Rating: 
Summary: I Don't Get It...Tempting Fate???
Review: Given the plethora of reviews of this slender tale that gush with praise, my thoughts about this story are clearly contrarian. Actually, no amount of praise would be enough to describe Joe Simpson's courage, determination and strength in surviving seemingly insurmountable odds, while suffering tormenting pain, after plunging from a vertical face of a 21,000 foot peak in the Andes. However, my appreciation for this tale was marred by nagging questions about how Simpson ended up in his nasty predicament in the first place. Given the objective technical risks of the chosen route, wouldn't it have been wise to have a third member on the rope team? With several near misses along the chosen summit and descent routes before the "final" disaster, would "tempting fate" (one of the chapters in the book) be a better name for the book? Was achieving a first ascent more important than making a successful descent? The tale infers Simpson's partner was unsettled about leaving base camp, so why didn't he try harder to confirm his assumption that Simpson had died before making a decision to leave the area? I would be first in line to hear Simpson teach a lesson on courage, but I would think twice before taking a lesson on mountaineering from these guys. Moreover, the substance of this tale seems better suited to a short story or magazine article than a book.
Rating: 
Summary: good, but took awhile
Review: It took awhile for me to get into the book, and the gramatical changes take some getting used to; however, once the events began to unravel I couldn't put the book down. It is one of the most remarkable stories of survival.
Rating: 
Summary: hanging on
Review: One of the few great climbing books, one that really gets under your skin. You've probably heard the story by hearsay by now - two friends climbing in the Andes suffer a climbing accident, one breaks his leg; while the other is lowering him down the mountain, he finds he is gradually being pulled downwards into a crevasse; takes out his penknife and cuts the rope on his friend - but this book is no less memorable for knowing the ending (he survives). The thing I found strangest about this book was how movng it was - sure, there is all the tragedy of a terrible accident, and the uplifting epic of Simpson's crawl to safety, but the thing that makes it so sad and painful is the way it brings home the fragile, temporary and vulnerable nature of all our relationships with other people. At times we might find those relationships hanging by the thinnest of threads - and then, much to our surprise (and pain), even that is cut away. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: The Odyssey of Joe Simpson
Review: This is not primarily an adventure story about climbing. It is an account of one man, not just facing the abyss but being in the abyss and having his very being stripped to a raw struggle, not to survive but to want to survive. Simpson and a climbing partner in an excess of youthful bravado planned a new route up a monster Andean peak in Peru. The area was remote and civilization was somewhere else. After an arduous ascent, Simpson fell and broke his leg while descending. The reader gradually realizes what a chilling horror has befallen the pair. They have no possibility of rescue; the mountain was almost unclimbable for two superb athletes with two good legs. How can they possibly get down when one of them is unable to walk? Partner, Simon Yates, ropes Simpson to himself and tries to guide Simpson down who is forced to crawl, slide, and inch himself forward. Then Simpson goes over the edge of a cornice and is dangling with only the rope holding him over the void. Yates heroically digs in, but gradually he himself is being inexorably drawn to the chasm. He finally, with shuddering reluctance, cuts the rope, and Simpson falls many feet into a crevasse. The rest of the book is Simpson's six-day excruciating journey down the mountain: his thoughts, hallucinations and agony. Simpson is a powerful writer without a trace of self-pity. He doesn't try to impress us with his stoicism - far from it, at times he is almost mad with fright. There is nothing lurid here; the book is exhausting, but thought provoking. You won't forget it easily, and you cannot help but wonder what it is like beyond the edge and into the maelstrom.
Rating:
Summary: Touching the Void
Review: This is the kind of book you find yourself thinking about long after the final page. I picked it while vacationing at the foot of the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. Having just visited the town cemetary there, I was sobered by the many graves of those that had died on that mountain. I wanted a glimpse of what goes on in the minds of climbers and why they do what they do. In Touching the Void, the author gave me glimpse into this world by articulately explaining his feelings during the planning, ascent and descent. For a nonclimber, the technical climbing descriptions can be hard at first but I think ultimately added to the story. It gives you a feel for the constant life and death decisions these men are making. However, the most compelling thing about this book, and what keeps you turning the pages long into the night,is the moral and human delimmas the climbers face when everything starts to go wrong. This book will incite much reflection and leave no doubt in your mind that the will to live is nearly indomitable.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous survival story
Review: This is an unbelievable story about a mountain climbing accident. More incredible than the Beck Weathers survival account. It is a great mountaineering tale but probably more importantly, a tale of determination and triumph of the highest magnitude. A short book, just about right for a long plane ride, assuming you are not traveling with children. This book is one you will re-read.
Rating:
Summary: Yes!
Review: This one is it. This is the ultimate survival non-fiction book.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Story - Tough Read Though
Review: The story of how the author survives breaking his leg on this winter mountain hike is riveting. However, I found the book tough to read due to the language. Many of the terms were unfamiliar me. The book includes a glossary at the end, but I needed the glossary to be about 10 times as large. If you are looking for a good outdoor adventure book try one by Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air or Into The Wild).
Rating:
Summary: I'll never climb after reading this book
Review: This was a fascinating tale of a miraculous survival from cold weather mountain climbing. But it had enough surprises that I couldn't put the book down and read this quickly in two days. Reading the maps, you know an accident occurs but until you read about the accident and how it affects the two individuals involved in the climb, you really can't appreciate the struggles these men went through. Climbing such treacherous mountains requires perfect teamwork. This accident challenged the teamwork and the commitment of the climbers. By describing the critical events from the perspective of both men, it's really gripping to see how it affects both men. This is a very short book and very quick read. I strongly recommend this book for an exciting read. My only complaint was that the technical mountaineering talk was over my head. Only later did I discover the glossary at the end that would have partially helped with this.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Survivor Story
Review: All in all not a bad book. Particularly inspiring is one man's desire not to die. The story line moves along quite well and at times is riveting. Unlike other mountain climbing stories I have read, Joe Simpson does not exagarate on the truth, which is very refreshing. He does a pretty good job of making you feel like you are there.
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