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Prisoners of the North: Portraits of Five Arctic Immortals
The frozen wilderness of the Far North has long tested the most extreme and reckless of adventurers. In Prisoners of the North, Pierre Berton depicts five extraordinary characters who were in thrall to the Artic's forbidding landscapes: a mining tycoon; an explorer; a titled lady; a backwoods eccentric; and a best-selling poet. Their life stories give us a compelling portrait of the Arctic, long before it was tamed by the bush plane, the snowmobile, and the paved highway.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
15 people are currently reading
482 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Berton
178 books206 followersPierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian historian, writer, journalist and broadcaster.
From narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his books are now Canadian classics.
Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.
Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.
From narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his books are now Canadian classics.
Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.
Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 12, 2023
Pierre Berton’s last book, published just before his death at age 84, is the history of five people who were captured by the lure of the “North”.
Berton has a naturally breezy style, and this book credits many research assistants. He also interviewed the popular “rhymester” Robert Service in the 1950s just before the old poet died in his eighties.
This volume works best as an introduction to five very different characters — see book description for the breathless details.
Berton has a naturally breezy style, and this book credits many research assistants. He also interviewed the popular “rhymester” Robert Service in the 1950s just before the old poet died in his eighties.
This volume works best as an introduction to five very different characters — see book description for the breathless details.
April 30, 2016
What is it about the Far North that not only causes people to risk their lives to explore it but also draws people to read about it?
I’m not sure, and neither is Berton, but he sure writes a good book about five people whose lives in some ways were defined and/or determined by the North – Joe Boyle, Vihjalmur Stefansson, Jane Franklin, John Hornby, and Robert Service.
Both Service and Franklin might be considered to be unusual subjects. It is unclear whether Franklin is present simply to include a woman or simply because of her impact on the search for her husband, John Franklin, whose fate while searching for the Northwest Passage, is part of Canada’s history and mythology.
It would be just to say that Berton takes hands off approach and doesn’t seem to condemn much of his subjects. He points out their failings, but larger issues are mention and not fully debated. Stefansson’s relationship with an Inuit woman is dealt with, but his behavior in terms of Wrangel Island, really isn’t. Berton saves his harshest language for Hornby whose behavior not only lead to his own death but that of two other people.
I’m not sure, and neither is Berton, but he sure writes a good book about five people whose lives in some ways were defined and/or determined by the North – Joe Boyle, Vihjalmur Stefansson, Jane Franklin, John Hornby, and Robert Service.
Both Service and Franklin might be considered to be unusual subjects. It is unclear whether Franklin is present simply to include a woman or simply because of her impact on the search for her husband, John Franklin, whose fate while searching for the Northwest Passage, is part of Canada’s history and mythology.
It would be just to say that Berton takes hands off approach and doesn’t seem to condemn much of his subjects. He points out their failings, but larger issues are mention and not fully debated. Stefansson’s relationship with an Inuit woman is dealt with, but his behavior in terms of Wrangel Island, really isn’t. Berton saves his harshest language for Hornby whose behavior not only lead to his own death but that of two other people.
May 1, 2019
The writing was well done, but the figures featured in this book were just uninspiring. In my opinion they were all self-centered, egocentric people. I couldn't wait for the end of each section with the hope that the next person would be someone to inspire something. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.
July 26, 2025
This book gives a quick synopsis of five individuals who left their mark on the Arctic. I am no scholar on the Arctic but I consider myself to be a well informed student. The author accurately chronicles four of the characters: Joe Boyle; Lady Jane Franklin; John Hornby; and Robert Service.
It is Pierre Berton’s depiction of the fifth character, Vilhjalmur Stefansson that I take exception with, and hence the Two Star rating.
