The writing itself is okay. There is no bad language, sexual content or violence. The author does talk about his bodily functions in detail at times which was a bit much. There is a lot of unnecessary detail about other events in the author's life that are not related to the main story. He always emerges as the hero in those stories as well.... Drowning, poisonous gas inhalation and electrocution are perils of journeying through a supercave. Tabor says there are more than 50 ways for a person to die during these explorations. Anybody who knows even the slightest bit about me can probably tell you that I have a pretty strange obsession with extreme, outdoor, one-tiny-mistake-and-you-die sports. Not that I regularly participate, mind you. I just like to read about them and live vicariously through people insane enough (or passionate enough?) to willingly hang their bodies out over thousand foot drops in the middle of nowhere; or sail blindly into unknown waters for months-long journeys in tiny sailboats; or venture miles below the surface of the earth with only a ziploc bag to shit in and crappy freeze-dried food to eat. I've gotten one recurring question from people who don't climb: 'Why do you do it?' For me, it mostly comes down to the way God has wired me. I have a deep drive to set big goals for myself and then strive to achieve them. If I don't, I feel like I'm not living my life to the fullest and becoming the person God created me to be." Atmospheric barely begins to describe this crime story set mainly underground in New Mexico's Lechuguilla cavern system. Park Ranger Anna Pigeon is called to join a Search and Rescue party after a ranger is injured underground. They face a few days of trek to the injured woman and a few more days of stretchering her out, filled with climbing, crawling, wading and walking on rough stone. But when Anna reaches her friend, she starts to suspect that the accidental head injury was no accident. Given that all of the original party is now with the rescue party, someone present must be an attempted murderer. And they are days from the entrance - or nights, since there is no natural light.

Tabor chronicles the exploration of these two caves with precision and insight. He also looks at the disrepair this passion wreaks on personal relationships. We admire the resourcefulness, skill and dedication of these explorers. Yet, in the end, it is a passion only a select few can understand. Most of us will understand the complaint of a novice caver: But is it fun? It is difficult to accept the answer that fun is besides the point. That said, I thought this was a great story...but I'm so glad my husband would never do anything like that! But the murders don’t stop once the body is above ground. Anna, while investigating, dodges high-power rifle shots and finds the body of Brent Roxbury on the desert floor. A member of Frieda’s rescue party, he is dead beyond doubt. Overall, I enjoyed reading this account of a man's ascending Everest and subsequent descent after becoming snow blind. It held my interest throughout the entire book; it was a relatively fast read (I read it over my breaks at work). There were a couple of moments that were a little "hard" to read. He brings up his training and time in the military throughout the book to explain how he was able to handle some of the situations he faced on the mountainside (especially after he became "blind").NB and Tony H. both write mysteries set in the SW USA. I like his writing a little better. A bit less dramatic/ominous and more straightforward.

Thus, it was with some trepidation that I started Blind Descent. Blind Descent is a fair survey of the history of cave exploration but it is mainly the story of two caves and the men and women who explored them. It is also the tale of a sporting/scientific contest - the quest to find the deepest cave on earth. Progress through the story, improve your crafting, weapons and more. Find an energy source and send it to your printer and signal booster. Establish a connection with the surface so you can let them know that you are still alive. Spaces inside the caves vary widely, Tabor says. "They can be very very tight -- near the diameter of your garbage can -- or they can be immense, like a New York subway tunnel."I know that I will never have the opportunity to climb the tallest mountain in the world or swim the longest river or even visit another planet, but that doesn't mean I don't think about what it must be like. When I saw this on sale (free) a few days ago, I snatched it up. The tag line is great - Alone and Blind on Everest? I'm all in. You and a few team members began descending into a 10-mile deep Martian cave. During the descent, the elevator crashes, and only a few of you survive. Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in theatre, but decided to be a park ranger. In 1984 she published her first novel, Bittersweet, a bleak lesbian historical novel set in the days of the Western frontier.

The parts that shined for me were his examples of how his Navy training helped him at certain times. Those are the types of details that make the reader care and want to read more. Where are their base camps, above ground and below. What do they do when they are resting since they can't read books or watch a film - or can they? Do they need power sources, if so what? Do they carry water? What emergency suppliers does each caver have with them? What effects deep caving have on the body meaning there is a time limitation on how long they can stay down, if there are any? What are the sort of physical problems that occur underground apart from the raptures (nitrogen narcosis, same as divers)?

What Curators Say

We talked about what it would mean for me and for our family, and we spent a lot of time praying about it and making sure it was the wisest choice for us at this point in our lives." Anna is now INSIDE Planet Earth and not liking it much. But ... the show must go on and she signed up for it. I suppose I did too, I'm about as happy about it as she is and I'm only READING about it. My uneasiness is a tribute to the skills of the author. And deeper we go ...