In 2004, two great scientist-explorers attempted to find the bottom of the world. American Bill Stone took on the vast, deadly Cheve Cave in sou... read full description
reviews
Jul 04, 2011
Amy
rated it: 
I've grown to really love adventure and survival books and thought this would definitely be an interesting read in the genre. I wasn't disappointed. Blind Descent tells of cave exploration adventures in 2 of the world's deepest caves. I was initially concerned that the author wouldn't be able to make me see the cave in my mind as he told the story and that the author couldn't possibly hold my interest throughout the entire book, but I was absolutely enthralled and found myself daydreaming of cav
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2 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jul 31, 2010
Jason
rated it: 
The BEST COVER PHOTO in the last 100 books--easily, hands down! It’s the picture of a smooth, vertical chimney about 500 feet long in Cheve cave in Oaxaca state, Mexico, the deepest known ‘supercave‘ in the Americas. It’s about 150 feet in diameter and could hold the water volume of 750 Olympic-sized pools. AND THERE--near the bottom of the picture, the black profile of a person on rappel, tiny, underlit, and for a flash, suspended against the bright red, orange, and tan striations of rock wi
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12 comments
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(14 people liked it)
Jun 17, 2010
Jason
rated it:
A fast-paced, white-knuckled read, somewhat akin to Into Thin Air and other extreme adventure accounts (loads of deadly and near-deadly accidents as well as heroic rescues). Despite the fact that the feats in the book rate a solid 5 stars (truly amazing stuff), the book itself pulls a 4 (I did really like it). The writing is solid and straightforward, with just enough pizazz to keep the pages turning (as if the adventure alone wasn't enough for that).
Essentially an account of two m More...
Essentially an account of two m More...
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(4 people liked it)
Jun 17, 2010
Ab
rated it: 
Caving=scary, but like watching a train wreck, I'm intrigued! Sort of like reading "Into Thin Air" or "Eiger Dreams" about climbing the most dangerous, forbidding places on earth, only going the opposite direction INTO the mountains.
The cave descriptions also reminded me of how "House of Leaves" describes the spaces behind that closet door ... naming indescribably huge openings things like 'the cathedral room', etc.
This book is so reminisce More...
The cave descriptions also reminded me of how "House of Leaves" describes the spaces behind that closet door ... naming indescribably huge openings things like 'the cathedral room', etc.
This book is so reminisce More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 09, 2012
Lillian
rated it:
The Blind Descent is a true story about the race to find the deepest place on Earth, just as the title says. It’s the real life journey to the center of the earth. This book is great for people who love caving, survival, outdoors, and pure adventure!
I loved everything about this book! James Tabor did an amazing job describing the caves and the expeditions! What I love them most was that it is real, it’s a true story about two completely different men who both have the same dream, yet t More...
I loved everything about this book! James Tabor did an amazing job describing the caves and the expeditions! What I love them most was that it is real, it’s a true story about two completely different men who both have the same dream, yet t More...
Nov 01, 2011
Jan
rated it:
A true account of the quest to find the deepest cave in the world, this book follows the lives of two men (both of whose names I've already forgotten): an American searching for the world's deepest cave in Mexico and a Ukrainian searching for the same in the country of Georgia.
For a book about deep cave exploration, it can be surprisingly dull at times. It sometimes felt like a bit of a slog. I also felt it spent way too much time on the American. I suspect that it does so for two reas More...
For a book about deep cave exploration, it can be surprisingly dull at times. It sometimes felt like a bit of a slog. I also felt it spent way too much time on the American. I suspect that it does so for two reas More...