The tragedy of The Karluk is a well chronicled story of a poorly planned, ill-conceived, badly organized, haphazardly manned expedition that was totally lacking leadership. The long and short of it being that after zero planning and little knowledge of how to survive in the extremes of the Arctic, Stefansson abandoned ship, mostly to escape a mutiny from his disillusioned crew, and attempted to walk to Siberia. Pierre Barton makes this all sound like a whimsical adventure. Not sure where he did his research but it is a fabrication. Stefansson’s next disaster was on Wrangle Island where he deposited four young men with zero Arctic experience and one Inuk woman as an experiment to see if his ‘friendly Arctic’ theory would work. It didn’t. Somehow Pierre Burton blames the decision to let all four perish because they did not heed Stefanssons’s instructions to take along a umiak. In the meanwhile he had two wives with families; one in the Arctic and one on a farm in Vermont. His final con was an attempt to oversee and edit a 20 volume 6 million word Arctic Encyclopedia dealing with every aspect of the world North of the Arctic Circle. The US government refused to contribute and he blamed McCarhyism and the Cold War. He was delusional as is this chapter in ‘Prisoner’s of The North’.
Too bad Berton included this poorly researched chapter in this book of Northern adventurers
It is Pierre Berton’s depiction of the fifth character, Vilhjalmur Stefansson that I take exception with, and hence the Two Star rating.
The tragedy of The Karluk is a well chronicled story of a poorly planned, ill-conceived, badly organized, haphazardly manned expedition that was totally lacking leadership. The long and short of it being that after zero planning and little knowledge of how to survive in the extremes of the Arctic, Stefansson abandoned ship, mostly to escape a mutiny from his disillusioned crew, and attempted to walk to Siberia. Pierre Barton makes this all sound like a whimsical adventure. Not sure where he did his research but it is a fabrication. Stefansson’s next disaster was on Wrangle Island where he deposited four young men with zero Arctic experience and one Inuk woman as an experiment to see if his ‘friendly Arctic’ theory would work. It didn’t. Somehow Pierre Burton blames the decision to let all four perish because they did not heed Stefanssons’s instructions to take along a umiak. In the meanwhile he had two wives with families; one in the Arctic and one on a farm in Vermont. His final con was an attempt to oversee and edit a 20 volume 6 million word Arctic Encyclopedia dealing with every aspect of the world North of the Arctic Circle. The US government refused to contribute and he blamed McCarhyism and the Cold War. He was delusional as is this chapter in ‘Prisoner’s of The North’.
Too bad Berton included this poorly researched chapter in this book of Northern adventurers
October 6, 2025
Enjoyed this book overall but found some of the stories easier to read then others. A conclusion appears to be that it took “narcissism” to be a key characteristic to living in the early days of the North.
But as always, I love Pierre Berton’s easy to read history.
But as always, I love Pierre Berton’s easy to read history.
June 7, 2018
i would not rate this as one of Pierre Berton's better books. It dealt with 5 different people exploring the far northern reaches of Canada and the Northwest Passage along with the story of one of Canada's best known poets Robert Service
April 19, 2018
Prisoners of the North is Pierre Berton's 50th book, and it's every bit as good as the 49 that came before it. Berton expertly delves into the lives of five different courageous, adventurous, and famous people: Klondike Joe Boyle, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Lady Jane Franklin, John Hornby, and Robert Service. At first there may seem to be no connection other than the time they each spent in the Arctic, but, as Berton says in his afterword, "they shared certain traits that made them exceptional. They were all rugged individualists -- impatient of authority, restless, energetic, and ambitious. They were secure within themselves -- and driven by a romantic wanderlust that freed them from the run-of-the-mill existence on which they so often turned their backs." I enjoyed this book thoroughly. The writing style is superb, it kept my attention and was interesting, informative, and entertaining. I knew bits and pieces of their stories but to get the full story was a delight. It was like eating a five course meal, each course fulfilling and complete. If you enjoy Arctic adventure, historic figures that are larger than life, and good writing, you will certainly enjoy this book.
October 21, 2018
As a Canadian, I feel you are obligated at some point to read a book by Pierre Berton, a wildly popular Canadian historian. This is the first book of his that I've read, and the last one that he wrote.
