... all in a book I just finished. I don't consider myself qualified to write a "review," but I may pique your interest with my impressions of Dead Men, by Richard Pierce. When I read the book jacket synopsis I thought, "Sounds interesting," but I didn't have any wild expectations. Not unusual for me when I make a reading selection.
The main story is about the man (Royal Navy Captain Robert F. Scott) and his expedition that lost the race to be the first to reach the South Pole. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was first. Scott and his men are portrayed through diaries and papers that were saved and a bit of fiction. The fiction reads like very good interpretations of fact.
Rarely do I read a book "I can't put down." The only time I can remember that happening was The Godfather. I polished that off in two consecutive nights of uninterrupted reading.
Dead Men held my interest, delivered everything the synopsis promised and something I wasn't expecting. Not one, but two love stories intertwined in the telling of the adventure.
One, involving the two main characters, developed as their investigation of Scott's trek took them to Antarctica in the hopes of finding the bodies of those left behind.
The other was that of Scott and his widow. Her reaction to the news of his death was, to me, amazing.
I don't, as I said, have the qualifications to consider myself a book reviewer. If I did, I think I'd give this one 9 stars (on a 10 scale).
