Laurel Melmed Audiobooks

Hidden World of Ice: a short expedition into the science of frozen places

1 audiobook reviewed

★ 3.2/5 average

13 listener ratings

Who is Laurel Melmed?

Ice is a subject that rewards attention. It records climate, shapes coastlines, kills the unprepared, and has drawn expeditions for as long as there have been maps with blank spaces at the ends. Hidden World of Ice places Laurel Melmed on that ground, filed with us under science and engineering alongside sport and the outdoors.

That pair of shelves is a useful clue to the register. It points to something positioned between the laboratory and the field: not a technical monograph, but not pure adventure writing either. Four hours is roughly the length of a good long documentary, which is often exactly the right size for a subject you are curious about rather than committed to.

Laurel Melmed in audiobooks

Joel Richards reads, and three hours and fifty-eight minutes makes this an afternoon rather than a project. Non-fiction at this length lives on clarity: a narrator who can make an explanation feel like a story is doing the real work.

The reception has been mixed rather than warm, hovering a shade above three stars across a modest set of verdicts, so approach it as an introduction rather than a definitive account. If frozen landscapes hold any pull for you, an afternoon is a light enough investment to find out. Take a look at what is listed below.