I felt that this book was very slow moving, though I did like the build-up between Joe and Kabe. They were both very likable characters. I felt bad for some of the things Joe had to face, but I thought he did a good job handling them. He had strong convictions and stood by them. I thought the story was boring for the most part though. I felt the author got way too technical and detailed concerning the mechanics of mountain climbing. The writing style was something that took a while to get used to as well. It wasn't a bad story, but not the greatest either.