The Broken Lands: A Novel of Arctic Disaster [Hardcover]

Robert Edric (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2002

The Broken Lands-a treacherous labyrinth of ice through which the fabled Northwest Passage was sought for centuries. Cabot, Frobisher, Hudson, Parry and Ross were all defeated, and the names on the maps testify to their despair: Bay of God's Mercy, the Devil's Cape, Savage Isles, and Repulse Bay.

Determined to succeed where the rest had failed, Sir John Franklin-"the Lion of the Arctic"-set sail from Greenland in 1845. His two ships, the Erebus and the Terror, were last sighted in August of that year, after which the entire expedition-all 135 men-disappeared.

For three years, the two ships were trapped in the Arctic ice. Eventually the slow vise of the ice pack and spoiling provisions proved to be too much. Nothing was heard of Franklin's expedition for over a decade, and only many years later did the world begin to learn of their terrible, agonizing fate. In this enthralling, richly inventive novel, Robert Edric recreates what possibly happened to this doomed expedition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Edric's novels have been winning top prizes and rave reviews in his native England since 1985, it's surprising that this starkly poetic tale of historic horror at the North Pole (originally published in 1992) should be the first of his books to arrive in America. But better late than never: the novel tells the mesmerizing and soul-chilling story of the fate of Sir John Franklin and the crews of two British ships, the Erebus and the Terror, which sailed in search of a Northwest Passage from Greenland to the Orient in 1845 and disappeared with all 135 of their men. Using facts that came out later, subtly woven together with fictional dialogue and speculation, Edric sets up a situation fraught with the excitement of discovery and the madness of an impossible undertaking. His characters are varied and believable: men setting out into the unknown for reasons ranging from driving ambition to insatiable scientific curiosity fans of Patrick O'Brian will recognize them all. Readers will also come away with a knowledge of the fearsome damage ice can do to a boat, to a man's body and to his soul. Evidence of this last effect comes early on, as the ships encounter survivors from a wrecked whaler, starving and weakened with scurvy, dragging themselves across the ice. An officer named Fitzjames offers supplies and medicine, and points the men toward Greenland; the survivors demand to be taken aboard and ferried back before the Erebus and Terror continue on their royal mission. Fitzjames refuses ("Uppernavik being so near... he felt himself absolved of some part of his responsibility toward the stranded whalers"), little guessing that the same grim fate may lay in store for him as well. Maps.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Like the eternal quest for successful alchemy, the search for the fabled Northwest Passage has fascinated people for centuries. In his U.S. debut, British novelist Edric imagines what might have happened to a fictional Arctic exploration for the Northwest Passage. In his account, Sir John Franklin sets sail from Greenland in 1845, commanding 135 men in two ships, the Erebus and the Terror. Because we know from the start that the entire expedition disappears, the book takes on a doomed, depressing aura, heightened by the harsh Arctic setting. Through a rich cast of well-developed characters, Edric details the day-to-day adventures and customs of the sea in the frozen North. Like the whale in Moby-Dick, the ice in this engrossing novel is almost a character itself. Accounts of Arctic disaster may not be to everyone's taste, especially this season, but this book will certainly engage anyone who picks it up. Fred Gervat, Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (February 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312288891
• ISBN-13: 978-0312288891
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,869,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bleak but engaging, February 8, 2002

By 

A O Cazola (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Broken Lands: A Novel of Arctic Disaster (Hardcover)

The quest for the NorthWest Passage has always fascinated me. Reading accounts of Nansen, Frobisher and Hudson fuelled my early love for adventure and the North.

Broken Lands does not disappoint. This novel tells of an expedition into the Canadian North by the "Lion of the North," Sir John Franklin. The research that author Robert Edric must have done is showcased in the detailed account of the effects of extreme cold on the expedition's ships and sailors. He gives the North a distinct character in Broken Lands: one of a harsh, merciless adversary.

The characters are believable and the story is captivating. the descriptions of the Arctic are evocative and powerful. Edric writes for his audience. The combination of personal struggle and taut action makes Broken Lands immensely readable.

The Franklin expedition may not have happened exactly as Edric presents it, but after reading Broken Lands, it certainly feels possible. An excellent fictional supposition of what the expedition was like.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful writing, January 9, 2010

By 

Judith M. Davidson (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Broken Lands: A Novel of Arctic Disaster (Hardcover)

Like the Arctic ice it so beautifully and realistically it describes, this book keeps the reader in its vise as the ships of the Franklin expedition were kept. This is a real page turner, and with each page I became more identified with the well-drawn characters and anxious for them to survive, although I knew in advance that they wouldn't. Franklin himself is the least clearly drawn, and this is O.K. here, as he is almost an eminence gris, so far above the "common" man on the expedition.
This novel did what any good work should do: it made me want to delve deeper into the facts and check out some of the other titles that have been recommended here.

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Waste Your Money On This One!, April 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Broken Lands: A Novel of Arctic Disaster (Hardcover)

I know this is supposed to be a 'historical novel' about the famous Franklin Expedition but the author should at least stick to known facts. He has Graham Gore alive until about the last page when he in fact was dead before the trek to Back's Fish River began. Also, Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier - the only true Polar expert in the entire expedition - is portrayed constantly as the bad guy. Captain Crozier had been to the Arctic numerous times with Parry and to the Antarctic with Ross so he had experience in any ice condition. Sir James Clark Ross thought highly of him and called him his 'tried and trusty friend'. John Irving of the Terror wrote his sister how much he liked 'my Skipper'. Sir John Franklin only wanted to lead the expedition because of his political troubles in Tasmania and he was trying to heal his wounded pride. Captain Crozier had, in fact, commanded the Terror during Ross' Antartic expedition and conned his ship through many dangers. I can't understand why Fitzjames is made out to be the big hero when in fact he got where he was because of his friendship with Sir John Barrow's son. If you want to read an outstanding 'historical novel' about this famed expedition, then buy NORTH WITH FRANKLIN: THE LOST JOURNALS OF JAMES FITZJAMES by John Wilson. For the actual historical story itself (not a novel), you can't do any better than ARCTIC GRAIL by Pierre Berton, BARROW'S BOYS by Fergus Fleming and the 2 books by David C. Woodman (by far the best of them all): UNRAVELLING THE FRANKLIN MYSTERY and STRANGERS AMONG US. Don't waste your money buying THE BROKEN LANDS - I'm sorry I did.