Endurance vs Under the Banner of Heaven: Which Should You Read?
Endurance
Bound for Antarctica, where polar explorer Ernest Shackleton planned to cross on foot the last uncharted continent, the Endurance set sail from England, in August 1914. The ship became locked inside an island of ice,…
vs
Under the Banner of Heaven
“Balanced atop the highest spire of the Salt Lake Temple, gleaming in the Utah sun, a statue of the angel Moroni stands watch over downtown Salt Lake City with his golden trumpet raised.”
Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious…
The verdict
- Readers rate Endurance highest: Endurance 4.5 · Under the Banner of Heaven 4.0.
- Endurance is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for Under the Banner of Heaven.
- Under the Banner of Heaven has the widest readership — 231239 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Endurance | Under the Banner of Heaven | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.5 (178559) | 4.0 (231239) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (371) | 4.0 (354) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (689) | 4.0 (810) |
Reception
| Endurance | Under the Banner of Heaven | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 178559 | 231239 |
| Editions | 43 | 23 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 172899 | 191943 |
| Reading it now | 8586 | 11408 |
| Written reviews | 14907 | 16819 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3258 | 9914 |
| Pages | 287 | 395 |