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Summary: A story of incredible courage
Review: It's good to see this book back in print. Douglas Mawson, a veteran of the 1907-1909 Shackleton expedition, returned to the Antarctic in 1912 with his own team. His sledge journey with two companions turned from a harsh but rewarding exploration into a terrifying fight for survival in an instant. At almost the same time as Scott was busily scribbling inspiring hoo-hah in his diary trying to cover up his appalling faults of leadership and organization, Mawson was courageously fighting for his life and refusing to lie down and die. An incredible story! One hopes that Australia remembers Sir Douglas Mawson and his fortitude. He is an example to all of us.
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Summary: A must for the hard-core Antarctic fan
Review: It's remarkable that people well-versed in the classic polar adventures of Shackleton, Amundsen, and Scott often barely know who Douglas Mawson is. Mawson's story of survival in the Antartic--alone and without food following the death of his companions--is the equal of these more familiar tales and dates from the same era. Bickel has a good grip on his story and writes well.Every reader looking to complete his/her knowledge of polar exploration, or just looking for another adventure "fix," will want to read this story. Readers new to the topic may find they understand Mawson's story better if they begin with the better-known stories.
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Summary: Mawson' Will: The Greatest Polar Survival Story Ever Written
Review: Just finished reading this book about a truly amazingadventure. Even though the ending is known from the beginning, itkeeps you in suspense. I've read many books about the early explorers of the North and South Poles, but this one keeps you on the edge the whole time. Absolutely terrific!
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Summary: Only the Good Die Young
Review: Lennard Bickel has written the story of one of the most courageous of his countrymen in history--and that's saying alot when the country is Australia! The depictions of trekking through the worst blizzards, glaciers and crevasses that the worst continent can offer are vivid and true. The recreation of the fortitude and humanity of Mawson's 1912-13 expedition's members shines with a humbling reality- humbling to us in our 21st century ease. The pathos of reading about the suffering of these warm, brave men (and dogs) finds compensation in tracing Mawson's own barely successful trek back to camp. While the author's subtitle seems self-important, any unbiased reviewer couldn't quibble over its accuracy. The reader from Houston has touched upon the one weak spot in the book, but Bickel reconstructed the thoughts and conversations of the men from their diaries. My only beef is that he provides no footnotes, and in places the thoughts seem to be intrusions of Bickel's own(especially in cases such as what is going through the mind of a trekker just before he falls to his death). At least Bickel's artistic license is used with skill in such places. This book makes these explorers' efforts come to life even better than Shackelton's own books, which shouldn't be missed either.
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Summary: Maps, maps, and more maps needed
Review: Maps were not included in this book and for such an excellent story to not include even one map is a terrible mistake. To read this book one has to have an Atlas in your lap at all times and even then some of the directions were impossible to follow. I can not understand why maps were not included.
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Summary: The Bottom Line
Review: OK, if you have the time to invest in Artic exploration, you need to begin with Scott's adventure to warm you up, then read about Shackleton to get really pumped up, and finish with this book. Mawson's Will is an excellent book, and a great finish to a series of horrific but fantastic voyages to the South Pole.
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Summary: Incredible Story
Review: The name does not lie. I have read quite a few polar stories, but none has matched this particular story. The place Mawson landed was already hell on earth...and yet he had to go on into a place that was even worse. If you are into adventure and survival stories, this one is for you!
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Summary: Incredible Story
Review: The name does not lie. I have read quite a few polar stories, but none has matched this particular story. The place Mawson landed was already hell on earth...and yet he had to go on into a place that was even worse. If you are into adventure and survival stories, this one is for you!
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Summary: Wanted: Editor
Review: The story is great...really great. Lennard Bickel has done an admirable job with both research and writing. He is clearly a Mawson enthusist. It is really unfortunate that the publisher didn't provide an edit pass for this great tale. For example, the very interesting information on Vitamin A is plopped into a chapter in the middle of the story. An editor would have kept it in the appendix where it belongs...
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Summary: Mawson's Will - a second-hand account.
Review: The story of Sir Douglas Mawson's 1911-13 expedition to Antarctica is, without question, one of the greatest survival stories ever told, and Bickel rises to the task in Mawson's Will. Despite this, Bickel's book is no match for Sir Douglas Mawson's personal account of his adventure, as related in the landmark work, The Home of the Blizzard. Given the choice, Home of the Blizzard is the preferred account of this adventure.
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