Customer Reviews

Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest

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A deeply moving epic that takes you from the depths of human misery in the trenches of France to the roof of the world in Tibet; from missiles and mud to mountain vistas, and the group of men who represented some of the best of the survivors of the "lost generation", yes, warts and all.

In 1999 Mallory's body was discoverd on Everest giving us no clue as to wether or not he had summited. With none of the modern climbing gear that is now taken for granted, we know that he and his partner at least came very close. After reading the book it somehow dosn't matter.....but that missing picture of Mallory's wife has made me a believer.

I very much appreciated the references to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the "Blue Puttees". Who knows what heights those young men could have gained had they lived.

An intriguing look at a fascinating phenomena. Very well put together. I will be pleased to dive back in for another read of this fine piece of work.

Wade Davis does an outstanding job in "Into the Silence". He describes the early attempts to climb Mount Everest, focusing on the men involved and placing them in their historical context-- World War I, the British Raj and etc. This is an extraordinary tale, thoroughly researched and imaginatively told. I thoroughly recommend it.

Allan Wakefield

Davis has written a very authoritative and engrossing history about the men and times behind two attempts on Mt. Everest in the early twenties. He is not satisfied with just describing the adventure behind the initial assault and final ascent on this mountain but wants to create a more complete understanding of the circumstances surrounding this fatefully defining moment in modern history. The lives of unique individuals like Howard-Bury, Mallory, Irvine and Noel are put under the microscope of intense scrutiny as Davis tries to fathom how they prepared for this Herculean undertaking. While the expedition tragically failed in 1924 in that it did not achieve its ultimate goal, its design, purpose, and execution still provide an important insight into the nature of the times and the people who were challenged to scale the rarefied atmosphere of exceedingly high mountains. Having earlier read Jeffry Archer's 'Paths of Glory' and examined its heroic belief that Mallory, the Cambridge aesthete and athlete, actually made it to the top before falling to his death, I took on 'Into the Silence' to learn another part of the story. One, there is a lot more to this tale than just an unsolved mystery that has already been handled in true adventure fashion by one of Britain's more able popular novelists. In Davis's very polished account, the reader will learn about the historical context in which this climb was undertaken, the mental state of its members, the ever present perils facing them, and the long-term knock-on effects of their incredible efforts. In the first instance, it was the military horrors and imperial failings of war that indirectly led to this quixotic quest for glory. Second, the personalities involved in the expedition, while appearing to be just a motley team of restless adventurers looking for personal fulfilment, were really the epitome of courage and talent in the face of some incredible adversity like oxygen deprivation. And, lastly, because of what these people did in taking on one of the biggest challenges known to humankind at the time, we get to enter into the moment-by-moment thrill of their climb as caught in some great pictures taken by Captain Noel.

Not to be missed. Fluent, richly informative, starkly dramatic. Excellent on aspects of WWI, Tibetan history and culture, and (of course) the 3 British expeditions to Everest. None of these topics is new, but Davis builds something rich and (occasionally) strange out of it all.