Aug 29, 2011
David
rated it:
This is a very cool subject—caving and the exploration of super-caves. The author does a reasonable job describing the basics of caving, cave diving, the major caving superheroes, the technology (including development of the re-breather that made it possible to push the boundaries of cave diving), and the explorations of two of the deepest caves in the world. He sensationalizes to a fault and he’s lavish in his biography of super-caver Bill Stone, but this is a tolerable excess in the interest
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May 02, 2011
Der-shing
rated it:
An incredible read! Tabor writes with great detail and insight into the people involved in each endeavor and goes into technical details about caving that I'm sure most casual readers will be unfamiliar with. However, his descriptions are so tangible and clear that I feel like I understood immediately what he's talking about, and I definitely felt like I could envision the caves in my mind. I also like how he includes little jarring interludes like the police approaching the expedition!... for a
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Mar 28, 2011
Ms.pegasus
rated it:
Blind Descent; the quest to discover the deepest place on earth, by James Tabor, chronicles the last great competition for terrestrial exploration: part of a tradition which included the race to the South Pole, and the first to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. The drama, , however, lies with the personalities of these X-treme cavers, and not the actual competition. Bill Stone is the leader of the American expedition exploring the Cheve system in Mexico. Indomitable, competitive, aggressive
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Nov 14, 2010
Ningerbil
rated it: 
My best friend and I listened to this on CD while working on various projects. The topic it covers is fascinating -- supercaving and trying to find the deepest point on the planet. The perils of supercaving make climbing Mount Everest look like a vigorous weekend backpacking trip. At least from Mt. Everest, there is a chance of rescue if you get into trouble, within a reasonable amount of time. Where these cavers go, if you get hurt you are up a creek, to put it politely. The book covers two exp
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Sep 06, 2010
Jude
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 06, 2010
Mateo
rated it: 
A book about a race to discover the deepest cave on earth has the potential for Krakauer-like suspense, but Tabor destroys whatever tension might be present--and there should be a lot, since spelunking is at least as difficult and dangerous as mountain climbing, if not more so--by constantly and oppressively hyping the excitement and pushing the thrill in our face. It's as though he doesn't trust the subject enough to leave it alone. One can imagine him amping up the prose describing a trip wi
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4 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Jul 04, 2010
Carin
rated it:
I was reluctant to read this book. The topic, caving, was enticing to me, but the bad title and ugly jacket made me hesitant, not to mention the comparisons to Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. But I saw the author on "The Daily Show" last week and was won over.
This book tells, in two parts, the race to find the deepest supercave by American Bill Stone in Mexico, and Ukranian Alexander Klimchouk in The Republic of Georgia. Bill Stone is much more of a character, and so the bul More...
This book tells, in two parts, the race to find the deepest supercave by American Bill Stone in Mexico, and Ukranian Alexander Klimchouk in The Republic of Georgia. Bill Stone is much more of a character, and so the bul More...
Jul 27, 2010
John
rated it:
Interesting coverage of 2 teams trying to find/explore/establish the deepest cave on the planet. The American effort in Oaxaca headed by Bill Stone gets the lion's share of the attention, while the Ukrainian effort in Abkhazia led by Alexander Klimchouk provides a contrast in leadership style. Though they get less space in the book, the Ukrainians got the prize -- the deepest cave. I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked a little more focus - concentrate on Stone as the driven genius and spen
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Jun 18, 2011
Alisa
rated it:
It's always interesting to read about people undergoing tremendous physical ordeals - and deep caving definitely counts as an ordeal. The conditions under which these explorers lived (sometimes for weeks) defies belief. At the same time, however, I'm shaking my head at the stupidity of it all. Despite the author's repeated claims that all of this is done for "science", no mention is ever made of what "science" got out of a bunch of people tormenting themselves in a deep ho
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Apr 23, 2011
jeremy
rated it:
james tabor's blind descent: the quest to discover the deepest place on earth, while written about an immensely fascinating subject, leaves much to be desired. like many books of its ilk, it perhaps would have been a more cohesive and compelling read if featured as a lengthy magazine article. the narrative focuses on the efforts of two teams to explore and map what each is hoping to be the deepest cave on earth (chevé in the oaxacan state of mexico and krubera in the republic of georgia).
