Review by Booklist Review
Krakauer is by trade a writer, a fact that distinguishes him from many other authors of mountain-climbing adventures. Where the climber-not-writer type overwhelms readers with a mountain of spurious detail, Krakauer imparts a sense of character and adventure along with incisive observations. All but one of the dozen pieces in this book were previously published in magazines such as Smithsonian and Outside. One of the highlights is a profile of John Gill, a Colorado "boulderer." The one original essay deals with Krakauer's ascent of Alaska's Devil's Thumb. Thoughtful, intelligent, and exciting work. --Wes Lukowsky
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the closed community of mountaineering there are legendary figures unknown to those outside. Krakauer, who writes about climbing for Smithsonian magazine, introduces some eccentrics and the places they gather. John Gill's reputation rests on ascents less than 30 feet high--he climbs boulders. The hard-drinking, pugnacious Burgess twins from Yorkshire are first-rate climbers and con men; they haven't held a job since 1975, yet manage to wander the globe bagging difficult peaks. Others climb frozen waterfalls in Valdez, Alaska, or attempt hazardous hang-gliding and bungee-jumping in Chamonix, where nearly 6000 people climb Mont Blanc every year. After taking us to Mt. McKinley (Denali), which has claimed more lives than the Eiger, Krakauer also describes canyoneering in the Mogollon Rim of Arizona and recounts his own nearly fatal solo climb of the Devil's Thumb in Alaska. Armchair adventurers can't ask for better entertainment. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Climber-turned-journalist Krakauer circles around the question of why a climber climbs by writing of various aspects of that culture. Revising pieces that appeared in Outside and Smithsonian magazines, he describes being tent-bound in a storm, and the competition among bush pilots flying climbers to Denali. Fresh material discusses related sports: frozen waterwall climbing and box canyon exploration. The obligatory chapters on particular climbs--an aborted attempt on the Eiger Nordwand, a lone ascent of the Devil's Thumb--are less successful in revealing to nonclimbers the emotions that drive a climber. Entertaining but not memorable.-- Paula M. Strain, M.L.S., Rockville, Md. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Twelve entertaining essays on mountaineering, all but one culled from Outside, Smithsonian, etc. Krakauer, a Seattle-based free-lance writer and ""part-time mountaineer,"" confesses that by the age of eight ""climbing was the only thing I cared about."" Not exactly an ace climber--the occasional humor in these pieces tends to derive from his failures on the slopes--Krakauer conveys well the formidable, even terrifying aspects of the sport, The title piece tells of his aborted attempt to mount a deadly Swiss peak; ""Club Denali"" similarly recounts his unsuccessful assault on Mt. McKinley (although he did hang out with a group of climbers--""The Throbbing Members""--who reached the top). ""Gill"" reports on John Gill, a mathematician who works his way up boulders; ""Canyoneering"" describes ascents in the wild backcountry of Arizona; ""The Burgess Brothers"" celebrates a legendary mountain-climbing set of identical twins. Other essays examine K2, Chamonix, glacier flying, frozen-waterfall ascents, the issue of which mountain is the tallest (it's still Everest), and a harrowing climb that Krakauer made as a young man. A solid if not towering debut, likely to please not only mountain maniacs but adventure-buffs in general. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
