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Summary: A Good Book. A Great Rebuttal to Karkauers' Story
Review: In literary terms, the book is no match for Into Thin Air. However, the book is written well enough to be considered a good book. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who has read Into Thin Air because there are ALWAYS two sides to every story, and Boukreev airs his version of what happened on Everest in 1996 when so many people died.
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Summary: The Non-Fiction Account
Review: ...I had heard of Anatoli Boukreev and was curious about his side of the story...you get a picture of a consumate professional who did what he was supposed to: keep people alive. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to climb Everest I cannot recommend this book highly enough....END
Rating: 
Summary: Great climber, flawed book
Review: Just about everybody agrees that Boukreev was one of the world's greatest Himalayan climbers. But his personality wasn't suited for guiding rich novices up Everest, and he didn't show very good judgment in choosing G. Weston DeWalt to write "The Climb" for him. DeWalt is a worse than mediocre writer, and he protests way too much that Boukreev didn't make any mistakes on Everest in 1996. DeWalt also spends way too much time slandering John Krakauer, who didn't even criticize Boukreev that harshly in his much more carefully researched and more balanced book, "Into Thin Air." DeWalt's arguments are based mostly on innuendo and highly selective presentation of the facts. He appeals to readers' emotions rather than their intellects, apparently hoping that his claims wouldn't be subjected to critical analysis. I for one found DeWalt's methods insulting to my intelligence. If you really want to know how much better "Into Thin Air" is than "The Climb," try reading "The Climb" first. You'll quickly realize how many holes there are in the Boukreev-DeWalt book, and you'll better appreciate how it was written as an overly defensive response to Krakauer. If you're going to read "The Climb," you owe it to yourself to read the 1999 paperback edition of "Into Thin Air," which has a detailed new postscript that convincingly debunks DeWalt's overstated claims.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Sides of the Same Story
Review: I have been fascinated by this event ever since the news was first reported. A devoted acrophobe, I couldn't understand why anyone would risk life and limb to climb a mountain that didn't really need climbing. I was originally prepared to disbelieve The Climb based on my reading of other accounts, but I found it gripping and truthful, answering many questions left by the others. While I greatly respect Jon Krakauer's account (Into Thin Air) he was on a different team and had different experiences from Anatoli Boukreev. Both authors were dealing with their own exhaustion, hypoxia and hypothermia while in the midst of chaos and so details are bound to differ. It is only by reading Boukreev's and Krakauer's accounts and that of the IMAX team (Everest: Mountain Without Mercy) that can one get something of a picture of what happened in May 1996. I highly recommend this book. One flaw to note -- the paperback does not have the "eight pages of dramatic photos" mentioned on the back cover.
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Summary: Sadly The End of the Debate
Review: Good book from a different viewpoint then Into Thin Air. Too bad Anatoli Boukreev had to perish himself a little over a year later in an Avalance. This book helps us to understand his point of view. He was a great mountaineer and a great man. May he rest in peace.
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Summary: mandatory, if you have read "Into thin air"
Review: I got this book for Christmas from the same friend who gave me "Into thin air" a year ago. The Krakauer book leaves you both stunned and outraged (see my review), and while it is clearly very well written, it leaves many questions open. Boukreev's book answers a lot of these questions. Written with the intention of clearing his name, his account of the tragic events that engulfed the Mount Everest Expeditions of '96 comes across as very genuine and matter-of- fact. While it lacks Krakauer's slickness, it is still a very good and somehow more believable story. Krakauer was on a different expedition team than Boukreev, and while Krakauer's account is written as if he were part of all the expeditions that where up there and knew everything about them, Boukreev focuses on what went on with the Mountain Madness team that he was on. The main information on the mountain events is translated from Boukreev's diary, and his co-author has Dewalt has filled in the connecting information. In spite of this patchwork style the book is very readable and has an authenticity to it that Krakauer's book is clearly lacking.
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Summary: Another perspective.