This book comprises five short biographies of people who are key figures in the history of Northern Canada (Joe Boyle, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Jane Franklin, John Hornby, and Robert Service). I feel like you can kind of tell that this book was Pierre Berton's last book, because I found the unifying thesis of these five people all being "prisoners of the north" to be a bit tenuous. I enjoyed the first three biographies--all are undeniably fascinating people, with incredible drive--but this book really got bumped up a star for me when I hit the biographies of John Hornby and Robert Service. I had never heard of Hornby before, but I found myself choking on his hubris; his tendency to exaggerate his own abilities and to charm less experienced would-be explorers into ultimately deadly situations was rage-inducing.
Robert Service's biography was the perfect end to the book. A former bank teller, he lived an almost Clark Kent-like life, pursuing a career as a mild-mannered small-town banker, while ultimately writing the verse that would turn him into famous poet.
A good book overall, that finishes strong.
This book comprises five short biographies of people who are key figures in the history of Northern Canada (Joe Boyle, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Jane Franklin, John Hornby, and Robert Service). I feel like you can kind of tell that this book was Pierre Berton's last book, because I found the unifying thesis of these five people all being "prisoners of the north" to be a bit tenuous. I enjoyed the first three biographies--all are undeniably fascinating people, with incredible drive--but this book really got bumped up a star for me when I hit the biographies of John Hornby and Robert Service. I had never heard of Hornby before, but I found myself choking on his hubris; his tendency to exaggerate his own abilities and to charm less experienced would-be explorers into ultimately deadly situations was rage-inducing.
Robert Service's biography was the perfect end to the book. A former bank teller, he lived an almost Clark Kent-like life, pursuing a career as a mild-mannered small-town banker, while ultimately writing the verse that would turn him into famous poet.
A good book overall, that finishes strong.
April 12, 2020
I’m a big fan of Berton’s prose and his folksy rather than clinically historical approach. This last book wasn’t exactly a masterwork as he tried to thread together a group of disparate mini-biographies loosely connected to the North.
However, two are the tales of hard-boiled exploration, all five of them are defined as much by their time away as in the North, and for three it is that time away that matters. In his thesis Burton tries to connect them through a magic he understandably knows better than most, a captivating by things Northern, but perhaps it’s only minor in some cases and doesn’t make for quite the tie he’d hoped.
If you like his style as I do, of course it’s worth a read, but it’s not as significance as many of his other books. In fact, it’s a mini-bio of a character which in each an every case has been handled more fully elsewhere.
However, two are the tales of hard-boiled exploration, all five of them are defined as much by their time away as in the North, and for three it is that time away that matters. In his thesis Burton tries to connect them through a magic he understandably knows better than most, a captivating by things Northern, but perhaps it’s only minor in some cases and doesn’t make for quite the tie he’d hoped.
If you like his style as I do, of course it’s worth a read, but it’s not as significance as many of his other books. In fact, it’s a mini-bio of a character which in each an every case has been handled more fully elsewhere.
July 8, 2017
I enjoyed this book. It's amazing the hardships and deprivation the characters suffered because they were driven to satisfy a keen sense of exploration and lust for discovery. In Robert Service it was a determination to reject conventionality and a restless need to explore other lifestyles. Lady Jane Franklin was fortunate to have resources to fight long and hard to have her husband publicly rewarded for his discovery. The author, having been raised in the Yukon, understands the appeal this and similar arctic territory had for these adventurers.
February 7, 2021
Pierre Berton’s last book, focussed on 5 people who’s lives were shaped by their northern Canadian connections. I was familiar with the Story of Robert Service, and Lady Franklin .I’d heard of Boyle but was not at all familiar with Hornby or Stefansson. A fascinating read. Each person gets about 60 pages- just enough to get an good understanding of their character and choices. All these five people were very different but for various reasons couldn’t quite break free of the north. All described accurately as “ independent loners” and willing prisoners of the north.
May 27, 2024
This being Pierre Berton's final book it sure is a fitting one. Being a man of the north himself the subject matter reflects his love of Canada's northern realm. His last story, that of the writer Robert Service is especially moving. When his interview with Service is done the writer asks of Berton "Is it really over?", "I wish it didn't have to stop.", "I wish it could go on forever". You have to wonder if this was deliberate on the part of Berton. Did he know this would be his last literary work?
Next hardcover: "Return From The River Kwai" by Joan and Clay Blair, Jr. (1979).
Next hardcover: "Return From The River Kwai" by Joan and Clay Blair, Jr. (1979).
March 3, 2019
I very much enjoyed this book. The five stories that are told are about five characters in Canadian History that I knew nothing about. For me the book was a good read. You can pick and chose the stories in any order as they interest you. I understand that this is Pierre's last book and if that is true it is a nice cap to a long and distinguished literary career!
May 5, 2019
Five of the most fascinating characters whose lives are unmatched. Clearly Berton loved Service most as his prose shows his passion for this poet. Yet the other 4 have left their mark and I doubt I’ll ever forget them. Such bravado and daring!
Though I find Berton’s writing a bit factual and dry it’s nonetheless interesting.
Makes me want to go north. Way north.
Though I find Berton’s writing a bit factual and dry it’s nonetheless interesting.
Makes me want to go north. Way north.
October 12, 2019
3.5 Stars
Very interesting indeed. It certainly would be very difficult to be a close family member of the people biographed in this book. They did some very extraordinary things, some rather foolish things, and seemed to be wrapped up in their own worlds. Still, it was rather fascinating reading about their adventures; and about our daunting Canadian arctic etc.
Very interesting indeed. It certainly would be very difficult to be a close family member of the people biographed in this book. They did some very extraordinary things, some rather foolish things, and seemed to be wrapped up in their own worlds. Still, it was rather fascinating reading about their adventures; and about our daunting Canadian arctic etc.
February 9, 2020
I've never heard of this author, but apparently this is his 50th book, if they're all as good as this one, I have a LOT of books to catch up on. I love books about the Canadian north, and this is up there with Farley Mowats books, just a straight forward mini biography on some of the people who lived and explored in the arctic.
July 27, 2022
Typical of Berton, crisp efficient story telling, this time about five characters whose lives were completely affected by their time in the north. Only one of the five did I know anything about (Service) but all were characters, and two of them were genuine Canadians Canadians should know about. For this we owe Berton our thanks.
May 3, 2019
The stories that I enjoyed would probably get a 5, but one or two of them I was not really interested in. It's still a good concept for a book, and as always Pierre just does a fantastic job of putting the story together.
August 3, 2020
This book was an easy read and chose an interesting selection of five people associated with the Candian north that are not typically profiled. Overall it was fairly interesting, but not nearly as captivating as other in-depth epic wilderness survival stories.
February 26, 2021
Berton does an expert job as usual, telling the true tales of five fascinating personalities who, for a time, were one with the Canadian North. As somewhat of a loner myself, I greatly enjoyed learning about these eccentric individualists, whose rebellious spirit and unique vision made them legend.
October 8, 2022
Guys eating their boots and each other!! A caribou carcass deep freeze cave! A mountaineering Lady!! Old British dudes fucking up! A drifter turned poet turned paddler extraordinaire!! A mining tycoon turned international man of mystery!! A real page turner.. looking forward to Klondike !
August 18, 2017
I only read the chapter on John Hornby. What an eccentric he was!
January 13, 2020
The biography of Robert Service was a real surprise. I didn't know the man at all!
March 29, 2020
I am always engaged in books that are biographies of people who had struggles surviving in life as a “loner”. This book did not disappoint
June 17, 2020
Best book I have read in a while. I love true historical accounts about the north and it doesn't get much better than this!
March 27, 2021
An entertaining view into 5 northern characters. Very entertaining and enlightening of the unike experiences in the Canadian north.
March 30, 2022
If it's subject intrigues you, you'll find this book extremely interesting
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July 19, 2022Introducing Joseph Whiteside Boyle, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Lady Franklin, John Hornby and Robert W Service five characters of Canada's North.
February 10, 2025
five unique characters obsessed by the North who lived by their own rules.
June 1, 2025
A STORY OF 5 INTERESTING PEOPLE
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews