The Last River: The Tragic Race For Shangri-la

I recommend this book to any adult who wants to read an exciting true story and that wants to learn about a kayaking adventure on the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet.


Book-on-Tape Review   October 23, 2003
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Although I "listened" to this book on tape, I too was lulled into thinking this is like Jon Kraukauer's "Into Thin Air" -- hardly. It is interesting and at first I didn't realize it was a true story. Balf's book does give a bit of a behind-the-scenes glance at how a trek like this is set up & the importance of the personalities of the people undergoing the trek....but I agree with previous reviewers that this was no page-turner (or let's put it this way, I wasn't sitting in my garage, after coming home from my commute, to stay listening to the tape). If you are a kayaker, maybe this is for you - having trekked in Nepal, I found some of the countryside info of interest, but can't really recommend this book.


Sweaty palms   October 7, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book is a measured and gripping account of the ill-fated attempt by 4 ultra-rational guys to attempt the seemingly irrational - a run down the long and extremely remote class VI wild water gorge in a remote section of Tibet. If you're a whitewater paddler and /or know any of the participants the book is especially vivid - it gave me sweaty palms and pumped heart rate just reading about it. One big problem was the lack of a decent map, and a photo of one sort or another would have been nice, but overall it succeeds in taking you along on a wild ride, with tragic consequences.


Poorly written and not worth the time....   March 2, 2003
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I have to agree with the previous reviews that gave this book low marks. From the very beginning, Todd Balf rubbed me the wrong way. The whole build up is disgustingly sycophantic and so much of it is irrelevant and boring--in reality maybe it wasn't, but it's presented that way--that it's hard to even make it to where the actual boating occurs (2/3s into the book). Balf's incessant fawning is just nauseating. They're just people Todd, they really aren't gods. Being a kayaker myself--admittedly not even close to the same league as the book's characters--I found Balf's handling of the story to be very poor. I may be wrong, but I just don't think he has a clue to what it's all about. My impression of Balf is that he's a wannabe that couldn't be, so he took to writing about his fantasies he couldn't fulfill. I know that sounds harsh, but if you read the book, you might just see what I'm talking about. But don't waste your money. Check it out at the library is you're really curious.


A Rare Find   November 20, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I found this book enjoyable and interesting. I am thankful that there are those who are willing to be explorers, and I am thankful that there are authors who can write their stories for all of us to enjoy. This is a rare find if you want to read about expedition kayaking. It moves like a whitewater river. It's not all rapids. Sometimes you have to float in an eddy while the author gives you some historicial perspective before the next plunge. Sure it could have been shorter, but then we would never have known these men well enough to appreciate why they did what they did. I don't see this as an extreme sport outing anymore than the Lewis and Clark expedition. These men are modern day explorers in an uncharted world who met with tragedy. This is their story.