Because Into Thin Air is one of my favorite books of all time, and I enjoy mountaineering documentaries, I thought this book about the tragedy on K2 iBecause Into Thin Air is one of my favorite books of all time, and I enjoy mountaineering documentaries, I thought this book about the tragedy on K2 in 2008 might be an interesting read. Bowley did an amazing job interviewing dozens of people and crafting their anecdotes and stories into an easy to follow, understandable timeline of events. Family members of the climbers, the sherpas and porters, and the surviving climbers themselves all had their stories melded into a cohesive whole. He also started the story right away at the interesting part, without missing a beat. There's no backstories of the climbers or extensive history of the mountain. The reader is given just what they need to understand the ensuing events, and you're sent off. That bit was definitely appreciated. While Bowley did a thorough job of sifting through and prioritizing events and getting to the meat of the story immediately, there is still something missing- the emotion, and the heart of the story. He did well with what he was given, but ultimately, he wasn't there during the climb. He wasn't with Pasang or McDonnell or Rolf or Cecilie, and that makes all the difference. Krakauer was there, on Everest, during the terrifying and horrible events that ensued in May of 1996. Bowley visited the base of K2, and talked to people who had summitted it, but that is nowhere near the same as being there, on the mountain, in the thin air and sub-zero temperatures and not knowing if you will live to see another day. The text is dry in parts, and reads more like bullet points of events rather than a dramatic, cliffhanging story. The dead are spoken of matter-of-factly, with a distinct distance and coldness. If you want to know hour for hour what happened on August 1-4 of 2008 on K2 on ascent and descent and how all the climbers met their fates, this is the book for you. The bones are here, but the soul is not. ...more
Before reading this story with my son, I had never heard of this sea rescue before. I am overwhelmed at the courage and resilience these brave men shoBefore reading this story with my son, I had never heard of this sea rescue before. I am overwhelmed at the courage and resilience these brave men showed in the face of such adversity; all in the name of saving 30 plus men from a broken tanker in the middle of a hurricane. The story itself was intriguing, but the authors found it necessary to punctuate the interesting action moments with backstory and exposition, which ground the story to a halt and made it difficult to follow. If the four men's history before the great rescue was so important, perhaps that information should have been placed in the beginning of the book, or at an extended appendix in the back. I did enjoy the pictures in the middle of the novel- it made it all that much more real to me, and I had faces to go with the names. I'm also glad that the authors took the time to talk about the afterward- how they lived their lives following the rescue, what happened to the boat, and what accolades they received. The story itself is important and absolutely needs to be told and not forgotten, but I just wish it was done so in a better, smoother manner. ...more
I really hoped I would be the exception to the rule here, and really love this installment of The Expanse. I'm not, and that's just fine. This novel iI really hoped I would be the exception to the rule here, and really love this installment of The Expanse. I'm not, and that's just fine. This novel is serviceable, but not great. I think it has mostly to do with the fact that none of the characters that you're following are likeable. Elvi acts like a teenage girl with a crush who doesn't understand how to socialize. Havelock's point of view is boring at best, and grating at worst. Basia is a selfish moron. The only one who is holding the whole story together, as usual, is Holden, and half the time he's flailing around unsure of what to do next. Murtry (a character we don't follow but might have been intriguing if we did) completely played off like a cartoonish villain. Where is Drummer? How about Bobbie? Why are the interesting characters not in this story? I suppose I understand the idea that Corey wanted to introduce new perspectives to keep things fresh, but why fix something that isn't broken? I hate to say it, but the TV series, especially for this book, is so much better. They cut out all the nonsense and kept in characters that the audience truly liked to follow. My other gripe is the story had WAY too much going on- it was almost comical. You've got a turf war on an alien planet, world-ending tsunamis and hurricanes, alien technology, death slugs, and parasites that make you go blind? Seriously? I feel like they just did the shotgun technique here- threw a bunch of stuff at the wall, and instead of only a few things sticking, EVERYTHING did, and they just decided to roll with it. It's pretty ridiculous. Things I did like? Miller's role in the story and the ending. Amos kicking ass, as per usual. Naomi being brilliant and saving the day, and Alex's unparalleled pilot skills- all of which we didn't see enough of, because we had to learn about Basia's reluctance to let his daughter go to college and Elvi's obsession with Holden. Show the readers the things we actually want to see, Corey. Here's hoping installment five will be better. ...more
