlett and Stefansson continued a rivalry, sniping at each other regarding what each had done, or were perceived to have done during this doomed expedition. Stefansson even wrote a book entitled, "The Friendly Arctic," espousing that the land provided an adequate living for the prepared traveler, contrary to what was experienced by Bartlett and his group. This chapter is a relief after pages of frostbite, gangrene, illness and starvation. While "happily ever after" wasn't the case for all, some continued to seek adventurous lives.

I learned a lot about a topic I was unfamiliar with and I appreciated that the facts were presented and kept the story moving. I never felt bogged down or bored, and the story never got dry. The story features an ill-fated Arctic expedition. The Karluck and events that occurred around the expedition were fascinating. The main characters are Captain Bob Bartlett and Vilhjalmur Stefansson, who were presented in an engaging way. I think this is a great account and I recommend this book.

What a truly inspirational novel about the hardships and ordeal endured by the survivors of a shipwreck in the artic. What they were forced to go through for their survival is an amazing story that is a must read for all. The courage is unbelievable and you will not want to put this book down!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Buddy Levy has gone and done it again. He took a story I already knew and wrote a book I couldn't put down.

Empire of Ice and Stone is another great entry into the genre of Arctic exploration and adventure. The story revolves around the crew of the Karluk which is one of multiple ships put together for exploration by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. You will quickly learn not to like him. However, the captain of the Karluk, Bob Bartlett, will quickly become one of your favorite people. As with most Arctic exploration, things go horribly wrong. I won't spoil it any further.

This book is another example of what makes Buddy Levy such a great author. The book is thorough, but tightly focused on the men (and women!) of the expedition. Levy's eye for what you need to know keeps all of the extraneous information out. What's left is an adventure that focuses on people which make it so engaging.

And then what happens is you stay up too late on a weeknight because you don't want to stop reading. At least that is still better than being marooned on a giant ice floe.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 12/6/2022.)

5 stars

In 1913, the adventurous Vihjalmur Stefansson who was looking for fame, put together an Arctic expedition to be headed by Captain Robert “Bob” Bartlett aboard the ship Karluk. At that time, Bartlett was considered the greatest arctic ice navigator. They left from Canada on their great adventure. The expedition was named the Canadian Arctic Expedition (CAE).

Mr. Levy inserts brief biographies of Bartlett and Stefansson. Stefansson undertook a whirlwind world-wide trip to seek funding for his voyage. Meanwhile, Bartlett was horrified by the condition of the Karluk and set about strengthening and improving the ship and its condition.

I got the distinct impression that Mr. Levy found Stefansson to be rather underhanded and manipulative. As the story continues, I see that Mr. Levy is correct in his assessment. Stefansson didn’t feel the need to be totally honest with the scientists, for they should just take his word as team leader. Sheesh! (Their lives were “secondary to the scientific work.”)

Bartlett was just about the polar (no pun intended), opposite. He was competent and went about his work with incredible drive. He was not condescending to the crew. He didn’t have much to do with the scientists. He took one of the younger men named Mamen under his wing and taught him about the ice and the sea. The young man was eager to learn.

Ostensibly proposing a caribou hunting trip, Stefansson takes the two best hunters, twelve dogs and some other men. He sets off in a blizzard. He, himself said there were no caribou earlier in the trip. The ship is anchored to a huge ice floe and not going anywhere for the time being.

New splinters appeared among the crew and the scientists. Some wanted to abandon the Karluk, others thought that would be mutiny and they were loyal to Captain Bartlett.

Somehow Stefansson and his men found their way to land and civilization. Now he had to scheme his way past the Canadian government officials and explain how he got separated from the Karluk and rescue his mission. He told the officials that the Karluk was probably lost, but the men aboard her could have made it to land safely.

Meanwhile Bartlett kept the men busy on the Karluk. He created a fire brigade, had the men make sturdy boxes for their Primus stoves and so on. They read, played chess and talked about a variety of topics. They played games.

As the story continues, the reader learns that not only was Stefansson underhanded and manipulative, he was also a liar, a swindler and extremely selfish.

When he made his way to civilization, he brushed off the Karluk as if she were of no consequence. He argued bitterly with the leader of the South contingent of the Karluk expedition that had been left in another place. Not winning that battle, he audaciously brought another ship with Canadian government money and fully outfitted it.

After seven months trapped against the floe, the Karluk broke up and sank. The men safely evacuated to the ice. Fortunately, Captain Bartlett’s planning ahead paid off.

Mr. Levy goes on to describe the hardships the men suffered after the sinking of the Karluk. Most of them finally make it to Wrangel Island. Bartlett and one of the natives set out for Siberia some several hundred miles away. They had a horrible journey, but eventually made it to a settlement. From there they journeyed so that Bartlett could make it to Alaska and set about trying to encourage a rescue for the remaining men.

Meanwhile, Stefansson set about exploring on his own with his new crew. He apparently did not give any thought to the Karluk and its survivors.

Stefansson published several books and articles, to his own benefit. He blamed the Karluk disaster as solely Bartlett’s fault. Bartlett declined to respond, but was hurt and very angry about the falsehoods put forth by Stefansson.

This book is brilliantly written and plotted. Mr. Levy has a real talent for making non-fiction read like a novel. The book is enjoyable and engaging. The descriptions of the hardships with the weather and the bickering among the men are first class. It was Bartlett’s sense of duty and perseverance that led to the survivors' rescue. While I truly enjoy reading about the polar regions, there is no way I could visit myself. I’m far too much of a wimp.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own. .