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Darkness Descending
An astonishing true story of mountaineering survivalOn 5 January 2003, former Special Forces soldier Ken Jones was caught in a devastating avalanche as he climbed in the frozen wilderness of Romania's Transylvanian Alps. Flung from a cliff, he regained consciousness to find himself shrouded in darkness, separated from his supplies, suffering from overexposure in the sub zero-temperatures and in horrendous pain from a broken leg and shattered pelvis. Heavily frostbitten and bleeding internally, Ken dragged himself to safety over three agonizing days only to discover that his true ordeal had yet to begin. His account of life saving surgery and his battle to walk again is a classic tale of triumph over adversity and what it means to never give up. Heart stopping and inspiring to the very last page, Ken Jones's story of endurance and survival is an unforgettable testament to the strength of the human spirit.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2013
28 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 30, 2020
This book was a bit vague and messy for my taste at the beginning. We start with a vague tale of his military career where he tells the reader he had a big mouth, hated authority and wasn't much of a team player so his career never really went anywhere. Not really the kind of person you want as your Army buddy huh. He mentions maybe going to University but is then suddenly talking about being on a train to climb a mountain in Romania. The sudden jump was puzzling as was the unfinished story. He mentions his interest in Dracula and I'd have liked him to maybe expand on it rather than a brief mention of places he wanted to visit like Castle Bran. Most Everest books cover the visits to a monastary for a blessing so it's a shame that this one didn't have a Dracula chapter to set the scene of where he was climbing and the local legends.
I didn't much like the guy to be honest. He spends a lot of time bragging about his superior skills and talents, his strength and how he can do hikes and climbs faster and better than others. I found him a bit of a blowhard with a superiority complex. It was this inflated view of himself that led to his downfall as he ignored all the warning signs, local advice, even his own gut feeling as he climbed. Even when noting the signs that there were avalanche risks in the area, he decides to ignore the safer route to have the 'challenge' of taking the risk. It ends in an avalanche and him being badly injured and alone on the mountain. I just found his attitude really offputting and it left me not really caring about how he escaped his crisis, so I DNFed.
I didn't much like the guy to be honest. He spends a lot of time bragging about his superior skills and talents, his strength and how he can do hikes and climbs faster and better than others. I found him a bit of a blowhard with a superiority complex. It was this inflated view of himself that led to his downfall as he ignored all the warning signs, local advice, even his own gut feeling as he climbed. Even when noting the signs that there were avalanche risks in the area, he decides to ignore the safer route to have the 'challenge' of taking the risk. It ends in an avalanche and him being badly injured and alone on the mountain. I just found his attitude really offputting and it left me not really caring about how he escaped his crisis, so I DNFed.
June 7, 2015
Ken's story is extremely interesting and inspiring.Although this is in essence a survival story there are many elements to his book that elevate it above much of the survivalist or 'man vs nature' fare. His occassional references to his training in the Paras and SAS (both physical and mental) and how this helped save his life on several occasions are fascinating. Best of all is his humility, and how he candidly highlights all the fear and doubts he has had on his journey.
July 26, 2016
On 5 January 2003, former Special Forces soldier Ken Jones was caught in a devastating avalanche as he climbed in the frozen wilderness of Romania's Transylvanian Alps. Flung from a cliff, he regained consciousness to find himself shrouded in darkness, separated from his supplies, suffering from overexposure in the sub zero-temperatures and in horrendous pain from a broken leg and shattered pelvis. Heavily frostbitten and bleeding internally, Ken dragged himself to safety over three agonizing days only to discover that his true ordeal had yet to begin.
His account of life saving surgery and his battle to walk again is a classic tale of triumph over adversity and what it means to never give up. Heart stopping and inspiring to the very last page, Ken Jones's story of endurance and survival is an unforgettable testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Powerful story of survival and endurance, recommended if you like Joe Simpson's Touching the Void.
Fascinating to read about Romania, Europe's last great wilderness, in places untouched by 21st century. In the tiny village he eventual crawls to, despite being at death's door, he is offered vodka, invited to discuss football and treated as a celebrity with all the villagers trooping in to inspect him.
His account of life saving surgery and his battle to walk again is a classic tale of triumph over adversity and what it means to never give up. Heart stopping and inspiring to the very last page, Ken Jones's story of endurance and survival is an unforgettable testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Powerful story of survival and endurance, recommended if you like Joe Simpson's Touching the Void.
Fascinating to read about Romania, Europe's last great wilderness, in places untouched by 21st century. In the tiny village he eventual crawls to, despite being at death's door, he is offered vodka, invited to discuss football and treated as a celebrity with all the villagers trooping in to inspect him.
I slept for a good part of the journey and when I woke the landscape outside had completely transformed. Rural charm had been replaced by a wild Carpathia of jagged mountains, deep ink-black forests and old stone forts with crooked battlements guarding secret corridors into the mountain valleys.
I felt a mounting joy – this was the Romania I had come to see.
This was a place of myth and legend, where the distant howl of the wolf still chilled the night air, where bears left their claw marks on the towering pines and the lynx lurked ghost-like among the high forests and crags. My excitement reached a crescendo as a scene that could have been straight from a Dracula film eerily presented itself.
Strategically positioned on a rocky outcrop was a grim and mythical-looking old stone fortress with a solitary tower, surrounded by an evil-looking wood. All that was needed to cap the scene off was a flurry of bats, but it wasn’t to be.
August 19, 2021
This book somehow took me 4 months to read, largely because, despite being a book about a man who gets smushed by an avalanche and breaks his pelvis and has to crawl miles and miles to safety, it was actually rather dry. Unlike Ken Jones, who spends most of the book being various degrees of damp. Compared to other survival books, like Touching The Void (also about a man who breaks his pelvis and has to crawl miles and miles to safety, which is clearly a surprisingly rich genre, except that dude also has to climb out of a glacier) this one isn't written with quite the same exhilirating prose which makes you unable to stop turning the pages. It's interesting, in the voyeuristic and schadenfreude sort of way that all these survival memoirs inevitably are, but it's not particularly gripping.
HOWEVER, that said, four stars for this paragraph alone:
'Each rise [of icy water] caused me to breathe in sharply, my teeth started chattering and my balls ached horribly.'
GOOD GOD MAN, you've been hit by an avalanche, shattered your pelvis and your leg, haven't eaten anything except soggy sausage roll crumbs for days, and now you're hopping through an icy river with only a stick to bear your weight, and yet you're STILL thinking about your testicles? An absolute icon.
HOWEVER, that said, four stars for this paragraph alone:
'Each rise [of icy water] caused me to breathe in sharply, my teeth started chattering and my balls ached horribly.'
GOOD GOD MAN, you've been hit by an avalanche, shattered your pelvis and your leg, haven't eaten anything except soggy sausage roll crumbs for days, and now you're hopping through an icy river with only a stick to bear your weight, and yet you're STILL thinking about your testicles? An absolute icon.
June 9, 2020
This is a 3.5 star book, from an objective standpoint.... But the tale itself, and Ken's ability to make the reader feel like a companion on his adventure (and subsequent desperate bid for survival) makes this a 5 star book.
There were so many chances you wish you could have helped him, or to have been able to stumble upon him while on your own hike through the Romanian wilds.
I shed a few tears.... It is more than a survival story; and there are definitely some spooky and heart-wrenching moments.
But the battle between an insidious voice in Ken's head telling him to quit and another primeval and almost supernatural voice pushing him forward; is what makes this book stand out among many other stories of survival.
This is not a book that should be pigeonholed into a rating. The story itself is something that shouldn't be taken as anything short of inspirational.
There were so many chances you wish you could have helped him, or to have been able to stumble upon him while on your own hike through the Romanian wilds.
I shed a few tears.... It is more than a survival story; and there are definitely some spooky and heart-wrenching moments.
But the battle between an insidious voice in Ken's head telling him to quit and another primeval and almost supernatural voice pushing him forward; is what makes this book stand out among many other stories of survival.
This is not a book that should be pigeonholed into a rating. The story itself is something that shouldn't be taken as anything short of inspirational.
August 30, 2015
The quote on the cover from the Telegraph says this book is simply "gripping".
Is that accurate? Boy, yes.
An extremely well written account of the author's mountain trek that goes badly wrong. Not a spoiler to say avalanches are involved.
A long crawl to civilisation ensues.
I was skipping a few pages ahead to see how much longer he would have to endure the pain and suffering of crawling out of the wilderness, only to go back and devour every word.
What makes this stand out from other other 'survival' books that I have read was the quality of the writing and the insights gained. Highly recommended.
Is that accurate? Boy, yes.
An extremely well written account of the author's mountain trek that goes badly wrong. Not a spoiler to say avalanches are involved.
A long crawl to civilisation ensues.
I was skipping a few pages ahead to see how much longer he would have to endure the pain and suffering of crawling out of the wilderness, only to go back and devour every word.
What makes this stand out from other other 'survival' books that I have read was the quality of the writing and the insights gained. Highly recommended.
November 12, 2014
As far as I'm concerned, this is on par with Touching the Void and far more gripping than Between a rock and a hard place, both of which I consider good books. Not just a adventure/survival story, it follows his recovery and relationship with his friends and family throughout the ordeal. Inspiring book written by a strong minded soul
March 23, 2014
An incredible story of survival!
December 21, 2020
From the first page, we know it’s a book about a person surviving an avalanche. Author Ken Jones was a young but skilled mountain climber gives us an insight into what it’s like to fall on a mountain broke his legs and arms, and faces death alone in a Romania rugged mountain.
The book runs first in that the first chapter compresses much of his growing up, his attraction to mountain climbing and, of course, his drive to survive by himself and his recovery.
While his narrative is similar to what you might expect, there are some moments in the book that are unique. For example, early in the he defines the goal of a good climber” “There were no footprints by mine…”(page 17).
In Chapter 1, he begins with telling us how the air “cut into me.” He was beginning his climb up Mt. Moldoveanu, 2.5 k yards up in Romania We get lots of the history of that part of Europe, especially Romania.
He tells us that core of the book: “I was always aware that some people would see my actions as wild, reckless, or irresponsible, but to really know yourself you have to be willing to put yourself in situations where you are vulnerable.” There’s an inevitable psychological baggage that comes with climbing alone, even the briefest consideration of all risks was enough to remind me of the peril….” And he makes it even more difficult and daring b/c it’s winter. (18-20) At times there’s more detail than we need or want [see 26]
His goal: “More than anything I wanted to experience the essential nature of being on the mountain, to enjoy its vast space, beauty, and all of the associational risks.” ( 28) (I was isolated yet completely at ease.” It may be the usual stuff that the people who do say, but it sets the rest of the book and we know what is coming,
We get a quick statement about what he has done: “Summits are important.” He starts and gets to a place on the mountain where he could no longer where he couldn’t see where the mountain started and the sky began. (32)
Then he falls, ‘The next thirty seconds were of pure violence….” (36) In chapter 4, he tells what it’s like to be injured and on a mountain. The rule is “don’t stand still; move and innovate or die.” (46) There’s lots of detail “It was a rare thing…to be divorced from everything else.” 53 This is where he is near death.
Fortunately for the author and for us Chapter 4 is Escape from the Mountain. He discovered how much easier it was going down than up and on the same page he tells us all the thing he did to survive—all in a page (61) e talks about how healthy and strong he had always been and this situation was so different to him. He had to “bomb” his way down (67)
The next chapter, ’Second Night in the Open,” launches the core of the book: his strategies and toughness to stay alive and get to the bottom of the mountain. This passage includes how he had to move his body using only his elbows. It is in the last third of the book that the story arises above the usual survival story.
The other unique piece is the end of the book. The story goes beyond just the survival and recovery. He goes on to tell the story of his recovery in the regular world.
Obviously it’s a good book for anyone who has been seriously injured. It would also be useful for any person who has hit a wall in their live. It’s also good for those who want an adventure story.
The book runs first in that the first chapter compresses much of his growing up, his attraction to mountain climbing and, of course, his drive to survive by himself and his recovery.
While his narrative is similar to what you might expect, there are some moments in the book that are unique. For example, early in the he defines the goal of a good climber” “There were no footprints by mine…”(page 17).
In Chapter 1, he begins with telling us how the air “cut into me.” He was beginning his climb up Mt. Moldoveanu, 2.5 k yards up in Romania We get lots of the history of that part of Europe, especially Romania.
He tells us that core of the book: “I was always aware that some people would see my actions as wild, reckless, or irresponsible, but to really know yourself you have to be willing to put yourself in situations where you are vulnerable.” There’s an inevitable psychological baggage that comes with climbing alone, even the briefest consideration of all risks was enough to remind me of the peril….” And he makes it even more difficult and daring b/c it’s winter. (18-20) At times there’s more detail than we need or want [see 26]
His goal: “More than anything I wanted to experience the essential nature of being on the mountain, to enjoy its vast space, beauty, and all of the associational risks.” ( 28) (I was isolated yet completely at ease.” It may be the usual stuff that the people who do say, but it sets the rest of the book and we know what is coming,
We get a quick statement about what he has done: “Summits are important.” He starts and gets to a place on the mountain where he could no longer where he couldn’t see where the mountain started and the sky began. (32)
Then he falls, ‘The next thirty seconds were of pure violence….” (36) In chapter 4, he tells what it’s like to be injured and on a mountain. The rule is “don’t stand still; move and innovate or die.” (46) There’s lots of detail “It was a rare thing…to be divorced from everything else.” 53 This is where he is near death.
