Negative Positive
Title: Gruesome, Gripping, but Not Well Written
Review: This book is made up of stories where "what's the worst that can happen?" does. The first, an Alaskan mountaineering epic, leaves the reader amazed that the lone survivor made it; the second, about Scott Fischer on K2, leaves the reader amazed at Fischer's having survived as long as he did; and the third, Potterfield's own story, spawned much heated discussion and controversy among climbers. Clearly, Potterfield fell because he lost his grip on the rock, but why did he fall to the end of the rope? Did his belayer drop him...? That would certainly explain why he doesn't analyze the accident in more detail. In any case, the last story is the best, not only because it explodes those dearly-held beliefs in fainting before impact, but because it gives a detailed chronicle of a difficult high-angle rescue. Unfortunately, Potterfield does not write very well, but I suspect most readers will hardly notice.
Is the review positive or negative? 