Into the Ice by Mark Synnott

Synnott has written a mesmerizing account of his journey in a 47 foot fiberglass sail boat through the Northwest Passage. He intertwines his experiences with the history of various Arctic explorers, most notably Captain Franklin who disappeared, with his ship, Erebus, and his companion ship, Terror, captained by Crozier. The historical sea voyage in the 1850’s is woven in with Synnott’s own exploration. Surprisingly, the book is riveting. The amazing descriptions of the ice, the storms, the beauty in calm, the conversations with local Inuits, and the debates with his own crew keep us engaged. Some parts are so captivating it becomes a page turner. Synnott also brings his own humanism into the narration, looking within at his role in any discord with his friends/crew and seeming to have an honest inner insight. Synnott is a reflective author, great researcher and extreme adventurer.

Mark Synnott decided in 2022 that he wanted to get extremely into sailing, so much so that he essentially moved onto his boat and set a goal to sail through the Northwest Passage, something only a few hundred boats have ever done. Along the way, he wanted to solve the long-standing mystery of what happened to the 19th century explorer, John Franklin, whose expedition disappeared 175 years ago.

This is in the same vein as another of Mark's books, The Third Pole, in which he goes to Everest to solve the mystery of whether George Mallory and Sandy Irvine summited Mt. Everest before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Spoiler: they don’t solve the mystery on Mt. Everest, nor is anything resolved about Franklin’s Arctic expedition. Anyhow. Good writing and fun adventures, but I don’t like these long stories wherein the author doesn’t actually solve any mysteries/questions (I didn’t like the podcast, Serial, for the same reason).

Mark Synnott takes readers along a journey to unearth the mystery of what happened to Sir John Franklin's 1845 voyage through the Northwest Passage with the Erebus and Terror. More than just a historical retelling of Franklin's adventure, Synnott travels the route and opens up his own soul to discovery as he searches for the remains and records of the lost crews. Themes of friendship, sacrifice, survival, pride and humility are explored as everything is laid bare in Synnott's travels. Well written and well researched, this book is a worthy addition to exploration literature and study.

I am always amazed with always amazed with people who love to climb, as I am a big chicken and never would do it myself.

For this reason, I love reading books on peoplè's various climbing experiences and this one was definitely THAT.

Not only has Synnott climbed Mt-Everest, he had one of the most scary, in my opinion, bucket list items to do and check off.

What followins is a book that completely engrossed me. At times, I did not understand the passion for the Northwest Passage but the author does such a great job of detailing his experiences, feeling and even his thoughts.

So good and so well described and laid out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a great book that I really took my time to read. I love nonfiction adventure stories. I have read other books about the Franklin expedition before. I liked how this book mixed in the right amount of history along with the current expedition. Also a great insight into the native people who inhabit these remote places and how they survive.
Really well written and interesting.

This book was very engaging at points and hard for me to follow at others. It was easier for me to follow the modern timeline voyage and understand that, than the Franklin chapters. The bouncing between years and viewpoints was a little confusing for me. Trying to picture the locations and keep track of where things were located without a map was essentially impossible for me, so maps might be a helpful addition for this book.

I enjoyed learning about the Artic and the native people survival skills and how the European expeditions didn't learn that as much as they maybe ought to. Additionally, the facts of climate change and the impact that has on livelihoods of people still living in remote places was disheartening but interesting.

Would recommend this book if you already have an interest in the Artic, otherwise might be good to start with something else.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A real page turner. I love reading about extreme adventures in cold regions, and Mark Synnott is a great storyteller. He skillfully combines the narrative of an attempt to sail the Northwest Passage in his own boat with a lot of historical background - not only stories about the lost expedition of Sir John Franklin, but also about the indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic.

My main objections are actually raised by the author himself. At one point he begins to question his motives: “This voyage was a dream come true for me, but it was also expensive, had no intrinsic purpose, and certainly wasn’t serving the locals in any way”. And a little earlier he admits:

“I’d come to realize that there was something alien about moving through these waters aboard a modern sailing yacht with a fixed timetable, requisite fuel stops, and a need to always keep pushing as fast and hard as possible. Ensconced within Polar Sun’s canvas enclosure or in my bunk deep inside the ship, I often felt removed from the landscapes, the wildlife, and the people who lived in the communities through which we passed. It was obvious that the best way to travel through this realm was by foot and paddle, as Inuit have for millennia with their dog sleds and kayaks, traveling nimbly from one community and hunting ground to the next. And it saddened me that I might be missing the essence of the place that I so badly wanted to experience.”

While I don't want to undermine what the author and his crew did, the reader's thrill is a bit diminished by the knowledge that they could abort their voyage and evacuate at any time. I have to admit that I prefer to read about more daring adventures, like Adam Shoalts' explorations of the Canadian Arctic - yes, by foot and paddle, alone and self-sufficient for weeks at a time.

Still, Synnot's voyage "makes a hell of a story," to quote the author, so if you like that kind of armchair travel, you should definitely read this book.

Thanks to the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.