Cave Passages : Roaming the Underground Wilderness (Vintage Departures)

Rating:
Summary: Continued praise for Cave Passages
Review: After finishing this book for the second time, I again felt the pang of loss for having the pages not continue. A blend of caving, philosophy, and caving philosophy, his work gives one pause for finding meaning in one's life. I for one am jealous of the karst regions he has been fortunate to explore. Telling about those exploits is handled with style that doesn't get in the way of the story itself. I'm sure others would enjoy this book. I do.

Rating:
Summary: Continued praise for Cave Passages
Review: After finishing this book for the second time, I again felt the pang of loss for having the pages not continue. A blend of caving, philosophy, and caving philosophy, his work gives one pause for finding meaning in one's life. I for one am jealous of the karst regions he has been fortunate to explore. Telling about those exploits is handled with style that doesn't get in the way of the story itself. I'm sure others would enjoy this book. I do.

Rating:
Summary: I was hoping for more....
Review: Caving is a fascinating sport, but this book didn't captivate me as I hoped it would. Eleven of the 22 chapters had little or nothing to do with caving (the author just wandered-off on tangents...96 pages worth); that was a disappointment. The chapters which did talk about caving (the other 156 pages) were well written and very descriptive. The book was 252 pages long (the other 30+ pages included a glossary, index, appendix, etc.). I also purchased a book called "The Longest Cave," but I haven't read it yet; I'm hoping it'll be better.

Rating:
Summary: Enter the fascinating world of caving.
Review: Come visit Michael Ray Taylor's underground world and explore some of the last great wilderness on earth without leaving the safety and comfort of your armchair. This collection of short stories on caving takes you around the world to some of the most exotic caving regions. Michael's easy and casual style of writing puts you right in the action. One can easily imagine how tight the Devil's Pinch must be, and what those rocks felt like as they squeeze you from above and below. I liked how Michael made each account personal by letting you get to know the other cavers and the local inhabitants of the region. This book is for anyone with an adventurous spirit.

Rating:
Summary: Enter the fascinating world of caving.
Review: Come visit Michael Ray Taylor's underground world and explore some of the last great wilderness on earth without leaving the safety and comfort of your armchair. This collection of short stories on caving takes you around the world to some of the most exotic caving regions. Michael's easy and casual style of writing puts you right in the action. One can easily imagine how tight the Devil's Pinch must be, and what those rocks felt like as they squeeze you from above and below. I liked how Michael made each account personal by letting you get to know the other cavers and the local inhabitants of the region. This book is for anyone with an adventurous spirit.

Rating:
Summary: I was hoping for more....
Review: Michael Ray Taylor sends a much needed jolt to the world of cave literature. The book is a celebration of caving for caving's sake, rather than for some loftier goal. Mike is your average guy who has an unusual hobby, one that, in another time or place would remain unfulfilled. But Mike has not only been able to enjoy his hobby immensely, he has been able to weave it somewhat into his career. In his role asa journalisthe has wormed his way onto some of the most interesting trips of the past decade and, on occasion, been present at the making of history. Michael Ray Taylor has given us that rarest of things, real life advenure, told in a down to earth, believable style. In a world of incongruous movies and unrealistic fiction, this book is worth it's weight in gold.