Trial by Ice: The True Story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition [Paperback]

Richard Parry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2002

“An extraordinary real-life adventure of men battling the elements and themselves, told with ice-cold precision.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In the dark years following the Civil War, America’s foremost Arctic explorer, Charles Francis Hall, became a figure of national pride when he embarked on a harrowing, landmark expedition. With financial backing from Congress and the personal support of President Grant, Captain Hall and his crew boarded the Polaris, a steam schooner carefully refitted for its rigorous journey, and began their quest to be the first men to reach the North Pole. Neither the ship nor its captain would ever return.

What transpired was a tragic death and whispers of murder, as well as a horrifying ordeal through the heart of an Arctic winter, when men fought starvation, madness, and each other upon the ever-shifting ice. Trial by Ice is an incredible adventure that pits men against the natural elements and their own fragile human nature. In this powerful true story of death and survival, courage and intrigue aboard a doomed ship, Richard Parry chronicles one of the most astonishing, little known tragedies at sea in American history.

“ABSORBING . . . Suspense builds as Parry describes the events leading up to Hall’s ‘murder,’ then climaxes in horrifying detail.”
–Publishers Weekly

“RIVETING.”
–Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During the first U.S. attempt to reach the North Pole, the doomed 1871 Polaris expedition's team leader, Charles Francis Hall, mysteriously died. In this book, Parry, a novelist (That Fateful Lightning, etc.), provides a vivid but uneven account of the captain's death, which may have been brought on by a muddled command structure that encouraged insubordination, even mutiny, among the crew. Suspense builds as Parry describes the events leading up to Hall's "murder," then climaxes in horrifying detail. Once Hall is gone, however, the plot's momentum disappears, with half the book to go. The fragmented crew's attempt to survive the Arctic until they are rescued and brought back to civilization is evoked only by clich?s. Readers holding out through the pedestrian middle section will be rewarded with an enticing account of the government's coverup and an abssorbing chapter about the autopsy performed on Hall's body 100 years after it was buried. Author tour. (Jan. 30)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Although Denmark, England, France, and Norway had already tried and failed, in 1871 the United States decided to finance an expedition to find the North Pole and the Northwest Passage. Charles Francis Hall of Ohio, who was neither a seafarer nor an explorer, convinced President Grant and Congress to send out a vessel and was given a ship, the Polaris, and a crew of 25. The ship was not suitable for ice navigation, and the crew, a mixture of Germans and Americans, was selected by politicians and did not include the men Hall wanted. The expedition was doomed from the start. Beset by jealousies, intrigues, and weak leadership, the crew suffered from exposure, hunger, and the bleak Arctic. Captain Hall was poisoned (it was probably murder), and the ship was lost. The crew split into two parties, one surviving nine months on an ice floe until it was finally rescued by a whaler. Despite an exhaustive inquiry by the U.S. Navy and Congress, no conclusion was reached. Parry (That Fateful Lightning: A Novel of Ulysses S. Grant) has brought the story to light again with this riveting account. For all public and academic libraries.DStanley L. Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345439260
• ISBN-13: 978-0345439260
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Combination of Artic Exploration & True Crime!, March 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Trial by Ice: The True Story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book very much. Well written and engaging, Richard Parry's latest work was a page-turner. I finished all 310 pages in one day. Parry draws upon the 1871 Polaris Expedition inquest transcripts, his experience as a physician, several secondary sources, and scientific analysis to skillfully re-create the story of the doomed ship. Moreover, the author makes an excellent argument as to how the ship's captain met his demise, and who was ultimately responsible.

The only drawback is that the two maps on the front and back covers are somewhat incomplete and vague, missing several locations mentioned by the author.

Overall, a very satisfying read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing work by Richard Parry, April 3, 2002

By 

Wojciech Langer (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trial by Ice: The True Story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition (Hardcover)

I did not expect to find "Trial by Ice" so good.
Using very colorful and vivid writing style, author presents events during the ill-fated polar expedition. Action takes place on the deck of steamer Polaris, along the north/west Greenland's shore and on the ice floes of Baffin Bay.
This is a classic tale of survival describing international motley crew of officers, seamen, scientists and Inuits fighting for their lives after Polaris destruction.
Without leadership and teamwork all efforts are difficult and dramatic. Dark human nature and low morality quite often prevails, hardship creates lack of loyalty, national partiality and racism.
This book has an extra flavor - elements of crime and detective story.
Writing and explanations are enhanced by author's scientific and medical knowledge combined with his experience of living in a harsh climate of Alaska. He knows what he is writing about.
The story of Polaris is just another example of how little we usually know about causes and reality of current political, criminal and social events. True facts and motives stay hidden and masked to be fully exposed and published at much later time.
I rank this book in the same category as "Wreck of the Medusa", "In the Heart of the Sea" and "South".
If Dr. Parry was as good surgeon as he is now a writer, then many patients must be missing his medical practice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating history poorly presented, March 22, 2009

By 

Michael J. Muller "Adirondack Reader" (Queensbury, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trial by Ice: The True Story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition (Paperback)

The history of the 1871 Polaris expedition to the North Pole and the mysterious death of it's leader Charles Francis Hall is poorly presented by this effort. It is well researched but the book would have benefitted greatly from an effort to edit and organize this presentation. If you are interested in the history of these events, a reader might look elsewhere for the information.