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  • Empire of Ice and Stone

  • The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk
  • Written by: Buddy Levy
  • Narrated by: Will Damron
  • Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (33 ratings)

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Empire of Ice and Stone

Written by: Buddy Levy
Narrated by: Will Damron
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Publisher's Summary

"...Damron's able narration carries listeners through this arduous journey with a steady tone that lightens at moments of joy and becomes grave at times of deep sadness and loss. While the tale has all of the trappings of a great adventure novel, neither the author nor Damron let listeners forget that the toll here was real, human, and significant."- Booklist

"Will Damron sweeps listeners onto the Arctic ice with the shipwrecked crew of the Canadian KARLUK."- AudioFile

The true, harrowing story of the ill-fated 1913 Canadian Arctic Expedition and the two men who came to define it.

In the summer of 1913, the wooden-hulled brigantine Karluk departed Canada for the Arctic Ocean. At the helm was Captain Bob Bartlett, considered the world’s greatest living ice navigator. The expedition’s visionary leader was a flamboyant impresario named Vilhjalmur Stefansson hungry for fame.

Just six weeks after the Karluk departed, giant ice floes closed in around her. As the ship became icebound, Stefansson disembarked with five companions and struck out on what he claimed was a 10-day caribou hunting trip. Most on board would never see him again.

Twenty-two men and an Inuit woman with two small daughters now stood on a mile-square ice floe, their ship and their original leader gone. Under Bartlett’s leadership they built make-shift shelters, surviving the freezing darkness of Polar night. Captain Bartlett now made a difficult and courageous decision. He would take one of the young Inuit hunters and attempt a 1000-mile journey to save the shipwrecked survivors. It was their only hope.

Set against the backdrop of the Titanic disaster and World War I, filled with heroism, tragedy, and scientific discovery, Buddy Levy's Empire of Ice and Stone tells the story of two men and two distinctively different brands of leadership: one selfless, one self-serving, and how they would forever be bound by one of the most audacious and disastrous expeditions in polar history, considered the last great voyage of The Heroic Age of Discovery.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Buddy Levy (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about Empire of Ice and Stone

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Fast paced story of survival

Fascinating account of an arctic expeditions battle against nature. Although a true, accurate account it reads like an adventure novel, with many twist and turns, and good and bad characters.

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Great book, detailed and intriguing

Liked the narration, the story, and everything in between. Truly soaks up the mind when listening to it on audible.
Thanks to Steve Rinellas podcast, I downloaded it right away.

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Incredible

Such an amazing story, I thoroughly enjoyed listening from start to finish, well done, highly recommend

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Great adventure!

I’ll fated due to incompetence. Amazing none the less. High recommend to any adventure seeker.

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Excellent

Great adventure story. Hard to stop listening to. Just had to see what would happen next. Save the PDF for the end.

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Excellent

Very well done. Brings out the grim reality of facing our true North land. And how a lack of taking responsibility can be very costly

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  • 2023-03-30

Unbelievable

It's an absolutely amazing story of betrayal and loyalty. The story of Captain Bartlett is almost unbelievable. It's very well read. a pleasure to listen to.

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Excellent book

If you like arctic survival/exploration books this one is great. Narration is excellent. Highly recommend

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Excellent

Well written, riveting story of perseverance through unimaginable hardship. Captain Bartlet is a true hero.

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Amazing story

Starts slowly but captivates very quickly. The story unfolds without needless suspense. Great balance between action and description of scenery. If you love survival shows, this will not disappoint. Great narrating.

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