Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night
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- Create Date：2021-12-21 00:50:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Julian Sancton
- ISBN：0753553465
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Summary
'An epic of survival' -- MICHAEL PALIN
'A "grade-A classic"' -- SUNDAY TIMES
'Utterly enthralling' -- GEOFF DYER， GUARDIAN
'Deeply engrossing' -- NEW YORK TIMES
***A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2021***
The harrowing， survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly wrong， with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless， Antarctic winter
August 1897: The Belgica set sail， eager to become the first scientific expedition to reach the white wilderness of the South Pole。 But the ship soon became stuck fast in the ice of the Bellinghausen sea， condemning the ship's crew to overwintering in Antarctica and months of endless polar night。 In the darkness， plagued by a mysterious illness， their minds ravaged by the sound of dozens of rats teeming in the hold， they descended into madness。
In this epic tale， Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure gone horribly awry。 As the crew teetered on the brink， the Captain increasingly relied on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity - Dr。 Frederick Cook， the wild American whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate， soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen， who later raced Captain Scott to the South Pole。 Together， Cook and Amundsen would plan a last-ditch， desperate escape from the ice-one that would either etch their names into history or doom them to a terrible fate in the frozen ocean。
Drawing on first-hand crew diaries and journals， and exclusive access to the ship's logbook， the result is equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror。 This is an unforgettable journey into the deep。
Reviews
JD
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Everything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong。 Unbelievable story of survival。
Nancy Seamons
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An amazing story how people survive， or don't survive， when they are alone and without sun and warmth in the far reaches of the earth。 An amazing story how people survive， or don't survive， when they are alone and without sun and warmth in the far reaches of the earth。 。。。more
Camerin Poulson
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Long， but well-written and engaging。
Terry
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Awesome！ I highly recommend。 It is amazing how much hardship people can endure for a fleeting grasp at glory。 I enjoyed every second of it。
Brian Moore
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Wow my run of top rated books continues with this epic history of an attempt to reach the South Pole。 Superbly written and researched with love obviously。The chapter describing the attempts to escape the ice ranks as one of the most gripping and exciting things I’ve ever read in any book， fiction or non-fiction。Highly recommended。
Ashley Case
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I appreciate the distinctions made in this book so that I know what is fact and what is a very educated guess。 What a great account。
Cassie
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A really fascinating true story of some of the first people to explore Antarctica。
Sammy
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This is the story of Adrien de Gerlage’s Belgian Antarctic expedition of 1897-1899， the first expedition to over-winter in the Antarctic pack ice。 The men saw no daylight from May to July， and mysterious ailments such as arrhythmias， fatigue， and madness - as well as scurvy - set in。 It is a tale to rival the much more recited tale of Shackleton and the Endeavour， as the exhausted men waited for the summer ice to release them， fell 12 miles short with the sea in sight and the sun fading once mor This is the story of Adrien de Gerlage’s Belgian Antarctic expedition of 1897-1899， the first expedition to over-winter in the Antarctic pack ice。 The men saw no daylight from May to July， and mysterious ailments such as arrhythmias， fatigue， and madness - as well as scurvy - set in。 It is a tale to rival the much more recited tale of Shackleton and the Endeavour， as the exhausted men waited for the summer ice to release them， fell 12 miles short with the sea in sight and the sun fading once more， and finally sawed and exploded their way through the remaining ice using two year old explosives which had spoiled in the cold and had to be warmed up by sleeping with them against their bodies！ Interest is added by the presence on this lesser-known expedition of two future polar heroes - or antiheroes - Roald Amundsen， the first man to eventually reach the South Pole - and Frederick Cook， the first man to claim to reach to North Pole。 They， clearly， did not find the experience off-putting！Like the best non-fiction tales， it feels effortless， as if the story tells itself - though undoubtedly an immense amount of research went into it - and is so outlandish at times that if it were fiction， it would probably be dismissed as unbelievable。 Everything you could want！ 。。。more
