Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

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Into Thin Air is a riveting first-hand account of a catastrophic expedition up Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions.

Book Description

A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm, which claimed five lives and left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-ridden disarray, would also provide the impetus for Into Thin Air, Krakauer's epic account of the May 1996 disaster.

By writing Into Thin Air, Krakauer may have hoped to exorcise some of his own demons and lay to rest some of the painful questions that still surround the event. He takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas. He also avoids blasting easy targets such as Sandy Pittman, the wealthy socialite who brought an espresso maker along on the expedition. Krakauer's highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. But for Krakauer himself, further interviews and investigations only lead him to the conclusion that his perceived failures were directly responsible for a fellow climber's death. Clearly, Krakauer remains haunted by the disaster, and although he relates a number of incidents in which he acted selflessly and even heroically, he seems unable to view those instances objectively. In the end, despite his evenhanded and even generous assessment of others' actions, he reserves a full measure of vitriol for himself.

This updated trade paperback edition of Into Thin Air includes an extensive new postscript that sheds fascinating light on the acrimonious debate that flared between Krakauer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev in the wake of the tragedy. "I have no doubt that Boukreev's intentions were good on summit day," writes Krakauer in the postscript, dated August 1999. "What disturbs me, though, was Boukreev's refusal to acknowledge the possibility that he made even a single poor decision. Never did he indicate that perhaps it wasn't the best choice to climb without gas or go down ahead of his clients." As usual, Krakauer supports his points with dogged research and a good dose of humility. But rather than continue the heated discourse that has raged since Into Thin Air's denouncement of guide Boukreev, Krakauer's tone is conciliatory; he points most of his criticism at G. Weston De Walt, who coauthored The Climb, Boukreev's version of events. And in a touching conclusion, Krakauer recounts his last conversation with the late Boukreev, in which the two weathered climbers agreed to disagree about certain points. Krakauer had great hopes to patch things up with Boukreev, but the Russian later died in an avalanche on another Himalayan peak, Annapurna I.

In 1999, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters--a prestigious prize intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." According to the Academy's citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."

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When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mount Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds.

Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed Outside journalist and author of the bestselling Into the Wild. Taking the reader step-by-step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly pinnacle, Krakauer has us shaking on the edge of our seat. Beyond the terrors of this account, however, he also peers deeply into the myth of the world's tallest mountain. What is it about Everest that has compelled so many people -- including himself -- to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense?

Written with emotional clarity and supported by unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eyewitness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Good Writing, Excellent Read.......2007-10-04

The story must be familiar even to those not into mountaineering. This is probably the most well-written account of the events which led up to the catastrophe on Mt Everest on May 1996. Clients from 2 commercial groups were trapped in a storm after making the summit. Jon Krakauer gives a detailed, fast-paced account of the dramatic events that followed. It is definitely in the area of narration skills where Krakauer's book stands above all the other books written by other people on the mountain.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and won't hesitate to give it 5 stars, but I do have a serious problem with the author's attitude. With the benefit of hindsight, he could, of course point out every single mistake that the others made which cost them theirs and other people's lives.

He also can't seem to be able to stop boasting about everything that he did right. I think one of the reasons why he's alive is because he only took care of himself. He would have us think that he was more prudent that Rob Hall and Scott Fischer.

Like one reviewer said, I too would never go climbing with this guy. If I ever got into trouble, he's not only going to abandon me but would actually tell the world about what I did wrong.

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A Great Writer -- Just Don't Ever Go Climbing with Him.......2007-09-21

Krakauer is a superb writer, as evidenced by this compelling read. As a climber, my take-home lesson from this book is that I would never set foot on a mountain with a person as smarmy, self-serving, selfish and self-absorbed as Mr. Krakauer. In my opinion, major portions of this book are nothing more than an after-the-fact and rather flimsy justification for Krakauer's abject moral failure on Everest as a person and as a mountaineer. Krakauer made sure he looked after No. 1 -- himself. He could have helped others who later died and chose not to. He should not have compounded his moral failure on the mountain with the sin of proferring a self-serving account of why he is not such a bad fellow after all. When in the mountains, Krakauer and his ilk are the type to stay away from, and certainly never the type to trust with your life.

Amazing.......2007-09-21

This book is amazing. I knew very little about Mt Everest of even mountain climbing in general. That didn't really matter. This story is incredible. It's almost hard to believe it's true. I couldn't put the book down.

Should cure any rational person of wanting to visit this mountain.......2007-09-12

Covers the disastrous 1996 Mount Everest expedition which Krakauer covered for Outside magazine. This compelling story should cure all rational folks of any desire to climb Everest, and lends valuable insight into the character of those who set out to climb the world's highest peak.

enjoyed it.......2007-08-31

I really enjoyed this book. The story was compelling and well written. I finished it in three days because I was so engrossed.

Average customer rating:

How well do any of us know one another?
RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "SPENSER MAKES DO WITHOUT HAWK!"
fun in the car
Solid Entry in the Spenser Series
Catharsis, Cathexis, What's Next-us? Purgative Pushes to Personality Paradise

Thin Air (Spenser)
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425152901

Customer Reviews:

How well do any of us know one another?.......2007-10-02

When Spenser agrees to help his friend Frank Belson (a cop) when Belson's wife - Lisa St. Claire - goes missing, and try to track her down - do him a favor, so to speak. Among the first things that Spenser discovers is that Lisa St. Claire is not her name. Apparently she has lived a rather checkered past - Spenser worries that telling Belson this will not be a favor at all. Finally following a trail to Proctor, well North of Boston, Spenser calls on Chollo (from L.A.) to come East and lend his assistance, since Proctor is mostly Latino and Spenser hopes Chollo's presence will help grease the wheels, so to speak. Things quickly go from bad to worse and before he knows it, Spenser goes from a simple job of tracking down a missing wife, to overthrowing a local government.

Definitely an edge-of-your seat book, this one alternated between Spenser's POV and Lisa's - the chapters where we hear Lisa's voice are all in italics and, unlike the main body of the book, stated in third person rather than first - which definitely fits in with the concept, as her abductor dehumanizes her by constantly filming her and playing back the films in her room. It was an interesting way to differentiate between the characters and I think it worked nicely.

This was a great chapter in the Spenser series - too bad I didn't get it reviewed in the proper order. It ended up falling in between the seats in my husband's car en route from the hospital one day and I just found it there a couple days back. So, here you go. Enjoy!

RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "SPENSER MAKES DO WITHOUT HAWK!".......2007-09-04

This is another installment of private investigator Spenser, who once again rubs elbows with criminals and cops alike. No one can successfully intermingle with good guys and bad for the greater good than Spenser. With my favorite sidekick "Hawk" unavailable because he's in Burma ("What can "Hawk" be doing in Burma?" "Better not to know", says Spenser. "Gives us deniability."), When police honcho Frank Belson's wife disappears into "Thin Air" he turns to Spenser for help. As the mystery unfolds, Spenser needs to call in some favors from some of his acquaintances from the wrong side of the law from Los Angeles to Boston. To fill Spenser's need for a Spanish speaking trigger man, Los Angeles mob boss Vincent Del Rio, lends him cold as ice, deadly as a mountain lion, "Chollo". For local Boston "cred", boss man Joe Broz, authorizes Spencer to use his name.

