Rating: 
Summary: An Amazing and Honest Book
Review: An Excellent book, so honest. It's great to read a climbing book by someone not entrenched in all the commercialism, someone who is able to offer honest and thoughtful opinions on the tragic state of Himalayan climbing today. The book reads very well, a must for everyone interested in Himalayan climbing today. Joe Simpson is a genius.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing and honest,a must
Review: Great book again by Joe.I read all his books and although this one is a bit different from the others in that it's more about the ethics of climbing than the actual climbing it's great to see a climber being so honest and daring to tell the nasty stuff that unfortunately goes on in the climbing-"business"...
Rating: 
Summary: Into Deadly Air
Review: Having once almost died himself in a mountaineering accident, Joe Simpson's "Dark Shadows Falling" attempts to sound the warning for amature climbers who might have missed the message in Jon Krakauer's hugely popular "Into Thin Air." Elite mountains (such as the Himilayas) should be left to the elite climbers, and even they should take pause before tackling the world's toughest climbs. That is the Simpson's message and he dramtizes it with various accounts of mountaineering tragedies and triumphs. There are also light moments, such as the photo of a Sherpa lifting up three granite blocks with his, ahem, scrotum. Overall, this is an excellent read for anyone interested in mountaineering.
Rating:
Summary: Whom is my Neighbour
Review: I am extremely fascinated by DARK SHADOWS FALLING. In this book about mountaineering, Mr Joe Simpson writes of his effort to understand why mountaineering ethical standards seem to have slipped to such low standards on Everest. (p203) From his perspective, Everest is simply another holiday destination, just more expensive, as befits its size. Everyone benefits, exept of course the mountain. The most embarassing and humiliating aspect to me, as a person from an affluent western nation, is the disregard shown for the lives of others by people just like me. The author admonishes, _People from rich western nations showed what they really cared about - themselves._ (115) Mr Simpson has written a first-rate apologetic in defense of the faith of mountaineering, and is calling for a return to the _essence of why we went to the mountains_. (28). The book is organized to support his quest to answer the question of why ethics on the mountain have fallen harder than an avalanche. A variety of answers are proposed in each chapter and bolstered by case studies. For example, the culprits offered in chapter 2 include overcrowding, human fallibility, incompetence, and unforgiving natural elements with little margin for error. On the other hand, Mr Simpson offers counter-examples that showcase the standard of ethics he promotes. This same chapter details the heroic effort of valiant rescuers. In this manner of arugument, counter-argument and case studies, media attention, monetary motives and an inhumane level of disregard are investigated. Mr Simpson relates his own experiences as he prepares for a climb of the South Face of Pumori. Here he finds his ideals put to the test. Compromise is always a temptation and luck plays an important role in survival. Always the love and delight of the mountains radiates as he describes their solitude and beauty. If you are intested in mountaineering, adventure or ethics, this book may be interesting to you. As is usually the case, my interest is in spiritual matters. Mr Simpson fits the role of a prophet quite smartly. Herr Doktor Gershom Scholem offered that important distinctive concepts, or philosphies, tend to have similar histories of development. In this view, the first revelation expressing the fundamental contents of a religion is the greatest, the highest in rank. Mr Simpson points to the mountaineers that led the way, such as, Heinrich Harrer, first to ascend the fearsome North Face of the Eiger, whose book _The White Spider_ Joe read at the age of fourteen and was immediately hooked on its mesmerizing story. As these distinctive ideas gain commerce, organizations evolve to husband their growth and assimilation. Strangely, the needs of the organization begin to overwhelm the message. The symbol becomes an icon. This is the stage to which mountaineering has apparently evolved, according to Mr Simpson. Pragmatism, greed and entertainment, Mr Simpson purports, is fast replacing the ethics of respect for the mountain and fellow climbers that were integral to the experience of the first mountaineers. The stage that is on the horizon for mountaineering is marked by a break from the traditional authority as the _revolutionary mystics_ move forward with a new paradigm that validates the original concepts. As mountaineering enters this stage it will be interesting to see who champions the cause of Mr Simpson's clarion call to higher ethics. The candidates might include the Commercial Guides who are themselves fine mountaineers for the most part, the Nepalese Government who are torn between dour economics and a love for the natural beauty of their homeland. With deepest regret, in my opinion, the least likely candidate is someone like me. In particular, those Mr Simpson identifies as affluent westerners, the ones who reap the most benefit and yet, are instruments of the most harm at Everest. I spend less time than I would like in the out-of-doors, and I have never, ever _mountaineered_. Even so, as I read DARK SHADOWS FAILLING, I am reminded of the ease with which my spiritual relationship may fall into disrepair. At times, the day-to-day activities overwhelm the ideal of my first, spiritual commitment. It is then that I find it helpful to return to the precepts that started my journey. For me, it is a blessing to be able to renew my spiritual commitment each day by setting aside a time for study and reflection. In this way, I feel that I might be fostering the original ethics. PEACE
Rating:
Summary: Whom is my Neighbour
