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Read Escape From Kathmandu (2000)

Escape From Kathmandu (2000)

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Rating
3.72 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0312874995 (ISBN13: 9780312874995)
Language
English
Publisher
orb books

Escape From Kathmandu (2000) - Plot & Excerpts

This one goes too far at times, which is why I'm on the fence. I loved parts of it- but at other times the situations crossed from ridiculously funny to just plain ridiculous. If you are in the mood for a yarn about a Bigfoot wearing a Dodgers cap being snuck through a hotel lobby under the noses of gov't agents on the hunt for him - then you've come to the right place. It is a silly place to be sure - and silly works better in some of the stories than others. Maybe it needs you to sustain silly expectations yourself- if I'd gone into this one thinking I was going to read Douglas Adams-like material I'd have been much better off. Robinson seems most at ease when his characters find themselves drinking in bars - and that isn't a bad thing. When this one works it is a lot of fun- and when it doesn't you'll roll your eyes and groan.

...The tone of this novel is rather light. Some passages are comical, especially later on in the book, when Freds wonders what disaster George is luring him into this time. That surprised me a little to be honest. Robinson's works are usually full of quite heavy scientific and sociological themes and while this novel doesn't lack that entirely, it is a much more relaxed read than the previous books he published. Robinson touches on a lot of sociological, religious and political issues in this book but where in most of his novels the characters are deeply involved in these issues, George and Freds pick more limited, immediately pressing causes. As such, it offers the readers more of a choice to about how much to invest in this book...Full Random Comments review

What do You think about Escape From Kathmandu (2000)?

I don't really consider this book to be Science Fiction... it's more "Fantasy". Robinson has written 4 novellas (or long short stories), about "George" and "Freds", who become friends after meeting as tourists and climbers in the Himalayas. Together they look for a Yeti, look for the body of Mallory, try to save "Shangri-La", climb mountains, and almost overthrow the government of Nepal. The stories are inter-related, but could stand on their own. They book is quite humourous and fairly light reading... I have to assume this was one of Robinson's first books. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much without my long-standing interest in climbing and Everest, so your enjoyment may vary depending on what you like to read about.
—Leigh-ann

This book was a best seller back along and it is in a lighter genre than the usual Nepal Guidebook. I read it while I was in Nepal on my third trip there. The author has a wonderful sense of the ridiculous and a great sense of humor.... but there are kernels of truth about the country m the customs, the culture and the people, which make this a really fun read for anybody contemplating travel to Nepal. In particular, the part where he describes the bureaucracy is maddeningly accurate. It's a loosely collected set of stories and lots of fun....
—Joe

I love Kim Stanley Robinson and have read almost everything he has ever written. The style I love is here but I found the theme a bit less interesting than his other stories. The apparent level of research and understanding in most of Kim Stanley Robinson's books is stunning but here things seemed fantastical. Part of the charm of The Mars Trilogy and other works is the dreaming and predictions about the future that are amazingly, logically consistent. In this book however, the imaginative additions went too far to feel well supported. That just takes the edge off of the story for me.
—William

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