Stephen Alter

This is the account of Stephen Alter's journeys in the Himalayas following a personal tragedy that left him emotionally shaken. He tries to narrate how these journeys helped him cope with the emotional stress. His descriptions of his treks and expeditions are engaging, aided by the many references to the great deeds and words of renowned mountaineers, interspersed with local lore. I especially loved the portion about Mount Nanda Devi, the second highest peak in India, and a highly venerated goddess of the Himalayas. What did not work for me in this book was the philosophical discourse - I found it pretty tedious and meandering.
I enjoyed the travelogue part of it a lot more than I did the philosophical one.
… (mais)

Guldaar is a powerful, ruthless and almost mythically elusive warlord controlling all activities that keep South Asia in a state of turmoil while continuing to make him richer and mightier. Ageing Colonel Imtiaz Afridi of the Indian intelligence, after years of obsession with capturing Guldaar, at last gets the opportunity of a lifetime to identify, and neutralize, the warlord.
Stephen Alter has infused this cat and mouse tale with authentic descriptions of the places where the chase plays out - from the rugged Hindu Kush mountains to the monuments of Delhi, and the politics of the region involved, making it a compelling read. The lead characters are well developed and attract the reader's interest into what happens to them. The action is finely paced, making the pages turn swiftly.
But, all these positives are nullified by the ending, which feels terribly rushed. After building up the plot beautifully, with all the right ingredients in right measures, Alter, for unfathomable reasons, ends it all quite abruptly. He could have made it a great espionage thriller with just a few more pages but, sadly, it stays a notch below that mark. I enjoyed it a lot until the disappointing finish and would rate it 3.5 out of 5.… (mais)

I quite like this book, on several levels. While the writing style can be seen to be somewhat bland, it does indeed suit the book.

Stephen starts by writing about a horrific incident at his home, and the somewhat sparse style suits this perfectly. If he had become too emotional, the book would have started on a weepy note and this would have prevented me from going ahead. He struck a good balance.
This section is critical, as it set the stage for the rest of the book - the journeys.

The journeys themselves are more temporal than spiritual. They, to me, tend to reflect who we are, and how we respond to places and things. We are not all mystical by nature.

In his writings, I think he shows great respect for the traditions of the places he visits, and the mountains.

In all, the only wish I have is for a longer epilogue.… (mais)