The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party

Both sucessful and failed feats of courage are lauded by literature. Many have heard (and read) of the failed expedition of Ernest Shackleton to cross Antarctica. Shackletom failed to even reach the continent, as his ship, the Endurance failed to reach land. Less well known is the story of the Ross Sea Party -- the group charged with laying in supplies that Shackleton would need as he crossed the pole and returned northward. This book tells the saga of the poorly funded "other half" of the planned expedition. Focusing more on the shore party, rather than on the shipboard party on the Aurora, the book details the mistakes that were made in the first summer attempt to stock the depots, where Macintosh drove the sled dogs to death and made very little progress, to the stranding of the shore party at the end of the first summer when they were not picked up by the ship. Presuming the ship lost, and wondering if a rescue would even be attempted during WWI, the 10 men were determined to do the job they were sent to do and proceeded through all odds to strive to lay the depots that Shackleton would never need. Kelly Tyler-Lewis examines the physical and mental struggles of the shore party including their deep divisions over leadership styles. Culled from the diaries of the expedition, she has weaved a gripping tale of man's struggle against incredible odds.

The attractive front-cover design is the first indication of the quality of this work, which is well researched and written and a thoroughly engrossing read. Highly recommended.

Kelly Tyler-Lewis' The Lost Men is the first full account of the Ross Sea Party side of Ernest Shackleton's attempt to cross Antarctica during World War I. The book simultaneously tells a harrowing tale of adventure as well as exemplifying outstanding historical research. Until this book, the men of the Ross Sea Party were truly lost and voiceless. Tyler-Lewis located diaries, photographs, and even film that no other historian could find. The result of her research is an outstanding, clear, and concise work of nonfiction. The book also has the feel of a good novel. Tyler-Lewis skillfully blends research with a great adventure story. She sculpts the narrative to keep a heightened sense of suspense and wonder. She develops the complicated characters of the men in dramatic fashion, often using their own words (from their diaries and other sources) to great effect. The reader truly gets a sense of what was going through their minds and what motivated their actions. I suggest not viewing the photograph section of the book until you have finished, because it gives away events that occur later in the book. This is a difficult thing to do, indeed, because you grow attached to these men and want to see what they looked like. The only complaint I have is that the chapters detailing the crew of the ship Aurora are not nearly as interesting as the chapters about the men who are actually on Antarctica. But this is a small complaint. Overall, I was interested from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book and look forward to other works by Kelly Tyler-Lewis.