Toward No Earthly Pole: Letters from John Franklin's Last Expedition

James Thompson was a last-minute addition to the crew of H.M.S. Terror. The Franklin expedition was the largest and best-planned voyage to the Polar north to date, a guarantee of success. Who wouldn't want to be part of a history-making adventure?

In May 1845, Sir John Franklin, his crew of 128 men, and his ships Erebus and Terror sailed north to seek the fabled North-west Passage. After their last contact with Europeans off the coast of Greenland in July, the expedition disappeared. It took a decade of searching through the labyrinth of islands that make up Canada's north to find evidence of what happened. The only relics of significance that were found include three marked graves, a trail of weathered bones, and a single piece of paper telling a sad tale (and, recently, the two ships). The mystery of what happened to Franklin and his men intrigues professional and armchair historians to this day.

The letters of James Thompson, supplemented with contemporary sources, engages the reader in the reality of 19th century Polar exploration. The first two years of the journey were impressively successful, but the Arctic does not give up its secrets easily. There is a dark side to desperation and Thompson has to confront it, with all its moral conundrums. The letters reveal the many sides of man, and the many faces of James Thompson.

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Little is known about the Franklin expedition after their last contact with Europeans in July 1845. Hence, all re-tellings of the story have to make inferences from incomplete information. Toward No Earthly Pole takes what we know about the expedition and presents it through the words of James Thompson, Acting Engineer 1st Class on the Terror (a real member of the crew).

Fictionalized accounts of the Franklin expedition have been done before. This book differs from previous efforts in several significant ways. First, the book intertwines historical fiction with historical fact. The fiction part comes from the "recent discovery" in the Arctic of documents (mostly letters) written by Thompson. The fact comes from sidebars detailing information from contemporary sources (books, newspapers, etc.) allowing the reader to understand what was known at the time, and see how the historical record motivates the story.

Second, most exploration literature is frustrating to read because, in an expedition of discovery, the maps usually reveal all the answers in advance. Thompson's letters include maps that are reflective of what he knows at the time. The initial map shows the world at the start of the expedition (1845). As the story progresses, the map is updated by Thompson with the new discoveries. A discovery by Thompson is a discovery for the reader.

Third, to make the book more believable, it is presented as an edited book. The fictional editor, William Counter, gives the letters in an edited form complete with the historical context. As editor, he interjects insights at appropriate places.

Through Thomspon's eyes, the reader discovers the magnificence of the Polar world. But always lurking in the background, waiting to surprise the unsuspecting or the unprepared, are obvious and not-so-obvious dangers. Thompson starts out playing a minor role in the expedition while dreaming of grand accomplishments. He takes the initiative and becomes more active in the exploration and scientific aspects of the expedition, raising his stature in the eyes of his commanding officer. Success comes almost too easily to the Franklin expedition -- until 1847. Previous journeys to the Arctic had discovered the outline of a diabolical trap set by Nature. Franklin's ships tried to go around it, but the snare snapped shut. The crew is trapped in the middle of the Arctic archipelago, with no chance for external assistance. They have to find a way to safety, or die in trying. Thompson is sure he knows what needs to be done...