Ordinarily, I love "man against the elements" stories, but it may be that there's a point of diminishing returns when you read too many at one time. I found that my enjoyment of this book decreased the more I got into it because the segments had a certain repetitive nature. I liked the article that developed into the book, "The Perfect Storm" (even though I had already read the book itself). But it was the first story in the collection. I also enjoyed the account of the disastrous Everest climb that Jon Krakauer turned into "Into Thin Air" (this account was by an actual leader on the climb). But how many times can you read about the power of hurricanes, or the fighting the bitterness of snowstorms? The later entries may have been just as good as the earlier ones if read independently, but who could tell?

Note: Rick Bass' story, in the middle of the collection stood out precisely because it was unlike any of the others the book contained.

My recommendation would be to read this book piecemeal over a period of time, not all at once. Enjoyment would likely be higher. ( )

8.5