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Summary: "High adventure" at it's finest...and it's all true!
Review: You get it all with this book...expert story-telling in a writng style that puts you on Everest with Krakauer's team, gut-wrenching remorse for all the mistakes (Krakauer's and the team's) made that cost the lives of some of his fellow climbers, technical explanations of mountain-climbing (acclimitization was a term/theory that I had no idea of) and, finally, follow-up on all the important people/events that characterized this story. In short, it's easy to see why this book spent time as a "best-seller"...you won't be able to put it down. Highest recommendation!
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Summary: Stumbled Upon
Review: I know nothing of mountain climbing, nothing of mountain climbers, and nothing of the author. I am, however, always seeking the thrill of finding that rare book that grabs me by the seat of my pants and can't be put down. This is one of those rare finds.
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Summary: MORE THAT JUST A MOUNTAIN
Review: I don't give many 5 star ratings. This book launched me into reading about mountain climbing and I have also since read two of Krakauer's other books which shows its profound effect on me. Into Thin Air describes the ill-fated adventure that occurred on Everest in 1996 in which a freak storm and poor judgment led to the untimely deaths of several would be summiters. Two of the deaths were mountaineers of great renown. So why read a book about tragedy and death? Jon Krakauer does what few authors can do. He gives you a true feeling of being there and feeling the wind, and the cold, and the snow. I found myself feeling short of breath at his description of altitude oxygen starvation. The author is honest and even in exposing his mistakes and share of blame in the tragedy. Some parts are quite humorous and I had to put the book down and laugh out loud. It is a mixture of adventure, suspense, and drama. I loved learning about the Sherpa culture and way of life over in the small villages and towns in Tibet. Also, you will learn about mountain climbing and the equipment and the skill necessary. Remember the phrase: "Getting to the summit is optional. Making it down is mandatory."
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good... After first few chapters
Review: I just finished the book and it was excellent. After the first few chapters of him giving the intro and arriving at the mountain, the story picks up. It is wonderfully detailed and researched. Since he climbed the mountain himself he has the first hand experience so he wrote the book knowing all of the characters and what it felt like. At the end it gets very emotional and almost scary as people start dying, but it makes the book better. I would recommend this book to anyone that needs a book to read.
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Summary: Couldn't put this one down
Review: The force of nature, and its impact on even the most highly trained climbers on Everest, is recreated in Into Thin Air with amazing attention to detail. Krakauer acquaints the reader with the history of Everest-climbing expeditions, the teams on the mountain during the disaster, the particular members of his own climbing team, and then a compelling look at what happened before , during, and after the hurricane-strength storm that took so many lives that day. You won't be able to put the book down when Krakauer begins to describe the frustration and agony he experienced during the day's climb, then the confusion and chaos as the storm hit and his team became scattered and irretrievable on the mountaintop. Krakauer is exceedingly regretful about some decisions he made on that fateful day, and the reader can feel the weight of his remorse and sorrow through his candid writing. This adds to the somnolence of the novel, but also empowers the work with deep emotion. More than a chronology of what happened on Everest on May 10, 1996, Into Thin Air is an outpouring of honest sentiment from Krakauer, who clearly experienced a great deal of pain at the tragic loss of admirable colleagues.
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Summary: INTO THIN AIR CRITIQUE
Review: Into Thin Air, a mesmerizing, non-fiction story by Jon Krakauer, is very well written. In his account, the writer does not exaggerate the events that took place during the harrowing climb of Mt. Everest. It gives the reader a true feeling of what was going on when the climbers were trapped on the mountain. Krakauer presents many characters in this book, but only develops the details surrounding the experiences of two groups. The tone of the story ranges from sad to triumphant. The saddest part is when the climbers died in their attempt to climb Mount Everest. The victorious climbers even out the plot when they reached the summit and descended safely. The plot of the book is very well developed, keeping you on the edge of your seat, making it difficult to put the book down. The conversations between the climbers were very well thought out and developed. There were some aspects of Into Thin Air that were not as spell binding to this reader. An example of this was the use of techno- jargon. Even though it was accompanied by footnotes it was still was very confusing if you did not know anything about technical climbing. There was also a great deal of repetition from chapter to chapter. Finally, the author did not really explain what actually happened to the climbers who made it back down the mountain, so the plot left you hanging. These is an excellent book for readers who want to learn about climbing without actually attempting it themselves or are too afraid to try.
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Summary: A remarkable tale of hubris, courage, and bad luck
Review: I have little to add to the praise for Jon Krakauer's INTO THIN AIR, but I feel I must make my small contribution nonetheless. Each chapter of this stunning book builds upon the suspense of the last, becomes as chilling as the ill-fated 1996 expedition to the top of Everest itself. As we read we know the disaster looms just ahead over the next peak, but Krakauer lulls us into a sense of oxygen-deprived serenity -- much like Krakauer experienced on Everest -- before the storm hits and the horror begins. An unbelievable story, truly, that made a folk hero out of Beck Weathers and the survivors the center of controversy for, perhaps, a foolhardy attempt at Everest's summit hours after the window of opportunity had been slammed shut. Every day now, as I climb any hill or tall set of stairs and find myself out of breath, I'll think of the adventurers at the roof of the world -- out of oxygen, dehydrated, beaten by the hurricane-force winds, exposed to unbelievable cold -- and I'll quietly, and humbly, be on my way.
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Summary: GREAT
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. But be careful, don't expect to get anything done or think about anything else while you're reading this book. It is THAT gripping.
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Summary: A great education in high-altitude mountaineering
Review: If you want to read mountaineering books, or you have read some and don't understand all the terms, read this book! Krakauer takes the time to explain climbing terms and phrases to the layperson in a way that is informative without slowing down the movement of the story. His honest, straightforward writing explains the 1996 Everest "disaster" in a way that is personal, but surprisingly objective. I enjoyed his writing style immensely and found it a fascinating, hard-to-put-down story. I have read other books in this genre, and found that I kept coming back and rereading this one because it helped me understand the others. If you like simple, unembellished writing and gripping true stories, you will love this book.
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Summary: What Price Glory?
Review: Into Thin Air is absolutely magnificent... a first hand report of a high profile disaster by a good writer who knows his stuff. It doesn't get any better than this. Krakauer is both an expert climber and an accomplished adventure writer and he combines these talents in this book. Unlike Krakauer's other works, however, there is an element here that really makes Into Thin Air special. I speak of Krakauer's savage critique of the over-commercialization of mountain climbing that is fueled by money, greed and vanity. Outfitters, guides and porters (or Sherpas in the case of the Himalaya) rush ill-prepared tourist climbers up mountains like Everest to crank out fees in what are invariably dirt poor regions of the world. After all, as Krakauer notes, it's bad for business to have tourists return home without a satisfying experience (i.e. not reaching the summit). On many expeditions, tourist climbers just carry a day pack as their slaves haul up most of the gear, which on some mountains (like Kilimanjaro in Tanzania) sometimes includes spacious tents, tables, chairs, plates, cutlery and grills. When you get into your Mercedes at home, please remember that the smiling porters on mountains like Kili get about $5/day and local guides maybe twice that. The Sherpas that Krakauer describes so sympathetically don't get much more and face enormous danger. Of course, the outfitters who book these trips and the lead guides get most of your money, thank you. There are over 100 frozen corpses on Everest. In their quest for glory, climbers on the higher reaches of this mountain will routinely pass these ghostly reminders of death. Krakauer touchingly describes a climber on Everest who sat down next to the frozen corpse of guide Rob Hall near the summit and talked to his old friend. Krakauer deserves great credit for turning Into Thin Air into something more than just another adventure story. A major theme of this book is the commercialization of Everest. The lightening rod for Krakauer's criticism is Sandy Hill Pittman, a New York socialite and gadfly reporter who was on his ill-fated team. Pittman had Lopsand Janghu Sherpa haul her heavy and cumbersome satellite phone up the mountain, even though it never worked at the higher elevations. This glory seeking parasite had fashion magazines sent in from home and delivered to her at base camp. On an earlier Everest attempt, Pittman had Sherpas carry an espresso machine up the mountain. Every ounce of extra baggage at these elevations is like an anchor, which is what Pittman herself turned out to be. Of course, the smiling Sherpas are not going to complain, since Pittman and her kind pay the bills. Krakauer describes in riveting detail the efforts of the Sherpas and guides to drag Pittman up Everest. She was short-roped for part of the ascent by Lopsang Janghu Sherpa, meaning she was literally pulled up Everest. At one point, she was even pushed up the mountain.. After all, as Krakauer sarcastically notes, Pittman was a high profile client whose success would reflect well on her guide, Rob Hall. Yes, Pittman reached the summit. But, as the author reflects, she must also take much of the blame for the deaths of those who enabled her. She is no hero... The real heroes in this story are those who had the good judgment to turn back just short of the summit when exhaustion and bad weather set in. These individuals, such as Dr. Stuart Hutchison of Montreal, had some strength left to later help with the rescue effort for those who came down out of the Death Zone. "Who is to blame?" asks Krakauer. The guides, like Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, who would drag almost anyone up Everest for that fat $70,000 fee? Or the wealthy climbers who pay the bills to add mountains like Everest to their trophy cases? Or is it society in general, which clamors for high achievement, danger and death? Krakauer doesn't really know. The pursuit of excellence is admirable, but so is good judgment. I think Stuart Hutchison's wife would agree as she and her husband now sit around their fireplace in their cozy home in Montreal. And, as Krakauer sadly notes, the spouses of the dead heroes on Everest would probably agree, too, as they raise their children alone in shattered lives. What Price Glory?
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