Fatal North: Adventure and Survival Aboard USS Polaris, the First U.S. Expedition to the North Pole

This is an excellent account of the first state-sponsored American attempt to reach the North Pole. Headed by the single-minded Captain Charles Hall, this expedition was beset by problems from the start. There were serious conflicts of interest between those who were aiming for the Artic goal (Hall) and the scientific group, not to mention disastrous insubordination from crew-members who did not feel that Hall was qualified to commandeer the ship.What makes this book unique from many other polar exploration works is that it also revolves around a more than century-old murder mystery on board the ship; that of Captain Hall himself. These two aspects provide a chilling account of what happens when there is lack of discipline and unwavering leadership on board any seabound vessel.A terrific true account that reads like a novel. Great addition to any polar exploration library.

I am a sucker for survival tales and this is one of the best I have read. Written by newspaperman Bruce Henderson, it is well researched and presented in a clear, concise manner with just the right amount of detail and suspense enough for several books. This was America's first attempt to reach the North Pole and unfortunately the government had to stick its hand in. It was during one of America's worst administrations -- that of U.S. Grant, and he and his cohorts bungled this venture, too. They spent the money to do it right, but put the wrong people in charge and put together contracts that spelled doom from the start. The hero of the tale is George Tyson, and what a hero he is...fighting almost unsurmountable odds as he struggles for months on an ice flow with 19 deserted shipmates in the Artic. There are enough villians -- a drunken sea captian, a murderous physician, a crew that refuses to take any orders. I highly recommend this one without fear of contradiction from anyone who appreciates a good adventure.

Even if the subject matter doesn't seem exciting to you, this book is well worth reading. This book is in the "can't put down' category.

Bruce Henderson manages to combine yet another polar exploration story (been a bunch of those published lately, hasn't there?) with an unexpected twist. He tells the story of the failed first U.S. expedition to discover the North Pole (circa 1870), which was grounded by something far more sinister than the usual mishaps. In fact its commander, the irrepressible Charles Hall, was mostly likely poisoned to death by one of his own shipmates. The story is primarily told through the eyes of Captain George Tyson, the honorable soul who Hall asked to join the mission and who was the unfortunate witness to the tragic and criminal events that took place on board the ship. Later, Tyson survived a harrowing six months drifting on an ice flow before he and eighteen compainions were rescued. That last part of the book deals with the inconclusive inquiry into Hall's death and the loss of the ship.As polar exploration tales go, "Fatal North" is not one of the more interesting because the mission itself was such an abject failure. What is more interesting is Henderson's account of how such a mission can be destroyed by human avarice. Henderson is a fine writer and the prose in the book is crisp and lively. The text checks in at a snappy 290 pages that could be read in a single snow bound day.

In "Fatal North", Bruce Henderson's meticulous and thorough research takes an ill-fated polar expedition and makes it read like a who-dunnit. This is one of those books that takes the utmost of the reader's will power not to turn to the epilogue section at the end to see how it comes out. Henderson's vivid description of the minutest details transports the reader to an ice floe in the Arctic and causes the reader to personally experience every physical, emotional and mental - the hopes, expectations, frustrations and relative successes - of the castaways. The contrast between courage and cowardice; competence and incompetence; loyalty and betrayal coupled with possible murder are the elements that make this book hard to put down once you start reading.