Alina
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Wow， this was great to read。 It was perfectly my favorite niche: watching people stuck in a horrible situation work their way through it while staving off madness。 I was surprised that the event was so well documented。 The author managed to make the history feel like a real story。 The writing was so entrancing and the audiobook narrator was great。 I loved it。 Reading this made me cold。
Arya Stark of Winterfell
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I don’t care what my parents say， I always need another book on polar exploration
Olga Vannucci
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To gain glory it sufficeTo spend winter trapped in ice。
Terri ducay
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Anyone who likes adventure should read this book。I will never understand how people back at the turn of the century could withstand such conditions and live to tell the story。 The cold， lack of food， isolation， and challenges of being stranded in temperatures well below zero。 This book goes into great detail about the situation and the mental conditions of the men on the Belgica。 It was a long book， and at times I think I felt the gloom and doom myself， but like the survivors， I trudged on， gla Anyone who likes adventure should read this book。I will never understand how people back at the turn of the century could withstand such conditions and live to tell the story。 The cold， lack of food， isolation， and challenges of being stranded in temperatures well below zero。 This book goes into great detail about the situation and the mental conditions of the men on the Belgica。 It was a long book， and at times I think I felt the gloom and doom myself， but like the survivors， I trudged on， glad that I did。Well documented and well written。 。。。more
Laramie White
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A fascinating tale of a crew pushing the limits on quest for Antarctic journey。 The description of the isolated interaction and ensuing madness was really interesting。
Brice Karickhoff
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SO good！ Entertaining as the come。 This book tells the story of an Antarctic expedition in 1898 and I’ll stop there to avoid spoilers。 But man was it gripping。 The only shot I have against this book is that I might not have liked it as much as The Endurance， which is basically the same plot。 Both true stories， and both incredible。 As a side note， I think I’ve realized that I really love the “survival” genre。 This book， Endurance， Unbroken， all those。 I love ‘em。
Clinton Murphy
，
A detailed and well researched account of a harrowing Antarctic expedition。 Of particular interest is the documenting of some of the first cases of what would later be known as winter-over syndrome and seasonal affective disorder。 Slight content warning: There are some gruesome descriptions of violence against animals both for scientific purposes and survival。
Fiona
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I am so glad that Julian Sancton wrote this book。 As he states， Belgica's expedition to Antarctica "rivals the greatest man-versus-nature struggles in history and literature"。 Such a compelling story that was hard to put down。 Notwithstanding this， the often depressing and claustrophobic nature of the tale also made it hard to continue。 At times， it was only the knowledge that Amundsen and Cook had a life after the Belgica that willed me to keep going- how could they possibly survive， and would I am so glad that Julian Sancton wrote this book。 As he states， Belgica's expedition to Antarctica "rivals the greatest man-versus-nature struggles in history and literature"。 Such a compelling story that was hard to put down。 Notwithstanding this， the often depressing and claustrophobic nature of the tale also made it hard to continue。 At times， it was only the knowledge that Amundsen and Cook had a life after the Belgica that willed me to keep going- how could they possibly survive， and would anyone else make it out alive？ To find the answers to these questions， you will need to read the book yourself， and by the time you have finished， you will be very glad that you continued to the end。 I would definitely place this book in my top 3 reads of 2021。 。。。more
V
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The writing is a little overheated， but it was interesting。 Largely focused on the personalities of the three protagonists。 Is this usually done in this kind of story？ It seems to me that the captain's tragic flaws may be emphasized in a disaster story but foibles of other individuals are largely ignored。 This completeness and diversity of points of view are probably owed to the fact that this was a highly documented expedition as well as one that， although unlucky and unsuccessful， was fortunat The writing is a little overheated， but it was interesting。 Largely focused on the personalities of the three protagonists。 Is this usually done in this kind of story？ It seems to me that the captain's tragic flaws may be emphasized in a disaster story but foibles of other individuals are largely ignored。 This completeness and diversity of points of view are probably owed to the fact that this was a highly documented expedition as well as one that， although unlucky and unsuccessful， was fortunate enough to not end in death for most or all of its personnel。 In any case， it was interesting to read a story that ended up with so few casualties under the direction of such a lousy commander。I raised an eyebrow at Sancton's attempt to sell the Belgica expedition as a truly international effort when from the start there were serious animosities between crew members of different nationalities。 。。。more
