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Summary: Enjoyable short stories...
Review: I highly recommend this collection of short stories for those who like to read of adventure and the outdoors and how it engrosses some people's life. Nice variety of stories and hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: A book that is hard to put down
Review: I liked this book. I have read Into Thin Air and Into the Wild. I look forward t more books from this author. I would like a follow up book to see what has happened to the mountaineers that were written about.
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Summary: i rated this book because jon krakauer tells everything from
Review: i rated it this because jon krakauer really writes the story bad. if he had written it in a more fasonable way it could of been better
Rating:
Summary: Great Writing, Great Stories
Review: I read Into Thin Air a few years ago. I found it compelling, but at points I felt that the writing was rushed. I just finished Eiger Dreams and was very impressed. Because all but one of these stories started as magazine articles (mostly in Outside, a tremendous magazine when it isn't a travel mag), they are well put together. Most of the stories are riveting (I read the book in one setting). Krakauer is a skilled author. A few times I found myself laughing. A few times I found myself tense from the suspense.
Rating: 
Summary: On the folly of mountain climbing
Review: I read this book with a mixture of awe and revulsion. There's no denying that Krakauer is a good writer, and that the events and people of which he writes are interesting. But the fact of the matter remains is that the "past-time" that these people have devoted--and in some cases sacrificed--their lives is an excellent example of man's propensity to forsake reason and logic in the pursuit of illusory goals. To devote oneself to climbing mountains for the sake of thrills and notarity ultimately serves no useful purpose, and simply gratifies the ego of the climber. Sadly, the mindset of the mountain climber resembles that of the gallant soldier of yore who with nonsensical and misguided idealism would willingly shirk all concern for self for the sake of some ultimately pointless objective. Were these people to come to the rational conclusion it should not be man's place to conquer everything on this planet (and subsequently turn that which is conquered into a gigantic playground) and that one can attain much greater and sincere rewards by revering the mountain from a distance, they'd have my undying respect. But as it stands, I have no sympathy for these people whatsoever.
Rating:
Summary: On the folly of mountain climbing
Review: I read this book with a mixture of awe and revulsion. There's no denying that Krakauer is a good writer, and that the events and people of which he writes are interesting. But the fact of the matter remains is that the "past-time" that these people have devoted--and in some cases sacrificed--their lives is an excellent example of man's propensity to forsake reason and logic in the pursuit of illusory goals. To devote oneself to climbing mountains for the sake of thrills and notarity ultimately serves no useful purpose, and simply gratifies the ego of the climber. Sadly, the mindset of the mountain climber resembles that of the gallant soldier of yore who with nonsensical and misguided idealism would willingly shirk all concern for self for the sake of some ultimately pointless objective. Were these people to come to the rational conclusion it should not be man's place to conquer everything on this planet (and subsequently turn that which is conquered into a gigantic playground) and that one can attain much greater and sincere rewards by revering the mountain from a distance, they'd have my undying respect. But as it stands, I have no sympathy for these people whatsoever.
Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing introduction to the essence of climbing
Review: I've never climbed anything more challenging than a bunk bed, but after reading the essays in "Eiger Dreams" I felt like I had an insight into the thrills and terrors that attract mountain climbers to dizzying and dangerous heights. Krakauer says in his introduction that he doesn't just want to describe climbing, he wants the reader to begin to understand why climbers are so relentlessly obsessive about their sport. I think he was successful in this respect. He also touches on many different aspects of the sport, including what it's like to be stuck in your tent for days on end; the rewards and repercussions of solo climbing; the challenge laid down by legendary climber Reinhold Messner, who eschewed pre-prepared routes and bottled oxygen; and the culture of climbing towns which are packed to the gills with climbers of varying degrees of skill and equipment. My favorite essay is the last one, probably because it's the most personal to the author. In it he tells the story of how he quit his dead-end job and spent his last dollar on an ambitious attempt to become the first climber to scale the north face of the Devil's Thumb, an imposing Alaskan peak. This piece is repeated in Krakauer's later book "Into the Wild", but it is definitely worth reading twice if you have both books. My only complaint is that I got more out of Krakauer's later books "Into the Wild" and "Into Thin Air", if only because they deal with a single narrative and draw the reader that much deeper into the lives of their obsessed protagonists. The essays in "Eiger Dreams" do not explore as deeply as those later books, but they still do a good job of reflecting the excitement and danger inherent in the sport.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book a whole lot
Review: I've read all of Jon Krakauer's books, and while this one doesn't have the huge drama of Into Thin Air (because shorter stories can't possibly build up like a novel can), it is just as entertaining because of the broader scope. Not only are Jon Krakauer's books extremely interesting, but I feel like I know quite a bit about mountain climbing after just having read them. I think that for everyone who enjoys a good, real-life adventure, this is a must-read.
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Summary: A Wonderful Collection of Stories.........
Review: I've read Into Thin Air and Into the Wild so when I picked up this book in the Seattle airport after getting off Mt. Rainier I was hoping it would be as good. I wasn't disappointed. An excellent mix of both adventure and mountaineering stories, I finished this book in no time at all. What really strikes me is the life that Krakauer has been able to lead. I only wish I had had the time and direction to attempt half of what this guy has done and then be able to write so candidly about it. This book is first rate. From the stories about canyons in the Southwest to excellent climbing stories that focus not only on the terrain, but the personalities along the way, make this book enjoyable cover to cover. The fact that climbers are such an interesting cross section of society is vividly expounded on in this book. You finish feeling you know these folks intimately or at least relate to just about everyone as a friend or contemporary. Buy it.....read it. Then give it to a friend like I did. The Burgess Boys are worth the cost alone!
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Summary: I got vertigo reading this
Review: I've read three of Krakauer's books including this one. Into Thin Air is eclipsed by Kenneth Kamler's Doctor On Everest, but Krakauer's own Under The Banner Of Heaven and Eiger Dreams are in a class by themselves. I have never had a fear of heights, but the stories in this book, particularly the one of his climb of the Devil's Thumb, a volcanic chimney in Alaska, lifting hundreds of feet into thin air is perhaps one of the most evocative pieces of writing I've ever read. If you are fascinated by mountins and the madmen and crazy women who climb them, this is your book. Either it will make you drop everything and head for the high remote places of the world, or render you at least sane enough to say, "I think I'll take my adventure in another way." Say in some weird polygamous community in southern Utah or northern Arizona. Krakauer knows mountains, and he knows how to take us with him, shaking, sweating and not daring look down, up a shear, icy face. This is great outdoor adventure writing. Highly recommended. wfh
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