RaveThe Spectator (UK)Fascinating ... It does not claim to be comprehensive, and is all the better for it; instead, Sattin weaves a deft path through only those elements that interest him ... Sattin triumphantly tells the story of another way of living ... This is a book that does not labour in the fields but gallops full stretch towards the horizon.
Ed Douglas
RaveTimes (UK)... fascinating ... The sections covering mountaineering history are particularly strong. This is to be welcomed, because there was a period when British mountaineers took almost too pragmatic an approach to the Himalaya. They were regarded as lumps of rock to be conquered and any spiritual values were considered a distraction ... Douglas weaves a far richer tapestry, showing how this is a sacred landscape influenced by very worldly concerns ... In telling his story, Douglas certainly puts down a lot of fixed ropes to make the ascent. Some readers may find the accretion of detail overwhelming — too many footnotes make it into the text — and wish for a bit more free climbing. But it is still impressive. This is a magisterial account of the complex human history of the greatest mountains on Earth.
Wade Davis
RaveThe Spectator (UK)...this timely book explores one of the few dividends to emerge from such a terrible conflict ... Wade Davis is well placed to write what he describes as a love letter to Colombia ... This book is the culmination of a lifetime’s work in the country and is suffused with a love and knowledge that only such long acquaintance can bring. His hope is that the new ecological spirit abroad in Colombia may lead to a cleansing of the river Magdalena itself.
