Julian Sancton

Roger Dooley wasn’t looking for the San Jose. But an accidental discovery in the dusty stacks of a Spanish archive in the 1980s led him to the story of a lifetime—the journey of a ship that had gathered a mountain of riches from the New World for a long-awaited delivery to the King of Spain nearly three centuries earlier. But that ship, the galleon San Jose, never reached its destination. Instead, the Spanish treasure fleet was drawn into a pitched battle with British ships of war off the coast of Cartagena. When the smoke cleared, the San Jose had disappeared into the ocean. Though a diver at heart, Dooley was an unlikely candidate to find the San Jose. Half Cuban by birth, he lived a life that stretched from the ballfields of Brooklyn to the shores of Castro’s Havana at the dawn of revolution, where he would help birth a fledgling nation’s diving program and make films with Jacques Cousteau, before finding himself placed on an international watch list and barred from the United States. Dooley had little in the way of serious credentials, yet his tenacity and single-minded devotion to finding the San Jose led him to breakthroughs once thought impossible. As he jousted with famous treasure hunters and well-funded competitors, Dooley ultimately homed in on a patch of sea that might contain a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck—or nothing at all. Neptune's Fortune plunges into a rarified world through the eyes of an idiosyncratic protagonist, one whose work would spark the hopes of presidents and make real the dreams of a nation. This tale of temerity and treasure is a one-of-a-kind story of a lost fortune and the decades-long quest to shine a light on the bounty at the bottom of the sea.

The riveting true story of a legendary Spanish galleon that sunk off the coast of Colombia with over $1 billion in gold and silver--and one man's obsessive quest to find it--from the New York Times bestselling author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth Roger Dooley wasn't looking for the San Jos . But an accidental discovery in the dusty stacks of a Spanish archive led him to the story of a lifetime, the tale of a great eighteenth-century treasure ship loaded with riches from the New World and destined for Spain. But that ship, the galleon San Jos , met a darker fate. It was drawn into a pitched battle with British ships of war off the coast of Cartagena, and when the smoke cleared, the San Jos and its bounty had disappeared into the ocean, its coordinates lost to time. Though a diver at heart, Dooley was an unlikely candidate to find the San Jos . He had little in the way of serious credentials, yet his tenacity and single-minded devotion to finding and excavating the ship powered him across four decades, even as he became a man in exile from the country of his birth. As Dooley jousted with famous treasure hunters and well-funded competitors, he slowly homed in on a patch of sea that might contain a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck--or nothing at all. Neptune's Fortune is a thrilling adventure, taking readers from great naval battles on the high seas to the sun-soaked shores that nurtured history's most notorious treasure hunters, to the archives that held the secret keys to lost fortune on the ocean floor.

I august 1897 satte den 31 år gamle belgiske kommandanten Adrien de Gerlache seil med Belgica, drevet av eventyrlyst og drømmer om ære for hjemlandet. Målet var Antarktis. Men før skipet forlot Sør-Amerika, hadde det allerede brutt sammen, gått på grunn og mistet flere viktige besetningsmedlemmer. Gerlache fortsatte like fullt, helt til skipet satt fast i isen. Her ble mannskapet fanget i en endeløs, bekmørk vinter. Plaget av sykdom, underernæring og monotoni havnet flere av dem på randen av galskap. Blant mannskapet var den amerikansk legen Frederick Cook og den 24 år gamle nestkommanderende Roald Amundsen. Dette var en avgjørende ekspedisjon for Amundsens videre karriere, og sammen med Cook la han en plan for å få mennene ut av helvetet ved verdens ende. Dette er isende polarlitteratur med norsk link, en internasjonal thriller fra virkeligheten. «Makeløs sakprosa-thriller om en ekstrem ekspedisjon i 1897. (...) Kampen med å få frigjort båten fra isen er en mektig spenningsdel i seg selv, i hell og hardt arbeid. Forfatterens dype faktadykk og detaljrike, spenstige språk gir boken troverdighet og et øs av sidevendende dramatikk.» Stein Roll, Adresseavisen (Terningkast 5) «Noko av det fine med Sanctons bok, er at han gjer greie for den historiske samanhengen denne og andre polferder stod i. (...) Og spegelen mot vår eigen tid blir tydeleg når Sancton gjer greie for dei urovekkande endringane som har skjedd i polområda i etterkant av Belgicas overvintring, med omfattande oppvarming og issmelting som følgje av menneskeskapte klimaendringar. Denne evna til å trekke trådane opp til vår eigen tid, gjer Julian Sanctons bok til eit tankevekkande og mørkt kapittel i polekspedisjonanes historie.» Rolv Nøtvik Jakobsen, Vårt Land «... en gripende reise inn i isolasjonen og fortvilelsen som brer seg da mannskapet på skuten «Belgica» i 1898 høyst ufrivillig blir de første som overvintrer i Antarktis. Man pådrar seg nærmest sympatineglesprett i møtet med denne belgiske (!) polarekspedisjonen som blir sittende fast i pakkisen i Bellingshausenhavet. Ikke minst fordi vår egen polarhelt, Roald Amundsen, spiller en sentral birolle som førstestyrmann. (...) Sancton er i hovedsak en grundig og pålitelig forteller, godt hjulpet av at ti av mannskapet skrev dagbok eller skipslogg og flere også fulgte opp med bøker.» Øyvind Holen, Dagens Næringsliv

