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Into Thin Air cover art

Into Thin Air

Written by: Jon Krakauer
Narrated by: Philip Franklin
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Publisher's Summary

One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley.

This is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.

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 audiobook 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 his listeners to ponder timeless questions.

©2011 Jon Krakauer (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about Into Thin Air

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  • Tia
  • 2019-12-20

Amazing

Probably one of the best performances and stories in my audiobook experience. Jon did an amazing job of capturing those weeks on Everest to make the reader/listener feel like they were there and Philip’s low, even voice captured the tone of writings.

The tale is sad and the cognitive dissonance of people regarding Everest since it’s publication is even sadder but you need to add this book to your list if you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing it yet. 10/10 would recommend.

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Interesting read, performance may not be for every

Tye book is fascinating. one has to keep in mind that it is an account of just 1 man, which inevitably comes with a degree of bias, but it does a great job showcasing the reality of commercial Everest trips (at least in the mid 90s). Performance, however, is hit and miss. Although generally great, the narrator attempts to emulate national accents of the people whose dialogue he is reading, with less than perfect results. For me, it quickly became rather annoying. But to each his own...

Also, several times there is repetition of the sentence just read. Not sure if it has something to do with the physical book format or recording errors.

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Peaking my interest in Everest (with apologies)

I've enjoyed this from the beginning, and it has me reading and watching supplementary books/videos. It's eye-opening for me, it seems it would be a lot less physically taxing to fly in a rocket ship to outer space than to attempt Everest.

My only complaint is that at least 3 times, the narration repeats itself with at least a full sentence fully repeated. It brings me out of the story. Other than that, excellent story and narration.

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A must-read

Fantastic! i couldn't put it down. So well written! I felt cold the whole time I was reading i!

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  • Jim
  • 2019-09-16

Great book and narration!

Really enjoyed this book by Jon Krakauer and the accompanying narration.
It was an exciting story that was tense, suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the listen.
Philip Franklin's narration help immerse me in Krakauer's journey from hope to excitement to despair and desperation.
Would recommend!

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Excellent

This was very interesting. it's a no BS account of what happened on the mountain disaster, with alot of backstory and context prior to the events.

Its not fluffed up or made dramatic, but naturally keep you interested through its detailed recount.

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love the story, the audio had issues

it's an older recording and there were times when the audio repeated like it was stuttering. audio books have come a long way.

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A Harrowing moving tale of courage and strength

Into Thin Air is a powerful read!Loved thisbook. and narration of it
High lying recommends.

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Hypnotizing

what an astounding tragic yet overcoming story of great failure and success all at the same time.

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Enjoyed it.

Sometimes hard to follow without concentrating intently. The story is much worth listening to and I found myself googling the expedition members to find out even more of their history beyond the info in the book.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Daniël Cloete
  • 2017-11-20

Balanced

As an avid amateur mountaineer and writer, this book spoke to me on many levels. Perhaps it seems more intellectual to criticize, but I will avoid this pretentious practice.

Krakauer's account is rendered with a balance of awe, realism, adventure, reverence and sadness. While not as experienced as John myself, the technical and physical aspects of climbing were completely relatable to me as an amateur. The surrealism of losing a teammate on the mountain is so relatable that I was reduced to tears I was unable to shed previously.

Thank you for this John, and may you find the peace you seek.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2021-05-15

Great story. But that kiwi accent!

I thoroughly enjoyed Krakauer's account of the disaster.

The narrator was great until the kiwi/South African accent came out. I found it quite funny at first but by the end, it was rather grating. Maybe I’m too tough a critic being a kiwi myself 😂

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  • Tom Colyer
  • 2021-04-17

Thrilling, interesting, and we’ll written.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it directly after Ed Viesturs, no shortcuts to the top, which gave incredible perspective about the incredible risks the 96 expedition took. It also gives an understanding of how amazing inhuman Ed is. Both books should be read together in my opinion and they provide a great perspective on high altitude mountaineering, 1 amateur and 1 expert.

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  • Tina
  • 2020-12-03

Riveting

Jon Krakauer puts you right in the middle of this unbelievable trip up Everest. It’s graphic and gritty and he’s not shy to be self critical. I rate him as a properly talented writer. The story has left me wanting to look for images online and find the movie.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2020-04-06

Does not get more real

Grim at places but beautiful.
This real life story takes you as close to reality as possible.

The author speaks truly from deep inside.

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  • Safjoe
  • 2020-02-18

Sobering!

For those that are dreamers: May the truth guide you and poison you not to the perils that befell those that came before you, for through the desire to achieve you will invite your own perils and whether by force or through providence you either will or you won't end up where you intended. Whatever the outcome, so it should be for therein lies your lesson or your salvation. Interpret both with grace.

A sad story, expertly told.

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  • Amanda
  • 2020-01-12

Into Thin Air

The subject matter of the book is riviting, and Jon Krakauer uses his excellent journalistic skills to draw the reader into the events. You will not only feel as if you were there to experience it, you will also be confronted by some of the very difficult moral choices people had to make.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2018-05-29

Great book...

Loved it! i'm not a mountaineer but enjoyed the epic story! Great, Gripping, and life lessons to be learned.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2017-09-27

Great

It feels like as true an accounting of a tragedy, that anyone can give, having being in the middel and/or apart of it.

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  • Kate Oats
  • 2017-05-14

Compelling and cautionary

Tragic story compellingly told. Use of accents by narrator was not great though, as someone very familiar with South African and New Zealand accents, it made for some awkward moments. Otherwise, a very good listen.