- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press; Reprint edition (Feb 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312311133
- ISBN-13: 978-0312311131
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.2 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,277,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The Broken Lands - a treacherous labyrinth of ice in the most uncharted region of the Arctic. Then in 1845 two ships led by Sir John Franklin set sail on a voyage of exploration, but for ten years their fortunes were shrouded in mystery. Here Eric recreates the first three of those lost years.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a novel of the ill-fated Franklin expedition in the 1940's which tried to find a North West Passage through the Arctic ice across the top of Canada. The story opens with both ships kitted out and fully crewed and ready to go, and I expected to be plunged straight into the expedition. Howerever the first 60 or so pages are dismally dull, being taken up with visits to various territories and minor officials, none of which has any bearing on the story whatsoever. During this interlude, although we are introduced to some of the major characters, other than their names and positions there is hardly any detail about them. Apart from a brief moment when the characters are brought to life at the start of Part 2, this total lack of empathy with the characters continues throughout the book and is its major failing. I was told so little about the men, their backgrounds and what really drove them that I found it virtually impossible to care about them. I expected some idea of what the men thought, the feel of the terrible cold, the conditions on board the ships, etc, but there is so very little. Instead there are almost daily reports in an abundance of detail on what the ice was doing. It almost seems as if someone has transcribed a ship's log book and added a few conversations and a bit of dressing.
With such a dramatic setting, the personalities involved, the endurance of the men and the constant fight against nature and the terribly sad outcome, there was ample scope for a powerful, engrossing tale which tugged at the heart strings, but the book failed to deliver any of those. In comparison to Robert Ryan's "Death on the Ice", this book is a non-starter.
With such a dramatic setting, the personalities involved, the endurance of the men and the constant fight against nature and the terribly sad outcome, there was ample scope for a powerful, engrossing tale which tugged at the heart strings, but the book failed to deliver any of those. In comparison to Robert Ryan's "Death on the Ice", this book is a non-starter.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Bleak but engaging
8 Feb 2002
Format:Hardcover
The quest for the NorthWest Passage has always fascinated me. Reading accounts of Nansen, Frobisher and Hudson fuelled my early love for adventure and the North.
Broken Lands does not disappoint. This novel tells of an expedition into the Canadian North by the "Lion of the North," Sir John Franklin. The research that author Robert Edric must have done is showcased in the detailed account of the effects of extreme cold on the expedition's ships and sailors. He gives the North a distinct character in Broken Lands: one of a harsh, merciless adversary.
The characters are believable and the story is captivating. the descriptions of the Arctic are evocative and powerful. Edric writes for his audience. The combination of personal struggle and taut action makes Broken Lands immensely readable.
The Franklin expedition may not have happened exactly as Edric presents it, but after reading Broken Lands, it certainly feels possible. An excellent fictional supposition of what the expedition was like.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
wonderful writing
10 Jan 2010
Format:Hardcover
Like the Arctic ice it so beautifully and realistically it describes, this book keeps the reader in its vise as the ships of the Franklin expedition were kept. This is a real page turner, and with each page I became more identified with the well-drawn characters and anxious for them to survive, although I knew in advance that they wouldn't. Franklin himself is the least clearly drawn, and this is O.K. here, as he is almost an eminence gris, so far above the "common" man on the expedition.
This novel did what any good work should do: it made me want to delve deeper into the facts and check out some of the other titles that have been recommended here.
This novel did what any good work should do: it made me want to delve deeper into the facts and check out some of the other titles that have been recommended here.
10 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Don't Waste Your Money On This One!
11 April 2002
Format:Hardcover
I know this is supposed to be a 'historical novel' about the famous Franklin Expedition but the author should at least stick to known facts. He has Graham Gore alive until about the last page when he in fact was dead before the trek to Back's Fish River began. Also, Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier - the only true Polar expert in the entire expedition - is portrayed constantly as the bad guy. Captain Crozier had been to the Arctic numerous times with Parry and to the Antarctic with Ross so he had experience in any ice condition. Sir James Clark Ross thought highly of him and called him his 'tried and trusty friend'. John Irving of the Terror wrote his sister how much he liked 'my Skipper'. Sir John Franklin only wanted to lead the expedition because of his political troubles in Tasmania and he was trying to heal his wounded pride. Captain Crozier had, in fact, commanded the Terror during Ross' Antartic expedition and conned his ship through many dangers. I can't understand why Fitzjames is made out to be the big hero when in fact he got where he was because of his friendship with Sir John Barrow's son. If you want to read an outstanding 'historical novel' about this famed expedition, then buy NORTH WITH FRANKLIN: THE LOST JOURNALS OF JAMES FITZJAMES by John Wilson. For the actual historical story itself (not a novel), you can't do any better than ARCTIC GRAIL by Pierre Berton, BARROW'S BOYS by Fergus Fleming and the 2 books by David C. Woodman (by far the best of them all): UNRAVELLING THE FRANKLIN MYSTERY and STRANGERS AMONG US. Don't waste your money buying THE BROKEN LANDS - I'm sorry I did.
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