Erebus by Michael Palin

I was given this book (just published a month or so ago) for Christmas 2018 (it is a signed copy) and the timing was perfect, as I had not long finished reading Peter Fitzsimons' Mawson. I have a number of Michael Palin's other books in the library (Sahara, Himalaya and the Python Diaries) and now the question is - do I put this book with the other Palin books or do I put it with my great explorer books (as part of my own rather unique filing system).

I read it in a week and enjoyed it immensely. These were times and feats which formed the background against which the later generation of Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott and Mawson explored. 

Booktopia summed it up nicely:

Michael Palin – Monty Python star and television globetrotter – brings the remarkable Erebus back to life, following it from its launch in 1826 to the epic voyages of discovery that led to glory in the Antarctic and to ultimate catastrophe in the Arctic. 

The ship was filled with fascinating people: the dashing and popular James Clark Ross, who charted much of the ‘Great Southern Barrier’; the troubled John Franklin, whose chequered career culminated in the Erebus's final, disastrous expedition; and the eager Joseph Dalton Hooker, a brilliant naturalist – when he wasn't shooting the local wildlife dead. 

Vividly recounting the experiences of the men who first set foot on Antarctica’s Victoria Land, and those who, just a few years later, froze to death one by one in the Arctic ice, beyond the reach of desperate rescue missions, Erebus is a wonderfully evocative account of a truly extraordinary adventure, brought to life by a master explorer and storyteller. 

Palin has done a huge amount of research to get the story right, and this attention to detail, along with his wonderful story telling ability, make for a "ripping yarn". He also talks of his own travels in the footsteps of Erebus and the explorers who sailed in her and her sister ship the Terror. This adds an additional personal touch to the story.

I was so impressed by the antarctic explorations of James Clark Ross, so well documented in the first half of the book. I must admit that this was a time of antarctic exploration with which I was not familiar. One can't help but think that Clark was blessed with that fortunate combination of common sense, sound leadership and sheer good luck. Two small ships, operating under sail only, went further and found more than any other, and got back safely.

The fatal expedition to the North West Passage is much briefer than the Antarctic journey, but this is because so little known of what happened on the final journey. What I did like was the gradual buildup of evidence over the next century, culminating in the finds in 2014 and 2016. While we may never know the finer details of what happened, many of the pieces of the jigsaw are now complete.

The book illustrates the hubris of 19th century England. They were the best and the finest and they knew it. This hubris led to the flawed decision to place the ageing Franklin in charge of the final Arctic trip, and the delay in sending out search parties. It is amazing to think that they spent 3, perhaps 4, winters marooned in the Arctic before finally succumbing to their fate.

I am reminded of the wonderful book The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding, which I read and enjoyed some years ago. It tells the story (fictitious but perhaps based on fact) of a 17th century sailor who spends a severe arctic winter by himself (in the same region) as a result of a bet while on board a whaling ship. Now this is also worth a read.

Overall, Erebus is a great read.