Terra Incognita: Travels In Antarctica (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
Once in a while a person accidentally stumbles on an especially annoying book. One written particularly because a desperate publisher made a phone call, or mailed a letter with a check to an author with the words: "It's time to write another one, Shirley..." and the author hurled herself to write, without a plan, without ideas and the only thing that came out was a dull diary filled with self pity, anti-Americanism, sexism and generally criticism... Well, this is one of those books and I truly feel sorry for the trees that have to die annually to satisfy the erroneous marketing projections of underpaid book editors in the current cost-cutting environment (especially after the advent of Print-on-Demand) in order to deliver such hideous and mind numbing gems. Yet I am also grateful. I'm grateful for these sacrifices because they serve to carry a message to the reader, which he or she can carry to you the broader audience. That message is - DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS BOOK AND THIS AUTHOR. In terms of content - well, there is no story here. This is simply a tedious account of a lonely woman who spent someone else's money to visit Antarctica and record her daily experiences. What kind of experiences, you wonder? The kind that go like this" "...we took off over the frozen sound toward the Transantarctics..." "...we could see individual birds waddling about with stones in their beaks..." "...Later that day we landed at the snout of the Mawson Glacier for a picnic..." "...so we all had our own few feet of privacy. It was hot and dark inside..." "...and later we saw all their small yellow tents pitched in the distance..." and go on and on and on... Occasionally the author makes references to Scott's, Shackleton's and other expeditions, but in no way enough to stir imagination or interest. I doubt you'd learn anything new from this book. If you are truly interested about Antarctica, the history behind the conquests and a first person account of the harshness of the pole and its frozen lands, check out "Race to the Pole: Tragedy, Heroism, and Scott's Antarctic Quest" by Ranulph Fiennes. Yield to reason - ignore this one.
This book is a fascinating account of life on Antarctica, and the allure that the continent has had on previous generations. This is primarily a travelogue, but does describe the early exploration of Anatarctica and some of the current research efforts. In the first part of the book, Sara describes in an abundance of detail the characters she meets and daily activities on several research bases. It seems a bit long-winded, but at the same time, I thought it was indicative of the landscape. Much the way that Russian authors write long novels with lots of subplots to get through the long winters, a book on Antarctica ought to give space to each person and event. Thus, the book meanders amiably through the histories of past explorers and how the toilets work nowadays. She described what the researchers were doing (i.e. drilling ice cores or collecting microorganisms) but not why they were doing it. The book would have been better if these details were added.One of the most interesting aspects of the book is in how the isolation and such has impacted visitors through time, and how she experiences this herself. In the latter portion of the book, Sara is living in an outpost through the end of winter. This part of the story is the most powerful, as we can really see how the human spirit deals with this. However, it is also in need of a good editing. There are a number of sweeping generalizations or assumptions in the latter half of the book that just sound vindictive. (for example, the scientists don't really understand Antarctica, an excess of complaints about testosterone levels at the British camp and details of those who shunned her) Again, I can imagine that in the middle of the Antarctic winter, these comments seemed normal, but they should have been edited out. Overall, this book is great. I really enjoyed the interweaving of history, science, and personal discovery. It could have been a 5-star book if it had been edited on a warmer continent.
What do You think about Terra Incognita: Travels In Antarctica (1999)?
I enjoyed this book a lot, though the occasional scientific diversions sometimes distracted from the narrative. The author is a great writer, with lots of colorful and descriptive tools in her arsenal. I enjoyed the fact that she wove historical anecdotes and scientific concepts into the book. The main scientific thrust of this book is the effect that climate change is having on Antarctica, which is awful but true. Still, I felt that was a bit too much of a focus.But when she's writing about the people who live and work in Antarctica, and about the historical figures who have been a part of the story, the book is fascinating. I really recommend it!
—Leah
In her writing, Wheeler has a knack for immersing herself in the places that she visits, and teasing out the stories of the location and the people.She has been appointed writer in residence in Antarctica, and sets about visiting as many of the bases across the continent that she can. Her easy going manner makes it easy for her to fit in with the predominately male staff. She writes about the characters in each of the bases, and the antics that they get up to, and the way that they cope with the isolation and the climate. As people become aware of her presence she get more invitations to other bases. She is put with the artist in residence, and they are allowed to live a short way from the base to they can concentrate on their art and writing. The book covers the history of the polar exploration there too, and the narrative is woven with the places that Scott and Amundsen visited, lived at and sadly perished at.Wheelers descriptions of the glaciers and landscape are very evocative, but do not hold back from the reality and brutality of the weather and the cold there. It is a beautifully written book, partly because it is one of the places that make her feel so alive and this glee comes across in the book, and also that her observational writing is accurate and measured.
—Paul
Writing a boring book about the most extreme environment on Earth is quite a feat, but this author achieved the seemingly impossible. I pushed through to the end, but it felt like wading through mud. The book is mostly about Wheeler's personal feelings and reflections about Antarctica during her seventh-month visit to the continent, and while she had read the literature of exploration, she was not able to supply anything profound or remotely interesting; her literary style is pedestrian, her insights superficial, and the narrative stays strictly at the level of the banal and the mundane. Much more interesting is Miguel Serrano's La Antártica y otros Mitos, which packs vastly more in 1/8 of the wordcount.
—Alex Kurtagic