During the hunt for Mrs. Belson, many surprises come out of the woodwork, such as her name was Lisa St. Claire, or was it? Her resume isn't what it said it was, and this all leads Spenser through a history of prostitution, alcoholism, and more, and leads his associates to a show down in the Hispanic turf wars in the barrio.

Throughout this story, Spenser peppers the reader with his famous snappy banter, such as: "Henry Cimoli had been a ranked lightweight until Willie Pep urged him into the health club business by knocking him out in the first round of both fights. It was a lesson in the difference between good and great." In describing Homicide Commander Martin Quirk: "He was always quiet, except when he got mad, then he was quieter." In describing a lush cop: "with a lot of broken blood vessels in his cheeks, and an ugly red vinyl hairpiece on top of his head. It didn't match his sideburns, but it probably wouldn't have matched anyone's sideburns except maybe Plastic Man's." And in describing himself: "I took a shower and put on one of the terrycloth robes the hotel provided. It fit me like a hot dog casing on a knockwurst."

For the addicted Spenser fan, you can't leave this out of your collection. For the about to be acquainted fan of Spenser, this is a good place to start.

fun in the car.......2007-09-04

excellent type of book-on-tape for those long drives in the car. spenser is great fun.

Solid Entry in the Spenser Series.......2007-05-20

THIN AIR isn't a great novel, but it's an entertaining book by one of the best crime writers alive. The plotline is simple: Frank Belson's new wife has gone missing and he asks Spenser to help find her. During his investigation, Spenser discovers that Belson's wife has quite a number of skeletons in the closet.

This novel is relatively predictable, but it's a fun read because of Parker's remarkable level of skill with language and dialogue. THIN AIR is relatively original because Hawk isn't in it, and also because Spenser has an interesting new Latino sidekick. The result is a storyline that seems relatively fresh and funny.

If you like Parker's work, you should enjoy THIN AIR, although I would recommend earlier entries in the Spenser series if you're looking for something genuinely great.

Catharsis, Cathexis, What's Next-us? Purgative Pushes to Personality Paradise.......2007-05-16

When a great writer dramatizes trapped helplessness, I'm ready to eject. I almost squirmed out of reading # 22 in the Spenser series. But, this being the 27th novel I would have read in this 34 book series, I pushed like a Navy Seal through the first couple italicized segments of the kidnaping and ensuing situation, using the "hang in there" ropes provided by the characters' depth of commitment in returning Lisa St. Claire to the safety she had earned hard, by Frank Belson's side as his wife. I began clutching to hope for Frank to keep faith that Lisa wouldn't have left him willingly. I'm glad Parker didn't push the potential of dark tragedy of a soul drop like that. He worked the question just enough to rush the realism, then allow it to simmer under the diligence of "Keep the faith, baby."

I won't go into detail about why Frank turned over the search to Spenser, and why Spenser went to Chollo instead of Hawk, for the first time in a rescue partnership. And, yeah, I'm asking, "What was Hawk doing in Burma?"

In THIN AIR Pearl had progressed to standing on the dining table during meals, and Susan gave a humanity renewing surprise over a Mexican dinner more suitable in volume to Spenser. Dialogue scenes were evenly effervescent, with just the right amount of fizz to counter the interjections of ongoing Italicized segments. I was intrigued with the subtle shifts in patterns-of-psychosis of Lisa and her captor, as each seemed to be enduring an individual "cathexis" ... New word, probably brought into psychological jargon through the same sewer-line-purge-tank as "catharsis" ... Look up the original meaning of that one! "Cathexis" was brought into the plot by Madeline St. Claire, the current plot's previous psychiatrist for Lisa, as a sample of Lisa's uneven vocabulary expansion through reading a plethora of self-help books (too many, too indiscriminately, according to Madeline).

Lisa's attempts to retain a recently seated kernel of healthy self served as an effective drama for exposing the visceral levels of retention-and-resurgence of psychological growth.

Dictionary entry for Nexus: 1 - a connection. 2 - a connected group or series. 3 - the central and most important point. -ORIGIN Latin, from nectere 'bind'.

A bad nexus would ultimately require a cathexis. Get yours here!

Throughout the plot, I was led by the nose with curiosity about how and if Frank and Lisa would be reunited, hopefully at that central and most important point, which I was guessing would be a clean type of Love (considering Spenser's Romantic soul).

Also found another key passage in THIN AIR, which exposed another appeal of this series:

>> "You big with the bad guys, Spenser. You got Santiago helping you, Mr. Del Rio helping you, now this guy Broz, that I don't know, he's helping you. You sure you are a good guy?" "No," I said. I'm not sure." <<

A nice collection of profound quotes could be lifted out of THIN AIR, from Spenser's ruminations discriminating the good in bad guys. Another collection of artistic quotes could be lifted from Spenser's observations of physical settings, weather machinations, and environmental pathos. I'll speak this softly and with conviction, "This is Good Literature."

After finishing this novel, I saw not only why Parker brought Chollo in as Spenser's partner instead of Hawk: The nationality fit the situation. I also saw Parker, a WASP macho male, chef and sensitive guy, as a literary ambassador for the menage of sub-cultural minorities which came to the fore through Media Massages and marked-up messages, from the mid 1970's to the present time. Purposely or not, Parker evolved and designed Spenser for the job of providing missing links between good and evil, and connecting lines of cultural differences, allowing polarities to cathexis, gradually purifying their "acts." We ain't there yet, but Spenser's a good scout.

This was primely-done detective fiction, with trailing ridges of psychological plummets and literary finesse carefully eased out of Spenser's closet ... Pandora's Box? ... Soap Box?

Whatever. THIN AIR was an emotionally weighty yet magical entry in this series, a fuzzy-wuzzy-wabbit pulled out of a deep and dark, very hard hat. Get it. Breathe, one, two, three.

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Linda Shelnutt

Money from Thin Air: The Story of Craig McCaw, the Visionary who Invented the Cell Phone Industry, and His Next Billion-Dollar Idea

Average customer rating:

A good story, but you never get close enough to McCaw
Sleeper in Seattle
Reads fast
Boring...
The Boring Billionaire

Money from Thin Air: The Story of Craig McCaw, the Visionary who Invented the Cell Phone Industry, and His Next Billion-Dollar Idea
O. Casey Corr
Manufacturer: Crown Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0812926978
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Amazon.com

"With cellular telephony... we saw an enormous gap between what was and what should be. I mean, [the fixed phone system] makes absolutely no sense. It is machines dominating human beings. The idea that people went to a small cubicle, a six-by-ten office, and sat there all day at the end of a six-foot cord, was anathema to me" So says Craig McCaw, who staked what once amounted to $3.5 million dollars of long-term debt on the idea that in the not-too-distant future, America would be ready to cut that six-foot-cord... and whose epic risk paid off big in 1994 when AT&T bought for $12.6 billion the nationwide cellular-phone empire McCaw had for the past decade stealthily patched together, leveraged buyout by leveraged buyout.

His story is told here by O. Casey Corr, who covers business and technology for The Seattle Times. Corr starts with the 1969 death of McCaw's broadcasting-tycoon father, whereupon Craig and his superrich Seattle family realize they are actually flat broke. At once risk-loving and shrewd, young Craig starts buying one small cable outfit after another in the Pacific Northwest as the fledgling industry picks up steam through the 1970s. But sensing the real wave of the future is the wireless phone, McCaw seizes on the FCC's mid-1980s decision to jettison its Byzantine application process for wireless regional franchises in favor of a lottery system--a move that transformed wireless speculation from a sleepy insider's game dominated by AT&T into a nationwide feeding frenzy, all at a time when cell phones and their transmission were still wildly expensive and their mass popularity more than a decade away. Leveraging one high-risk purchase against the next, eventually with the help of junk-bond king Michael Milken, McCaw gobbles up most of the infant markets. But he's smart enough to dodge his debt by selling off the entire thing to AT&T in 1994 for a dazzling $12.6 billion. He has since moved on to future-minded projects such as Teledesic, his $9 billion partnership with Bill Gates, Boeing, and Motorola to create what the book calls "an Internet in the sky, a satellite network that provides fast, cheap Internet access worldwide."

The dissolution and triumphant reconstruction of the McCaw family fortune is an intricate tale of shrewdly choreographed deals, and Corr tells it well, in an assured, crystal-clear and tautly paced entrepreneurial narrative. That said, Money from Thin Air does a better job of dissecting the technical minutiae of McCaw's empire-building than it does at dramatizing or interpreting the personalities or psyches of its main players, foremost McCaw. Corr tries hard to paint McCaw as another of those quirky, New Economy, redwood forest visionaries à la Bill Gates, full of complexities. But Corr fails at making much of a vivid character of McCraw or hitting the essence of what drives him to take such vertiginous risks. Perhaps that has to do with the one quality in his subject he seems to nail--McCaw's seeming desire to be as invisible (or, many of his employees would say, inaccessible) as possible. By Corr's own admission, McCaw agreed to all of two interviews for this book before he got bored and politely waved Corr away. You may not get caught up in the characters of Money from Thin Air, but you'll keenly follow McCaw as he profits his way across the frontier of an emerging telecommunications market. --Timothy Murphy

Book Description

From Jay Gould to John D. Rockefeller to Bill Gates, the titans who change the world have set themselves apart by seizing the high ground before anyone else even knew it existed. Gutsy, shrewd, and ruthless, they were, above all, visionaries who saw whole new industries where others saw only chaos. Today, another visionary is seizing control of the vast new world of telecommunications, an elusive entrepreneur named Craig McCaw. Money from Thin Air is the story of how he created a new industry literally from thin air, and how he will do it again.

Journalist O. Casey Corr vividly portrays here for the first time how McCaw created a cellular communications empire from the disarray of his father's failed cable business and went on to sell it to AT&T in 1993 for a stunning $12.6 billion. And he shows how McCaw is now creating another new industry that could dwarf the accomplishments of Gates and Rockefeller put together, an "Internet in the Sky" that will provide high-speed data access to any point in the world. Most of all, Corr captures the heart of a new kind of executive -- mercurial, brilliant, extremely flexible, always entreprenurial -- who is changing the way business works forever.
A Leadership Style for the Twenty-first Century: McCaw's radically different approach to management--based on hard-nosed negotiation, shrewd borrowing, and a rare willingness to change business plans on a dime--is the new model for anyone who wants to survive, let alone thrive, in the new economy. This book shows how McCaw's unique management style evolved by instinct and from periods of intense personal reflection and self-scrutiny.
Insight into the Emerging New Media Landscape: Today, the telecom world is in turmoil. Giant companies are vulnerable because of their entrenchment in old technology and high cost. So they merge; bigger must be better. At a different level, start-ups tap new pools of capital and maneuver to exploit opportunities created by stumbling giants and collapsing regulation. Increasingly, it's a game for the nimble and the daring. The telecommunications world has come around to Craig McCaw's way of business.
An Amazing Life: Rarely does a family make and remake a fortune. Craig McCaw's father literally ran his multimillion-dollar radio and television business out of his hat, and when he died suddenly at an early age, the family's bank declared the estate insolvent. McCaw, then only twenty years old, rejected the advice of more experienced businessmen and began investing the money he got from his father's life insurance in a series of businesses most thought worthless, or at best, extremely risky. His career since then has been a series of increasingly large-scale ventures based on a unique personal vision of an emerging human society in which all of us will be freed by technology.
The Next Big Thing: McCaw made one fortune in cable TV and another in cellular telephones. Now he's building a telecommunications empire of staggering potential through a collection of companies he controls: Teledesic, a satellite partnership with Microsoft's Bill Gates that is building a global "Internet in the Sky"; Nextlink, a company positioning itself to rival the Baby Bells with its own vast network of fiber-optic cable and switching systems; CablePlus, a company that provides voice service, Internet access, and TV signals through coaxial cable; and Nextel, an international wireless-telephone company with an expanding role in data services. Each company alone is breathtaking in its ambition, hunger for capital, and risk-taking management style. Together, they provide a glimpse at the depth of McCaw's ambition: one company capable of providing high-speed data access to any point in the world.

Odd, mysterious, yet public-spirited, McCaw is a technological visionary who sees profit where others see thin air. His amazing, ongoing story is required reading for anyone wanting to understand what it takes to build an industry from scratch -- twice.

Customer Reviews:

A good story, but you never get close enough to McCaw.......2004-03-11

As Corr tells it, McCaw has always operated by a unique, hands off managerial style, often absent from key negotiations and busy flying his plane and paddling his kayak through British Columbia. For an author of a business biography, such a subject presents a real problem, because it makes it virtually impossible to paint a nuanced, subtle, in depth profile of the subject, and Corr's book suffers from this flaw. Michael Lewis had the same problem with Jim Clark in "The New New Thing," and I think there are few biographers of sufficient skill to really help us understand a mercurial figure like McCaw.

That said, the book is still worthwhile, especially for the excellent early history of the cable and cellular phone industries. The explosive growth, relentless deal making, constant capital shortages, and sudden, inexplicable abandonment by the financial community might ring a chord with anyone who has lived through the last five years. Revolutions in the communications business seem to follow such a hype-hysteria-despair-rebuild path, and today's investors and entrepreneurs can learn a lot by studying the early history of these industries. For this purpose, Corr's book is a worthy addition to a business person's library.

Sleeper in Seattle.......2003-08-24

This book provides limited facts that are not already available in the newspaper. The writing style is monotone and does not compel the reader - definitely not something that will keep me up at night reading.

Reads fast.......2001-08-03

Very insightful, quick reading book about one of the nation's most unique business leaders, a real character. There should be a sequel about McCaw handling the big shakeout in telecom and about his pet project, saving Keiko the whale. I hope Corr does another book.

Boring..........2001-06-09

The long title first struck me very impressively. However, as I went on reading the book, I find it frustrating and uninteresting. It's hard to write a book with a boring life (no offense, Mr. McCaws). But rather than diving into how the McCaws from not a nerd, a technologist, or futurist becomes successful, the author tries really hard (but unsuccessful) to make McCaws as a great visionary. If you look at the reference section in the book, you will see that most materials for this book came from newspaper. The author has to admit in his book that McCaws didn't spend much time to be interviewed either. Besides, some readers might find the book funny and silly in a technical point of view. Well, I have a feeling that the author doesn't have much insights on the wireless industry. I just read "AOL.COM" before reading this book. And in comparision, this book is really a frustration even though I really want to know more about McCaws, a local well-known family.

The Boring Billionaire.......2000-12-18

This book is obviously the story of Craig McCaw and how he made his fortune in the cellular phone market. The book does a good job of summarizing Craig's life from a family tragedy that shaped his business life, to his strong belief in cellular communication and how that made him a millionaire.

The good news/bad news is that he eschews the fame and glory of a typical egomaniac like Donald Trump. It's great from a role model standpoint but since McCaw is so protective of his privacy and is around so few people, it was difficult to write a glamorous tale of an unglamorous life. Particularly since there is no mention of McCaw ever being interviewed by the author. Therefore, you are left with the history of cellular phone development in America coupled with mention of McCaw's unique management style.

That was enough for me as I had no knowledge of the business and it was interesting to see how a conservative man leveraged himself to great wealth. But don't buy this book if you want stories of drugs, models or other scandals. This story is nothing more than a successful business tale and that is enough.

The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel
Average customer rating:

Very Interesting Story

'Testing the boundaries of time, grief and death'

Mystical, but the air maybe a tad too thin

A romance novel...without the BLECH.

One of the best books I've read all year!

The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel
Ronlyn Domingue
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

New Orleans, 1920s. Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies in a tragic accident. In an instant, she leaves behind her one true love and her dream of becoming a doctor -- but somehow, she still remains. Immediately after her death, Razi chooses to stay between -- a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it.

From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the stories of her lost love, Andrew, and the relationship of Amy and Scott, a couple whose house she haunts almost seventy-five years later. The Mercy of Thin Air entwines these two fateful and redemptive love stories that echo across three generations. From ambitious, forward-thinking Razi, who illegally slips birth control guides into library books; to hip Web designer Amy, who begins to fall off the edge of grief; to Eugenia, caught between since the Civil War, the characters in this wondrous novel sing with life. Evoking the power of love, memory, and time, The Mercy of Thin Air culminates in a startling finish that will leave readers breathless.

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"In 1920s New Orleans, Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies suddenly in an accident. Immediately after her death, she gets caught in the between--a brilliantly imagined realm that exists between life and death and the beyond. From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the story of her lost love as well as the intricate story of Amy and Scott, a young couple whose house she haunts seventy years later. But it is the trials of this young couple and their serendipitous connection to Razi that finally compel her to unravel the mystery of what happened to her first and only love, Andrew. The Mercy of Thin Air is an extremely well-crafted puzzle of a novel that pieces together two tragic and redemptive love stories that parallel and collide over two different periods in history, finally culminating in a startling finish that will leave readers breathless. It is rich with characters that emerge seamlessly from eras in which they live. From plucky, forward thinking Razi, who illegally slips contraception education pamphlets into books; to hip web designer Amy who begins to fall off the edge of grief; to Eugenia caught in the between since The War Between the States, the characters in this ambitious and original debut sing with life, as well as Southern flair. The Mercy of Thin Air is a poignant and intelligent first novel that beautifully captures the nature of love and how it transcends all barriers--even death."

Customer Reviews:

Very Interesting Story.......2007-10-08

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are easy to like and I was completely engrossed in the plot about how loves endures even after death. Some twists and turns make the story interesting and I loved reading about the author's perspective on the after-life. The book stirred real emotions and I found myself reaching for the tissue box on multiple occasions. Very entertaining and highly enjoyable!

'Testing the boundaries of time, grief and death'.......2007-09-08

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The combination of the past, the present and the 'in between' introduced some fascinating possibilities into the lives of the characters.

There are some interesting twists and turns as Raziela Nolan (Razi) seeks to follow the life of her beau (Andrew O'Connell) subsequent to her untimely death in the 1920s. As part of her journey of discovery, Razi becomes involved in the lives of Amy and Scott some 70 years after her own death.

This is a novel about love, understanding and compromise which tests the boundaries of time, grief and death. In this, her first novel, Ms Domingue has provided a splendid novel to be read and revisited.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Mystical, but the air maybe a tad too thin.......2007-09-02

After your demise imagine hanging around 'between' able to observe and even interact on a ghostly plane with those you knew in life. The book is beautifully written- an amazing first novel. A 4 because though some of the main characters such as Raziela were well drawn, others just didn't speak to me. There didn't seem strong enough foundation for the serious problem that seemed to just crop up between Scott and Amy, or for the resolution of same. I will say that Ms. Domingue can write great love scenes when so many authors fail with love scenes that are just icky or ridiculous. Ms. Domingue has written a truly unique ghost story. This book should be on best book lists.

A romance novel...without the BLECH........2007-08-29

Once in a while, a book will choose me to read it. I happened to pick this up on a bargain table for 4 dollars and figured that even if I didn't like it, it was still only 4 dollars.

Best damn 4 dollars I ever spent.

Ronlyn Domingue's debut novel is magical and hypnotic. There is just no other way to describe it. Raziela Nolan is a unique and powerful protagonist, her voice becoming warm and familiar after the second page. The characters become your friends, relatives, brothers, and sisters. You laugh with them, cry with them, bleed with them, and worry about them as if they were right beside you. Domingue's mind-blowing descriptions and poetic prose put you within the action, feeling and seeing with the characters. The parallels within the story, along with the shift between the past and the present, keep the reader engaged and curious, hopelessly attached to the book until the punctuation of the last sentence. The ending will leave you breathless, grasping your chest in awe and sorrow, grateful for having had the experience but longing for more.

Just as Razi will never forget Andrew, or a single solitary moment of her breathing life, I will never forget a single page of this beautiful, expertly crafted work of literature. Read it, I promise it will change your life.

One of the best books I've read all year!.......2007-08-16

I loved this book, set in the 1920's and present day America, it had everything I love in a good book: romance, heart ache, loss, passion, adventure, and history.

Average customer rating:

Thin Air
fast, exciting and fun read.
Okay, so lets just super glue it back together.
Another Outstanding Entry In The Weather Warden Series!
A fast read but a bit of a let down...

Thin Air (Weather Warden, Book 6)
Rachel Caine
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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Firestorm (Weather Warden, Book 5)
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On the Prowl

ASIN: 0451461630

Book Description

After preventing Mother Earth from destroying the planet, Joanne Baldwin lost her memories thanks to Ashan the djinn-and they will remain lost forever unless Joanne can recover her identity-and destroy the demon who is impersonating her, fabulous shoes and all...

