Customer Reviews

Fury Beach

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John Ross, who had earlier failed to find the Northwest passage and had created a mirage of `Lancaster sound' in 1818 returned in 1828 to lead an expedition by steam to seek out the Northwest passage and map the arctic. He ended up stranded for almost four years. His men survived on meager rations while learning from the natives. A small party led by his Nephew James Ross also discovered the Magnetic North Pole.

This is an amazing account of the ordeal of this harrowing journey into the arctic wasteland. Well written, its greatest downfall is that it includes only one map. This book will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the arctic, seafaring, adventure or survival stories. For further reading `Barrows Boys' by Fleming, `Into Thin Air, and `Sea of Glory' by Philbrick will be of great interest.

Fury Beach by Ray Edinger combines thorough research with a rousing good story. The lengthy bibliography and index suggest the extensive research that went into producing this book. Well written, it is actually two stories for the price of one: a tale of an Arctic voyage of discovery and scientific research and the heart-warming story of the interaction of two cultures, an Inuit tribe and Englishmen, meeting for the first time and things actually go right. People treat each other with kindness and respect. Friendships result. I particularly liked the short snippets of biographies at the close of the book that explained what happened to the participants after the adventure ended. There are many illustrations, all charming.