| |  | Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $11.53
You Save: $10.42 (47%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  61 reviews
Sales Rank: 5961184
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B0000544YW
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 A 9th Grader's Perspective January 6, 2005
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
The book Eiger Dreams is very exciting and attention grabbing. The book is made up of articles written by Jon Krakauer that include some very interesting people and some intense first hand climbing experiences. Many of these climbers are classic fairy tale heroes or bedtime story characters. Krakauer captures your attention with laughable incidents or captivates you with near-death experiences. It is a must read for anybody who is crazy about mountain climbing.
This book does not have a plot. It is a book designed to entertain and enrapture, which it does very well. The clippings are not put together in any specific order it seems; they could be thrown anywhere in the book and it would be none the better or worse. The one thing that bugged me while reading the book was the title: Eiger Dreams. The author talks about how he tried to ascend the Eiger once, in the first chapter, and then never mentions it again. I think that a different title that refers to the articles as a whole would be more suiting.
The author's writing style is very good. He explains the important details of each character or incident, and he dwells on the events that either make your skin crawl or make laugh. The author also makes facts that would normally be boring and compares them to a different statistic or fact, which captures your attention as you learn something new. I really think that this author has some very good ideas and shows excellent knowledge of how to write a good book.
I really enjoyed reading about the climbers and mountaineers that Krakauer mentions in this book. My favorite people were, by far, the Burgess boys. These two classic English twins are every day heroes that children will dream of someday becoming. Despite having a knack for trouble, these handsome, witty young men can talk their way out of any situation, unless the situation involves fists. The Burgess boys have also pulled off some fairly amazing feats and have the respect of many authorities in the mountain climbing world. These twins are not the only interesting characters, though. You can read about a man who relies on shear finger and mind strength or explore any number of high-flying climbers (whether in a plane or on foot). The people of Eiger Dreams are figures who can be looked up to and dreamed about.
As I said before, this book is a must read for any person crazy about climbing or for someone who just wants to read something new and different. It will entertain you for the entire time you read it and something new will always be around the corner.
Krakauer shines again! July 26, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book was an action packed series of vinettes about some of the world's most remote places and the people who go there for fun. Krakauer included light hearted stories about the Burgess Brothers, and less light hearted stories, such as 1986, when there were so many fatalities on K2 thanks to Messner's new climbing techiques. My favorite was the last article, "Devil's Thumb." It talked about Krakauer's own struggles with the mountains, climbing and braving the cold. A wicked good book.
 Exposure July 13, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is an engaging, brilliantly-written set of stories, not about just the experiences, but about the mindsets of climbers. Did I say enganging? I should have said spellbinding. The book could have been titled "Exposure." Every one of the climbers, including the author, and including many who die, is given a history and reference-frame from which you may evaluate the sanity of their thirst for the climbing elixor. Krakauer gives you the full story. This is great reading; you will not be bored!
Great Writing, Great Stories May 23, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read Into Thin Air a few years ago. I found it compelling, but at points I felt that the writing was rushed. I just finished Eiger Dreams and was very impressed. Because all but one of these stories started as magazine articles (mostly in Outside, a tremendous magazine when it isn't a travel mag), they are well put together. Most of the stories are riveting (I read the book in one setting). Krakauer is a skilled author. A few times I found myself laughing. A few times I found myself tense from the suspense.
 On the folly of mountain climbing January 13, 2004
3 out of 26 found this review helpful
I read this book with a mixture of awe and revulsion. There's no denying that Krakauer is a good writer, and that the events and people of which he writes are interesting. But the fact of the matter remains is that the "past-time" that these people have devoted--and in some cases sacrificed--their lives is an excellent example of man's propensity to forsake reason and logic in the pursuit of illusory goals. To devote oneself to climbing mountains for the sake of thrills and notarity ultimately serves no useful purpose, and simply gratifies the ego of the climber. Sadly, the mindset of the mountain climber resembles that of the gallant soldier of yore who with nonsensical and misguided idealism would willingly shirk all concern for self for the sake of some ultimately pointless objective. Were these people to come to the rational conclusion it should not be man's place to conquer everything on this planet (and subsequently turn that which is conquered into a gigantic playground) and that one can attain much greater and sincere rewards by revering the mountain from a distance, they'd have my undying respect. But as it stands, I have no sympathy for these people whatsoever.
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