Rating: 
Summary: Mountaineering for Dummies: Misprints and Bad Decisions.
Review: I found this book to be a fast-paced and entertaining read. Yet at the same time, I felt that there were certain errors and omissions from the text that detracted from the story. For instance, At one point Dickinson makes reference to Reinhold Messner as, "Reinhard Messner". I also strongly question the Author's judgement based on the account of events above the second step. When he (and the Sherpas)notices that his Partner Al Hinkes is no longer following closely behind. The two climbers had already made the poor judgement to continue climbing without fluids (Both men were carrying 2 quarts of juice that had frozen). Although things worked out in the end, I do not agree with Dickinson's decision to continue climbing potentially leaving his partner for dead. If the reader were to take anything away from this book it should be, "This is what not to do."
Rating: 
Summary: Great follow up to 1996 tragedy
Review: I just finished reading this account of Matt's heroic climb from the North side as the tragedy was unfolding on the South side of Everest. This account is about the physical hardships endured with climbing the highest mountain in the world and also how just one little mistake can take you out of a summit try. It puts no blame on anyone it just tells of the authors trials and tribulations of getting to the summit and how hard it is to attain. I highly recommend it after reading all the finger pointing books that have come out of that "96" tragedy on Everest. This book is a breath of fresh air and truly recounts one mans quest for the summit.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, hard to get into, then very gripping.
Review: I liked it alright, when he actually got onto the mountain. I did enjoy all the background, though, because it helped me understand the horrible plight that the climbers experienced on May 10. People say that Dickinson is a whiner, but I think his frank telling of his story only added to the helpless feeling the reader felt for all the climbers. Over all, I liked it, though I'd much rather read a John Grisham book any day.
Rating: 
Summary: Yep, another one - still holding the interest
Review: I read this after Krakauer and Boukreev's stories, and found it every bit as gripping. Must admit to having become a fanatical armchair Everesteer, and it has to be a pretty bad book to not hold my interest (Lene Gammelgard manages though!) And, yes, it is called 'The Death Zone' in the English and Australian editions at least.
Rating:
Summary: Matt tells a great story !
Review: I saw the great NYTIMES Review and got this book. I've read other adventure books and I love Matt Dickinson's book. He tells a personal story of climbing Everest that makes you feel like you are right there on the mountain. The last 2/3rds of this book I could not put down. It's an amazing challenge to keep climbing in these conditions and encounter bodies--even those of friends. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: I thought Matt Dickenson's book is the most honest of the books about the 96 tragedy. Because it is from an "outsiders" opinion it is not influenced by bias and makes for a superb read.
Rating:
Summary: An Everest classic!
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed this book. The only other book of its kind I have read is Into Thin Air, and this was just as good. After a somewhat slow start it gripped me and I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book to any person interested in outdoor adventure.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent companion to 'Into Thin Air'
Review: I was a bit hesitant to read The Other Side of Everest; it was beginning to seem to me that there wasn't a person anywhere near the mountain during 1996 that *hadn't* written a book. I figured this one would be a rehashing of the story we all know so well, from Into Thin Air and other books. How wrong I was. The Other Side of Everest offers a different perspective of the 1996 tragedies, but it's well told - *and* the book offers a great deal more. Dickinson, in my opinion, did a better job than Krakauer at writing for the non-climbing audience, perhaps because he isn't really a climber at all. He doesn't use much jargon, and when he does - "the Death Zone," for example, which was the UK title of this book - he defines his terms. He also answers a lot of the questions non-mountaineers and armchair adventurers have about climbing; for once and for all, he explains why climbers dread calls of nature above 8,000 meters, as just one example. Dickinson writes very differently than most climbers, especially the ones who have written about Everest 1996. His narrative retains the tension and, in some places, tragedy that are common to the best expedition accounts, but he also uses humor in places where it's appropriate. I found myself laughing out loud in several places. The Other Side of Everest is also different in that it doesn't have the haunted, agonizing tone that Into Thin Air did, perhaps because Dickinson was farther from the tragedies, relatively speaking, or perhaps just because he waited longer than Krakauer did to write about it. Also, The Other Side is an account of a successful, "easy" Everest climb, not a disaster, which changes the perspective and the tone a lot