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 enlarge | Author: Bob Madgic
Publisher: Burford Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $10.13
You Save: $6.82 (40%)
New (22) Used (7) from $10.13
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 126353
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 264
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1580801420
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781580801423
ASIN: 1580801420
Publication Date: March 25, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: N20080926074126N
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| Customer Reviews:
 Incredible! June 5, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a great change of pace book. The author does great research on the underachieving lives of some of the hikers in their early 20s who enjoy dope, beer and hiking to the top of Half Dome. These young men have yet to recognize their vulnerability but on this day in Yosemite Valley they not only would recognize their vulnerability, they would alter their lives forever by trying to beat a thunderstorm to the top of Half Dome. It's a 3 Act Play: set-up of the players, the incredible day and night on the mountain, and the aftermath. While the "action day" is incredibly engrossing, vs. other books this author has done a great job of making the set-up and aftermath very enjoyable. I highly recommend this book. For a similar read, try "The Last Season" by Eric Blehm.
Nature can erase arrogance in an instant June 1, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a well-written and compelling account of the kind of tragedy that can result when recklessness and arrogance are confronted with one of nature's most powerful and unpredictable forces: lightning.
It all happened July 27, 1985. That's when a group of free-spirited, risk-taking, party-animal hikers decided to climb Half Dome while lightning flashed and thunder rolled through Yosemite National Park in California. A few hours later, two of the hikers were dead and the lives of the rest had been changed forever.
Bob Madgic, the author of the book, does an excellent job of capturing the personalities, the quirks, the backgounds, and the fool-hardiness of the participants. In addition to the horrifying events that happened to the hikers, Madgic also weaves into the narrative numerous fascinating and frightening facts about the phenomenon of lightning. He also highlights other related topics such as mountain climbing techniques and equipment, the history of Yosemite and Half Dome, the development of hospital emergency rooms and trauma centers, EMT training, helicopter rescue, and the period of American history that we now call the 80s.
For any reader who respects the realities of the natural world, or enjoys peering into the heads of risk takers, or just loves reading about the rip-roaring, danger-filled adventures of Man versus Nature, Shattered Air is a sure-fire winner.
Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com
 OK Read May 14, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This was an ok book. A quicker read than I expected. Good retelling of the story of what happened on Half-Dome and background information on the key people. One of the problems of retelling a story such as this is that there are so many moving parts and story lines involved. The author did a good job of keeping it all focused.
It can be summarized by stay away from Half-Dome if there are dark clouds or you hear thunder.
More than you think... February 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Shattered Air," is a rare book. While most stories of this type center on a disaster and then move on, this tale provides a two-decade character study of all major players; most of whom readers will grow to understand and perhaps empathize with.
Beginning with an introduction to the story's initial anti-heroes, we are shown how they have naively intertwined recklessness with outdoor adventure. Years later we watch in horror as their charmed lives have enticed innocent others into following them onto Yosemite's Half Dome during a thunderstorm.
What follows is the detailing of the heroic efforts to rescue lightning struck victims by hikers, rangers, and medical personal. This is a cautionary tale to all would-be daredevils, detailing how death and debilitating injuries haunts not only them, but everyone left in their wake.
 Gripping story January 4, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a really great true story about a band of buddies who hiked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite during a fierce lightening storm and got zapped. Their goal was to ignore the warning signs and dance in the storm. Finally they took refuge in a rock cave that overhangs the valley below to marvel at the display. What they didn't know (or chose to ignore) was: 1) Half Dome is one of nature's greatest natural lightening rods; 2) What they took refuge in was essentially a smaller natural lightening rod on top of the big one; and 3) The remnant of a man-made lightening rod was right in their midst. They were perhaps the only humans to observe first-hand that lightening does indeed strike twice in exactly the same place with devastating consequences (yes, death and injury resulted - along with great heroism on the part of rescuers - but you need to read the book to get the details). Highly recommended although the author takes frequent and too-long side trips to discuss technical climbing, types of clouds, etc. when he could have focused more on this truly gripping tragedy. A must read if you ever plan on visiting Yosemite National Park in the Summer. Advice - in July/August, be very careful hiking in the high country after 2 pm - I and some other hikers got caught in a sudden/unexpected lightening storm in Aug. 2006 and it's unbelievably scary - and I observed all the warnings! Bob Madgic also has a cool book on fishing for native trout in California's Tuloumne river titled Persuing Wild Trout.
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