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pmcintosh's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fascinating insight into the isolated culture of McMurdo Station winterover culture. A mix of mundane isolation and maddening corporate control.
I recommend this for people with interest in small community quirks.
I recommend this for people with interest in small community quirks.
johno's review against another edition
3.0
This book had a load of interesting content and flashes of great writing... but it just felt so disjointed!
At times I wondered if I'd skipped a page by mistake, as it jumped around so much.
Also, the Russian Bride story was so harsh.
At times I wondered if I'd skipped a page by mistake, as it jumped around so much.
Also, the Russian Bride story was so harsh.
chalicotherex's review against another edition
5.0
A polar garbageman documents the arrival of PR/human resources culture to Antarctica's McMurdo station, supplemented with e-mails he's liberated from the Antarctic recycling program. Was going to be an HBO series, but presumably the death of James Gandolfini and the suicide of the author put an end to that.
The combination of Raytheon's toxic corporate culture with low sunlight, extreme isolation and the continent's lack of a governmental authority to appeal to is rather harrowing. Imagine the Stanford prison experiment being given it's own continent to run wild on. Though Johnson and his friends are sometimes able to take their own petty satisfactions.
Interesting in how it compares to Kim Stanley Robinson's [b: Antarctica|41126|Antarctica|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403187728s/41126.jpg|3011567]. Robinson's is a science fiction book based loosely on his time there in '97, but he seems to nail the prevailing culture and its complaints with the supply contractor (in the book it's ASL, a fictional version of ASA which was replaced by Raytheon by the time Johnson arrived). Robinson's solution of having the contract awarded to a co-op is probably one that Johnson would've liked to see, but Big Dead Place shows just how unlikely that is to ever happen. Incidentally, there are a lot of similarities between Johnston and KSR's X, the proletarian protagonist of Antarctica.
Big Dead Place knows its history. He includes a lot of wild stories about early Antarctic exploration that the general enthusiast would be ignorant of, sometimes with a focus on the occult. He's good at drawing comparisons between the plight of early explorers who were often terrorized by their leaders more than the climate and the often dismal working conditions of modern McMurdo.
The combination of Raytheon's toxic corporate culture with low sunlight, extreme isolation and the continent's lack of a governmental authority to appeal to is rather harrowing. Imagine the Stanford prison experiment being given it's own continent to run wild on. Though Johnson and his friends are sometimes able to take their own petty satisfactions.
Interesting in how it compares to Kim Stanley Robinson's [b: Antarctica|41126|Antarctica|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403187728s/41126.jpg|3011567]. Robinson's is a science fiction book based loosely on his time there in '97, but he seems to nail the prevailing culture and its complaints with the supply contractor (in the book it's ASL, a fictional version of ASA which was replaced by Raytheon by the time Johnson arrived). Robinson's solution of having the contract awarded to a co-op is probably one that Johnson would've liked to see, but Big Dead Place shows just how unlikely that is to ever happen. Incidentally, there are a lot of similarities between Johnston and KSR's X, the proletarian protagonist of Antarctica.
Big Dead Place knows its history. He includes a lot of wild stories about early Antarctic exploration that the general enthusiast would be ignorant of, sometimes with a focus on the occult. He's good at drawing comparisons between the plight of early explorers who were often terrorized by their leaders more than the climate and the often dismal working conditions of modern McMurdo.
marianneo's review
3.0
Nick was an acquaintance of mine down on the Ice, and so I’m obviously a little biased. He was an incredibly bright guy and had a wicked, dark sense of humor. You can sense this in his writing. I had really been looking forward to both the HBO version of the book and his next book, whatever it may have been. Alas, Nick tragically took his life in 2012.
As far as the stories in the book go, they are a very accurate portrayal experience at McMurdo Station. The absurdly bureaucratic government contractor, stories of people losing their minds, the oddity of both the hostile, eerily beautiful natural environment and of the government-run, remote research station are all described in true-to-experience detail. Nick also had little patience for the hypocrisy and crippling bureaucracy that permeates every square inch of the US Antarctic Program’s delegation, and his sharp criticism of the program is very present.
My only issue with Big Dead Place is that it is a little too focused on the negatives, and a little too dark and cynical (but hey, that was Nick for you). In my experience, there is a lot more to the US Antarctic Program than just the messed up stuff. The community down there is really unique and creative, and I’m not sure that comes through. And there are other things to celebrate; the science that comes out of the program is groundbreaking and fascinating. The environment is, yes, a big dead place, but it’s hauntingly beautiful at the same time.
So this is one perspective of the experience, and at the moment I don’t know of any other books that do a better job. For that reason, if you want to know what living and working at McMurdo Station was like in the 1990s and 2000s, this is the book for you.
