In a day of alpha, beta, and hundreds of testing protocols, would you take off across the Arctic Ocean in a cloth balloon that had never been flown? What seems crazy now was standard procedure for the heroes in Realm of Ice and Sky. Much like his previous book, Labyrinth of Ice, Buddy Levy’s new history/adventure/science offering will have you on the edge of your seat as explorers such as Walter Wellman, Roald Amundsen, and Umberto Nobile plunge full-hearted into the frozen north in hopes of being the first to the top of the world. Who actually got there first – and there is still some debate – pales next to what these explorers accomplished with little more than wood, steel, and cloth.
Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy, (List Price: $32, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250289186, January 2025)
Reviewed by Doloris Vest, Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia