Well, I didn't like this nearly as well as Shadow of the Silk Road, but still found it very interesting! I didn't find it depressing as some reviewers did--I was fascinated with the peek into this mountain and the religions that regard it as holy--Hinduism and Buddhism are pretty difficult for me to understand and I appreciated the picture, and thought it rather sweet that the author kind of did this after losing his mother. He is obviously reaching for something--he didn't find it in the religions he encountered, or in the trek he undertook, but I found the searching positive and enlightening. Still a Thubron fan here after reading it.