Eiger Dreams

Ventures Among Men and Mountains

By: Jon Krakauer

Narrated by: Philip Franklin

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb.

In Pakistan, the fearsome K2 kills 13 of the world's most experienced mountain climbers in one horrific summer. In Valdez, Alaska, two men scale a frozen waterfall over a 400-foot drop. In France, a hip international crowd of rock climbers, bungee jumpers, and paragliders figure out new ways to risk their lives on the towering peaks of Mont Blanc. Why do they do it? How do they do it? In this extraordinary book, Krakauer presents an unusual fraternity of daredevils, athletes, and misfits stretching the limits of the possible.

From the paranoid confines of a snowbound tent to the thunderous, suffocating terror of a whiteout on Mount McKinley, Eiger Dreams spins tales of driven lives, sudden deaths, and incredible victories. This is a stirring, vivid book about one of the most compelling and dangerous of all human pursuits.

©2017 Jon Krakauer (P)2017 Random House Audio

Entertaining but Irresponsible Writing

I got the feeling that the writer had an agenda all along. He relays stories without always confirming they are true. They come across as exaggerated and one-sided, which is a shame because it led me to take the whole book with a grain of salt. For example, canyoneering in Mexico and encountering a Mexican village full of men with scars on their faces and rifles slinging from their shoulders? What!? C’mon man, this is coming from a drunken fireside storyteller. Nowhere in Mexico does such a village exist. Or describing Gary Hemming as a tall blonde god with rugged handsome looks. Hemming was a stud, no doubt, but he was also not how the author depicts him.

Apparently the author wrote about the Central Asia Institute in another book without even going to the source, but he did exploit facts to make it entertaining.

Overall, however, the writing itself is pretty good and the reader was very good.

I do wish more adventure writers were more honest, objective, and respectful of the truth. I will not be reading or listening to more books from this author. Thank you for reading.

Tears to my eyes

This winter, after an especially powerful acid trip inspired mystical visions all revolving around rock climbing, I began climbing in earnest. This book, along with "into thin air", have been acting as jet fuel to propel me forward in my endeavors and stoke the spiritual fire that pushes me into ever greater adventures with rock. So blessed to have Krakauer in my life! If your into mountaineering or climbing in any regard, you will love this book.

mediocre, uninspiring writing.

this book will definitely not be going in my mountaineering section of books. disposable, magazine level. and next time, get a reader who can pronounce French.

Great for a road trip

Fun stories and I enjoy the funny bits of sarcasm. This made easy listening on a long road trip.

Jon Krakauer fan

Jon Krakauer with narration by Philip Franklin make for a great combo. This is my third audiobook from the pair, and I am once again impressed. Krakauer‘ memory and description of his own adventures combined with his in depth journalism chronicling a variety of extreme outdoor athletes make for an excellent series of stories in Eiger Dreams. This book has left me with a new appreciation of climbing, and as always leaves me itching to embark on my own adventure. Maybe explore Alaska!

A good listener.

I will definitely be listening to this one again. It will never grow old for me.

Great Stories

Well read and well written. Enjoyed each of the different stories and the writers overall experience..

couldn't put it down

a wonderful read, great adventures, can't wait for more from the author and to go adventure myself

Great

A nice reading, except for the narrator murdering the word "Himalaya" I know there’s a reason, it’s probably the real desi way of saying it but it annoyed me. Otherwise really good.

Amazing and inspiring stories. So-so narration.

This book is a brilliant selection of short stories from a unique and facinating voice in the field. There is a nice harmony and theme to the disparate stories, all brilliantly told. The narration is okay, but the caricatures they chose to represent some of the French and British characters was a little bizarre and I can't hear them say "Yvon Chouinard" that way even once more.