This book, about the disastrous 2008 ascent of the Himalayan peak K2 which claimed the lives of 11 climbers and severely injured 2 others, is a riveting account of ambition, human error and heroism in one of the most punishing and unforgiving environments on the planet. Bowley tells the story of that year's climbing season, the teams from around the world that assembled to attempt the climb, and the challenges that ultimately defeated so many veteran climbers over a terrible three-day period.
The subject matter invites comparison with Jon Krakauer's wonderful book "Into Thin Air", but the two situations really only had mountains in common. The events detailed by Krakauer involved the climbing industry that has evolved around Mt. Everest, which thrives on providing professional assistance to non-professional climbers wishing to say they've climbed the world's highest mountain. Krakauer spends a lot of time in his book talking about the environmental impact of the large numbers of tourists camping on the mountain and the dangers inherent in taking inexperienced climbers into such a harsh environment. In Bowley's book, the climbers are all professionals attempting a more dangerous and unpredictable slope, "the mountaineer's mountain", so the focus is less on the cultural / environmental aspects and more on the challenges of mountain climbing itself.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Bowley's account is the difficulty of piecing together the actual events of August 1-3, 2008. For one thing, communications between climbers and base camps were spotty. More significantly, the memories of the climbers who survived are untrustworthy because of the effects of high altitude on the brain. Bowley took great pains to develop as complete a picture of the events as possible by doing hundreds of interviews with dozens of people, but still there are questions about what happened that he was never able to resolve because survivor accounts, even those of climbers directly involved, did not agree. Some things about those days on the mountain will simply never be known and this murkiness underscores the grave dangers of high-altitude climbing and the bravery of those who attempt it.
Once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. From the prologue in which the first climber tumbles to his death, to the epilogue in which Bowley travels around the world to interview survivors and their families, the book is entirely compelling. Bowley's prose style is sparse, occasionally only functional, but his descriptions are vivid and he has an instinct for finding the true drama in the story. Highly recommended.