Fascinating

This is an intriguing story.
The narration was excellent.
Some of the most ambitious human endeavours have been bested by some small detail from years earlier.

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So Disappointing

The Franklin Expedition was a a brutal story of brave men, bad luck, and rushed planning and logistics. A story of hardship, death and desperate attempts to survive. As told here, other than lacking many known facts, is the extremely over-the-top, jovial treatment of the subject by the performer. Sorry, not for me. I couldn't finish the listen.

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Unbelievable suffering by so many

I’m fascinated by the determination of these expeditions of the past. Wether be for glory of king and country, ones large ego or pure explorers curiosity, these sailors and their captains are a rare breed and hard to find in such times today.
I enjoyed this book about the pain staking process of trying to piece together the past and at much suffering of their own in doing so. Ships and men lost for over 150 years, yet their voices still echo in the blistering wind of the North

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A terrific read.

I loved the story, the pace was excellent and I very much enjoyed the narration!

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1 person found this helpful

Going a long way to solving the mystery of the Franklin Expedition

Enjoyed the setting as described by Beattie and the application to the mid 19th century arctic explorers who had to do it without 20th century knowledge and technology.

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Incredible Exposition

I went to school in Edmonton with Professor Owen Beattie's son. I think I remember the anthropologist coming to our Social Studies class and presenting his team's findings after discovering the bodies of two members of the ill-fated 1845-48 expedition looking for the Northwest Passage.. but maybe I just read the story in our local newspaper.
Regardless, the images of frozen corpses - their lips drawn back in a rictus grin - are imprinted on my mind's eye. Along with co-author John Geiger, Dr. Beattie leads readers through a well-reasoned description of the struggles faced by men trapped in the arctic ice - suffering from frostbite, hypothermia, starvation +/- cannibalism, scurvy, and probable lead poisoning. His exposé is largely reconstructed through meticulous perusal of surviving journals from the participants, testimony from Inuit sources, examination of remains, and the findings of previous expeditions to recover bodies.
The authors' approach is perhaps a little bit too academic for a general audience (completely eschewing artistic license and decilining to provide hypothetical dialogue, for example), but the book is quite readable for anyone interested in both history & forensic study.

As to presentation: Liam Gerrard turns in a creditable but unspectacular reading performance. His diction & pacing are unimpeachable, but his timbre & cadence are "average" at best, and his tone is inexplicably lighthearted. Tantor Audio provides praiseworthy technical support - but could easily have cast this project better.

Altogether, I rate 'Frozen In Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition' 7.5 stars out of 10. If you can get it as a 'Plus' selection, you should do so - it was a pleasantly cerebral audiobook for occupying a couple of snowy afternoons.. but if they ask for a Credit, better options beckon.

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