Customer Reviews:

Thin Air.......2007-09-29

Another installment of the "Weather Warden" series has our heroine, Joanne Baldwin trying to outwit and outfight a demon. The story begins with Joanne waking up in a snow storm, without her memory. And, did I mention she was naked as well. Not to worry. It all goes downhill from there.

fast, exciting and fun read........2007-09-20

Rachel Caine has done it again. The "Weather Warden" series are one of the most enjoyable finds of this past summer. The characters build with each book, creating a smooth, continuing flow starting from Book 1 and continuing through Book 6. The read is fast-paced and action-packed up to the end. I look forward to all of her additions to come in this series. For those that look at Rachel's list of songs that she listens to while writing, check the tunes out on itunes. Some of them are fantastic finds! Thanks for one of the most enjoyable tornadic rides of the summer!! It makes one wish they knew a real djinn.....

Okay, so lets just super glue it back together........2007-08-30

I have been looking forward to this book since Firestorm came out. I had just finished reading the first 5 books in 5 days and I totally loved the series and have been just dying to find out what happened next. Since Rachel Caine pretty much had the whole Weather Warden world torn apart at the end of the last book, Thin Air had great promise. Lets face it, after 5 books a series can start to get kind of moldy. So the gigantic mess-- the loss of Joanne's memories the change in the Djinn/Warden relationship, the death of Imara and David's new place in the world -- presented an opportunity to build something totally new and different.

There were several great things going on at the start of this book that were not exploited. Joanne's memory loss offered a chance for a clean slate fresh start, nothing like waking up naked, freezing and with amnesia and then being confronted by two hot guys with spooky powers to get things off to a quick start. Next her ability to pick through other people's memories would have been a great way to expose and explore hidden motives in other characters. I would have liked to have seen Caine go a little deeper with Eamon since he is just so sociopathic, I would have liked to have understood his relationship with Joanne's sister a little better. Or to look into Louis and see more of what makes him tick. But instead we just get a quick recap of what has gone before. And the "evil twin" demon with all of Joanne's memories - what a great missed opportunity to explore some relationship alternatives with Louis without Joanne dumping David (who I totally love). It would have been great fun to watch the demon's evil machinations first hand from the demon's point of view and then we could have left Joanne stewing trying to prove her identity for a bit longer to build the tension.

While I enjoyed this book, like an obligatory cross country ride in a totally hot vintage car, it ended up feeling like more of the same old world superglued together cracks and all -- when it could have been a mosiac making something new and interesting from the salvaged bits and pieces.

Another Outstanding Entry In The Weather Warden Series!.......2007-08-22

You know, unlike some other authors who write longstanding series, Rachel Caine continuously develops her characters in each book, even this last one where Joanne spends much of the story adjusting to new unfamiliar powers and trying to regain her memories. Firestorm ended with the djinn Ashan forcibly tearing Joanne's memories from her. This books picks up from there and we find out a demon has captured those memories and is now impersonating Joanne. So, our intrepid heroine is once again on the run from those she loves. Granted this is true in every Weather Warden book thus far, but with the way the author writes, the storyline never gets stale. Other reviewers have commented on the fact that Caine spends a good portion of the book having Joanne relive things that happened in the previous books. I didn't mind this though because Joanne actually winds up learning more about herself through other people's memories of her. You also learn alot more about other characters than previously known. I also liked that Caine brought back Eamon and Sarah, and that Joanne learns much more about her sister than possibly she ever really wanted to learn. My one criticism would be that I felt the ending was a tad rushed. Other than that, I can't wait for the next book. I just wished we didn't have to wait until next August for it.

A fast read but a bit of a let down..........2007-08-21

I've enjoyed the unique, intriguing, and well-written Weather Warden series from the beginning and wholeheartedly recommend this series, as well as Ms Caine's other series (Red Letter series: Devil's Bargain, Devil's Due; Morganville Vampires series: Glass Houses (Book 1), The Dead Girls' Dance (Book 2), Midnight Alley (Book 3)).

Unfortunately, Thin Air is a little bit of a let down from the other books in the series, even though this book starts off with a blast, and the action rolls on from there pretty much without a stop. The excitement of learning how Joanne has come to lose her memory and why spurs the reader to continue reading. Along the way, we see much more of the interaction among the Wardens, among the Djinn, and even between David and Lewis and the perpetually sulky teen, Kevin. All of which is good.

So why the disappointment? you ask.

The notion of the evil twin, as also commented by other reviewers, is a long-established one. That's not to say old ideas can't be given new life, of course. Alas, Thin Air doesn't really take the idea and run with it. In fact, once I read how and why the evil twin came to be and its purpose, I was strongly reminded of the shapeshifter in Patricia Briggs's book When Demons Walk. The creature in Ms Briggs's story had essentially the same reasons for why it did what it did as the evil twin in Ms Caine's book.

In addition, while I was overjoyed to discover the resurrection (so to speak) of a character, I wasn't so enamored of what that brought: Joanne's new power. That did seem somewhat convenient.

The one true twist was the entire scenario involving Eamon and Sarah. I confess I was never a big fan of the these characters (well, yes, of course that's the point; what I mean is the reappearance of these 2 unlikable people seemed out of the blue and didn't appear to serve much of a purpose except to throw a wrench in the works and to showcase Joanne's new power), but it looks like we'll be seeing more of them next. I'm hoping both Sarah and Eamon will be dealt with in a somewhat permanent manner.

Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, And Earth's Ancient Atmosphere

Average customer rating:

Out of Thin Air: Science on Solid Ground
"Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I?"
Provocative -- New ideas on paleobiology
Bad English. Good Science?
Compelling!

Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, And Earth's Ancient Atmosphere
Peter Douglas Ward
Manufacturer: Joseph Henry Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0309100615

Book Description

For 65 million years dinosaurs ruled the Earth - until a deadly asteroid forced their extinction. But what accounts for the incredible longevity of dinosaurs? A renowned scientist now provides a startling explanation that is rewriting the history of the Age of Dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs are pretty amazing creatures. Real life monsters that have the power to fascinate us. And they're fiery Hollywood ending only serves to make their story that much more dramatic. But fossil evidence demonstrates that dinosaurs survived several mass extinctions, seemingly unaffected by catastrophes that decimated most other life on Earth. What could explain their uncanny ability to endure through the ages?

Biologist and earth scientist Peter Ward now accounts for the remarkable indestructibility of dinosaurs by connecting their unusual respiration system with their ability to adapt to Earth's changing environment - a system that was ultimately bequeathed to their descendants, birds. By tracing the evolutionary path back through time, slowly but deliberately connecting the dots from birds to dinosaurs, Ward describes the unique form of breathing shared by these two distant relatives - and demonstrates how this simple but remarkable characteristic provides the elusive explanation to a question that has thus far stumped scientists.

Nothing short of revolutionary in its bold presentation of an astonishing theory, this is a story of science at the edge of discovery. Ward is an outstanding guide to the process of scientific detection. Audacious and innovative in his thinking, meticulous and thoroughly detailed in his research, only a scientist of his caliber is capable of telling this surprising story.

