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Quick answer: If you loved Into Thin Air, try Into the Wild, Eiger Dreams, The Climb, Left for Dead, Touching the Void and No Way Down. Each one offers true survival, high-altitude danger or a gripping look at people pushed past their limits.
Jon Krakauer's bestseller is his first-hand account of the 1996 Everest disaster, in which several climbers died in a single storm. Krakauer was on assignment for Outside magazine when commercial expeditions, led by guides like Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, ran into disaster near the summit. Readers love its tension, its honesty and its survivor's guilt. These books share its danger, its real stakes and its unforgettable characters.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Into the Wild | Jon Krakauer | Alaska | readers who want more Krakauer |
| Eiger Dreams | Jon Krakauer | Mountains | readers who want Krakauer's shorter pieces |
| The Climb | Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt | Everest | readers who want another view of 1996 |
| Left for Dead | Beck Weathers | Everest | readers who want the survivor's story |
| Touching the Void | Joe Simpson | Andes | readers who want a survival classic |
| No Way Down | Graham Bowley | K2 | readers who like modern disasters |
| Buried in the Sky | Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan | K2 | readers who want the Sherpa side |
| Annapurna | Maurice Herzog | Himalayas | readers who like old-school mountaineering |
| The White Spider | Heinrich Harrer | Alps | readers who love mountaineering history |
| Endurance | Alfred Lansing | Antarctica | readers who want polar survival |
| The Perfect Storm | Sebastian Junger | Atlantic | readers who want a sea disaster |
| In the Heart of the Sea | Nathaniel Philbrick | Pacific | readers who want shipwreck history |
| The Lost City of Z | David Grann | Amazon | readers who like obsessive explorers |
| Alive | Piers Paul Read | Andes | readers who want a famous survival story |
| Wild | Cheryl Strayed | Pacific Crest Trail | readers who want a personal journey |
1. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
A young man gives everything up and dies in the Alaskan wilderness.
Best for: readers who want more Krakauer.
2. Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer
Essays on climbers and their obsessions.
Best for: readers who want Krakauer's shorter pieces.
3. The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt
A guide who was there answers Krakauer's account.
Best for: readers who want another view of 1996.
4. Left for Dead by Beck Weathers
A doctor recalls being left for dead on Everest in 1996.
Best for: readers who want the survivor's story.
5. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
A climber falls into a crevasse and crawls back to base alone.
Best for: readers who want a survival classic.
6. No Way Down by Graham Bowley
Eleven climbers die on K2 in 2008.
Best for: readers who like modern disasters.
7. Buried in the Sky by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan
The 2008 K2 disaster as told by its Sherpas.
Best for: readers who want the Sherpa side.
8. Annapurna by Maurice Herzog
The French expedition that first climbed an 8,000-meter peak.
Best for: readers who like old-school mountaineering.
9. The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer
The story of the deadly North Face of the Eiger.
Best for: readers who love mountaineering history.
10. Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Ernest Shackleton's crew survives after their ship is crushed by ice.
Best for: readers who want polar survival.
11. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
A fishing boat crew runs into a historic storm.
Best for: readers who want a sea disaster.
12. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
A whale sinks the whaleship Essex, inspiring Moby-Dick.
Best for: readers who want shipwreck history.
13. The Lost City of Z by David Grann
A British explorer vanishes in the Amazon while seeking a lost city.
Best for: readers who like obsessive explorers.
14. Alive by Piers Paul Read
A rugby team survives a plane crash in the Andes.
Best for: readers who want a famous survival story.
15. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
A grieving woman hikes more than a thousand miles alone.
Best for: readers who want a personal journey.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Into Thin Air: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
If you want other perspectives on 1996, The Climb and Left for Dead are essential, and reading them with Krakauer reveals how differently people remember the same event. For more mountain disaster, Touching the Void is a true classic, and No Way Down and Buried in the Sky cover the K2 tragedy from very different angles. If you loved the writing as much as the story, try Into the Wild. For survival stories outside the mountains, Endurance is the greatest of them all, while The Perfect Storm and In the Heart of the Sea will suit anyone who wants a good true tale on the water. Wild is more personal, and far gentler.
Related: 15 Books Like Into the Wild You’ll Love: Wilderness, Adventure and Self-Discovery · Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Into Thin Air about?
Jon Krakauer describes the 1996 Everest disaster, in which a storm killed several climbers.
How many people died on Everest in 1996?
Eight people died during the storm of May 10 and 11, and more died over that season.
Is Into Thin Air a true story?
Yes. It is a first-hand nonfiction account, although some survivors dispute parts of it.
Why was the book controversial?
Krakauer's criticism of guide Anatoli Boukreev led to a dispute and to The Climb.
Is there a movie?
Yes. The 2015 film Everest covers the same events.