Fortunately for the author and for us Chapter 4 is Escape from the Mountain. He discovered how much easier it was going down than up and on the same page he tells us all the thing he did to survive—all in a page (61) e talks about how healthy and strong he had always been and this situation was so different to him. He had to “bomb” his way down (67)
The next chapter, ’Second Night in the Open,” launches the core of the book: his strategies and toughness to stay alive and get to the bottom of the mountain. This passage includes how he had to move his body using only his elbows. It is in the last third of the book that the story arises above the usual survival story.
The other unique piece is the end of the book. The story goes beyond just the survival and recovery. He goes on to tell the story of his recovery in the regular world.
Obviously it’s a good book for anyone who has been seriously injured. It would also be useful for any person who has hit a wall in their live. It’s also good for those who want an adventure story.
July 23, 2023
I met Ken Jones after completing the Fan Dance load bearing challenge in Wales. After completing the challenge a fellow competitor told me of Ken’s survival story and how he started AEE (Avalanche Endurance Events). After hearing this I felt compelled to learn more about the man. Upon finishing the book I was left with huge amounts of respect for the strength of character that Ken showed to survive his ordeal in the Romanian mountains. He should be forever proud of the fact that he made it out of that experience alive and I genuinely hope that he spends the rest of his days in good health and happiness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
Purchase Darkness Descending here for just $8!
Ken Jones was a Special Forces soldier who was caught in an avalanche in Romania’s Transylvanian Alps and 10 years on from his difficult experiences, he has written a book that recounts his fight for survival. This is a gripping tale of triumph over adversity and recommended for anyone looking for an inspiring story!
Georgia - The Book Grocer
Ken Jones was a Special Forces soldier who was caught in an avalanche in Romania’s Transylvanian Alps and 10 years on from his difficult experiences, he has written a book that recounts his fight for survival. This is a gripping tale of triumph over adversity and recommended for anyone looking for an inspiring story!
Georgia - The Book Grocer
July 18, 2020
I liked the book, loved the story but when the Author sums up what he has learned by his ordeal. No mention is made that he might have made a mistake hiking alone in a avalanche prone area. No mention is made that the dead of winter is a very poor time to choose hiking on a steep mountain side. That's why I gave it 3 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2018
Excellent read
A book that's easy to read and to get some understanding of how there are people out there who have tremendous courage and will to live in almost impossible situations.
This book would interest sporting and outdoor types.
A book that's easy to read and to get some understanding of how there are people out there who have tremendous courage and will to live in almost impossible situations.
This book would interest sporting and outdoor types.
November 14, 2019
Spectacular!
I just completed this late last night and loved it! Well written, interesting. What a brave man to survive so much. When you think of all your problems, so insignificant in comparison. Best of luck to you, you are an inspiration!
I just completed this late last night and loved it! Well written, interesting. What a brave man to survive so much. When you think of all your problems, so insignificant in comparison. Best of luck to you, you are an inspiration!
August 4, 2023
Well written book about survival against the odds. The escape from the mountain dragged on a bit for me, hence the 4 stars, not 5.
The ordeal really did only begin after his escape, and this is when the book became "unputdownable" in my opinion.
The ordeal really did only begin after his escape, and this is when the book became "unputdownable" in my opinion.
February 7, 2017
An amazing story about survival and what a person can do when they are motivated to stay alive.
August 15, 2014
This is an incredible story of survival. I have heard Ken Jones the 'motivational speaker' as well and I am in awe of his strength. The book is very well written and visualised but I can't help thinking there is a slight emotional detachment in some areas...I suppose that's what happens to you as you are hardened by these experiences....I find Joe Simpsons adventures a lot more tear jerking perhaps because he tries to humanise why people take the risks that they do and justify the perceived selfishness of it all.
August 11, 2014
Perhaps I've been spoilt with touching the void and between a rock and a hard place, inspiring story but not on a par with those
April 4, 2016
O carte extraordinara, despre o aventura in muntii Fagaras.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews