Krakauer goes into such painstaking detail about the dangers and physical strength needed to make the summit, but he doesn’t shy away from acknowledging and venerating that grand mountain. I shouldn’t feel the draw of the mountain, and yet. The imagery is absolutely gorgeous, and he speaks of his teammates with such human reverence. He doesn’t elevate them to heroes, but admits that they are simply human.

This breathtaking work is not for the faint of heart, but it captures the majesty and terror of attempting to reach the top of the world.