An exciting adventure tale, made even better by Sancton’s attention to detail and his desire to bring the sensory experiences alive for the reader. No fewer than 10 crew members chronicled the earliest expedition to Antarctica, so the author had plenty of primary sources to work with. He does a heroic job of recreating the claustrophobia and despair as the sun sets and the ‘Belgica’ and its crew are trapped in pack ice for the Antarctic winter. But most interesting are the moments of resiliency and determination, as Roald Amundsen and especially Dr. Frederick Cook grapple with insanity among the crew, scurvy, boredom, bad food, rats, and the overwhelming desire to *do* something to help themselves. The extent of the crew’s scientific contributions isn’t really obvious until the postscript, but otherwise this is a detailed and well-written narrative of a compelling quest.