Review: I am extremely fascinated by DARK SHADOWS FALLING. In this book about mountaineering, Mr Joe Simpson writes of his effort to understand why mountaineering ethical standards seem to have slipped to such low standards on Everest. (p203) From his perspective, Everest is simply another holiday destination, just more expensive, as befits its size. Everyone benefits, exept of course the mountain. The most embarassing and humiliating aspect to me, as a person from an affluent western nation, is the disregard shown for the lives of others by people just like me. The author admonishes, _People from rich western nations showed what they really cared about - themselves._ (115) Mr Simpson has written a first-rate apologetic in defense of the faith of mountaineering, and is calling for a return to the _essence of why we went to the mountains_. (28). The book is organized to support his quest to answer the question of why ethics on the mountain have fallen harder than an avalanche. A variety of answers are proposed in each chapter and bolstered by case studies. For example, the culprits offered in chapter 2 include overcrowding, human fallibility, incompetence, and unforgiving natural elements with little margin for error. On the other hand, Mr Simpson offers counter-examples that showcase the standard of ethics he promotes. This same chapter details the heroic effort of valiant rescuers. In this manner of arugument, counter-argument and case studies, media attention, monetary motives and an inhumane level of disregard are investigated. Mr Simpson relates his own experiences as he prepares for a climb of the South Face of Pumori. Here he finds his ideals put to the test. Compromise is always a temptation and luck plays an important role in survival. Always the love and delight of the mountains radiates as he describes their solitude and beauty. If you are intested in mountaineering, adventure or ethics, this book may be interesting to you. As is usually the case, my interest is in spiritual matters. Mr Simpson fits the role of a prophet quite smartly. Herr Doktor Gershom Scholem offered that important distinctive concepts, or philosphies, tend to have similar histories of development. In this view, the first revelation expressing the fundamental contents of a religion is the greatest, the highest in rank. Mr Simpson points to the mountaineers that led the way, such as, Heinrich Harrer, first to ascend the fearsome North Face of the Eiger, whose book _The White Spider_ Joe read at the age of fourteen and was immediately hooked on its mesmerizing story. As these distinctive ideas gain commerce, organizations evolve to husband their growth and assimilation. Strangely, the needs of the organization begin to overwhelm the message. The symbol becomes an icon. This is the stage to which mountaineering has apparently evolved, according to Mr Simpson. Pragmatism, greed and entertainment, Mr Simpson purports, is fast replacing the ethics of respect for the mountain and fellow climbers that were integral to the experience of the first mountaineers. The stage that is on the horizon for mountaineering is marked by a break from the traditional authority as the _revolutionary mystics_ move forward with a new paradigm that validates the original concepts. As mountaineering enters this stage it will be interesting to see who champions the cause of Mr Simpson's clarion call to higher ethics. The candidates might include the Commercial Guides who are themselves fine mountaineers for the most part, the Nepalese Government who are torn between dour economics and a love for the natural beauty of their homeland. With deepest regret, in my opinion, the least likely candidate is someone like me. In particular, those Mr Simpson identifies as affluent westerners, the ones who reap the most benefit and yet, are instruments of the most harm at Everest. I spend less time than I would like in the out-of-doors, and I have never, ever _mountaineered_. Even so, as I read DARK SHADOWS FAILLING, I am reminded of the ease with which my spiritual relationship may fall into disrepair. At times, the day-to-day activities overwhelm the ideal of my first, spiritual commitment. It is then that I find it helpful to return to the precepts that started my journey. For me, it is a blessing to be able to renew my spiritual commitment each day by setting aside a time for study and reflection. In this way, I feel that I might be fostering the original ethics. PEACE
Rating:
Summary: If you are a climber, you must read this Book!
Review: I first cme into contact with Simpson when my father convinced me to read "Touching the Void." Although I haven't read all of them the ones I have read have been Unputdownble in every sense. If you have read into thin air by Jon Krakauer then this is an excellent follow up book. The harrowing first chapter introduced me to an element of climbing that I had never seen and do not want to ever see. Again, if you are a climber then you must read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Joe Simpson comments on poor ethics, rightly so.
Review: I found this book hard to get through. It seems as though Simpson is trying desperately to rationalize the loneliness he felt in Touching the Void. Fully qualified to do so, he covers countless acts of unethical behavior in mountains around the world and sums up his views by declaring that mountaineering is losing grasp of its humanitarian roots. His proof is unequivocal, and maybe he's nipped something in the bud...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read, makes you rethink life and death
Review: I really enjoyed this book when I picked it up on Mt. Hood in Oregon and read it while I was out west hiking the mountains (not mountaineering) He really looks into the great Yaw of death and what he finds there will change him and the reader, it is as if you are going through life threatening experiences with him and you wonder how you would handle the situations. Worth a read by anyone who wonders about the great hereafter.
Rating:
Summary: Some strong stuff
Review: Joe Simpson starts out his book "Dark Shadows Falling" with an eerie and troubling tale of a mountaineer who was left out in the cold to die within a few hundred feet of his companions tents. Simpson uses this story to dramatize how far mainstream mountaineering has strayed from its original adventurer roots. The book's main drawback is Simpson's analysis of the 1996 Everest disaster which has been over reported and covered far more completely by those who were actually there. Simpson closes the book with an interestting but relatively uneventful recent climb of his own that seems to have little to do with the rest of the book. Overall, Simpson is an important figure in mountaineering and he does have plenty to say. Those with an interest in the subject should enjoy this book very much.
Rating:
Summary: Some strong stuff
Review: Joe Simpson starts out his book "Dark Shadows Falling" with an eerie and troubling tale of a mountaineer who was left out in the cold to die within a few hundred feet of his companions tents. Simpson uses this story to dramatize how far mainstream mountaineering has strayed from its original adventurer roots. The book's main drawback is Simpson's analysis of the 1996 Everest disaster which has been over reported and covered far more completely by those who were actually there. Simpson closes the book with an interestting but relatively uneventful recent climb of his own that seems to have little to do with the rest of the book. Overall, Simpson is an important figure in mountaineering and he does have plenty to say. Those with an interest in the subject should enjoy this book very much.
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