Rating: Summary: A superb account Review: I've been disappointed by numerous accounts of the Everest Disaster. Into Thin Air is the exception. It reads smoothly and covers all the Bases, with just enough suspense for the reader to keep going. John Krakauer has also managed to include many vivid details. I read it in one sitting.
Rating: Summary: The Greatest Adventure Novel . . . Ever Review: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a wonderfully exciting and dramatically moving novel. Jon Krakauer describes the history of the climbing of Mount Everest done by the locals from Nepal to the foreigners from far away places like Europe and the Americas. Jon is a journalist from Outside Magazine and is given the opportunity to climb Mount Everest and document his experiences for the magazine. He cannot refuse the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream so he accepts the assignment (Jon had done much mountaineering before but none as challenging as what Everest could and would make him endure.) From there he produces a breathtaking first hand account of his experiences on the mountain in the middle of the infamous 1996 disaster in which 12 of the 84 climbers to reach the summit lost their lives. Into Thin Air tells of the many perils and dangers of Mount Everest, the pain one must suffer to get to the top, and the endurance and mental toughness one must have to make it up and down alive. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, drama, or just good, interesting writing. The excitement never stops and it will always keep the reader wondering and wanting to know what happens next. I would also recommend this book because it is a brilliant account and example of what it is really like to climb Mount Everest. It really makes the reader feel like they are climbing along side the various teams struggling and striving to reach the 29,028 ft. peak (roughly cruising altitude of a commercial jet). It gives the reader interesting facts about Mount Everest and mountaineering he may not have known before. It also gives an accurate description of the history behind the high altitude glory and hardships of climbing Everest. One reason someone may not want to read Into Thin Air is that they may find it disturbing that 12 people died in such a harsh way. Some of them froze to death, some walked off cliffs because they were delirious from the high altitude and others were lost and never found. Although this is true, I do not believe that anyone should miss out on something so exciting, so interesting, and so emotionally moving. In this definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest, Jon Krakauer takes the reader step-by-step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly peak, unfolding a breathtaking story that will thrill and terrify.
Rating: Summary: Fun to Read Review: This was a good book but not a great one. This account is not nearly as factual or intriguing as some of the documentaries I have seen on TV. But I did enjoy reading it.
Rating: Summary: The best written account of the 1996 disaster yet! Review: This review is going to be short, but sweet. If you are interested in a well written and accurate account of the 1996 Mt. Everest Disaster, then this is the book to purchase. The writer is one of the survivors of this climb, and writes in a way that brings the reader to that mountain on that doomed day. Although, he gives his personal opinion in many passages, he also gives detailed factual information as seen through his eyes and other climbers' eyes. In my opinion, this is a fantastic book. I hope you enjoy this book and thanks for reading my review.
Rating: Summary: Jon Krakauer is a tool Review: Jon Krakauer isnt worth the blood in his veins.
Rating: Summary: A harrowing tale Review: The true-to-life tale of death on Mt. Everest is more suspenseful and nerve wracking than even the best novels. Mr. Krakauer does such a wonderful job that it's easy to imagine the exhaustion, dementia, and exhiliration that are visited upon the climbers. As in many factual accounts, the true drama lies in the journey.....not the destination. An amazing book, and well worth the effort.
Rating: Summary: Fascinating ... but flawed Review: A truly riveting story. You'll flip through this page turner as the real-life drama draws you in, but be aware of the flaws. Krakauer confesses the guilt he feels at the end of the book, but the reader should be aware how much he used this book to assuage that guilt. He is so quick to point the finger of blame for the tragedy on a variety of people, but most notably Anatoly Boukreev, that the discerning reader will recognize the journalistic goal of objectivity was abandoned right from the start. Shakespeare would say, "Methinks he doth protest too much." Read this book, but then read Anatoly Boukreev's book, "The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest." It's not as well written, but it provides much needed perspective after reading Krakauer's indictment of Anatoly. And after reading several other accounts of this tragedy, you'll understand why "Into Thin Air" is a fascinating but flawed account from a climber who looked into the mirror that Everest held up for him ... and who didn't like what he saw.
Rating: Summary: Mesmerizing! Review: This book will leave you spellbound as you experience a firsthand account of the fateful Mount Everest expedition in the spring of 1996, which left 8 climbers dead. Krakauer was hired by "Outside" magazine to write a feature story on the climb, but found himself fighting for his life as a series of errors and a spring blizzard collided, leading to doom on summit day. More than just an engrossing yarn, Krakauer's story charts the psychology that drives man to test the elements, and powerfully brings home the truth that Mother Nature still rules supreme on the mountain the Nepalese call "Sagarmatha".
Rating: Summary: Enthralling Tragedy Review: Could not put the book down....I was totally absorbed. This true story has a true twist at the end. The story is told with honesty and intrigue. I rarely critique books, I only do so when one truly moves me. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: Summary: This was one scary adventure Review: This book is about the 1996 climbing season on Mt. Everest. The book is excellent. It starts with a history of the mountain and a little about the major players of the story. I don't want to give away too much but everything goes wrong at the worst time and several poeple don't make it back from the summit bid. It makes you think, and you see how sometimes a strong will is what keeps you alive and for somebody else and strong will is what kills him(or her). This isn't a book that you read, put down, and forget about. I'd recommend this book to anybody.
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