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 05, 2011
kingshearte
rated it:
I learned a number of things while reading this book. The first and foremost thing that stuck in my head, however, is that supercavers are completely, 100%, absolutely bat-shit crazy. Caves are cool. I've enjoyed some very guided visits to some of them, and to a certain extent, I can see the appeal of doing a little exploring on your own, to see where this passage goes. But to deliberately and repeatedly put yourself through the torture of the kind of intense cave exploration going on in this bo
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 22, 2010
Eric
rated it:
The first 3/5 of this book are devoted to Bill Stone, an American caver. and it is pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat stuff. The next fifth is about a Ukrainian caver. The switch in perspective totally switches gears and feels like you're starting over instead of going on. The final fifth is about both of them and their race to find the deepest cave but it never regains the momentum of the 1st 3/5th. This is a non-fiction book. It is about the quest to find the deepest cave in the world and
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Aug 16, 2011
Ohenrypacey
rated it:
An interesting subject nearly ruined by the writer's hyberbolic style. There was never a 'race' to find the world's deepest cave; what there was was a dedicated Ukrainian caving society exploring the world's deepest cave, and an intrepid megalomaniacal american caver trying to establish a mexican cave as the world's deepest (it's not even in the top 5) over the same 25 yr. period, whose story the author desperately wanted to tell.
Both stories were interesting, and a better writer would h More...
Both stories were interesting, and a better writer would h More...
Oct 02, 2010
terpkristin
rated it:
This was an alright book. I was weary of reading it at first, since I've actually met one of the "super cavers" that this book is about a number of times (Bill Stone), and I find him to be an utter twat. I really didn't want to read a book that glorified this man in any way, shape, or form.
Sadly, this book did just that. Even though the cave that Stone was exploring is NOT the deepest cave in the world, more than 3/4 of the book was devoted to him. It may as well have be More...
Sadly, this book did just that. Even though the cave that Stone was exploring is NOT the deepest cave in the world, more than 3/4 of the book was devoted to him. It may as well have be More...
2 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 25, 2010
Lynn
rated it:
Very well written book about extreme (and I mean EXTREME) caving. Interesting that I've read a mystery by Nevada Barr with the same title -- hers set in New Mexico.
This one, however, is non-fiction and is sort of a mirror image of climbing extreme mountains. Short, brisk chapters (with detailed endnotes) often ending with some phrase to yank you into the next chapter. For instance: A tomb-sized slab of cave wall peeled off and fell on him. OR He would be racing to get there firs More...
This one, however, is non-fiction and is sort of a mirror image of climbing extreme mountains. Short, brisk chapters (with detailed endnotes) often ending with some phrase to yank you into the next chapter. For instance: A tomb-sized slab of cave wall peeled off and fell on him. OR He would be racing to get there firs More...
Mar 15, 2011
Brandon
rated it:
..But cave explorers like Vesley and Farr could not see the route and so could not anticipate the dangers, a partial list of which includes drowning, fatal falls, premature burial, asphyxiation, hypothermia, hurricane-force winds, electrocution, earthquake-induced collapses, poison gases and walls dripping with sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. There are also rabid bats, snakes, troglodytic scorpions and spiders, radon and microbes that cause horrific diseases like histoplasmosis and leishmaniasis
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2 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Sep 20, 2011
David
rated it:
A decent but flawed book. I would rate it 1.75 stars if it were possible.
The writing was very inconsistent; at times it was interesting and well written but at many other times it was stilted and ham fisted. The first hundred times the author talked about the dangers of spelunking were bad enough but the next hundred times were completely annoying. Everything about cave exploring is dangerous and he means EVERYTHING! And over and over again he described the environs: cold, dark, More...
The writing was very inconsistent; at times it was interesting and well written but at many other times it was stilted and ham fisted. The first hundred times the author talked about the dangers of spelunking were bad enough but the next hundred times were completely annoying. Everything about cave exploring is dangerous and he means EVERYTHING! And over and over again he described the environs: cold, dark, More...
