This book was nothing short of gripping. Like many others, I began this book and found it hard to put down until I’d read it all, I hadn’t planned to read it so quickly but I couldn’t help myself.

This non-fiction book recounts the events of August 1 2008 when a perfect storm of adverse conditions and breakdowns in planning and communication lead to the deaths of eleven mountaineers and the serious injury of several others on K2, the deadliest mountain in the world.
The author of this book, Graham Bowley, is a journalist and his background shines through in the best possible way here. The events of the day, chaotic as they are when you factor in the mountain conditions, disparate climbing teams, and various firsthand accounts, are skillfully woven into a coherent, compelling narrative. Not everything is known about the disaster and where accounts differ or where information is incomplete it’s sure to be labeled as such. Another strength of this book is, paradoxically, the fact it was written by a non-climber, indeed, by someone who knew next to nothing about the world of high altitude mountain climbing prior to writing this book. Concepts and jargon are explained carefully and Bowley can write about the events of that day, and about mountain climbing in general, with a certain level of objectivity.

This was a great book and one of the highlights of the year for me so far, I would recommend it to just about anyone but especially anyone who likes riveting non-fiction.