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The Everest Files is an action fiction book which follows a man named Ryan on his travels to the Himalaya’s in Nepal for a summer adventure with a medical team and meets a young girl who offers to help him recover from an illness he caught when travelling in these new climates. He learns of the story of Kami, a friend of the girl who suffered a terrible accident following his departure to climb Mount Everest with a crew, one of whom is a famous, up-coming politician in America looking to improve his reputation. Throughout, the focus is to find out what has happened to Kami so Ryan can return the news to her. However, other side stories that detail the background of some of the characters, most notably the American politician and the thematic conflict between East and West present throughout the book makes the book more enjoyable and even adds to the suspense and weight of finding out Kami’s fate.
After hearing a little bit about this book, I thought I’d challenge myself and start reading it, since I don’t usually read adventure books– and I’m so glad I did! From the very beginning I was hooked, with the central theme of the book being presented very early on. As soon as you become invested in the characters, the quest to find Kami begins and the reader is immediately drawn to what happens to these two young protagonists.
Even though the main aspect driving the story forward is the quest for Kami, the underlying themes of love and cultural conflict really makes the story much more personal – and not only romantic love. The bond characters have with each other, partly because of the tight-knit community they have grown up in, partly because of the connection that is formed when travelling on an expedition such as climbing Everest, is heart-warming and genuine. This is even more true when you learn how the author himself, Matt Dickinson, has climbed Everest. It is clear how his experiences and his depth of knowledge from climbing Everest has shaped his writing.
The only weakness I found with this book is character we meet at the beginning, Ryan, is often irrelevant. His character arc is only there to find Kami and return the news, I think the book would have been that little bit more enjoyable if the story was started differently; perhaps if it was told from Kami’s point of view, especially since around 90% of the book is about Kami climbing Mount Everest and only the remaining 10% mentions Ryan. By the time you reach the end of the book, it is likely you have forgotten about Ryan and forgotten that the story is being told because of Ryan, as such, his character seemed useless. However, The Everest Files is the first book in a trilogy which I have not yet carried on with, so perhaps Ryan’s role is much more prominent in these two other sequels.
One of the main strengths of the book, and what led to it being so attractive to me, was the authors writing style and pace. From the onset, the reader is presented with Ryan’s health, so the reader feels the need to continue to find out his fate. After recovery, the reader is then presented with the case of Kami and Ryan’s quest begins. This pace of calmness followed by adventure, danger, and suspense, leaves the reader wanting more and hanging off every word Dickinson’s write. Though it is expected in an adventure novel, this technique of presenting the reader with a problem, conflict or dangerous situation and leading the reader on to find out the result seems to be slowly vanishing with ‘mundane’ or ‘everyday’ stories taking the lead. One example of this is Normal People. However, this technique was really refreshing and kept me hooked throughout and I found it impossible to put down until I found out the whole story of each character.
Another strength of Matt Dickinson’s is the range of vocabulary and the extent of research gone into this book. When talking about the Sherpa community, it is clear he knows their traditions, culture, the importance of certain values in that community like trust, loyalty, appreciation of nature et cetera. This is also true of his knowledge regarding Everest and the history of it. After reading the book, I decided to invest time in researching stories from those who climbed mount Everest and I found that Dickinson had named characters after people who also climbed Everest and broke new records. Additionally, Dickinson’s experience of hiking and climbing is evident in his descriptions of the task the characters are facing, the danger they may experience and the ins-and-outs of techniques, equipment, altitude and so on.
Overall, if you’re interested in ever climbing Mount Everest or find yourself wanting to read something adventurous, especially during these somewhat boring times, then this book is definitely for you. This suspense, danger and on-going quest for Kami’s fate drives the book forward and leaves the reader always wanting more. The on-going conflict between East and West and strong relationships the characters have are just other aspects in the book that make the read extremely enjoyable and thrilling.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