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A review by lanternheart
Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time by Michael Palin
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A deeply comprehensive, deeply passionate book of the history of the HMS Erebus, and its many expeditions into the edges of the world. Palin's writing is empathetic, engaging, and (of course, when the right quotation demands it) dryly humorous if required. I was surprised at the clear passion and scholarship that shines through here, and though coming at this book through the lens of the Franklin Expedition, quickly found myself absorbed in the earlier history of Ross and Crozier aboard earlier Erebus and Terror expeditions, and the accounts in letters home from various seamen that Palin quotes throughout.
I listened to this on audiobook, and enjoyed the narration style immensely, listening for hours at a time. I'll likely add the book itself to my shelf as well, if and when I can find a copy — a tragic but rewarding, winding history, providing plenty of threads to pick up in other books, travel, and research. Well worth the read for the interested party. I rarely buy such tomes to read again, but I'll want this one by my side for Palin's empathetic, comprehensive look at a fascinating chapter in maritime history that was entirely new to me.
I listened to this on audiobook, and enjoyed the narration style immensely, listening for hours at a time. I'll likely add the book itself to my shelf as well, if and when I can find a copy — a tragic but rewarding, winding history, providing plenty of threads to pick up in other books, travel, and research. Well worth the read for the interested party. I rarely buy such tomes to read again, but I'll want this one by my side for Palin's empathetic, comprehensive look at a fascinating chapter in maritime history that was entirely new to me.