Under A Pole Star

Winner of the 2017 Wilbur and Niso Smith Adventure Writing Prize for Best Published Novel

"A fascinating, mysterious historical novel about a female explorer in a world of men at the end of the nineteenth century. Under a Pole Star is an adventure, an illicit romance, and a life-defying exploration of a land most of us know nothing about. The contrast of the lovers' blazing relationship set against the frigid Arctic and the secrets that propel the narrative will keep readers riveted in this hard-to-forget, mesmerizing tale!" - M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author

"Serious issues like gender bias and exploitation are adeptly handled, and the icy Arctic setting comes alive in passages of shimmering beauty...An exceptional epic about an unconventional woman's life and loves." -Booklist (Starred Review)

"Penney does a masterly job of melding Flora's story with the more factual accounts of polar expeditions, and many of her characters are taken from the pages of history. Penney's third novel is a gripping tale about the men and women who were driven to conquer the Arctic. Bound to appeal to admirers of Eowyn Ivey's To the Bright Edge of the World."-Library Journal (Starred Review)

"A tale of foul play and doomed love . . . It is a tribute to Penney's superlative descriptive skills that the book's erotic charge is so startlingly effective, and that her ice landscaped cast such a lasting, almost hallucinatory spell." -The Guardian

"What has marked Penney out from the start is her ability to make her extensive historical research come alive." -Sunday Herald

"With the nights drawing in and the temperature beginning to plummet, there's no better time to curl up with this stunningly evocative tale about an intrepid young female explorer. As immersive as it is mesmerizing, this is a novel that you won't ever forget."-Heat

"This is an epic love story set against the forbidding beauty of snow meadows. A perfect winter read."-Red

"A beautifully written tale, elegant and well-observed, full of powerful descriptions of a dazzling landscape."-S magazine, Sunday Express

"A terrific and beautifully written yarn that will make readers yearn to travel and fall in love in a cold climate."-The Times

"Penney works hard to fill her canvas with colour and conviction."-The Sunday Times