The Beckoning Silence

Joe Simpson has experienced a life filled with adventure, but marred by death. He has endured the painful attrition of climbing friends in accidents, which call into question the perilously exhilarating activity to which he has devoted his whole life. Probability is inexorably closing in. The tragic loss of a close friend forces a momentous decision on him - it is time to turn his back on the mountains that he has loved. Never more alive than when most at risk, he has come to see a last climb on the hooded, mile-high North face of the Eiger as the cathartic finale to his climbing career.

“"Simpson writes better on the darker side of mountaineering than any man alive." --The Times "Grippingly told…there is no question Simpson is a brilliant adventure writer. There are passages that had my heart racing…his descriptions of the inner uncertainties that dog the climber are among the most convincing I have ever read." --Observer "The thrilling way in which Simpson recounts the storm that hits them and the difficult aftermath is as racy as any adventure novel." --Sunday Express Praise forTouching the Void: "Not just a book about mountaineering... It is about the spirit of man and the life force that drives us all." -- Magnus Magnusson, presenting the NCR Award "On every level... an outstanding literary achievement." -- Jim Perrin,Independent "Simpson writes better on the darker side of mountaineering than any man alive." --The Times”

Heart-stopping stuff...This is not a book for the fainthearted and perhaps should come with a government health warning...a book that will have your fingers clutching imaginary rocks and palms sweating over every page Scotsman An engrossing read. Nobody evokes the physical and psychological realities of climbing better...a powerfully written book...as vivid as anything Simpson has yet produced Sunday Telegraph No one conjures the thrill of altitude better than Simpson...A hugely enjoyable book...As far as mountaineering literature goes this is about as good as it gets Sara Wheeler, Spectator Eloquent, spine-chilling stuff SUNDAY TIMES Grippingly told...there is no question Simpson is a brilliant adventure writer. There are passages that had my heart racing Observer

Joe Simpson was born in India in 1960. His career as a climber and mountaineer has taken him all over the world and tackled some of its most dangerous and difficult slopes. He is the survivor of numerous life-threatening injuries incurred during his expeditions, which he recounts in his award-winning books. He lives in Sheffield.

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