Gr 7 Up—Young Apsley Cherry-Garrard dreamed of becoming an explorer, but he believed that he was born too late because every continent had already been explored by 1909. However, at the age of 23, his dreams were realized when he joined Richard Falcon Scott's expedition to Antarctica. In 1911, he volunteered for the "Winter Journey" to the South Pole and made a successful trip overland with two other men to the mating grounds of the Emperor penguin. They believed that the penguin eggs they gathered would further scientists' understanding of bird evolution. In this fictionalized account (Farrar, 2008), based on Cherry's memoirs, Richard Farr describes the grueling experience, adding re-created dialogue and interpreting emotion from Cherry-Garrard's own writings as well as journals and other primary source materials from other members of the party. Michael Page's narration, though dry at times, perfectly expresses the explorers' wry humor in the face of overwhelming adversity. The final disc includes the back matter from the book, including a recited chronology of the book's events and several notes on various facets of the expedition. This audiobook will appeal to history buffs and fans of true survival stories.—Misti Tidman, Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY

It's clear from the start that first-time author Farr cares passionately about his subject. Unfortunately it seems unlikely that contemporary readers will share his connection to Apsley Cherry-Garrard, upon whose memoir this account of Scott's ill-fated polar exploration is based. Told in the first person, this "fictional memoir" includes direct quotations from primary sources as well as black-and-white photographs from the expedition. Prior knowledge of the events is not assumed, and charts, maps and a timeline are included. Readers won't have much trouble, then, following what's happening. But ironically enough they may feel distanced from the action by the very technique that Farr hopes will draw them in. Evoking, quite convincingly, the voice of a privileged young man of the early 20th century, the text comes across as stilted and formal. Despite the high esteem in which "Cherry" clearly held them, the other explorers fail to come to life through his voice. The tragic outcome of the journey therefore loses some of its power despite its undeniable drama. Heartfelt but ultimately uninspiring. (preface, chronology, sources, bibliography) (Nonfiction. YA)

With "the historian's benefit of hindsight and the novelist's benefit of insight," Richard Farr uses Apsley Cherry-Garrard's own words to tell a story of courage, and sacrifice, perseverance, and madness. Twenty-three-year-old Cherry-Garrard was thrilled to win a spot on Captain Robert F. Scott's 1910 scientific expedition to Antarctica, the last uncharted corner of the world. Michael Page, the voice of Cherry-Garrard, has listeners breathlessly experiencing every hardship, act of bravery, and bone-chilling arctic blast of the disastrous three-year adventure. Farr's reading of the preface and afterword sets the story in the context of the great races to the Poles of the early twentieth century. Aimed at young adult listeners, this will also appeal to adventure-loving adults. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine