Rating: 
Summary: it surprised me
Review: I expected an account of what happened on the mountain, but didn't expect to feel the cold. The author's description of what it's like to struggle up the side of a mountain, what the cold feels like, what it looks like, and what a lack of sleep and oxygen do to you - all make for interesting reading. That would have been enough. But wrap these details around the human tragedy experienced, and you've got one great book.
Rating: 
Summary: A little boring, but beyond worth reading it
Review: Into Thin Air was extraordianry. In the middle it was a little boring, but just think about why his tells that information. I couldn't put the book down. Just have to stick with it. Please don't quit in the middle. Put your mind at rest, and be thankful you are warm.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting and interesting story of very selfish people.
Review: The book was written with vivid description. The topic was quite interesting. The story flow was ok. The craziness of people to climb this mountain and the selfishness in many people's minds to get to the top at all costs was eye opening. The thrill of "something" felt like it was missing. I do feel the account was told to the best of one's recollection, but I just didn't feel the tragedy was represented as horrifically as it probably was experienced.
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Summary: A haunting tale that I wasn't able to put down
Review: I bought "Into Thin Air" last year with a gift certificate (that I received for Christmas). Unfortunately, i never got around to reading it until now (although I did begin it a couple of times). I saw the IMAX film "Everest" two days ago and as soon as I got home I went up to my room and began it. I was haunted by the people that perished on Everest. The currrent weather conditions where I live made the story more real and showed me how awful it must have been (however, the pain is something I can't imagine and hope I never am confronted with). This past summer I climbed Mt.Olympus with a group of 40 others and know how tiring it can be (don't get me wrong i realize that this could never compare to the conditions(ie. cold)). When Krakauer described how awe struck he was I could relate. I finished this book faster than any book of substance I've read in the past year. I look forward to finishing "Into The Wild". However, I don't think he can top "Into Thin Air". Afterall it's much easier to make a book real to the reader when you, yourself, were present during the describe events. When I was out today shoveling snow and ice I thought twice before complaining about being cold.
Rating:
Summary: This is a very good, but not great, book.
Review: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer was a very exciting and enjoyable read. I was able to feel the tension and the pain that he was trying to convey. It was also very educational, as I don't really know that much about mountin climbing. I am now more interested, and I plan to read other climbing and Everest books. The book's major flaw, that which prevents it from being a 5 star book, is the way that Krakauer lightly discusses drug use by some of the people discribed in the book. That whole topic was handled irresponsibly. Putting that aside, this is a fine book.
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Summary: A breathtakingly emotional account of the 96' Everest climb
Review: Jon Krakauer brings the reader from base camp all the way to the summit in this lucid and wrenching account of the 96' expedition that ended in tragedy. I was absolutely absorbed from page one. One can only imagine the perils and heartbreaking heroism that took place on that fateful trip. A must read for us climbers as well as anyone looking to lose themselves in a great book. My hat goes off to Jon for an informative as well as gut-wrenching experience brought to life. I know I personally plan on a summit assault within the next 18 months and this book was the final impetus for that decision. Thank you Mr. Krakauer.
Rating:
Summary: Though I knew the outcome, I couldn't put this book down!
Review: If this book were fiction, you could call it a thriller. Since it actually happened, harrowing may be a better word. I have no particular interest in mountaineering, but found this book fascinating. Warning: you may not be able to sleep well after finishing the book.
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Summary: A glimpse into a world that few will ever experience...
Review: Although it is understandable that readers have strongly polar opinions regarding Jon Krakauer's account of the events in 1996 expedition, readers are fortunate that a seasoned writer was actually present and chose to chronicle the events (regardless of his motives - profit, guilt or otherwise). It had to have been a complex undertaking to reconstruct the events through both his own (arguably) clouded memories and notes as well as those of the other expedition survivors that later agreed to be interviewed. Wouldn't it have been interesting to compare, say, Sandy Pitman's recollection of those same days on that mountain? Although I'm not a climber, I know someone who did summit Everest in 1995. We have spoken at length regarding both Krakauer's and Boukreev's accounts of 1996. He feels strongly that both Fischer and Hall made serious errors in judgment long before any effects of hypoxia could be blamed. Clearly, both Fischer's and Hall's motives and judgement can be called into question during the last 24 hours of their ill-fated lives. Having experienced extreme weather and the affects of low-oxygen himself during his expedition, this man further assures me that we will never have a factually accurate accounting of the events as they unfolded during the waning hours of the 1996 expedition's summit attempt. He does agree, however, that Krakauer does an accurate job of conveying the misery that so many of the Everest-summiting hopefuls experience. Regardless of the factual minutia, the book remains a fabulous read.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have read in years!
Review: This book is fast moving. It is unusual that an author would be so critical of the judgment of other people and write about it without fear of being sued. It is a truly frank story that kept me reading as fast as I could.
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Summary: This book will dispel any false bravado about Everest.
Review: This book will bring to live the scope of the tragedy that happen on Everest. The author's description of the coming storm; makes you want to scream at the doom climbers to turn back. This book graphically display's the savagery of climbing Everest.
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