Rating: 
Summary: A waste of 6 bucks...
Review: I got this book after I married the son of one of the climbers killed on K2 in 1986 because I was interested and curious about his father. This was a waste of my money. Eiger Dreams was much more informative.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommend!
Review: I liked this book very much. Curran is an excellent writer with a sense of humor to match. (I have waded through some mountaineering books not written by writers that were trying enough that I would not have finished if I weren't so interested in the subject). Curran is wonderful; humble and courageous, while making the experience very accessible to the reader.
Rating:
Summary: ET TU...K2?
Review: It is summer...1986. Twenty seven climbers triumph at the K2 summit. Thirteen climbers die in their quest to conquer K2. Therein lies the tale.The author, a photographer who calls himself a climber, though that is debatable, attempts to make sense of the events which unfolded on the mountain that summer. Relying upon the anecdotes and narratives of others, as well as his own personal observations, he tries to put the events into perspective, even though he has no first hand knowledge of what transpired up on the mountain, for the most part. Although he was there, he rarely ventured past base camp. The book does make for an interesting read, as we look at events as they unfold before the author. It is amazing that with all the tragedies which seemed to occur at almost every turn, the climbers still kept climbing, never losing sight of their quest. At times this singlemindedness on the part of the climbers comes across as somewhat meglomaniacal. The author is very candid in his commentary throughout the book and, surprisingly, he does not hesitate to speak ill of the dead. His candor, while somewhat disturbing, is refreshing, and it is interesting to find out that the gods do, indeed, have clay feet.
Rating: 
Summary: Written by a filmmaker, not a climber
Review: It sounds like some horrendous things happened on K2 that summer, but the author wasn't really there for any of it. He spent most of the time at base camp, and can only report at best second hand on what happened. A lot of the book is taken up with what summer at base camp was like, which may not be what you're looking for.
Rating:
Summary: Ditto
Review: Like other readers, I was able to easily put this book down at any time. The author spends his time at base camp, and does not really want to get caught up in the drama of the tragedies that are occurring above. For a much better (short story) about that summer, try Krakauer's "Bad Summer on K2" in Eiger Dreams or High:Stories of Survival from Everest and K2.
Rating:
Summary: A very engaging read
Review: Ten years before the 1996 climbing disaster on Mt. Everest, 13 people died on the world's 2nd highest mountain -- and far greater climbing challenge -- K2. Although this book isn't as dramatic or well written as Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, it's still an excellent book full of true to life adventure and tragedy.
Part of this is due to the fact that the adventure genre wasn't quite as developed or palpable in 1987. Part of it is that few of the characters are described in any depth. But mostly, the problem was that Jim Curran was there to film the expedition and never had any intention of summiting. Had he attempted to climb K2, I'm sure the story would have been richer.
Rating:
Summary: Good short story
Review: This book is about the 1986 season on K2 when there were several casualties. It is written in a funny and self-deprecating tone, which is refreshing given the usual self-aggrandisement tone of mountaineering adventures. Of course, the author is not an accomplished mountaineer, but rather an observer who happens to be on the mountain. He does spend a bit too much time going through the full description of characters on the mountain that season, the first since Pakistan allowed climbers back after a long hiatus. However, I guess it is best to err on the heavier side of character development, so it is okay. It is a quick fun read, if not life-changing like many mountaineering books seem to try to be.
Rating:
Summary: Good short story
Review: This book is about the 1986 season on K2 when there were several casualties. It is written in a funny and self-deprecating tone, which is refreshing given the usual self-aggrandisement tone of mountaineering adventures. Of course, the author is not an accomplished mountaineer, but rather an observer who happens to be on the mountain. He does spend a bit too much time going through the full description of characters on the mountain that season, the first since Pakistan allowed climbers back after a long hiatus. However, I guess it is best to err on the heavier side of character development, so it is okay. It is a quick fun read, if not life-changing like many mountaineering books seem to try to be.
Rating: 
Summary: An overview of the 1986 K2 season
Review: This book is another in the long list of books on epics in the high Himalayas. This one covers the 1986 season on K2 where 13 people lost there lives. The author was a cinematographer with one of the expeditions. He wasn't much of an athlete, he didn't know how to ski, and he didn't go high on the mountain. So the story is told mostly from base camp and from second hand stories by the climbers on the mountain. Therefore, exactly what happened is unclear. This always seems to be the case in these stories because the preception of the characters is often clouded by hypoxia. The 1939 American K2 expedition and the 1996 Everest season comes to mind. Events, times and other occurrences get confused by everyone involved. Plus, with climbers, large egos are usually involved and no one wishes to be criticized for their actions. Hypoxia makes one do strange things high on a mountain and seemingly logical actions later make no sense. This account is a overall account of what happened during that season. The author probably recorded the events as he saw them accurately because he never went too high on the mountain and was probably less affected by hypoxia for that reason. However, his account also is limited because he didn't go high and his view of the events, except for what went on at base camp, was second hand. In particular a lot of his information came from a Taiwanese expedition that always seemed to be wrong, possibly due to a language barrier. A worthy read for overall background. Kurt Diemberger's book, 'The Endless Knot' may shed some light on the subject. He was one of the two survivors of seven trapped high on K2 during an extended storm. Again, the story may be hampered by hypoxia.
Rating:
Summary: dull and easy to put down
Review: This is a dud all the way. It is written in a definate British style, and took over a week to read. If you want a good story, read "Into Thin Air". This is one to pass up.
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