Customer Reviews:

Out of Thin Air: Science on Solid Ground.......2007-09-13

Mountain climbers struggling to breathe astride the 29,029 foot (8,848 meter) summit of Mt. Everest routinely see birds gracefully flying above them, engaging in nonchalant aerial acrobatics at altitudes where humans risk hypoxia (oxygen starvation) while standing still.

The avian respiratory system is at least 33% more efficient than any mammalian lung. Birds combine lungs with an extensive system of air sacs - permitting a unidirectional airflow of 'fresh' air with a higher oxygen content. Mammals are saddled with bidirectional lungs that mix 'fresh' and 'stale' (carbon dioxide-laden) air.

Since birds descended from dinosaurs - they are avian dinosaurs - what does this say about dinosaurian respiration, the world in which they evolved, and more specifically the atmospheric chemistry of the planet they came to dominate?

"Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth's Ancient Atmosphere" by Peter Ward hypothesizes that the history of atmospheric and oceanic oxygen levels throughout geologic time has profoundly impacted the nature of animal life on Earth - everything from morphology (body plans) and physiology to evolutionary history and diversity - was contingent on oxygen levels which have varied radically over time.

Ward, a paleontology professor at the University of Washington, and a NASA staff astrobiologist, is an expert in paleo-atmospheric chemistry and supports his claims with ample and compelling evidence.

Earth's atmosphere presently consists of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, the final 1% composed of various gases; carbon dioxide being the most notable and problematic. 4.54 billion years ago Earth's atmosphere was a hothouse dominated by carbon dioxide. Oxygen was so scarce that Iron could not rust. Photosynthetic cyanobacteria introduced oxygen into Earth's atmosphere - precipitating an oxygen crisis - the first known mass extinction.

Since the advent of photosynthesis atmospheric oxygen levels hare varied considerably. Only 5 million years ago (MYA) oxygen levels hit 28%. The early Cambrian (544 MYA) averaged 13% and levels peaked during the Carboniferous - Permian transition (299 MYA) at 35%. By the Permian - Triassic boundary (251 MYA) oxygen levels plummeted to less than 12%.

Mass extinctions periodically reshape life on Earth. The best known, the Cretaceous - Tertiary (K-T) boundary, ended the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs approximately 65 MYA when an asteroid roughly 10 kilometers wide gouged the Chicxulub crater near the Yucatan Peninsula, setting the stage for mammals, including Homo sapiens, to become the dominant terrestrial vertebrates.

Another extinction event, the Permian - Triassic (P-Tr), some 251 MYA, is informally known as 'the Great Dying.' Up to 96 percent of all marine species and 70 percent of terrestrial species were erased as global ecosystems crumbled. Life itself nearly died as a greenhouse gas spike caused temperatures to soar 10 - 30 degrees Celsius (18 - 54 degrees Fahrenheit), and oxygen levels plummeted when the oceans became the anoxic (without-oxygen) abode of methanogenic and sulfate-reducing microorganisms - amplifying global warming (methane is 10 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere) and poisoning plant and animal life with deadly hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg gas). The sky literally turned a sickly shade of green, a topic ably covered in Ward's superb Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past, and What They Can Tell Us About Our Future.

Since dinosaurs evolved in the early Triassic - a period of suffocatingly low (to mammals) oxygen levels - any evolutionary innovations that enhanced respiratory efficiency would provide a compelling advantage. Ward contends that dinosaurs eclipsed the dominant Therapsida (mammal-like reptiles) and early mammals by evolving the unidirectional airflow lung and air sack respiratory system utilized by their avian descendents. In the Cynognathus vs. Eoraptor world of the early Triassic the race was to the swift and battle to the strong - our ancestors lost. Therapsids went extinct, early mammals retreated to niches where their respiratory and metabolic systems could cope with Triassic atmospheric conditions, and the reign of the dinosaurs began.

Along the way Ward lucidly engages a wide array of topics to make his case. The impact of continental drift (plate tectonics) and geochemistry (sulfur and carbon cycles) on oxygen levels are explored. Segmented body plans as a respiratory strategy, gills (trilobite, cephalopod, and decapod), and lungs of every variety (from alveolar to septate) are contrasted. The advent of endothermy (warm-blooded metabolism), evidence for same (turbinal bones in mammal-like reptiles and early mammals), and associated reproductive strategies (eggs vs. live birth) also illuminate Ward's insights. Circulatory advances (four-chamber hearts), even the upright posture of dinosaurs (Ward suggests the need to breathe while walking drove this innovation) are deftly dropped into a compelling evidentiary mosaic.

"Out of Thin Air" is more than a trendy title - the science shows how the dinosaurs literally emerged as a result of 'thin' air due to near-hypoxic atmospheric oxygen levels prevailing throughout the P-Tr transition. Dinosaur enthusiasts will be enthralled and mystery lovers will applaud Ward's 'science as the ultimate sleuth' approach to deciphering the history of life on Earth. Ward's Gorgon: The Monsters That Ruled the Planet Before Dinosaurs and How They Died in the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History makes an excellent companion volume.

"Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I?".......2007-07-28

Did periods of low oxygen in Earth's ocean and atmosphere - `thin air' - drive the evolution of animals? Ward meticulously correlates oxygen levels with virtually all animal species' evolutions on land and sea from the Cambrian thru-out the following half-billion years. Altho the timings of the oxygen/carbon-dioxide levels versus ancient animals' ages are both still somewhat speculative, Ward's theory seems to be the most plausible explanation I've read so far.

What caught my attention and attracted me to this book was the realization that birds migrate over the Himalayas (the book's dust-jacket and chapter headings picture Eurasian cranes in flight) while the fittest of our species struggle in the thin air to reach those heights. What enables birds to do that? Ward traces birds' respiratory system's origin to the pre-avian dinosaurs and says that at sea level birds' is a third more efficient than mammals' and at a mile high theirs is two times more efficient. However I was disappointed that he doesn't explain why birds' dinosaur ancestors survived the K-T extinction 65mya which killed off all the other dinosaurs, or how they evolved into today's birds. His focus is more on us mammals.

Some reviewers grumble that Ward's prose is flawed which impeded their reading. Granted it's a little rough but the fact that he's breaking new ground and promptly delivering the results to us, should earn him some latitude. The scope and novelty of his research is impressive, let's not quibble about its form. Perhaps his fault is that he rushed to publish his `first draft' rather than take the time to polish it, but I'm glad he did altho as I said, I think he wraps it up too hastily. (His "Under a Green Sky" was published just 5½ months later - I'll tackle it next.)

Provocative -- New ideas on paleobiology.......2007-03-02

Ward's book is really quite interesting to explain the "logic" of life's development on the earth, starting with the first animals (540 MA). Everything is linked to a timeline showing the rise and fall of oxygen levels over the geologic eras. It would be fatal to the book's premise, I believe, if subsequent research drastically revises this timeline.

