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Vertical Limit
When an avalanche traps Peter Garrett's sister, who is part of a brash millionaire's ill-conceived climbing expedition, near the top of K2, Peter is determined to organize a rescue party.
- GenresAction
231 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 7, 2020
Mountains may break men, but they make legends
Much like Cliffhanger, Vertical Limit is a film that will leave you holding your breath and vowing never to set foot on a mountain. I wasn’t sure how a novelization would be able to capture the exhilaration, the wonder and danger of K2. But Mel Odom has done a fantastic job of capturing the film’s energy, while keeping the novelization ticking along at a great pace, with short chapters. (There’s also a Cliffhanger novelization. )
Mel Odom (who I mostly recognised from writing a handful of Sabrina The Teenage Witch and the Blade novelizations) hasn’t just written a bare bones novelization either. There is some wonderful description included, and with a little bit more background to some of the characters as well. There’s not much in the way of additional scenes or extra dialogue which was perhaps cut from the final film, apart from a couple of extra bits in the lead up to the finale.
It is quite a short novelization, coming in at 231 pages, with 8 colours pages of photos. But the attention to detail is really terrific and you will find yourself sucked into the world, feeling cold and feeling what the characters are going through. It does get a little technical at times - if you’ve never even thought about mountaineering and would rather stay safely at ground level, then some of the descriptions will pass you by particularly the equipment etc that the characters use. This is where the film draws its strengths from, as some scenes are more visual than what can be seen in a book, particularly when it comes to equipment.
I would definitely recommend picking this up, if you’re a fan of the film *cough* Chris O’Donnell *cough*. It would also make a great standalone read, if you haven’t seen the film but for some of the more breathtaking scenes, the film does have to be seen. This is certainly up there with some of my favourite novelizations.
Much like Cliffhanger, Vertical Limit is a film that will leave you holding your breath and vowing never to set foot on a mountain. I wasn’t sure how a novelization would be able to capture the exhilaration, the wonder and danger of K2. But Mel Odom has done a fantastic job of capturing the film’s energy, while keeping the novelization ticking along at a great pace, with short chapters. (There’s also a Cliffhanger novelization. )
Mel Odom (who I mostly recognised from writing a handful of Sabrina The Teenage Witch and the Blade novelizations) hasn’t just written a bare bones novelization either. There is some wonderful description included, and with a little bit more background to some of the characters as well. There’s not much in the way of additional scenes or extra dialogue which was perhaps cut from the final film, apart from a couple of extra bits in the lead up to the finale.
It is quite a short novelization, coming in at 231 pages, with 8 colours pages of photos. But the attention to detail is really terrific and you will find yourself sucked into the world, feeling cold and feeling what the characters are going through. It does get a little technical at times - if you’ve never even thought about mountaineering and would rather stay safely at ground level, then some of the descriptions will pass you by particularly the equipment etc that the characters use. This is where the film draws its strengths from, as some scenes are more visual than what can be seen in a book, particularly when it comes to equipment.
I would definitely recommend picking this up, if you’re a fan of the film *cough* Chris O’Donnell *cough*. It would also make a great standalone read, if you haven’t seen the film but for some of the more breathtaking scenes, the film does have to be seen. This is certainly up there with some of my favourite novelizations.
July 10, 2017
I was delighted to spot this book after watching the movie and trying to understand what character Montgomery Wick was muttering. I understood that he had a grudge, and since he was obviously a good guy with the kind of conflicted feelings we all love to dissect, I knew it must be a valid grudge. I also knew from the very beginning that we were all supposed to heartily dislike Rude Wasteful Anything-For-a-Buck Elliot Vaughn, so the fact that Montgomery Wick didn't like him made Vaughn a clear villain and someone we should be watching relative to Peter's sister Annie. In fact, this story was filled with bad guys (everyone who liked Vaughn) and good guys (Wick, Peter, Skip, Kareem, Malcolm, Cyril). I was sure there was some insight I was missing, along with a few critical words/phrases here and there.
All happily supplied by this book. Odom not only provides most of the actual dialogue from the movie, thank you very much, but also what the characters were thinking at the time, so we get motivation - very helpful. AND he describes what's going on, so if you're, say, heights impaired, as we tactfully call the acrophobic, you can read about it rather than enduring the rather appalling moments of the movie. Or skip those paragraphs if you really hate heights - but I don't think you'll want to, because Odom's powers of description really are excellent.
Odom's book was completed before movie editing, so some of the minor actions described actually do not appear in the movie, but those descriptions give you an idea of the particular character's intent. So it's helpful that they appear in the book. Odom has done quite a few screen-to-print books, but this is one of his best efforts and outshines the movie itself.
All happily supplied by this book. Odom not only provides most of the actual dialogue from the movie, thank you very much, but also what the characters were thinking at the time, so we get motivation - very helpful. AND he describes what's going on, so if you're, say, heights impaired, as we tactfully call the acrophobic, you can read about it rather than enduring the rather appalling moments of the movie. Or skip those paragraphs if you really hate heights - but I don't think you'll want to, because Odom's powers of description really are excellent.
Odom's book was completed before movie editing, so some of the minor actions described actually do not appear in the movie, but those descriptions give you an idea of the particular character's intent. So it's helpful that they appear in the book. Odom has done quite a few screen-to-print books, but this is one of his best efforts and outshines the movie itself.
August 4, 2020
Bland action. Got bored and quit reading it. There is something wrong about this style and you just don't get into the characters. It's a novelization of a screenplay. Usually, I like to read the book and movie both, but not this time. Book based on a movie.
August 8, 2018
extremely well written. it makes me want to watch the film
August 25, 2018
This book sticks to the same storyline as the movie. As a non-climber, I find it to be an interesting adventure story and learning about the challenges and joys of this lifestyle.
January 2, 2023
One of the better adaptations I've read. Doesn't feel like its trying to hard to flesh it out, but does give you good backstory and insight into characters, nice setting descriptions (given the incredible location for the story), and has a good flow/pace. I enjoyed this one when I was younger, and still found it to be a good read today.
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October 4, 2007nice...
May 19, 2014
Read this book when I was younger and really enjoyed it. I'll have to give it another read-through soon.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews