Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

Rating:
Summary: Gripping life-and-death adventure that stays w/ you for life
Review: Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. Although it is difficult to keep the dozens of players straight during the story, the details are painted so vividly by Krakauer that you'll feel as if you were there. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: It was o.k.
Review: This book wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I didn't like the way the author skipped back and forth between the past and present events. He spent more time talking about the history of Mt. Everest and the people that climbed it than he did telling about what happened in 1996. I think the book would have been better if he would have just told his story from the beginning and stuck with it until the end.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but......
Review: I was completely pulled into this book. I have no climbing desire at all, and in fact believe people who need or want to do that are "nuts!", but the story was great. It really shows you a different world ( the climbing world) and Krakauer is a very good writer. And although it tells of a horrific tragedy, it didn't leave me depressed, I just couldn't stop thinking about all those involved. It really stayed with me, and will for a long time. After reading this, I bought INTO THE WILD and enjoyed it too, although not as much. I liked Jon Krakauers writing so much, I almost subscribed to OUTSIDE Magazine just so I could read more. I do agree with the Singapore review that Krakauers account and book seemed more fictious than THE CLIMB, and do feel Krakauer unfairly criticized A. Boukreev. THE CLIMB, I believe was a more honest, personal account of what actually happened and Anatoli was the real hero, and not the villian (maybe too harsh a label) Krakauer steered the readers into believing. It is an unbelievable good read and should be read, just get all sides of the story.

Rating:
Summary: Better than the IMAX film.....
Review: Krakauer's work is a quick read, tinged with guilt and effective self-absorption, and provides a compelling story that most will enjoy. His insights go beyond the normal "because it's there" motivation that climbers feel, and exposes the assortment of heroic adventurers to be something quite less.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome! You feel all of the emotion of the mountain.
Review: To be honest it is the best book i have ever read. It is an inspiring tale of triumph and tragedy. All of the credit goes to Krakauer for writing a masterpiece. I recomend this book to all.

Rating:
Summary: Not a book, but a Personal Vendetta
Review: What a joke. This book is not an "account" of the tragedy on Mt Everest, but, rather, an attempt by Mr Krakauer to lay all of the blame for the events at the feet of Anatoli Boukreev. Fairly ironic coming from the guy who slept in his tent while Boukreev, oxygen or not, was out searching in the blizzard in the middle of the night. I guess this was how Krakauer decided to sensationalize the book to maximize his profits from the tragedy. If you want to read a better book about it, check out "The Climb" by Boukreev. His account seems to match more closely with all of the other newspaper and magazine accounts that were written about these events. I only wish I could have given it zero stars instead of one.

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A BOOK!!!
Review: I really did enjoy this book. I did not give it a fifth star, because it was a bit slow starting. But it was very informational. Mr Krakauer did an amazing job of setting us up for the end of the novel. He described each character so well. At the half way point of the book, I simply could not put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen to each character. I would like to thank Jon Krakauer for sharing his heroic and frightening story. And may Rob Hall, Scott Fischer, Yasuko Namba, Andy Harris, and Doug Hansen rest in peace.

Rating:
Summary: Very Fascinating!
Review: I am not a climber (far from it) but I truly disagree with the impression that most folks I speak to feel that Boukreev was bashed by Krakauer. I believe that he was expressing his (and other) opinions of the climb from a personal standpoint. In the end I WANT to read Broukreev's book not because I think he is *evil* but that I want a more rounded opinion on what happened. My confusion is that I had heard Boukreev suffered a tragic (not fatal) injury. Could someone clarify this? From what I read in the reviews it sounds as though Boukreev is no longer alive?! I had a lot of respect for anyone involved with the whole 1996 ordeal. We are SOOOO wrong to point fingers and say this and that should have happened. How many of us really know what we would do under such incredible circumstances! Shame on you! This is why I disagree with most of you who claim that Boukreev is bashed by Krakauer. Nuff said.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing personal acount of the 1996 Mt. Everest Disaster!
Review: I have read both this book, and "The Climb" by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt, but this book is so much better! This book is an amazing personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster in 1996. Jon Krakauer writes with amazing powerfulness, and gives his readers a great idea of what went wrong. You should read this book no matter what! I recommend this book to anyone who can read.

Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ-- KEPT MY ATTENTION
Review: JON'S FIRST HAND EXP. ON THIS TRIP WAS WHAT MADE THIS BOOK GREAT. EVERY STEP OF THE WAY UP TO THE TOP AND BACK DOWN WAS TOLD FIRST HAND. IT IS A GREAT GREAT BOOK.