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artsanchezg t1_izqw5ew wrote

I enjoyed it but it certainly was a little too long. The fantastic parts were my least favourite. The cold, the hunger, the men... were scarier than the monster. Probably i would have liked it better as a purely historical book.

There is a really excellent TV series based on the book by the way.

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jessicas213 t1_izr59ps wrote

Agree, the horror part could have been dropped entirely and it wouldn't have hurt it. I love the expedition gone wrong story the most. It actually started me reading a bunch of non fiction about early exploration and the absolute crazy conditions people dealt with as just normal.

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ATLL2112 t1_izrnucd wrote

Check out Endurance by Alfred Lansing about Ernest Shackleton's failed expedition to the South Pole.

Incredible that every single member of the crew survived.

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Badroadrash101 t1_izs1f6o wrote

Great book. Agree on the recommendation. I would also add The Last Place on Earth by Huntford. Race to the South Pole between Scott and Amundsen.

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MS3FGX t1_izramfo wrote

If I'm honest, I actually liked the show more than the book, specifically because they decided to drop a lot of the more fantastical elements.

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idrinkkombucha OP t1_izr6ox7 wrote

Yes, the monster was the least scary part of the book to me. Murder and starvation was much scarier!

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sigmaninus t1_izsyby4 wrote

Oh I agree entirely on the focus of the horror (ive only watched the show not read the book) the lead poisoning vs. starvation I found the most real and therefore the most harrowing

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hippydipster t1_iztob7d wrote

But we would have missed the part where the monster's bouncing around the sails and rigging trying to catch the dude! Absurdity like that shouldn't be missed.

Also, Mardi Gras on ice was great.

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Quakespeare t1_izs0dim wrote

This is actually a case of the series being better than the book, in my opinion!

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docsyzygy t1_izuo7at wrote

Yes, the series with Ciarán Hinds was...chilling!

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05110909 t1_j21vcwc wrote

For me, I just hope I never read the phrase "pressure ridge" ever again in my life.

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