Summit

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First of all, I wish to thank NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Mr. Harry Farthing for providing me with an ARC of the debut novel, Summit, which I received in exchange for my unbiased review. I don’t know if Farthing is his real name, but what a fabulous moniker for a British-born writer! Mr. Farthing has extensive experience bonding with earth’s highest mountains, which lends incredible authenticity to this fictional adventure thriller.

I recall reading Maurice Herzog’s Annapurna at least forty years ago and feeling captivated by the story of men battling the elements while challenging themselves to scale the world’s tenth highest mountain. That is non-fiction. In Summit, Farthing draws upon his love of travel and of mountaineering to execute a well-drawn story of international intrigue. Actually, it involves two sagas, seven decades apart. What ties them together is the Himalayan giant the Tibetans consider to be the “Goddess Mother of the World,” Chomolungma, known to westerners as Mount Everest. The book opens with British mountain guide Neil Quinn leading a trek, which involves the sixteen-year-old son of a wealthy American. The descent has disastrous results for the team, but in the process, Quinn makes a discovery that pushes him to probe further into Everest’s exploration history. That history, we see in the parallel story of a German soldier, Gefreiter Josef Becker. Becker, along with his buddies, Gunter and Kurt, is involved in smuggling Jews through the mountains into Switzerland and returning with assorted contraband.

Each story line held some interest for me, but what did a 2009 expedition and a 1938 Nazi soldier have to do with one another? For those who are looking for a fast-paced thriller, I suggest you look elsewhere. No, reading this book is like – well, I suppose it’s like climbing a very steep incline. One does it slowly, at a careful, deliberate pace. Farthing alternates chapters between Quinn and Becker, patiently taking the reader one step at a time toward the moment when the mystery unfolds and the link between the past and the present becomes evident. That is when my interest really piqued!

Quinn. Becker. Ang Noru Sherpa, Henrietta Richards, Sarron, Graf…All of these characters came to life for me. Quinn and Becker. Two men from different generations and cultures. It seemed to me that each man has, despite his shortcomings and flaws, a dignity and strength of character that help him endure all of the mental, physical, and moral challenges that are thrown at him throughout the course of his quest. Along the way, there are those who go out of their way to assist, like Henrietta, Graf, the Tibetan monks, and Ang Noru. As always, when there is a hero, there is an adversary. For Becker, it is his superior officers and the British officer Macfarlane.

The biggest presence in the book is the mountain herself. She is climbed because she is there. Some seek to conquer her. Some desire only to become one with her. Some ascend and never come down.
Farthing shows us how she brings out the best and the worst in humankind. For the billionaire who sent his teenage son up to the summit to gain more fame for the family name, or the Nazi commanders who sought glory for the Third Reich, would there be triumph? Or do men like Neil Quinn and Josef Becker, who climb because the mountain calls to them, seek to understand the soul of the mountain? As the Sherpas chant, “Om mani padme hum,” which is a Buddhist mantra or meditation seeking blessings and compassion.

Becker and Quinn have other motives, certainly. The suspense builds as Quinn, with the help of Henrietta Richards, tries to find answers to his mystery. What about Josef Becker? Does he reach the summit of Everest? I honestly wasn’t sure until the very end. Well done, Mr. Farthing.

If I have anything critical to add, it would be that I spent a lot of time looking up terminology and foreign words. This is something I often do as I read, but I found myself doing it frequently as I read Summit. Perhaps a few descriptions or definitions along the way would be helpful, if it wouldn’t slow down the pace. I did learn a lot about Everest, and I even looked to see if there was any evidence of Nazi attempts at Everest in the late 30s, as the writing was so convincing. For those who appreciate adventure, history, and mystery, I recommend Summit.

The Summit is an over- the- top (could not resist) thriller about two climbers of Mount Everest. Not only does this book portray incredible physical feats just to ascend Mt. Everest, but there are also evil Nazis, a crazed Frenchman, killer Russians, chases, narrow escapes, Tibetan monks, skilled Sherpas, a dash of romance, determined Brits, an enigmatic antique dealer, a touch of mysticism, luck, bad luck and incredible bravery. The only thing missing is a soundtrack!

Separated by sixty years, Farthing tells the alternating stories of two mountaineers: Josef Becker (1939) and Neil Quinn (2009). Josef Becker is a German mountain soldier who is more loyal to his friends and their smuggling operation than he is to the oppressive Reich. Neil Quinn, along with his Sherpas, is an Everest guide hoping to make a few more daring ascents and money before age makes climbing more difficult for him. But things go very wrong for both these men – and circumstances will force them to make one more ascent upon Everest.

Farthing has not only written a thrilling adventure story, but he has given the reader perspective into the history of Mount Everest and the climbing culture – the costs, the prestige, and the lives of the native Sherpas it impacts. His descriptions help place the reader in the political context of climbing today, as well as the historical background of WWII. He has done this, while keeping the timelines clear and the suspense high. The book does not slow down towards the end, nor will the reader. Recommended!

This was so intense I literally could not take my eyes off the screen. It was fabulous.

A great thriller that follows two storylines. One in Nazi Germany and one in modern day Nepal. You know that there will be overlap between the two stories but the unfolding mystery works seamlessly. Great read for both fans of WWII and climbing tales. Although it's fiction, it reads factual.

Mountain climbing, crime drama, and historical fiction certainly might not appear to be a natural mash-up, but Harry Farthing pulls it off – and quite well at that – with THE SUMMIT.

Farthing goes to great lengths in setting up and describing the climbs to and from Mt Everest in Krakauer-ian detail, with a similar height of excitement. The treachery, the splendor, the whole man-versus-nature element, all well done. To compliment, Farthing adds in a historical mystery involving a Nazi attempt at beating the British to summit Everest first. The ramifications of that plot propel the lead story of a British climber, Neil Quinn, who accidentally is roped into a mission to discover if this indeed happened all the while protecting himself and this mission from the obligatory ne’er-do-wells and adding to the already high-level of danger as man must also go against man.

Aside from the plot and pacing, Farthing creates an excellent set of characters. Even secondary and tertiary players whose sole purpose is to propel the plot along are fleshed out and real-sounding. Perhaps the only detraction in this regard is the occasional placing of dialogue where said characters’ speech can come across as expository rather than meaningfully implied.

Truly, THE SUMMIT is a fantastic read. Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy and a most satisfying novel.

Very interesting storyline from two separate eras with the same end goal. Very detailed in fact, that is why my 4 instead of 5 rating. A few times I was lost in details and however with that being said it was very well written even though a bit long.

An excellent tale of Everest past and present full of larger than life characters superbly written. An intriguing concept of who was first described in detail with a feel good denouement . Recommended!

First to Summit Everest...

If you have any interest in mountain climbing and/or the Third Reich then this book is a must read. Farthing weaves a fascinating tale about the Nazi's attempting to best the British at being the first to summit Mt. Everest. The story is told in two parallel, past and present, story lines which intersect in a dramatic conclusion. This story is so well-written and the characters and settings are so well-developed that you can literally imagine this happening. From what I read Farthing has climbing experience and it really comes through in the book. I've always enjoyed reading about climbing expeditions to Everest but I never actually wanted to join one until I read this book- even if I only reach Base Camp. : )

The first time author trying to write a novel is normally advised to utilize the known parameters of his or her own experience. Harry Farthing has done just that in coming out with a book revolving around attempts to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak currently known to man. His background includes a try at Everest as well as climbs up many of the famous peaks of the world. His intimate knowledge of the skills, tools and equipment needed for what appears to be the most exacting task possible come out in what is an excellent novel centered on reaching Everest's peak.
The book revolves around two separate attempts on Mount Everest about 70 years apart from each other. The first try in this story centers on Josef Becker who was a soldier in the German army at the beginning of World War II. He committed an infraction and awaited a punishment of death. Coincidentally Heinrich Himmler came up with the idea that scaling Everest and planting the Nazi flag on the summit would be a blow to the British. Becker had grown up in an area of Germany in which mountain climbing was widely practiced and was considered an expert. Himmler assigned Becker to make a climb on Everest with punishment for his family probable if the attempt was not successful but pardon for him if successful and the Nazi flag planted.
Seventy years later Neil Quinn, a professional guide with eight successfully led expeditions to Everest's peak loses a customer,the young son of a wealthy American business man. In that unfortunate climb Quinn finds an old ice axe embellished with a Nazi swastika and due to a decline in his reputation has time to begin attempting to find out what happened 70 years ago to Becker.
Equipment and events revolving around a climb are explained quite well by Farthing, and the stresses and strains are described obviously by a person involved with these. The writing goes back and forth between Becker and Quinn with no lose of continuity. The ending is not at all telegraphed, but so appropriate for the book that it becomes a capstone of what the reader has in all probability stayed up at night to read.
Extremely well done and surely the first of many books by Harry Farthing.

A brilliant debut.

This gripped me from start to finish. Harry Farthing has put together an excellently researched debut novel set mainly on Everest in a dual timeline of 2010 and 1939.

He combines a gripping mountain climbing story with a “what if” the Third Reich had summited before Hillary and Tenzing in 1952. I was initially sceptical that this was going to be a sensationalist thriller, but Farthing carries it off with style and genuine excitement.

Farthing not only knows how to describe the intense conditions on the peak, but also knows the history of the attempts on the peak which add extra detail that makes the story even more credible.

The story is told in two parallel, past and present, story lines which intersect in a dramatic conclusion. His descriptions really do take you to the edge, with credible characters you both love and hate.

I heartily recommend this if you like a good thriller, combined with mountains and Nazis. What’s not to like?!

I received this ARC from NetGalley & Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

In what appears to be Farthing's debut novel, we are thrust into a world of danger and suspense in which the answers to the mysteries are concealed until the very end.

