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On Thin Ice

An Explorer's Memoir of Siberia, Surveillance and Survival

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On Thin Ice

By: Charlie Walker
Narrated by: Charlie Walker
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'This almost insanely intrepid and dangerous trek in remotest Siberia is astonishing in itself. But it also brings invaluable experience of Russian reactions to the war against Ukraine. Altogether extraordinary' Colin Thubron, author of The Amur River

In early 2022, Charlie Walker set out to hike 600 miles along the frozen rivers of Siberia. He hoped to cut through the myth of the gulag and the permafrost to understand who its people are and how they reckon with their haunted past, as well as what the future might hold for this remote corner of our world. But on 24 February, Russia invaded Ukraine, with devastating consequences. What had begun as an adventure swiftly descended into a paranoid nightmare, as Walker began to suspect he was being monitored by the Russian authorities. Shortly afterwards he was arrested and imprisoned.

On Thin Ice juxtaposes the harsh beauty of a Siberian winter with a thriller-like series of events that exposes the dark heart of Putin's propaganda machine. It is both the extraordinary record of one man's walk through the most inhospitable place on earth and a powerful insight into a deeply troubled – and troubling – nation.

©2026 Charlie Walker (P)2026 Duckworth Books Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Politics & Government Russian & Soviet Travel Writing & Commentary World
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I have been excitedly waiting for Charlie’s next book since he announced it. Whilst I have to wait for a paperback where I live, I was glad his audiobook was available so quickly. I love it when a writer reads their own work and I have listened to Charlie’s other works as well. Charlie’s writing takes you on his journey, as if you are with him side-by-side, and this journey is one I’m glad to have experienced as I worry that I’ll never be able to travel there any time soon. I don’t want to give any spoilers away so if you enjoy journeys on roads less travelled, meeting interesting characters and learning about other cultures, climates and countries, this may very well be the audiobook for you. Well done Charlie, can’t wait to receive my paperback and go through it all again!

For those who enjoy roads less travelled

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Charlie, you have done it again. Love your sheer grit and tenacity to go out on a limb, to go where no other westerner would dare to go. Siberia a place that brings back memories of Jack London's 'call of the wild'. Yet , after reading Charlie tales of the wild frontier its probably not as romantic anymore. Thanks Charlie for taking us on another epic journey, through your lens and adventure. I highly recommend all if Charlie's travel books, rich in history and full of his own funny situations he gets himself into. Love it.

An insightful read

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