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| Plot Summary of The Ice Master |
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"Jennifer Niven's exemplary novel The Ice Master proves the old adage that fact is stranger than fiction. This is the story of the tragic 1913 arctic expedition aboard the HMCS Karluk. The journey was a wholly scientific one, made at the time of tremendous interest in exploration of the polar ice caps. The boat was not seaworthy but chosen for its low cost and availability by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the head of the expedition. He also selected a crew of ill-prepared sea men to sail the vessel into treacherous waters. His staff of international scientists were equally ill-suited to the task. To round out the cast of individuals, they brought along several Inuit hunters to help serve as guides, one with his young family, and dozens of sled dogs.
The Karluk set out on June 17th 1913, very late for an arctic voyage. The boat takes little time to prove its unreliability causing delays and rerouting from its desired path due to mechanical breakdowns. By August they were icebound but the huge ice floe they were trapped in was drifting with the tide. Unable to determine their own direction they were now captives and the Karluk would never break free of it's icy prison.
Stefansson with a small band sets off with dog sleds and provisions to continue the exploration leaving the majority to fend for themselves. What follows are the diary accounts of the life and death struggle to survive in the harsh arctic fall, winter and spring before the surviving members of the party are rescued late in the summer of 1914. Not including the Inuit guides all of whom survived, the initial crew and scientific staff numbered 25 of which 16 would perish in the arctic."
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Ice Master |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- Early 1900's
History of disaster/tragedy?
Yes
Nationality?
- Canadian
History of a journey/colonization?
Yes
Kind of journey?
- boat travel
Subjects of this Historical Account
Ethnicity (if plays a major part)
- European/White
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Sympathetic
Intelligence of subject of
history:
- Smart
Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group?
- explorers
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Nationality?
- British
Ethnicity? (if plays big part)
- White/European
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Unsympathetic
Setting
Ice Caps/Sea?
Yes
Where?
- North Pole
- Ocean
Style
How much gore?
- 2 ()
How fast-paced is the book?
- 8 ()
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel...
- frustrated
How much focus on stories of individuals?
- Focuses mostly on history of key players
Minor characters feature lots of:
- blue collar types
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A lot
How much emphasis on small details?
- 6 ()
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Click here for more information about this book
Jennifer Niven Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Fletcher
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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