England had made up its mind that there was a Northwest Passage that would allow ships to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. They had much to gain with the discovery of such passage and sent expeditions north into the ice pack to find it.   

Sir John Franklin’s was one such polar expedition. He sailed north with two ships that had been well prepared for the voyage, with the engines changed and the ships themselves reinforced. Sir John and 128 handpicked man sailed from Greenland on July 1845. They had everything to be successful in their quest. Provisions that could last for five years, even though they were expected back in three. The latest and greatest technology was used in the boats as well as the best provisions. 

Something was deadly wrong right from the start. Three men died in the very first winter. The surgeons could not figure out what killed these men. Later, more man died without an explainable cause. To make matters even worse the ships got stuck in a sea of ice that stretched from horizon to horizon. What was the Captain to do? How could he save his men’s lives? No matter where they turned, they only encountered below freezing temperatures and hardships. What was this silent killer and could they escape it? 

This is an awesome tale of man against nature. Who would win in the end? Most importantly, was nature the only enemy? I loved this book and I could not stop reading it. I recommend it to everyone and anyone who likes to read about true accounts and w hat human are driven to do in extreme circumstances.