Sai Shashanka
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A perfect winter read to set a little extra chill in your bones。
Ashley
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This story was fascinating。 I knew nothing of this expedition， but yikes， what an experience。 Antarctica was a monstrous and dangerous wild-land in 1900， and even though we know so much more about it now， as it melts it continues to be a danger。
Wendy
，
'Madhouse at the End of the Earth documents the voyage of the Belgica from 1897-1899， the first ship to spend the winter in Antarctica at the beginning of the 'heroic age' of Antarctica explorations。 The book is destined to become an Antarctica adventure classic joining Cherry's 'The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctica: 1910-1913' （about Scott's tragic expedition）， Roald Amundsen's books （about his successful expedition from 1910-1912） and Lansing's 'Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage 'Madhouse at the End of the Earth documents the voyage of the Belgica from 1897-1899， the first ship to spend the winter in Antarctica at the beginning of the 'heroic age' of Antarctica explorations。 The book is destined to become an Antarctica adventure classic joining Cherry's 'The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctica: 1910-1913' （about Scott's tragic expedition）， Roald Amundsen's books （about his successful expedition from 1910-1912） and Lansing's 'Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage （about the last expedition during the 'golden age' of polar exploration from 1914-1917） as THE books to read about early explorations of our coldest continent。Madhouse chronicles the near-mutinous outward journey of the Belgian ship and its international crew and officers led by Belgian Commandant de Gerlache， French Captain Lecointe， and young Norwegian Roald Amundsen and American Fredrick Cook， many of whom could not understand one another due to language differences。 Using diary accounts， the author describes the bad food and the breakdown in physical and mental health of most members of the expedition when the ship becomes trapped in the ice。 The Belgica's voyages predates both Shackleton， Scott and Amundsen's more famous journeys to Antarctica and actually serves as training ground for Amundsen。 If you like the adventure travel genre， you will be sure to enjoy this book。 。。。more
UChicagoLaw
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"Polar exploration always is the stuff of gripping tales， and none more so than Julian Sancton’s Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night is one of the best of this genre。 The combination of genius， heroism， naiveté and greed and stupidity runs from start to finish。"- Richard A。 Epstein， James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Law， Senior Lecturer "Polar exploration always is the stuff of gripping tales， and none more so than Julian Sancton’s Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night is one of the best of this genre。 The combination of genius， heroism， naiveté and greed and stupidity runs from start to finish。"- Richard A。 Epstein， James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Law， Senior Lecturer 。。。more
Pam Mezaraups
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What an interesting and astounding book this proved to be。。。the Belgica Polar Experience was an experience indeed。 Extremely well written but also informative。 Great characterizations， especially Gerlache， Amundsen， Cook and Lecointe。。。and so many others。 The team dynamics under extreme pressures were worth the read as well and the adventure was really a survivalist's lesson。 I will look at all penguins with renewed respect。 What an interesting and astounding book this proved to be。。。the Belgica Polar Experience was an experience indeed。 Extremely well written but also informative。 Great characterizations， especially Gerlache， Amundsen， Cook and Lecointe。。。and so many others。 The team dynamics under extreme pressures were worth the read as well and the adventure was really a survivalist's lesson。 I will look at all penguins with renewed respect。 。。。more
Wyatt
，
There's only one other book that made me as uncomfortable about the cold。 The Terror by Dan Simmons。 This book proves the power of the human mind and body to endure atrocious situations。 Reading about their 70 days with no sun mentally takes a toll。 The author does a fantastic job mixing journal entries from all crew to slowly illuminate their mental state during the journey。 I'm a sucker for these kinds of books， but it's highly recommended。 There's only one other book that made me as uncomfortable about the cold。 The Terror by Dan Simmons。 This book proves the power of the human mind and body to endure atrocious situations。 Reading about their 70 days with no sun mentally takes a toll。 The author does a fantastic job mixing journal entries from all crew to slowly illuminate their mental state during the journey。 I'm a sucker for these kinds of books， but it's highly recommended。 。。。more