from the other books about the 1996 season. In additional to the Everest-disaster-season story, The Other Side has another story to tell: how a non-climber got to the top of the world. Dickinson's case of summit fever drives him to the top of a mountain he didn't really expect to climb - after all, he's clumsy even at sea level - and so his book is a good look at the way normal people with little mountaineering experience (i.e., commercial expedition members) handle high-altitude climbs - and, to the extent that it can be explained at all, why. This book was written by a film director, so perhaps it isn't a surprise that the pictures are so good, but it's lovely anyway. I'm also pleased that the publishers sprung for two different insets of color photos, at least in the hardcover edition; some of them are truly breathtaking. In short, The Other Side of Everest is well worth reading for all lovers of adventure travel and climbing writing; even those who feel they've read Everest to death should enjoy this one. The book is a welcome addition to climbing literature, and would give pleasure on almost anyone's bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent companion to 'Into Thin Air'
Review: I was a bit hesitant to read The Other Side of Everest; it was beginning to seem to me that there wasn't a person anywhere near the mountain during 1996 that *hadn't* written a book. I figured this one would be a rehashing of the story we all know so well, from Into Thin Air and other books. How wrong I was. The Other Side of Everest offers a different perspective of the 1996 tragedies, but it's well told - *and* the book offers a great deal more. Dickinson, in my opinion, did a better job than Krakauer at writing for the non-climbing audience, perhaps because he isn't really a climber at all. He doesn't use much jargon, and when he does - "the Death Zone," for example, which was the UK title of this book - he defines his terms. He also answers a lot of the questions non-mountaineers and armchair adventurers have about climbing; for once and for all, he explains why climbers dread calls of nature above 8,000 meters, as just one example. Dickinson writes very differently than most climbers, especially the ones who have written about Everest 1996. His narrative retains the tension and, in some places, tragedy that are common to the best expedition accounts, but he also uses humor in places where it's appropriate. I found myself laughing out loud in several places. The Other Side of Everest is also different in that it doesn't have the haunted, agonizing tone that Into Thin Air did, perhaps because Dickinson was farther from the tragedies, relatively speaking, or perhaps just because he waited longer than Krakauer did to write about it. Also, The Other Side is an account of a successful, "easy" Everest climb, not a disaster, which changes the perspective and the tone a lot from the other books about the 1996 season. In additional to the Everest-disaster-season story, The Other Side has another story to tell: how a non-climber got to the top of the world. Dickinson's case of summit fever drives him to the top of a mountain he didn't really expect to climb - after all, he's clumsy even at sea level - and so his book is a good look at the way normal people with little mountaineering experience (i.e., commercial expedition members) handle high-altitude climbs - and, to the extent that it can be explained at all, why. This book was written by a film director, so perhaps it isn't a surprise that the pictures are so good, but it's lovely anyway. I'm also pleased that the publishers sprung for two different insets of color photos, at least in the hardcover edition; some of them are truly breathtaking. In short, The Other Side of Everest is well worth reading for all lovers of adventure travel and climbing writing; even those who feel they've read Everest to death should enjoy this one. The book is a welcome addition to climbing literature, and would give pleasure on almost anyone's bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: gripping account -- better than I expected
Review: I'm starting to feel like an Everest junkie after reading Into Thin Air and watching the IMAX account of that climb. I was skeptical that this book would add anything, so I guess it pleasantly surprised me. Because Dickinsin is not an "expert" climber, I enjoyed his open and honest perspective into climbing. As the scrappy guy, he surprises everyone by actually gaining strength and being able to attain the summit. This book has even more blow by blow detail than Into Thin Air. If you are interested in just how hard it is to make every step towards the top, this book will take you there. It's the closest many of us will get to any task of this magnitude. Plus, this book offers a new and interesting perspective: the NORTH face of the mountain, a tougher climb in many respects. As such, it serves as an excellent companion to Into Thin Air for its complimentary perspective. I enjoyed the vivid details of this book from the extraordinary sherpas to the feisty yak herders to the accounts of bowel evacuation on a high mountain. There are also some interesting personal insights. In short, an excellent read, well written and very detailed. I feel out of oxygen from the last 40 pages.
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