Jännitysnäytelmä AntarktiksellaElokuussa 1897 kolmimastoinen höyrylaiva Belgica seilasi Antwerpenin satamasta kohti Etelänapaa tähtäimessään kolmevuotinen tutkimusretki, maine ja kunnia. Kunnianhimoinen kapteeni de Gerlache halusi saavuttaa ensimmäisenä vielä valloittamattoman Etelänavan, mutta pian matkanteko kävi vaaralliseksi. Periksiantamaton de Gerlache vaati, että matkaa jatketaan. Pian Belgica jäätyi kiinni Bellingshauseninmereen, ja koko seutu vajosi talveen ja kaamokseen. Miesten fyysinen ja henkinen terveydentila paheni kuukausien kuluessa, ja pian tavoiteltiin vain eloonjäämistä. Ilman kahta miestä kaikki olisivat kuolleet: Frederick Cook ja nuori Roald Amundsen hankkivat talvella ruokaa ja tekivät keväällä epätoivoisen pelastautumissuunnitelman, jonka todennäköisin lopputulos olisi koko miehistön päätyminen hyisen meren pohjaan. Julian Sancton on newyorkilainen kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on kirjoittanut artikkeleita mm. Vanity Fairille ja The New Yorkerille. Jännitysnäytelmän tavoin etenevä, tositapahtumiin perustuva Pimeän ja jään vangit on New York Times -bestseller.” Teoksen imu ei hellitä kertaakaan. Sancton on kirjoittanut trillerin.” – Wall Street Journal”Belgican matka Etelänapamantereelle vuonna 1897 oli silkkaa kauhua. Kapteeni, joka oli pihalla kuin lumiukko, laiva, joka oli pullollaan rottia ja joka oli jäätynyt sijoilleen, keripukki, pimeys, nälkä, hulluus... mahtava tarina!” – The New Statesman, vuoden parhaat kirjat”Aloitin lukemaan Pimeän ja jään vankeja... enkä pystynyt lopettamaan. Se on kuin seikkailuromaani, niin täynnä yksityiskohtia, että lukija pystyy melkein haistamaan ja maistamaan sen.” – Bon Appétit”Pimeän ja jään vangit on upea poikkeus: Se on tärkeä, mutta unohduksiin vaipunut tarina, josta perusteellinen tutkimus ja kiehtova kerronta tekevät suoranaisen trillerin. Sen lukeminen on seikkailu aivan yhtä lailla kuin naparetki, jota se kuvaa.” – Walter Isaacson, kirjailija

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The "exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing" (The New York Times) true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry--with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter "The energy of the narrative never flags. . . . Sancton has produced a thriller."--The Wall Street Journal In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache's plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship's occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Julian Sancton unfolds an epic story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook--half genius, half con man--whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice--one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep.

'An epic of survival' -- MICHAEL PALIN'A "grade-A classic"' -- SUNDAY TIMES'Utterly enthralling' -- GEOFF DYER, GUARDIAN'Deeply engrossing' -- NEW YORK TIMESLISTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, SUNDAY TIMESThe harrowing, survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly wrong, with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. August 1897: The Belgica set sail, eager to become the first scientific expedition to reach the white wilderness of the South Pole. But the ship soon became stuck fast in the ice of the Bellinghausen sea, condemning the ship's crew to overwintering in Antarctica and months of endless polar night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness, their minds ravaged by the sound of dozens of rats teeming in the hold, they descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure gone horribly awry. As the crew teetered on the brink, the Captain increasingly relied on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity - Dr. Frederick Cook, the wild American whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, who later raced Captain Scott to the South Pole. Together, Cook and Amundsen would plan a last-ditch, desperate escape from the ice-one that would either etch their names into history or doom them to a terrible fate in the frozen ocean. Drawing on first-hand crew diaries and journals, and exclusive access to the ship's logbook, the result is equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror. This is an unforgettable journey into the deep.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The "exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing" (The New York Times) true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry--with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter "The energy of the narrative never flags. . . . Sancton has produced a thriller."--The Wall Street Journal In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache's plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship's occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Julian Sancton unfolds an epic story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook--half genius, half con man--whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice--one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep.