– Shortlisted for the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize 2025
"Fascinating. Important."
– Spectator
"This was such a thrilling ride of a book and at times felt reminiscent of a classic Jules Verne adventure [...] Through his compelling narrative voice and accessible writing style, he takes a complex and urgent topic of climate change and makes it less intimidating. This book is a reminder of how incredibly "cool" our planet can be, and how we must fight to protect it."
– Nick Mohammed, judge for Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize 2025
"In the hands of an expert storyteller and brilliant biologist, the topics of ice and the polar regions become a fast-moving, fascinating book that combines travelogue and natural science discovery. From encountering the arctic wooly bear caterpillars and hearty tardigrades to polar fish that manufacture their own "anti-freeze," I found Ends of the Earth to be a delightful and compelling read."
– Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organised Mind
"For me, as a theoretical physicist who works at his desk with coffee always nearby, Neil Shubin's brand of science is exhilarating, scary, and a bit alien. But adventuring to forbidding climes teaches us amazing things about our Earth and life on it. We're fortunate to have such a gifted writer on the scene to bring back these stories."
– Sean Carroll, author of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe
"An ambitious and far-reaching introduction to the polar regions [...] As an exploration of the many challenges and questions raised by the planet's poles, Ends of the Earth is highly recommended and a joy to read. Shubin's vivid and often personal account of the natural processes shaping the polar regions shows convincingly why these distant places matter deeply to the Earth system, and to our past, present and future."
– Nature
"What a remarkable planet we live on – wildest at its cold and lovely poles. This compelling volume should summon us to defend that cold, the vital task for our time on earth."
– Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
"Ends of the Earth is a gripping tale of polar exploration, from a scientist and science writer of the highest caliber. A veteran of fossil-hunting expeditions at both poles, Neil Shubin writes with such warmth about an icy subject. Come for the adventure but stay for the science, as Shubin's captivating storytelling will give you a new appreciation for some of the harshest and most mysterious places on Earth."
– Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
"The book is full of great facts. Almost 70% of the world's freshwater is trapped in ice. The ice preserves fossils and meteorites, providing clues about the beginning of the universe, pre-historic times and life on Mars."
– Economist
"He [Shubin] describes the lived experience of a field researcher, along with lively accounts of polar science from the earliest days until now. Locked within the polar ice are revelations about the deep past of the Earth and its climate, offering predictions about its future [...] Shubin writes well about how such discoveries have been made: a lay reader can enjoy the thrill of discovery without enduring the harsh conditions."
– New Statesman
"In this comprehensive yet concise history of modern polar exploration, Shubin, a professor of evolutionary biology, mixes urgent scientific findings about glaciers and sea-level rise with prescient geopolitical histories of Arctic territorial disputes. Throughout, Shubin relates stories from his own field expeditions [...] Such descriptions enliven the book, and capture Shubin's reverence for both the beauty and the mysteries hidden in the cold, barren tundra."
– The New Yorker
"Ends of the Earth is a cosmic adventure story written in ice. It's a tale of glaciers that flow like rivers and scientists who fall through crevasses and animals that evolve their own anti-freeze to allow them to thrive in extreme cold. Shubin brings alive some of the harshest and most fragile places on Earth, revealing the exquisite dance of time and physics and biology that created these icy realms and all the creatures that inhabit them, as well as the perils these regions now face in our rapidly-warming world. In the ice, Shubin has discovered the story of our time."
– Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First
"Shubin writes persuasively about the wonder, complexity, and weirdness of glacial ice and how it has "transformed our world." He explores the grandeur, mysteries, and threats to the Arctic and Antarctica. The polar regions' topography and punishing climate are vividly described [...] Enlightening and often, well, chilling, Shubin's evaluation of the polar world masterfully merges discovery, appreciation, and concern."
– Booklist, starred review
"In this dazzling report, Shubin, a biology professor at the University of Chicago, examines what the Earth's poles reveal about the planet and the universe [...] Elsewhere, Shubin offers hair-raising accounts of his own polar voyages, including a 2002 trip to Canada's Ellesmere Island during which 70 mph winds shredded his tent, and fascinating trivia on the adaptations of Arctic fauna [...] This enlightens and amazes."
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
