Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Analytical accounts of two historic firsts that bookend nearly a century of Antarctic exploration: reaching the South Pole and crossing the entire continent alone and on foot. That both outings turned into races adds almost superfluous drama: Neither Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott in 1911 nor Colin O’Brady and Lou Rudd in 2018 knew long beforehand that they would be in direct competition. All four expeditions faced the same deadly natural challenges, from frigid 50-mile-an-hour winds to whiteouts and treacherous ice ripples called sastrugi. But what really stands out in the storylines that Barone moves along in parallel are the huge differences in survival techniques and gear—even as the lack of wireless equipment, for instance, kills Scott and his companions, Rudd slogs along listening to audiobooks and O’Brady phones Paul Simon for a chat. The author points out other differences too, such as the contrast between Amundsen’s narrow motive to be first to the pole (the North Pole, originally, switched at the last moment after learning that Robert Peary had already gotten there) and Scott’s broader geological and scientific interests. She punctuates her narratives with maps, photos, and paired quotes from her four subjects, and she positively shovels endnotes and source references into the backmatter. The otherwise all-White, all male cast is relieved only by brief mentions of wives and latter-day women explorers and of Amundsen’s Netsilik Inuit advisers. A riveting tribute to epic tests of men against the elements. (index) (Nonfiction. 11-14) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"At the bottom of the world, death comes more naturally than life." Barone presents four expeditions -- two races -- to face down death in the coldest region on Earth. In 1911, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen competed to be the first to reach the South Pole. In 2018, Lou Rudd and Colin O'Brady raced to make the "first solo, unaided, unsupported crossing of Antarctica" (as Rudd said: "More people have walked on the moon [twenty] than have traversed Antarctica"). Different people, different times, common deadly obstacles: cold, blizzards, whiteouts, crevasses, mountains, starvation. Barone's complex narrative is well structured, with action verbs and frequent short, rhythmic sentences ("He was strong. He was capable. He kept moving") leading the way. Though Barone repeats information occasionally (e.g., the renaming of the Ross Ice Shelf), meticulous details of trip-planning never slow the pace, and, as in any great adventure tale, foreshadowing, cliffhangers, and dabs of gory details ("Two of the men were so frostbitten that their entire heels fell off -- dead and rotting -- in their boots") are used to good advantage. Maps, black-and-white photographs, personal accounts, and Instagram posts support the lively text. An epilogue explores the controversies over both expeditions, including whether or not the 2018 race could really be called "unaided and unsupported." Back matter includes a substantial bibliography, endnotes, and an index (unseen). (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.