Dawn Michelle's Reviews > Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue

When I saw this book, I knew I had to [request] read it as all my previous reads about arctic exploration have been ship-based and this is about an AIRSHIP [actually several of them when its all said and done] that makes the attempt, and it was completely mind boggling to even think about it. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right? *grimace*

One of the things that I continue to see in book like this is, while these men were brave, daring, and smarter than I will ever be, they were also incredibly arrogant [beyond the arrogance one would need to do ANY kind of exploration] and selfish. Their inability to see past their own wants and arrogance results in unnecessary danger and quite often death [so. much. death.], and while I love the whole adventure and daring of this [and the others] book, this knowledge always tinges these book with anger and frustration for me.

That said, this was an amazing read [even with the arrogance, I cannot imagine going to the Arctic in any conveyance, much less in a hydrogen-filled {essentially} BALLOON], that was edge-of-your-seat for most of it [I DID get bogged down with some of the technical parts of it], and then you get to the final flight of the book and the crash and the rescue and BOY-HOWDY I dare you to take a breath!!!

If you love history and adventure [tinged with deep sadness, arrogance, and deep, deep, regret], this book [and any book Mr. Levy writes in my humble opinion] is 100% for you. I was captivated from the very beginning and very sad at the end and was left just marveling at all I had just read. Amazing.

Will Damron is one of my top 10 favorite narrators and once again, he does an amazing job, given that there is a lot of technical language, Swedish/Norwegian/Italian names and places, and often tough subject matter [I am not sure how narrators get through scenes like the one where two men have to leave a friend on the ice to die - I was crying my eyes out listening, and I am sure had I had to read it out loud, no one would have been able to understand me!!]. If you are an audiobook listener, this will be a real treat for you. If not, this is an excellent one to start with, especially if very cool history is your jam. Very well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Buddy Levy, Will Damron - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.