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Erebus: The Story of a Ship

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Erebus: The Story of a Ship

By: Michael Palin
Narrated by: Michael Palin
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Summary

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Erebus, written and read by Michael Palin.

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, HMS Erebus undertook two of the most ambitious naval expeditions of all time.

On the first, she ventured further south than any human had ever been. On the second, she vanished with her 129-strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic, along with the HMS Terror.

Her fate remained a mystery for over 160 years.

Then, in 2014, she was found.

This is her story.
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Now available: Michael Palin's North Korea Journals
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A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

'Beyond terrific . . . I didn't want it to end.' Bill Bryson

'Illuminated by flashes of gentle wit . . . It's a fascinating story that [Palin] brings full-bloodedly to life.' Guardian

'This is an incredible book . . . The Erebus story is the Arctic epic we've all been waiting for.' Nicholas Crane

'Thoroughly absorbs the reader. . . Carefully researched and well-crafted, it brings the story of a ship vividly to life.' Sunday Times

'A great story . . . Told in a very relaxed and sometimes - as you might expect - very funny Palin style.' David Baddiel, Daily Mail

'Magisterial . . . Brings energy, wit and humanity to a story that has never ceased to tantalise people since the 1840s.' The Times

 20th Century Adventure Travel Arctic & Antarctica Modern Polar Regions Adventure Thought-Provoking Funny Sailing
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Critic reviews

Beyond terrific. I didn’t want it to end. (Bill Bryson)
Thoroughly absorbs the reader. . . Carefully researched and well-crafted, it brings the story of a ship vividly to life.
[Palin’s] narrative is driven by a deep sympathy for explorers and adventurers, while also being illuminated by flashes of gentle wit . . . It’s a fascinating story that he brings full-bloodedly to life, stripping away the barnacles of the past to reveal the hidden history of a ship. (Robert Douglas-Fairhurst)
Everybody’s talking about it . . . A brilliant book. (Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2)
With this irresistible and often harrowing account, Michael Palin makes a convincing case that one heroic little ship embodied the golden ago of polar exploration better than any other: HMS Erebus. (John Geiger, co-author of Frozen in Time)
[Written] with a wry enthusiasm, bolstered by his own experiences as an eminent explorer and film-maker . . . His moving account of the discovery of abandoned items, taken on board as comforts of home by the officers – silver cutlery with their initials indented, scattered on a frozen shore – affected me the most. (Colin Greenwood, Radiohead bassist)
I absolutely loved it: I had to read it at one sitting . . . Fascinating. (Lorraine Kelly)
Magisterial . . . A natural storyteller, [Palin] captures beautifully the sense of awe experienced by Ross and his men as they encountered the wonders and terrors of Antarctica . . . He brings energy, wit and humanity to a story that has never ceased to tantalise people since the 1840s.
At this late date, and against all odds, Michael Palin has found an original way to enter and explore the Royal Navy narrative of polar exploration. Palin is a superb stylist, low-key and conversational, who skillfully incorporates personal experience. He turns up obscure facts, reanimates essential moments, and never shies away from taking controversial positions. This beautifully produced volume – colour plates, outstanding maps – is a landmark achievement. (Ken McGoogan, author of Fatal Passage)
This is an incredible book. I couldn’t put it down. The Erebus story is the Arctic epic we’ve all been waiting for. (Nicholas Crane)
All stars
Most relevant
An incredible story, richly researched and brought to life with the narration of Michael Palin, delivered with the texture and warmth required to thaw such a tale from the frozen seascape.

fascinating, tragic and heroic

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Loved it. They must have gone through hell on these voyages.
We take it all for granted now of course.

Excellent. Michael Palin tells this so well.

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chapter 15 onwards in particular is excellent. Grips the heart of the story so well.

great to have Mr Palin speaking it thru

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After having watched 'the terror' and other documentaries about their discovery on Canada, I was hoping to learn more about the I'll fated journey but also the men who sailed upon both Erebus and Terror and the overall zeitgeist of maritime discovery.

I was not disappointed. The listen entirely matched my expectations and you really feel like you have gone on the the journey with Palin bit also the key protagonists in the book behind discoveries in the Arctic and Antarctic.

it is empirically rigorous without being dry, humourous without being flippant and reflective without being too heavy. a well told narrative that pieces together a ship in its time.

the fact that Palin documents his travels in search of Erebus information makes the listen all the more interesting. as a result I rattled through it very quickly. a must listen

Fantastic listen, taken on a true journey

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I really, really enjoyed this book... So much so that I'm going to buy the hardback to pick up on some of the diagrams and charts that I've read are included in the hardcopy version. However, Michael Palin was a superb reader and brought the characters to life with his range of accents and I loved the witty aside comments that were liberally drizzled throughout the story, so the audiobook delivers a punch of its own. I was familiar with the Franklin expedition and its fate, but didn't realise the ships' history. Without detracting from others' enjoyment this story exposed me to a whole new aspect of the ships and their crews. I loved the diary entries for the various characters and got to look forward to what so-and-so was going to say about a particular situation - which was then delivered superbly by Mr Palin. Yes the latter part of the book is not quite as animated, but there was less subject matter to work from there due to the lack of survivors with complete diaries! Would strongly recommend this to anyone with an interest in polar exploration (and not just the Arctic!) or anyone with an interest in the activities and livelihoods of British sailors of the mid-1800s.

Fascinating and enjoyable! Too bad it had to end.

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