When I first noticed The Summit on NetGalley I was pretty excited. I didn't even stop to read the full synopsis because, well, Everest, mountaineering and intrigue? Sign me up! I was a bit nervous when I realized what The Summit was actually about - Nazis. Fortunately, Farthing's novel was an amazing mix of Nazi historical fiction and mountaineering fiction to make this novel pretty fantastic. The fact that Farthing also has extensive real life experience in mountain climbing as well as having been blessed with his own experiences on Everest only added an additional layer of authentic suspense when Joseph and Quinn are on the mountain.

Neil Quinn, Everest guide extraordinaire, is on his ninth summit on Everest when things go horrifically wrong. The sixteen year old son of a Long Island billionaire begins to have problems breathing and is in danger of extreme frost bite unless they turn back. However, the expedition leader demands Quinn finish the climb, even if he has to carry the boy to the top of the mountain. As Quinn rushes the boy to the safety of their camp, things go awry and Quinn stumbles upon a seventy year old mystery in the form of a frozen body and a Nazi ice axe. As Quinn rushes to learn the truth behind the ice axe before a group of Neo-Nazis, he is dogged by his previous employer who will stop at nothing to keep Quinn from exposing them as the culpable parties in the death of the billionaire's son.

In tandem, we follow Joseph Becker, a German soldier caught helping Jews out of Germany and smuggling contraband. In an effort to save the lives of all he cares about, Joseph agrees to climb Everest and plant the Nazi flag on the summit before the British.

The reader follows Becker from Nazi Germany, over sea and onto the mountain where the story culminates in Joseph's fate and Quinn's final, desperate attempt to unravel the mystery of the ice axe.

The Summit is incredibly well written, fantastically paced and enthralling. The character development was superb with wily Henrietta Richards, righteous Quinn, vengeful Sarron and persecuted Jospeh all creating a cast that interacted in ways that continued to build suspense until the explosive ending. I also loved how well researched the book was with references to Maurice Herzog, George Mallory and other historical greats of mountaineering.

In the end, I found Farthing's novel to be thrill ride of a read with a exceptional and strong written style that foreshadows Farthing as a future great novelist. I loved The Summit for its quick pace, supreme style and intriguing mystery - but mostly I loved that although Farthings' novel has a great deal to do with Nazi Germany and mountaineering (things I know very little about), I was still able to follow along and appreciate this novel in a profound way.

This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy Nazi historical fiction, mountaineering fiction, suspense, world-trodding mysteries and novels that span generations. I would recommend The Summit to any reader who enjoys some seriously beautiful writing and skillful story telling. The Summit was wonderful.

“Summit” is a part thriller/part mystery that takes us on a fictional adventure set within historical and mountaineering contexts. Mr. Farthing’s passion for mountaineering and his intimate knowledge of the skills, tools and equipment needed to climb famous peaks of the world provided an engrossing novel centered on reaching Mount Everest summit.

What an incredible novel. Two men, seventy years apart push for the top of Mount Everest driven by force beyond their control. Modern day climber Neil Quinn’s narrative alternates with Josef Becker’s who in in 1938 was recruited by the SS to be the first to summit Everest. We follow them across two continents as their stories intertwine across history. We have everything including conspiracy, danger and over the top adventure à la James Bond also an evil villain determined to get revenge, Neo Nazis and Russian assassins all over. This is a fast-paced suspense that never lets go. From start to finish something lurks around the corner if not human it is the treacherous climb, the lack of oxygen, the fatigue, the injuries etc. Aside from an excellent plot and pacing we have wonderful set of characters: main players, their sidekicks and the occasional pup-up all are vibrant and so real. This is a well-meshed story hard to put down.

If you like a story that combines mountain climbing with a “What if” conspiracy you will enjoy this skillfully written story. Recommended

I received an ARC form Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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I'm a sucker for Everest stories and this was pretty darn good. I was less enthralled with the Nazi strain because I feel like that theme has been overdone at this point but make no mistake- this is a nicely written thriller. Good for a beach read or travel because it's plot driven (but the characters are also carefully crafted.) Thanks to netgalley for the ARC- you will like this if you enjoy adventure stories with a twist.

An excellent piece of good old fashioned, intelligent, thought provoking storytelling surrounding the mystical Mount Everest. The author expertly blends two timelines; 1939 and Joseph Becker has been blackmailed by the growing power of the Nazi party who want him to be the first person to scale Mount Everest and by doing so bring power and prestige to a fanatical national socialist party; 2009 Neil Quinn, hired by the ruthless Jean Philippe Sarron, is tasked with the mission of guiding Nelson Tate Junior to the summit. Both events create a masterful and visual reading experience, the two stories run seamlessly side by side but with a connection running throughout and beautifully blended and concluded in the final chapters. The only slight criticism I have is in the length of the novel and, I felt it might have benefited from a slightly shorter page count.

Very interesting stories from two time periods of Everest climbs and how they were related.

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book. The premise was intriguing, and I'm fascinated with anything related to WWII.
The book alternates between past and present, both perspectives centered around climbing Mount Everest. The beginning of the past perspective was a little slow, but quickly picked up. I was totally wrapped up in the story and eagerly wanted to see how it all played out. It was definitely far more thrilling and captivating than I could ever have expected.