Dead Mountain - Donnie Eichar

Dead Mountain

By Donnie Eichar

  • Release Date: 2013-10-22
  • Genre: History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 442 Ratings

Description

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal Nonfiction Bestseller that explores the gripping Dyatlov Pass incident that took the lives of nine young Russian hikers in 1959.

What happened that night on Dead Mountain?

In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the mountain climbing incident—unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes—have led to decades of speculation over the true stories and what really happened.

Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident delves into the untold story through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and author Donnie Eichar's retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter.

An instant historical nonfiction bestseller upon its release, this is the dramatic real story of what happened on Dead Mountain.

GRIPPING AND BIZARRE: This is a fascinating portrait of young adventurers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of the hikers' narrative, the investigators' efforts, and the author's investigations. Library Journal hailed "the drama and poignancy of Eichar's solid depiction of this truly eerie and enduring mystery."

FOR FANS OF UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: Unsolved true crimes and historical mysteries never cease to capture our imaginations. The Dyatlov Pass incident was little known outside of Russia until film producer and director Donnie Eichar brought the decades-old mystery to light in a book that reads like a mystery.

FASCINATING VISUALS: This well-researched volume includes black-and-white photographs from the cameras that belonged to the hikers, which were recovered after their deaths, along with explanatory graphics breaking down some of the theories surrounding the mysterious incident.

Perfect for:Fans of nonfiction history books and true crimeAnyone who enjoys real-life mountaineering and survival stories such as Into Thin Air, Buried in the Sky, The Moth and the Mountain, and Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the WorldReaders seeking Cold War narratives and true stories from the Soviet era

Reviews

  • Great book,

    4
    By princeofpeoria
    Incredible amount of research . Great story telling
  • A Terrifying True Tale

    4
    By Persypie
    9 hikers rush into negative twenty degree temperatures with no shoes, no coats, and no hope of survival. What possessed them to flee? This was a SUPER interesting incident and fascinating to learn more about. The content was worth 5 stars, but I was honestly a bit taken out by the author’s recounting of his own trip to Dyatlov Pass, and often skimmed those chapters to get back to the focal point. Includes photos, testimony, and theory debunking. The authors own theory is masterfully woven at the end. A must read.
  • Functional but weirdly unsatisfying

    2
    By cbscrimshaw
    It feels like the answers the author was seeking didn’t materialize leading to what amounts to another speculative theory about a mystery that remains intact. If the sonic effects were powerful enough to cause simultaneous psychosis in 9 individuals why not document it, and why only search the area in winter?
  • Fascinating!

    5
    By Rozebramay
    Reading this book, I was struck by how dedicated the author was to his quest: to find out how nine, highly skilled Russian mountaineers, all but one students at an engineering school, in peak condition, could have died in the Ural Mountains of Siberia under bizarre, previously inexplicable circumstances having fled their tent in a frenzy. Though it happened in 1959, and investigated for months, the investigators, the hikers’ families, and friends never had a good answer to that question. He researched, traveled and sought scientific explanations when there seemed to be none. The author did an excellent job of uniting the hikers’ stories with the search, rescue and investigators’ stories, and his own search for answers into a rather suspenseful narrative. It reminded me of two books: Slavomir Rawicz’ The Long Walk: The True Story Of A Trek To Freedom, and Finding Everett Ruess by David Roberts. While the former was told by the survivor who escaped from a Siberian gulag (similar backdrop and survival hardships) and the latter by a National Geographic writer/editor who had hoped to solve the mysterious disappearance of a young artist who wandered in the desert Southwest through research and retracing his footsteps. (Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild might also be comparable.) If you enjoy exploring this sort of mystery from the comfort and safety of your home, this is a good choice of books, as are the others mentioned. Even though this tragic even took place long ago, in a distant land, to people we do not know, the author provides reasons for you care and an adventure in problem solving with a garnish of science.
  • Best book

    5
    By Jerr72
    This book is well written, and something that I found unique is the alternation of the chapters.
  • So interesting, quick read

    4
    By MG Hammer
    I flew through this book in two nights. Very interesting story told in a way that is easy to follow. Only complaint would be how easily he dismisses all other theories and how sure he is of his own. His theory is good though.
  • Excellent!

    5
    By Sheabird's
    Very well written. I could not put this book down. Some very interesting and plausible theories regarding this great mystery.
  • Mesmerizing

    5
    By Zuapac
    Dead Mountain was a highly entertaining book. I read it continuously evening after evening though I was sleepy. Yet I was able to stay alert enough to reach the end of a chapter. Because of the human interest of this tragic adventure as well as its international interest on a historical scale, the book moved the reader through eagerly to get to the end to discover what happened to this young group of friends. The author has done an excellent job of research to discover, what I believe to be the most plausible theory of what really happened to this group.
  • Excellent

    5
    By Blueshoes57
    This is a well researched and fascinating account of a tragic Mystery. Well written and was interesting to the very last page.
  • So worth the read.

    5
    By Abbond78
    Started reading at 10pm and finished at 4:30am. Couldn't stop. I love the lay out of the chapters. His, theirs, investigators... Loved it. Best conclusion I've ever heard for what happened. Scientific. Not just speculation. Love the parallel in the journeys... Loved it. Goodnight!

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