As for criticism of Ward's writing style, there were creative forays in his writing that I most enjoyed. On a number of occasions, he takes us on an imaginary trip to visit Earth at a particular era. We are in some sort of conveyance that is boat, submarine, and plane. Like a tour guide, he explains what we are seeing -- bare rocks covered with moss and lichens, the faint haze of hydrogen sulphide in the air, the first primitive pre-phyla of the Burgess shale slowly moving across the sea bottom.

There is some repetition -- this can be criticized, but can also be helpful if one does not whiz through the book rapidly, but goes back every few days for another bite. This is not a thriller, but a rather challenging book of lay science. It is filled with mouthfilling Latinate words. A little extra help by way of some selective repetion is not that objectionable, I think.

One aspect of the book that is radically new is the analysis of the physiology of various prehistoric families of creatures. Their livers, their lungs, their feathers, their bone structure. Only in fairly recent times has this sort of discussion even been possible, and the field is sort of a "terra incognita."

Because the book covers new ground, it will remain to be seen how will the findings hold up in decades to come.

I found it intelligent, lively, and filled with new assertions and new insights. I do NOT agree with one reviewer that the book is too expensive. I got my copy from Amazon for a considerable discount from the nominal price.

Buy it if you think you will enjoy it.

Bad English. Good Science?.......2007-03-01

I found this work a bit of fascinating scientific conjecture, which held my interest even though slogging through its uneven and often ungrammatical prose was quite a chore. Not a piece of "lay science" but rather a work of scientific speculation aimed at a lay audience, this sometimes technical, and oftentimes flawed book will disappoint many at both ends of the spectrum, even though the ideas it presents are worth presenting.

I am not qualified to judge the GEOCARBSULF model upon which the book's major premises are founded. Ward uses this model to model oxygen levels in the past, and posits levels which are not necessarily consistent with certain other modern estimates. Whether we accept his model or not, the book has the virtue of putting forth his theories as explicit and numbered hypotheses. Over the long term this will make the validity of his various speculations more easily judged.

His two main theses are that during periods of low oxygen, speciation rates may have been low, but rates of evolutionary innovation in order to deal with metabolic stress were high, (high enough to be the main driver of innovation in most cases) and that when oxygen rates then later increased, speciation rates (but not necessarily rates of innovation) increased leading to the various explosions such as the Cambrian explosion so well explored in the recent literature.

Ward does admit that such correlations are not always strict. For instance, he admits that the rise of the insects to dominance seems to have paralleled the rise of the flowering plants, and that prior to the origin of the angiosperms, insects were a relatively minor group regardless of oxygen levels.

The book does not lack for flaws. Given that the explicit purpose of its publisher is to make serious works of science "accessible" to the general public, there are dozens of child-friendly black-and-white illustrations of various familiar fossil creatures, from the trilobites to the cynodonts.

Yet there is no illustration at all of the structure of the avian lung, or any actual lung for that matter, even though this is the main subject of the book! Did I miss the detailed anatomical diagrams that would have doubled this books value? The best we get is a very schematic diagram of "a lung" with basically oxygen in here, CO2 out there. There is no diagram of the spider's book lung, the land snail's lung, the mammalian lung, the crocodilian lung, the bird lung, or the various cephalopod and decapod pump gills.

Furthermore, as another reviewer noted, the prose is sloppy and frankly, sometimes atrocious. I literally had to reread several sentences on each page, a distraction that almost drove me to put down the book entirely. Ward's usage is often ungrammatical, he uses words that don't mean what he wishes to say, ("slant" to mean "topic") and he occasionally coins new words such as "paleoaltitude" (used but once) which are essentially meaningless. The book credits an editor. That person's effort seems to have consisted at most of spell-checking, if anything else.

Even at a discount from its full purchase price, this book is too pricy to recommend. Those who are considering purchasing it for the general enthusiast should consider another title. The overly long and often repetitive format is frustrating for anyone with any in-depth knowledge of paleontology, or good prose style, or who can remember what he was reading after a pause of a few hours. The entire book might have been condensed into a third its length, or into a two-part article in a popular magazine without losing anything essential. If you need this book for any academic purpose, consider a lending library.

The book, is probably worth two stars, but is widely over-rated. Ward's arguments are indeed there to be found. He does substitute thought voyages where helpful illustrations are lacking. You can read his theses, and figure out what he wishes to say. But making oneself clear is the author's responsibility, not a labor that should be foisted off on a lay readership, or a professional one for that matter.

Compelling!.......2007-02-18

Though countless books have been written on what killed off the dinosaurs, this book is unique in that it presents a compelling scenario on why they evolved in the first place, and an anatomical reason on why they were so successful. Not only does it discuss the evolution of the dinosaurs, it also discusses how fluctuations in the oxygen and carbon dioxyide levels in the Earth's atmosphere could have been the major factors in causing rapid evolution and mass extinctions thoughout the history of life on Earth. It is a fascinating read, in the same class as "In the Blink of an Eye: How Vision Sparked the Big Bang of Evolution" by Andrew Parker. Unfortunately, the writing is clumsy at times, and the logic is sometimes difficult to follow. And there is so much in the book that is work in progress. I expect the author to come out with a new edition in a few years with more data to support his hypothesis. And when he does, I hope he includes more illustrations of the animals he is talking about!

Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Average customer rating:

Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
Jon Krakauer
Manufacturer: Books on Tape, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

Travel | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

Air Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0736637540

Average customer rating:

Good read
A novel that holds you -- and won't let you go.

Into Thin Air
Caroline Leavitt
Manufacturer: Little, Brown & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Living Other Lives
Girls in Trouble: A Novel
Coming Back to Me : A Novel
Family History: A Novel
The Center of Everything : A Novel

ASIN: 0446517046

Book Description

Hours after giving birth, a young woman flees her baby and her husband and slips into a new life. With rare insight and compassion, Caroline Leavitt shows us the impact of that flight through the eyes of the husband and child left behind.

Customer Reviews:

Good read.......2001-01-31

Caroline Leavitt did a great job with this story. The characters were interesting and you care about what happens to them. Good plot and a great read. I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to her next novel.

A novel that holds you -- and won't let you go........1999-12-07

Into Thin Air, Caroline Leavitt's fifth novel, is a finely honed treatise on grief and loss, commitment and abandonment. Clearly, this is an author who has suffered -- and who is brave enough to share both the pain and the inevitable healing. From the first page, this is a novel that holds you -- and won't let you go.

Average customer rating:

AWSOME!!
Something other than big Expedition climbing
A Study In High Altitude Apprenticeship
Available Again. Excellant.
The best book on mountaineering ever written

Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas
Greg Child
Manufacturer: Mountaineers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Air Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0898865883

Book Description

Now known as one of the great Himalayan mountaineers, Greg Child started out as purely a big-wall climber, famous for his ascents in the Yosemite Valley. His reputation in the valley earned him his first invitation to the Himalayas to climb with an elite class of mountaineers. With eloquent prose, Child describes his first three Himalayan climbs and his transformation into the climber he is today.