I've read Gear's works before, but only his historical fiction/indigenous past books. I was unaware that he wrote science fiction as well, and was pleI've read Gear's works before, but only his historical fiction/indigenous past books. I was unaware that he wrote science fiction as well, and was pleased when I discovered this series. It feels a bit like Cibola Burn (book 4 of The Expanse) in that we have a settled colony on the planet Donovan, and a ship from Earth sent to check on the colony, to provide supplies and order to them. Conflict ensues, as it is quickly discovered that Donovan hasn't seen a resupply ship in seven years, and in that time, the colonists have created their own rules and system of government in place of the old one. The Donovians have been on their own, dealing not only with each other, but the wild and deadly planet on which they live. Everything wants to kill them, from the lizard-cat like creatures knows as quetzels, to the insects and even plant life. Life has been hard, but the people have learned to survive by respecting the planet and the flora and fauna they share it with. There is some focus on women's bodies, and some derogatory names thrown around, but besides that, the novel is well written and easy to get into and invested in. There's the typical horrible, irredeemable character that Gear always includes in his novels, in this case serial killer and psychopath Dan Wirth (not this real name). There are the good characters protected by plot armor and leading the rest of the settlement into the light and the future. There are some hard deaths, and some difficult decisions made, but in the end, they make sense. There are a few side stories going at once- again, par for the course for Gear- a survival story in the forest, Wirth building his empire, the Supervisor questioning everything she's ever known and struggling to keep control, and the triumverate attempting to keep the peace with the colonists. We're left with enough of a cliffhanger to get us interested in the next novel in the series, and wonder what is going to happen to the human colony on Donovan. I had a really good time with this, and I have a feeling others will as well....more
This final installment in Brian's Saga was much better than its predecessor, Brian's Return. The arrival of the dog made things interesting, and gave This final installment in Brian's Saga was much better than its predecessor, Brian's Return. The arrival of the dog made things interesting, and gave Brian someone to assist him and keep him company. The gruesome discovery at the island cabin was expected, yet still shocking and rather explicit, so make sure younger readers are prepared. The titular hunt took place over a dozen or so pages and ended rather abruptly- feeling rather anti-climactic. There could have been so much more detail involved in the hunt, and what happened after. Did Brian go back to visit Susan? Did he stay in the North Woods permanently? This would have been so much more enjoyable if there was just.... more. It was a fast read and I did have a decent time with it. ...more
I might have expected too much from this Hatchet sequel. I'm not sure what it says about your novel when the best part of it is the Author's Note at tI might have expected too much from this Hatchet sequel. I'm not sure what it says about your novel when the best part of it is the Author's Note at the end. If the whole book had been about the last three pages, I would certainly have been more engaged and interested. Paulsen talks about his own experiences in the bush, and what he got out of it, and his draw to the woods and fight against a normal life. Half of this short book is Brian's struggle to fit back into the world he came from, before the forest. Paulson focuses heavily on Brian hanging out with friends, and then eventually seeing a therapist. This is unnecessary and will lose people, even as short as this book is. Readers of Hatchet didn't sign up to see a kid go to therapy. Brian is finally back in the wilderness at page 60- out of a 110 page book. His journey up the rivers and lakes to his destination is rushed, and not nearly enough time is spent on things like hunting, food preparation, fire building, survival things... you know, the reason why kids were reading this series to begin with. I can only hope it turns around with the last installment. ...more
This what-if novel was certainly entertaining, if a bit disturbing. Heads up if you don't like hunting or animal violence- there's a lot of it in the This what-if novel was certainly entertaining, if a bit disturbing. Heads up if you don't like hunting or animal violence- there's a lot of it in the third installment of the Hatchet series. The repetitive writing style disappeared that was evident in the first book (thank goodness) and we were left with a good old-fashioned winter survival story. Brian makes snowshoes, bows, arrows, boots, and winter clothing, among other things, and survives attacks from multiple animals. Aside from the animals, Brian doesn't seem to be in too much mortal danger, certainly not like the first novel. I understand that he's learned a lot since he first crashed into the L-shaped lake, but winter is an entirely different beast to master from summer. I would have liked to see him struggle a bit more than he did, other than get almost everything right the first time. Other than that, this was a good addition to the series, and I'm curious to see what the next one brings. ...more
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