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

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Summary: "Sheer Heartpounding Excitement"
Review: This book, is excellant, and a tough one to put down. It's perfect in almost every way. If there's one book that you pick to read this summer, make it this one!!

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Summary: Factual, haunting account of hubris and disaster on Everest
Review: I completely agree with reviewers who say this book lived on with them long after they finished it. Perhaps the timeless and pitiless majesty of the setting has a part in it but so does the courage and humanity of those involved, most particularly that of the experts and the guides. As an exercise in hubris, the 1996 expeditions to Everest can scarcely be matched. That said, the punishment meted out is of an exquisite cruelty. Any lingering desire I might have had to climb any really high mountain, let alone Everest, is safely and permanently extinguished. The author's spare style allows this astonishing story to speak for itself - it needs no embellishment and gets none. Indeed, the author is almost crushed by his own tale. A must for all those who relish Greek tragedy - it is all here and written in English as crisp as the environment in which it is set.

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Summary: A must read for outdoor enthusiasts
Review: A first hand account of an ascent on Everest, this book was crisply written and riveting in its' details. Each person that decides to climb this mountain knows the risk he/she is taking. One man can not save an entire expedition and the tragedy of this expedition is no exception. Numerous persons have died attempting this life long goal but few have documented their thoughts as well as Jon.

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Summary: Superb!!!
Review: Very detail description of the journey to Mt Everest. Provide a good historical background on the craze to conquer Mt Everest. Story is never boring.

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Summary: A MUST read
Review: This is a wonderful book that reels you in and never lets go of your attention. It is wounderfully written and exciting.

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Summary: A good book... on a terrible and very fascinating subjet
Review: I am a french reader, and I have read the french version of this book. As an other customer told : since I have read it, I am fascinated by Everest and looking forward to go to the base camp. Only to the base Camp... Any way: thanks to Ron for having told us what happend and leading to the top.

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Summary: Riveting, Intense, and Painfully Dramatic
Review: Jon Krakauer is everything I strive to be in a writer. He is not wordy or pretentious. He made me feel as if I were a part of the expedition. A truly heart-felt novel. Thanks, Jon. Hornbein Forever. - C. Milton Davis

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Summary: Interesting at points but contains dull, uninteresting momen
Review: I had three reactions to this work. First, there are certain portions that read like a Hollywood blockbuster. Prime examples of this occur when we find out one member of Halls team is sleeping with another member, and Woodhall's lies and deceitful was with the South African team. The second reaction Ihad to this book was that he did not hide the fact that he was an editor for an outdoorsy type of magazine. Finally, I felt deeply for the people who went through that horrible ordeal, the author made every moment real.

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Summary: One that will stay with you...
Review: As I was reading this book, I kept wondering what drove these adventurers to attempt the feats described. But, even more amazing, was the incredible compassion and courage shown by many in the group when everything seemed lost. A stirring account of some truly remarkable individuals facing an insurmountable challenge. This one will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

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Summary: Didactic yet gripping
Review: Just the facts. Krakauer was there and yet he sticks to a very fact oriented format. The true story is better than fiction and despite the dryness of the writing the tale is unbelievably gripping. I read it in one night and immediately went to buy his other books.