Nov 22, 2010
Corinne
rated it:
I can't believe I finished this book. While the underlying content was good, the pacing and organization was off. A big chunk on one team (Stone’s), a small chunk of the other (Klimchouk’s), mingle them a bit at the end, and blah. I’m glad I did push through to get to read about Klimchouk’s experience as an Ukranian.
Yes it was non-fiction, but it didn’t find a good balance in engaging and informing. If it was boring and straight forward I would have preferred it. The writings st More...
Yes it was non-fiction, but it didn’t find a good balance in engaging and informing. If it was boring and straight forward I would have preferred it. The writings st More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 04, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
This was a fascinating read as the author follows two modern day explorers, each trying to find the deepest cave in the world. American Bill Stone and his team descend into Cheve cave in Mexico while Ukrainian Alexander Klimchouk sends his team into Krubera in the province of Georgia. The work is frequently brutal and mind-numbing and not for the faint of heart; often passageways end in deep sumps of water which need to be explored in scuba gear in the search for yet another path onward. The a
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Dec 14, 2010
Judy
rated it:
Mountain climbing in reverse is how the author defines caving. Add pitch black, damp conditions with the threat of vermin/dangerous creatures in some caves and it describes what mountain climber Bill Stone and associates faced in the Cheve cave in Mexico. This book is about the quest to become the first to reach the deepest spot on earth. The competition is between Alexander Klimchouk and Bill Stone. Klimchouk descended Krubera in the Ukraine. However, the book is 75% about Stone, his leadership
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Mar 29, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Total darkness is scary, or at the very least unsettling. Now add arduous climbing and repelling, scuba diving in pitch-black sumps, slippery surfaces, hypothermia, deafening waterfalls, claustrophobia and mind-numbing fear. Not only is this hilarity measured in hours, but also in days and sometimes weeks. Welcome to deep cave exploration. Sounds like a blast, huh?
This book follows an American named Bill Stone, on his lifelong mission to find the world’s deepest cave in Mexico and then lat More...
This book follows an American named Bill Stone, on his lifelong mission to find the world’s deepest cave in Mexico and then lat More...
Feb 12, 2011
Ray
rated it:
I listened to the audiobook version, and I use the number of exits I miss on the highway as an indicator of my engagement. I find if I'm really caught up in the book, I drift past my turns, or drive around the block a few extra times to get to the end of the chapter. On the other hand, when an audio book doesn't capture my attention, the opposite is true and it's the words of the book that I miss and not my turns. That describes my reaction to this book. Maybe it's a lack of imagination on m
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 11, 2010
4fabfelines
rated it:
This is about two of the world's best cavers: American Bill Stone and Ukrainian Alexander Klimchouk... these two men are looking for the same thing: the world's longest deepest cave.
This is a good book, well researched and has action and adventure galore... you can almost feel the water, the noise from the waterfalls and the darkness all around you.
These men and women explorers, experiance hunger, fatigue, hallucinations, injuries and sometimes death on their quest to find the deepes More...
This is a good book, well researched and has action and adventure galore... you can almost feel the water, the noise from the waterfalls and the darkness all around you.
These men and women explorers, experiance hunger, fatigue, hallucinations, injuries and sometimes death on their quest to find the deepes More...
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(1 person liked it)
Aug 21, 2010
Andie
rated it:
3.5 stars. The subject matter of this book was fascinating- caving/speleology is something I know almost nothing about, and I didn't realize there was such a thing as a "super cave". I saw this book on The Daily Show; it's probably not a book I would've picked up on my own, but the fact that it was featured and the tidbits discussed on the show compelled me to seek it out.
Tabor describes the race to the bottom of the earth- the challenge, over the past decades, to disco More...
Tabor describes the race to the bottom of the earth- the challenge, over the past decades, to disco More...
