A Compelling Story With A Great Atmosphere
4 out of 5 stars
I’ll admit that I selected this title not because of the summary, but because of the first glance at the cover. The lone mountaineer traipsing upward against the snowy mountain with splashes of blood behind him. It immediately caught my eye and made me ask questions like: “Whose blood is this?”
“Is it their blood because they are hurt?
“Is it someone else’s blood that they hurt?”
“Is it symbolic of some greater violence?”
If anyone says they don’t let the cover of a book sway them when making a selection, I say they are only lying to themselves. A cover can do so much in the way of making an introduction. It gives a sense of what’s within, or in my case for this title, a list of questions I’d like answered.
The summary for Summit did little to answer my questions but did give me enough interest to go ahead with my purchase. It told of a secret mission by the German’s in 1938 to Everest that weaves into a modern story of a 9-time ascender of the lofty mountain. Lies, betrayal, murder, and espionage are the hallmarks of the summary and now I’m hooked.
The story flows back-and-forth through time, between 1938 and modern day, with the former providing exposition to discoveries of the latter. The way Farthing weaves this is truly impressive. We are walking with Neil Quinn, a veteran ascender, as he becomes a part of a coverup in the death of a millionaire’s son on the summit. Along the way down he finds an incredibly old ice ax and so begins the weaving of the story of Germany’s best climber and the Nazi race to beat the English to the summit of Everest. For every question raised in the modern world, we’re given a bit more in the historical one to find an answer. This goes all the way to the end of the story and an alternative understanding of the history of the first summit.
Overall, compelling story with great atmosphere and well-defined main characters. The only stumbling blocks are in the nearly over exaggerated antagonist’s characterization and their interactions with Quinn. It becomes a little tiresome after a while to have his “evilness” reinforced.
The author provides the narration which did give the story a bit more warmth than I think would have been there if another narrator read it. The intonations of speech, the pace of exposition, and the voice felt more authentic to the story because they were provided by the one who created them. It might not have been as enjoyable a listen had it been otherwise, which is an indication of the story itself and its accessibility.
Book Description:
Summit by Harry FarthingNarrator: Harry Farthing
Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
Published by Blackstone Audio on June 14th 2016
Genres: Adventure, Suspense
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Marty Ross – adaptation (Narrated by Philip Glenister, Daniel Mays, Catherine Tate, Owen Teale) - March 13, 2020
- Alien: Covenant Origins by Alan Dean Foster (Narrated by Tom Taylorson) - March 4, 2020
- Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith (Narrated by Karla Crome) - November 26, 2019
