A concise yet fairly detailed exploration of a range of topics regarding the polar regions of our planet. Shubin uses his years of field work looking for fossils as a somewhat loose framework to explain ice, the adaptations of plants and animals to polar surroundngs, how very different the Arctic and Antarctic are. There is good basic information on the explorers of the Golden Age and the politics, economics and potential for conflict not far in the future. These topics all coalesce in discussion of global warming. It is complicated and has impact beyond rising sea levels. Throughout Shubin writes with clarity and often humor. This is a very valuable book for understanding the Ends of the Earth.

The polar regions of Earth attracted the explorers and the scientists and those looking for commercial interests for quite a while. The icy caps on our planet, the places of overwhelming cold and snow and ice and stark frozen whiteness, dangerous and alluring and absolutely mesmerizing places. They seem eternal and yet are far from permanent, which we are witnessing now in our warming world.

“Polar ice caps have only been a feature of our planet for roughly 10 percent of its existence. Our perception of what is geographically “normal” is skewed by the fact that the entire history of our species happened during a special time on planet Earth—one with ice at both poles. For most of Earth’s history, despite relatively short and occasionally dramatic episodes of freezing, Earth had Open Polar Seas.”

In Ends of Earth Neil Shubin shows us the world of the poles bringing in his own polar researcher experience - the Arctic and Antarctica - in eight long chapters focusing on everything from nature of ice to polar explorations to history of life on Earth. We get to read about the hunt for Antarctic fossils and search for meteorites over the ice continent. There is the search for underground lakes under miles of ice and the search for life there. There are insects and fish with natural antifreeze that helps them survive. There are the accounts of resettlement in the Inuit to justify Arctic land claims. There is permafrost melting and ice shelves breaking up and glaciers sliding into the ocean. There is life finding any way to propagate and “ummm… find a way” (one dead musk ox can become quite an oasis of life in the barren Arctic landscape!)

“Antarctica and the Arctic are warming, and polar treaties are straining as fast as ice melts and species disappear. Our fragile window for understanding the cosmos, the planet, and ourselves is closing. The science of Earth’s most remote places and the stories of the people who work there are becoming ever more urgent and relevant.”

I loved the accounts based on Shubin’s personal experience in the polar regions and the stories of the explorers and scientists past and present. I also appreciated how easily readable this book is, very accessible and very interesting, without ever sliding into either dry science or sensationalized commercialism. I would have happily read another few hundred pages of this had Shubin written more.

“When plans go awry in polar regions, patience becomes the best strategy—patience with the weather, the people on the team, and, most important, one’s own emotional and physical limitations.”

5 stars with no hesitation after a couple of very enjoyable evenings spent in this book’s company.

“For those of us accustomed to lower latitudes it is easy to become untethered from reality in the strange and isolated environments at the poles. Expeditions working both in Antarctica and the Arctic have had to deal with crews who became unhinged. One Argentine crew member burned down his Antarctic base after learning he had to overwinter there. And one Russian stabbed his Antarctic colleague for spoiling the endings of books. Then there’s the Australian who became so dangerous he had to be locked in the freezer of Mawson Station in the 1950s. There was also the physician who poisoned his own patient and expedition leader, Charles Hall, on an American expedition to the North Pole in the 1800s. Tales of depression, psychosis, mutiny, and murder are rife in accounts of exploration at both poles.”

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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

Ends of the Earth is a non-fiction book where Neil Shubin discusses his own scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. He also provides a ton of detail about other historical expeditions to these regions and discusses the explorers, scientists, and governments that made these treks possible.

This books also gives a lot of time to the science of ice and the environment of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. There is a lot of discussion about how the movement of glaciers, and the glacial melting at the poles, influences today’s global environment and how the environment of the past would have been affected by these regions.

This book is extremely well researched and is written in such a way that if you are not an expert in geology you will still understand what is going on. I personally enjoyed the sections on fossil hunting and searching for meteorites on the ice the most in this book.

If you are wanting to understand more about the Arctic and the Antarctic, or you are really interested in the science of ice, check this out. Additionally, if you want an introduction to the geopolitical issues at play in the Arctic, this book also provides that.

This reads more like a memoir than a book about science. I’m not a fan of memoir as a genre. This book is not for me. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thanks to Neil Shubin, Dutton Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The author's wonder at the magic of the nether regions of the earth is infectious. He is masterful at weaving scientific discovery into the narrative of the locations and characters presented so that the story is seamless and effortless to follow. This short book (288 pages) is arranged into a Prologue, eight Chapters, and an Epilogue. The chapters are each on a different aspect of polar research, but there are connections between them so that they work together to build the overall narratives of the history of what is now the Arctic and Antarctic, the science of survival in the extreme conditions occurring in both poles, the history of exploration in polar regions, the changes that are now occurring in both polar regions and its probable effects on the rest of the planet, and other related aspects of polar science. I highly recommend this book for anyone fascinated by the Arctic and/or Antarctic.

In advance of my review, I'd like to thank the Neil Shubin, NetGalley, and the publisher for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I like Neil Shubin. In fact, I requested this book because of how much I liked his previous book: Your Inner Fish. And, on paper, I even liked the premise of this book, which sought to "shift our understanding of life, the cosmos, and our future on the planet." I would argue that this book did not accomplish this task, but rather, provided multiple unique (and entertaining) anecdotes about Shubin's travels throughout the polar regions.

In no way am I displeased I requested or read this work. In fact, there is a ton of historical and factual information, along with tons of interesting stories that are condensed into this 290 page book. However, rather than acting as one coherent and well-planned work, the story seemingly meanders unapologetically from one disconnected story to the next. This disconnected storyline can be distracting for many readers, as it was for me.

Overall, this book seems to me to be a retelling of Shubin's accomplishments and experiences in the polar regions, rather than a book designed with the intention of educating the readers.

Very cool nonfiction book about exploration of some of the most desolate places in Earth. had a fun time with this one and would recommend for anyone interested in the subject.

A real treat for anyone in love with the polar regions.

I am a fan of Neil Shubin - I have read and enjoyed two of his previous books, but this one is a bit different. First, it is not a classic popular science work - more of a travelog and history book. Second, it is more a series of essays on various polar-related topics than a coherent story - but it is so compelling you can hardly put the book down.

The author shares his experiences from many expeditions he was part of (or led), including many interesting observations (“with no news, internet, or external sources of information, the main distractions in camp are the ones we carry inside of us”). I especially liked his set of rules for working in polar regions: 1. Don’t get cold. 2. Don’t get hot (“The general advice for working in cold places is: rush only when necessary”). 3. Don’t get dry. 4. Keep your head in the game. 5. It takes a village. 6. Think inside the box (“Thinking ‘outside the box’ is for the whiteboard at home, not for polar expeditions.”) 7. Experts mess up.

In addition to these recollections, Shubin retraces other scientific discoveries in the Arctic and Antarctic from the so-called "Heroic Age" (which lasted from the end of the 19th century until World War I) to the present day. And on top of all that, there are even a few paragraphs about my favorite creatures: „Because they accomplish all these feats while looking like cute teddy bears under the microscope, tardigrades have developed a loyal fan following."

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.