Bonatti was undoubtedly one of the greatest climbers of all time. He was also conceited, driven and apparently very difficult to like. As for the controversy involving K2, there is photographic evidence supporting his side of the argument, so it's really not much of a story.

The book is well written, although Bonatti's mountain-as-religion message was wearying. And for someone not interested in the sport, one mountain sounds much like the next, so it felt a lot like every chapter was a repeat.