As far as the stories in the book go, they are a very accurate portrayal experience at McMurdo Station. The absurdly bureaucratic government contractor, stories of people losing their minds, the oddity of both the hostile, eerily beautiful natural environment and of the government-run, remote research station are all described in true-to-experience detail. Nick also had little patience for the hypocrisy and crippling bureaucracy that permeates every square inch of the US Antarctic Program’s delegation, and his sharp criticism of the program is very present.
My only issue with Big Dead Place is that it is a little too focused on the negatives, and a little too dark and cynical (but hey, that was Nick for you). In my experience, there is a lot more to the US Antarctic Program than just the messed up stuff. The community down there is really unique and creative, and I’m not sure that comes through. And there are other things to celebrate; the science that comes out of the program is groundbreaking and fascinating. The environment is, yes, a big dead place, but it’s hauntingly beautiful at the same time.
So this is one perspective of the experience, and at the moment I don’t know of any other books that do a better job. For that reason, if you want to know what living and working at McMurdo Station was like in the 1990s and 2000s, this is the book for you.
thefourthvine's review
3.0
I've been hearing about a friend's experiences working in Antarctica for more than a year now. The things she's said have made me cringe at the introductions to most books about the place. This one, though - this sounds exactly like the stories she tells.
So this book is, as far as I can tell, authentic and honest. It's also funny. And it's basically a primer in mismanagement. If you want to laugh helplessly while simultaneously fantasizing about stabbing a bunch of managers in Denver in the face with a clue fork, this is definitely the book for you.
Which isn't to say that it's perfect. The editing and layout are disasters, and the book is somewhat disorganized. None of those was a serious problem for me, though - I even managed to ignore the editing problems, which should indicate just how readable this is.
More of a problem for me was the, shall we say, rugged and faithful recreation of Antarctic conversation, complete with a lot of racism, homophobia, and sexism (just a given in that environment, although most of the time the author reported it without seeming to condone it), plus a really disturbing focus on animal harm and death. The latter made me skim a number of pages, and took this book from four to three stars. (I'm not saying it shouldn't be in there, but wow did it affect my enjoyment of the book.)
However. Even though I cringed away from some of the pages, and even though there were stories that actually raised my blood pressure in sheer fury, I really enjoyed this book. Just, you know. With caveats, enough of them that I'd hesitate to recommend the book to just anyone. (But for anyone considering a season in Antarctica, this should be mandatory reading.)
So this book is, as far as I can tell, authentic and honest. It's also funny. And it's basically a primer in mismanagement. If you want to laugh helplessly while simultaneously fantasizing about stabbing a bunch of managers in Denver in the face with a clue fork, this is definitely the book for you.
Which isn't to say that it's perfect. The editing and layout are disasters, and the book is somewhat disorganized. None of those was a serious problem for me, though - I even managed to ignore the editing problems, which should indicate just how readable this is.
More of a problem for me was the, shall we say, rugged and faithful recreation of Antarctic conversation, complete with a lot of racism, homophobia, and sexism (just a given in that environment, although most of the time the author reported it without seeming to condone it), plus a really disturbing focus on animal harm and death. The latter made me skim a number of pages, and took this book from four to three stars. (I'm not saying it shouldn't be in there, but wow did it affect my enjoyment of the book.)
However. Even though I cringed away from some of the pages, and even though there were stories that actually raised my blood pressure in sheer fury, I really enjoyed this book. Just, you know. With caveats, enough of them that I'd hesitate to recommend the book to just anyone. (But for anyone considering a season in Antarctica, this should be mandatory reading.)
scgermond's review
Big Dead Place is a seriously funny and seriously realistic account of life working as support staff in Antarctica. I loved every minute of it. Nicholas Johnson tells it exactly how it is - the beauty of Antarctica, the bullshit of the Program, and the colorful, wonderful, and completely strange people you get to meet on the 7th continent.
A classmate lent this book to me during our UD Fiction Writing course at PSU after I'd submitted a short story I wrote, which took place in Antarctica a hundred and fifty years in the future, and told me how spot-on I was for what life for humans was really like down there. I think I tore through most of this in the first 24 hours of having the book in my possession (I got slowed down at the end because of assignments for other classes). It's an easy read, but also a very thought-provoking and inspiring book. I recommend this to anyone, regardless of their love, hate, or indifference for life in Antarctica.
A classmate lent this book to me during our UD Fiction Writing course at PSU after I'd submitted a short story I wrote, which took place in Antarctica a hundred and fifty years in the future, and told me how spot-on I was for what life for humans was really like down there. I think I tore through most of this in the first 24 hours of having the book in my possession (I got slowed down at the end because of assignments for other classes). It's an easy read, but also a very thought-provoking and inspiring book. I recommend this to anyone, regardless of their love, hate, or indifference for life in Antarctica.
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