Paths of Glory

Wanted a break from serious reading so picked up Jeffrey Archer's Paths of Glory last week. It is an engrossing account of Goerge Leigh Mallory's attempt to conquer Mt. Everest in the 1920s. Dont let that turn you off for this book is as good as any of Archer's thrillers.

My only experience with rock climbing is going up an artificial 20-ft mobile rock in an offsite during my MBA program. I managed to climb up, but was so tired when I got there that I let the safety wires bring me down. Agreed, I am not the epitome of fitness, but the experience did give me some idea of how tough it is to climb mountains. So to even think of climbing the Everest in the 1920s sounds like sheer madness. The use of oxygen was considered "cheating" at that time and the only cover from the -40 degree temperature was multiple layers of clothing. Which sound like minor inconveniences when you consider that no one had done it before so one had no clue of what route to take and what the conditions will be like.

Archer is in good form despite the dry nature of the subject and refrains from launching into monologues on mountaineering. In some ways, this is a romantic novel where the protagonist happens to be a mountaineer.

If you have never heard of George Mallory, I recommend reading this book first before googling him. Even if you do happen to know about his life and times, this is still worth a read.