Review: This book is great for what it is...the recollections of a professional mountain climber during the ascent and subsequent rescue of commercial expeditions on Everest in 1996. It's written in a matter-of-fact style that doesn't dally so much on the personal shortcomings of the participants. When the authors do bring criticism against individuals (almost always Krakauer or Pittman), it seems misplaced. The Adventure Consultants expedition is frequently referred to as "Krakauer's" even though he was only a client. And I think that only Krakauer is referred to as a "climber-client" and not merely as a "client" implying that he had some responsibility when things went bad. Personally, I didn't think "Into Thin Air" was that critical of Boukreev. No one can question that Boukreev's actions saved the lives of 3 others that had no hope. Thankfully the book doesn't spend much time heaping accolades on Boukreev or on placing much blame. In the end, it was individual decisions that led to the tragedies...tragedies that could have been even worse. The response from DeWalt to Krakauer is forgettable, but the transcription of the debriefing tapes gives even more views as to what went on. The quotes from Boukreev and Lopsang, while occasionally difficult to understand, provide the most insight.
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Summary: The Everest Hero That No one Will Forget!
Review: Before you read "Into Thin Air" you must read this book. If you've already read "Into Thin Air" then read it again after you read the "The Climb." You'll see how Jon Krakauer warped his story to make himself sound good and make the hero of Everest 1996, Anatoli Boukeev, look bad. In Anatoli's book you'll see why he did what he did. Most of it was because he had done it like that for all of his climbing life. There is no doubt that Anatoli was the strongest climber on Everest in 1996. He saved many lives on that stormy night in May of 1996. Jon Krakauer wouldn't even help look for his on teamates. Anatoli single handly saved lives with no help. I was very sad when I learned that Anatoli had died, but he died doing something he loved to do. Anatoli never did get the praise that he really was intitled to before he died. Climbing was his life, he never thought about not going out and rescuing the stranded climbers on Everest. He just did it! Every climber should mold there climbing career after Toly's. Jon Krakauer and others can warp there story all they want but the " The CLimb" tells what really happened on Everest. Anatoli was the hero on Everest in '96, he died a hero, and I will always remember him as the hero on Everest and to me!
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Summary: Mountain Man
Review: This book is Anatoli Boukreev's rebuttal of Jon Krakauer's criticism of Boukreev's actions on May 10, 1996, when three teams attempted to summit Everest. Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," of course, was the first of the two books published, was a best seller, and arguably is better written, and for these reasons many will consider Boukreev guilty until proved innocent. This book presents evidence, which I find compelling, that the actions of Boukreev that Krakauer criticizes were not irresponsible, rather that they were part of a plan, approved by Scott Fischer, to get Boukreev from the summit to Camp IV quickly to retrieve additional oxygen cannisters for the clients. Even before this book appeared, writer and mountineer Galen Rowell took to task Krakauer's treatment of Boukreev in his Wall Street Journal review of ITA. And in 1997, a year after the tragedy on Everest, The American Alpine Club's award committee unanimously voted to extend the Club's prestigious David A. Sowles Memorial Award to Boukreev. Clearly, there are many among the ranks of mountineers who do not share Krakauer's critical view of Boukreev's actions on Everest on May 10, 1996. Above I noted that ITA is arguably better written than this book. That is not to say that I found this book poorly written: I did not. Indeed I found this book provided more insight into the strategy of climbing a mountain such as Everest. Boukreev comes though in these pages as quietly heroic and a man truly happy only when climbing: a mountain man. I have no doubt that Rob Hall and Scott Fischer were of the same mould. For the most part, however, their clients - people ready and able to pony up the sixty-grand that it took to put themselves in harm's way and thus secure cocktail party bragging rights - are of a different mould altogether. Mountain man or dilettante, Everest embraces all. Bottom line: If the subject of the disastrous expeditions to Everest in May of 1996 interests you, then you should read both "Into Thin Air" and this book.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it...
Review: If you liked "Into thin Air" you will love this one too. It gives the same story from another view point.
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