Item - Everest Adventure!

Do many kids dream of climbing Everest? I honestly don't know. But this seems like it wouldn't be something that speaks to many kids' desires.

Anyway, this is reasonably well-written. A. C. Montgomery hasn't taken on his father's penchant for aliens and new-agey moralizing. It does still have a very strong Free Tibet message in some paths.

Like a number of books, there are a few paths where the promise of the title doesn't come true. On one of the major splits, you never go to Everest, and you wind up having your whole adventure in Canada. Not much of an issue. On the other end of things, the story has to get spiced up with some intrigue; in this case, you get mixed up with a Free Tibet organization, and they want you to dedicate your climb to the Free Tibet cause.

In this case, the opposing force is another group that wants to free Tibet, but they want to do it through violent means. For reasons I can't understand, this means that they want to stop your climb.

Also, you don't seem to have any issue with yelling while you're on Everest, forget the risk of avalanches.

There isn't too much to make this book notable, but I suppose it's good for those that want a more... grounded adventure.

More reviews by Jordashebasics

Did having his father (R. A. Montgomery) and brother (Ramsey) as established Choose Your Own Adventure authors give Anson Montgomery confidence in creating his own debut entry for the series, or add pressure? Either way, Everest Adventure! arrived one hundred forty-five books into a series whose popularity was trending down. You are a young mountaineer with some impressive climbs under your belt when you receive an offer: a group wants you to join their Mt. Everest expedition. If you reach the top, you'd be the youngest ever. You're thrilled; even an anonymous threatening phone call can't extinguish your enthusiasm. It's been a while since you had a serious climb, and some friends are organizing one in the Canadian Rockies. Should you go with them as an Everest tune-up, or travel now to Beijing, China and start plotting your course up the treacherous face of Everest, tallest mountain on earth?

Beijing is a modern city teeming with things to do. Curious, you duck out into the city alone and get lost. A young stranger named Ling offers to act as your guide. You're stunned when a pair of men come and hustle Ling away, and a third puts a knife to your throat. If you stay quiet, the armed man runs off and a woman hurries you to a house where you meet Twan, Ling's brother. There's no time to explain; the police knock, and you must decide whether to stay here with Twan or flee with the woman. Accompanying her gets you safely back to your hotel and on track to tackle Everest, but you're bothered by vivid dreams. Are they a prophecy that Ling is in danger, or a premonition of your own death? Maybe when the men first abducted Ling, you fought back against the armed assailant. You return to the hotel and set out for Everest, but a man at base camp says Ling wants to meet with you. Ling admits he represents a group that wants to free Tibet from Chinese rule. Use your climb to proclaim the cause of Tibetan freedom, and Ling believes it will go a long way. If you choose to help Ling amplify his message there's still a harrowing climb ahead up Everest, but reaching your goal and standing for a liberated Tibet is bound to feel good.

The tune-up climb in the Canadian Rockies sets you on a different path. The sights are gorgeous until you and your friends hit a storm. If you stick with the group you may miss your flight to Beijing, and your shot at Everest. Climbing alone is frowned on, but if you do you'll reach a shortcut pass and another storm that could spell death. Survive this, and you run into a starving mountain lion. If you make it the rest of the way down, you find a helicopter in search of your lost friends. Should you go with the rescuers to help, and miss your flight? If you stayed with your friends at first rather than set out alone, that night you meet a dreamlike figure who warns that all is not well in the Rockies. Follow his lead and you'll wind up in a struggle against illegal strip miners. You may not summit Everest, but you can make a difference right here.

Everest Adventure! is confusing, sloppily put together, and the strip mining part is heavy-handed. Too many endings leave off well short of accomplishing anything, skirting around adventure instead of taking you into it. The worst offense is that the book is hardly about Everest at all. In most endings you never get to the mountain, becoming sidetracked in Chinese espionage or scaling the Rockies. The few branches in which you ascend Everest treat the trip like an afterthought, not the whole point of the story. Anson Montgomery had much to learn at this stage of his career, and Everest Adventure! is one of the worse Choose Your Own Adventures.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74