Customer Reviews:

AWSOME!!.......2004-07-03

I'm a climber and I have all my non-climbing family read Greg's books. They always finish the book, (no one can put his books down) and come away with a broader understanding of what one does as they push their limits in the mountains.

If you want a more abreviated version...try Greg's book: Mixed Emotions - just make sure you have some free time because you won't put it down until you're done with the whole thing.

Something other than big Expedition climbing.......2002-03-20

"Thin air" is one of the greatest books I every read. It's full of compelling, offbeat tales about alpine style climbing of Himalayan Mountains. Greg Child is an amazing writer and an even more amazing climber. K2 and Board Peak alpine style, bagging unclimbed routes, tents on fire; all make for interesting stories way up high. I recommend this book to anyone but especially climbers.

A Study In High Altitude Apprenticeship.......2000-11-18

This is a superb set of essays which describes the transfiguration of a gifted technical rock climber into a high- altitude mountaineer. In addition, it is a well-written, absorbing chronicle of high adventure in one of the most spectacular regions on earth (replete with dozens of stunning photographs).

For me, the chapters on Broad Peak in the Karakoram were the highlight of this collection . Child describes the geography, people and culture of Pakistan as well as the logistics of the expedition with such clarity and force that it is not hard to begin imagining you are there with him before too long.

But it is his deep respect for all the people he encounters and climbs with that makes this narrative so rich and special. In this regard readers will be moved indeed when Child looses his friend and climbing partner Peter Thexton to pulmonary edema after turning back from the summit on Broad Peak (without getting quite to the top). This tragedy is related with such pathos and power. And it makes Child reconsider the entire enterprise to which he has devoted his life, a process that one rarely reads about in the writings of high altitude mountaineers who so often maintain a stoic attitude reflexively. One's life, Child ultimately decides, takes precedence over the conquest of 8,000 meter peaks; no matter how compelling and significant such a goal may seem.

Available Again. Excellant........1999-02-22

One of the best books I have ever read or given to family/friends (I have bought 10+ copies since it was first published...too bad the original hard copy version is no longer available...mine is now in rough shape). My favorite climbing book of all time. Inspired. Be humbled with Child, then grab your gear... After this read, 'Deborah & Mountain of my Fear'.

The best book on mountaineering ever written.......1998-06-08

This is the best book on mountaineer that has been written. Child is a fantastic writer, and the stories he tells are entirely engrossing. Find this book and read it!

Average customer rating:

Great Story, So-So Artwork
Entertaining read; could've been better.
Pretty good but...

The Pulse Vol. 1: Thin Air
Brian Michael Bendis
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Superheroes | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Marvel | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

The Pulse, Vol. 2: Secret War
Alias Vol. 3: The Underneath
The Pulse Vol. 3: Fear
Alias Vol. 2: Come Home
Alias Vol. 1

ASIN: 0785113320

Book Description

It's an inside look at the Marvel Universe's most notorious newspaper, the Daily Bugle! Former super hero and current private investigator Jessica Jones has just been offered a new job: a position with the Bugle's new super-hero section, The Pulse! Jessica's first assignment: to uncover the true identity of a former Bugle reporter's super-powered murderer! How is millionaire industrialist Norman Osborn involved in the case? And how ill Jessica's shocking discovery affect the entire Marvel Universe? Collecting THE PULSE #1-5.

Customer Reviews:

Great Story, So-So Artwork.......2005-04-03

I really enjoyed this book. A lot of people have panned it, expecting another "Alias," Bendis' earlier series about private investigator Jessica Jones. That book was more suited for adults, but this is book is set up for mass consumption. It's still really good. Yes, all the cursing is gone, but it still works.

There's a lot less of Jessica in this than one might expect. The book is about a group of reporters at the Daily Bugle that specialize in super-hero stories. So Jessica is just a part of the ensemble. You do get more info about her relationship with Luke Cage, something "Alias" fans have been waiting for.

I love the whole "investigative reporter" idea of this book. While mysteries unravel, the reader gets hooked.

I'd give this 5 stars if it weren't for the poor artwork. It looks like a cartoon-y rush job. I've heard that the comic series is getting a better artist, so hopefully the next TPB will reflect that change. Bendis' writing saves the book.

No matter how much the fans want it, this will never be another "Alias." If you can accept this, pick up "The Pulse."

Entertaining read; could've been better........2005-03-11

I bought this trade because I loved Alias. Alias was fantastic. Bendis characterized Jessica perfectly; she was very flawed and self-destructive, but I couldn't help falling in love with the character. Michael Gaydos' artwork was also perfect; it was subtle and rough, and the palette chosen by the colorist was very approriate.

The Pulse is Bendis' mainstream Marvel comeback, and it really isn't the same. I'm really not a fan of Mark Bagley, the book's artist, and his Jessica Jones is very poor, although his Ben Urich is perfect. Jessica Jones herself is relegated to a minor role, and seems completely different from how she was in Alias. Even the way she dresses isn't the same. Some of this can be blamed on her pregnancy, but not enough.

However, this book does have its strengths. J. Jonah Jameson and especially Ben Urich are perfect. As a Ben Urich book, this would be a more interesting book.

Further, important things are happening here, which is refreshing. Important happenings involving Ben Urich, Spiderman and Norman Osborn will have significant consequences.

All in all, the story is interesting, but Jessica Jones really shouldn't be starring in a book that isn't MAX. Even if she doesn't drink anymore, or have sex to punish herself, this is still to bright and airy for her.

Pretty good but..........2004-11-23

...am I the only one who thinks it isn't Jessica Jones if she isn't cussing up a storm? Swears are not a necessity for me-- I think most things are better off without them-- but Jessica was the quintessential Marvel Max character and she feels white-washed now that she's in a mainstream, kid-friendly title.

For those who do not know Jessica Jones, she is a former Avenger who quit the team to become a private investigator; her firm and her comic book were named Alias, and this book lasted through four awesome TPBs, all for mature audiences. The last one, book 4, is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. I read it over and over the day I bought it, savoring every word. Jessica is such real character with down-to-earth problems despite her super powers, and Bendis has a lovely way of making everything resonate emotionally. The way she was drawn was also compelling; Michael Gaydos' subtlety of expression was beautiful. The look on her face when Luke Cage tells her he likes her... perfect.

Don't get me wrong, this book is still pretty good. Many minor characters are awesome. For example, J. Jonah Jameson is humanized for the first time that I have ever read and that was great. And the moment between Peter Parker/Spiderman and Ben Urich is priceless-- the whole book is worth it just for that. Welcome to the Bendisverse, by the way, where all Bendis comics intersect; oddly, it helps to have read Daredevil/Out and Daredevil/Widow, both great books but neither of them Spiderman books, to appreciate this important Spiderman scene that also does not take place in a Spiderman book...

But while minor characters become beautiful, Jessica loses her shine. I found her relationship with Luke Cage a little too happy to be interesting -- where is the conflict that arises when two people are suddenly stuck together forever by a pregnancy? And without Gaydos' unique style, she seems a lot less special.

I am still going to buy the next book, but it has a lot to live up to and I think it could be better.

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