stephquintal's review against another edition
5.0
So, why do people climb Everest? Read this book and you may (not) find out.
Intense and factual, Krakauer gives a pretty lethal account of his experience on Everest.
A must read - not for the inspirational success of reaching the top peak - but to ground oneself in knowing that sometimes, even prepared or with skilled help, luck may not be on your side, so it’s best you stay below the dead zone.
Intense and factual, Krakauer gives a pretty lethal account of his experience on Everest.
A must read - not for the inspirational success of reaching the top peak - but to ground oneself in knowing that sometimes, even prepared or with skilled help, luck may not be on your side, so it’s best you stay below the dead zone.
herrapossu's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I learned a lot about mountaineering and what led to the disaster on Sagarmatha (Nepalese name for Mt. Everest). Although, as noted in the book, the "disaster" does not even stand out in the statistics for deaths on the mountain. Most of the time I was eager to read more; however, some parts of the book were long sections describing people and their previous feats. The actual story of the events was probably less than half the book.
jbarrow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
rachelisblue's review against another edition
5.0
Possibly my very favorite book! I've read it so many times the pages are falling out.
futurememory's review against another edition
5.0
Let's be clear here - I have absolutely zero desire to climb any sort of mountain, let alone Everest.
However, each and every spring, I get swept up in the Everest season and reading about people's attempts to push to the summit. I have a horrific fascination and fixation with Everest, and a morbid curiosity about the people that would die just to say they climbed a big rock.
Into Thin Air is a book that gave me not one, but two nights of nightmares. The horrors in its pages are undeniable. It's a fast, fascinating read that's an exercise in the butterfly effect. How little decisions made by each individual can end in a catastrophic tragedy. And how humankind will always have to bow towards nature's extremes.
However, each and every spring, I get swept up in the Everest season and reading about people's attempts to push to the summit. I have a horrific fascination and fixation with Everest, and a morbid curiosity about the people that would die just to say they climbed a big rock.
Into Thin Air is a book that gave me not one, but two nights of nightmares. The horrors in its pages are undeniable. It's a fast, fascinating read that's an exercise in the butterfly effect. How little decisions made by each individual can end in a catastrophic tragedy. And how humankind will always have to bow towards nature's extremes.
juliantassev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
jfuggy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
mturney1010's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so intense I found myself holding my breath or breathing heavily during several scenes. Over the last 24 hours I've become obsessed with Everest, and I can understand its appeal. I also find myself appalled at the pursuit of such a foolhardy adventure. Why risk your life if you have a family, young children. I think
It was so sad that those who summitted the mountain were able to appreciate their accomplishment for so brief a moment, delirious from the lack of oxygen and utterly spent from the effort. I will say, I have a new goal to one day stand in Nepal and see the beautiful mountain for myself.
It was so sad that those who summitted the mountain were able to appreciate their accomplishment for so brief a moment, delirious from the lack of oxygen and utterly spent from the effort. I will say, I have a new goal to one day stand in Nepal and see the beautiful mountain for myself.
a_reader_of_book's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
I've never wanted to climb Everest, and now I for sure never will. I just don't have that in me. But Krakauer helped me to understand what could possibly compel people to summit this monster of a mountain. Do you want to be shocked? Do you want to be scared? Do you want to feel utterly baffled as to why anyone would put their bodies through this? This book has all of that and a lot more. There were a lot of moments where I found myself reading with my mouth open and eyebrows raised as Krakauer recounted nearly unbelievable experiences. It was an eventful read and a heartbreaking story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Medical content