Lauren Stoolfire
，
Give it a few chapters but this is a fascinating listen to the real survival story of the Belgica's voyage to Antarctica is gripping and horrifying。 It's something else knowing that NASA studies what the ship's crew endured back in 1897！ Give it a few chapters but this is a fascinating listen to the real survival story of the Belgica's voyage to Antarctica is gripping and horrifying。 It's something else knowing that NASA studies what the ship's crew endured back in 1897！ 。。。more
Amber Ray
，
Gripping story。 The hubris and mistakes of planning and De Gerlach's regrettable decision to overwinter seem obvious now， but hindsight is always 20/20。 The meal/food planning is part of this--it sounds like there were serious deficiencies in variety of food and the nutrition content。One thing that I admittedly got a little stuck on was the odd death of Nansen， the ship's cat。 Her deterioration and death struck me as very like the overwintering syndrome experienced by the men。 The fact she had m Gripping story。 The hubris and mistakes of planning and De Gerlach's regrettable decision to overwinter seem obvious now， but hindsight is always 20/20。 The meal/food planning is part of this--it sounds like there were serious deficiencies in variety of food and the nutrition content。One thing that I admittedly got a little stuck on was the odd death of Nansen， the ship's cat。 Her deterioration and death struck me as very like the overwintering syndrome experienced by the men。 The fact she had mental deterioration and stopped hunting （which would have continued to supply her with fresh meat and needed nutrients） was to me， serious。 Cats don't just die。 I presume she was being fed from the canned food given to the men。 I wish they'd preserved her body for study--an autopsy of her might have been useful。 I strongly suspect a combination of overwintering syndrome， dietary deficiencies and possible secondary poisoning from the toxic chemicals used to develop photographic negatives。The bickering about who got to discover what was sad to me and kind of petty。 This was hot-topic stuff and it sound like these men got very territorial about who had the rights to do what。Cook's criminal life and skullduggery after the expedition is a little shocking in lights of his exemplary performance， it's also a bit sad since he completely destroyed his reputation as an explorer。 Interesting story overall。 Very amazing at times they did manage to get back alive！ 。。。more
Jess
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Really interesting and well done！
Wes F
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Quite the Antarctic expedition--setting the scene for later ones by Amundsen & intrepid explorers like Ernest Shackleton。 Enjoyed this book a lot; well-researched & written。 I started out with the Kindle version and then "lost" that back to the library & picked up the audiobook version to finish it。 Quite the Antarctic expedition--setting the scene for later ones by Amundsen & intrepid explorers like Ernest Shackleton。 Enjoyed this book a lot; well-researched & written。 I started out with the Kindle version and then "lost" that back to the library & picked up the audiobook version to finish it。 。。。more
Emily
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4。5 stars。
Susannah
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This is a fantastic account of the Beligica’s expedition in 1898 to Antarctica where the ship became stuck in the ice and the crew suffered from scurvy; it was through the doctor Cook that the men were able to survive by eating penguin and seal meat and this greatly influenced Amundsen who was also on this expedition when he commanded his own expedition to the South Pole。 This is a must read for anyone interested in polar exploration; Sancton has done a brilliant job of recreating the experience This is a fantastic account of the Beligica’s expedition in 1898 to Antarctica where the ship became stuck in the ice and the crew suffered from scurvy; it was through the doctor Cook that the men were able to survive by eating penguin and seal meat and this greatly influenced Amundsen who was also on this expedition when he commanded his own expedition to the South Pole。 This is a must read for anyone interested in polar exploration; Sancton has done a brilliant job of recreating the experience of the expedition members when faced with the perpetual polar night， how they felt and how it affected both their mental and physical health。 The primary sources and handled excellently and it reads like fiction or a thriller but all the information is from the primary manuscripts。 Sanction’s writing is engaging and this is very accessible reading。 I did start to get a bit bored with the section of the men escaping from the ice， but overall this is fascinating。 。。。more
William
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