Customer Reviews
Pretty good - but dwarfed by others in the genre - By: Mookie, 01 Nov 2008 
If you like Bear then you'll like this book. He's obviously made of strong stuff & he has a story to tell but unfortunately he isn't really a writer & doesn't capture the real essence of high altitude mountaineering & its inherent risks as succinctly as other writers within the genre.
The book holds its own but never gripsin the same manner as Into Thin Air, The Climb or Forever On The Mountain (to give but 3 examples). It's a worthy addition to any mountain enthusiast's bookshelf but if you are looking for just one mountaineering book you'd walk past this one to get to others.
couldn't put this down!! - By: L. Ringrose, 29 Apr 2008 
like the others i saw Bear on tv & thought heres someone with a good sense of humour & would make a brilliant uncle with his adventure stories, this book relates to much more than climbing Everest it could be paralleled to lifes struggles & your own personal Everest, what i took from it is that if you have the tenacity,determination & the burning desire to conquer something thats seems insurmountable it can be done, i liked Bears references to his faith (i am of no religion) but it struck me that if you have a belief it certainly will help get you through, good luck to him, this book left me wanting more Uncle Bears tales!!
Decent Adventure yarn - By: R. Howe, 31 Aug 2007 
Mr Otter - perhaps you should do some research yourself. The Unit to which `shotoff' refers is 21 SAS, which is the territorial equivalent of the regular Army's 22 SAS. There's also a Northern-based Unit designated as 23 SAS, & they're TA also. And yes, I agree with `shotoff' that Grylls military background has always been a bit mysterious, &in the book (or on any TV show I've seen him on), it's never really clear exactly what he's done. And I don't believe that's a function of secrecy surrounding the SAS, I just think that maybe his military background is not as credible as a publisher would like to project....
Anyway, I found this book to be thoroughly well-written story of a breathtaking adventure. Grylls clearly has a great deal of knowledge & credibilityin his field & this knowledge really shines through his writing. However, having said that, I agree that it won't join the classics of mountain literature. It's a cracking read, but it just lacks that little bit of insight for me, that slight lack of context between man & his surroundings that defines a classic. If you want a great adventure from your armchair, read this book; if you want a book to take traveling with you on a climbing exped, you'll take Krakauer or Simpson.
Response to Shotoff - By: Mr. David N. Otter, 18 Jul 2007 Shotoff - thankyou so much for your insightful review of this book. Unfortunately the only thing I learnt was that you should probably consider getting out more. Critisising the book as you did is ludicrous - this is not Pulitzer prize winning novel & nor does it make any pretence to be. It is simply a story of someone who has challenged himself to the extreme to achieve his dream. Pulling the book apart for grammar & criticising the climbing techniques of someone who climbed everest at 23 seems rather peculiar. Add to the the reference to him having beenin the TA, when actually he spent 3 yearsin the SAS where he broke his back - only to then later take partin this climb - & your misguided comments become laughable. Take the book as it is intended & enjoy it - if you want a literary masterpiece then there's plenty of Chaucer around to keep you quiet for a good few years.
Well Worth A Read - By: B. Harte, 24 Apr 2007 I decided to buy this book after watching Bear Gryllsin his Born Survivor/Man vs. Wild role as I found him to be quite a likeable guy. I was also impressed when I heard of his attempt to scale Everest after breaking his backin two places.
I had never really been all that interestedin mountain climbing but after reading this book I have a huge amount of respect for the men & women who attempt to climb this beast of a mountain.
The book is writtenin a very 'easy to pick up' way, you need no prior knowledge of moutain climbing to enjoy it & my suspicions about Bears likeability were confirmed.
It is a great read & a great introduction to both Everest & the world of extreme mountaineering & I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
