South

This is not one of the books that made Shackleton famous to recent generations. This is Shackleton's original account, cobbled together from the journals of his failed but heroic expedition in Antarctica's Weddell Sea and the equally heroic and more disastrous expedition in the Ross Sea--two parts of one attempt to cross the Antarctic continent. The account embodies the sensibilities of its time, when explorers prized penguins and seals for food. Stephen Crossley offers a measured narration with a positive tone and an Oxbridge accent that make Shackleton come alive. However, the identities of various speakers are sometimes difficult to follow as the author draws material from different first-person accounts. The scientific appendices add to this greatest of Antarctic stories. F.C. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

One might expect this story told by a Victorian explorer about his own exploits in Antarctica to be a little tedious. To the contrary, it's filled with fascinating developments and details and doesn't shrink from the stark realities of the story, as evidenced by the description of shooting and eating the sled dogs to prevent their and the humans' starvation. Sir Ernest Shackleton writes mostly in the first person. The audio publisher uses a "different acoustic" (a hollow and reverberant sound) for quotes and letters from others, which is an interesting, but disconcerting, technique. However, Barnett's reading remains at all times sober, straightforward and undramatic, as befits the seriousness of the subject. J.D.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine