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Thin Air

The most chilling and compelling ghost story of the year

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Thin Air

By: Michelle Paver
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
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Summary

 Chosen for Simon Mayo's Radio 2 Book Club, this is the chilling new ghost story from the bestselling author of Dark Matter.

The Himalayas, 1935.

Kangchenjunga. Third-highest peak on earth. Greatest killer of them all.

Five Englishmen set off from Darjeeling, determined to conquer the sacred summit. But courage can only take them so far - and the mountain is not their only foe.

As the wind dies, the dread grows. Mountain sickness. The horrors of extreme altitude. A past that will not stay buried.

And sometimes, the truth does not set you free.©2016 Michelle Paver 20th Century Genre Fiction Ghosts Historical Fiction Horror Psychological Haunted Scary Emotionally Gripping Suspense Fiction
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Critic reviews

A wonderfully atmospheric and hugely enjoyable ghost story (Anthony Horowitz)
Looking for a proper ghost story? Thin Air is a creepy, compelling tale of a Himalayan climbing expedition, where strange events on the mountain stir dread and panic.
This vivid ghost story reads like a classic
There are no obvious shocks here but instead a sustained creeping dread as the likelihood increases that it's not all in Pearce's mind and that they are heading for tragedy just like Lyell and company. Subtitled 'A Ghost Story', this is very much the classic approach, concentrating on mood and subtllety to create chills in the reader. (James Evans)
Spellbindingly creepy (Eithne Farry)
Michelle Paver's descriptions of Himalayan mountain-climbing are terrifyingly lifelike - the lashing winds, glittering ice: you can see it all...Paver's style is lively and clear; and the tale just rips along...Just fantastic (Wendy Holden)
Chilling in every sense (Violet Hudson)
This haunting new novel and long-awaited sequel to the chilling Dark Matter certainly doesn't disappoint. The plot of Thin Air is undeniably gripping and a genuine page-turner. After finding herself mesmerised by the history, vastness and the terrifying solitude of the Himalayas, Paver used it as the setting for this undeniably gripping account of a 1935 expedition up Kangchenjunga. (Kate Whiting)
Paver's descriptions of the isolated and intimidating landscape create an eerie, unsettling atmosphere that gets under your skin
A ghost story to chill and thrill...Like Touching the Void rewritten by Jack London, Thin Air is a heart-freezing masterpiece. (Amanda Craig)
There's just something about the bleakness, the sheer depth of the isolation and the unfamiliarity of this terrain to me that I love in this book. Put that alongside the fact that it's a mix of psychological thriller and ghost story , and you've got a winner.
The scariest part of the story for me was the bit with the rucksack. I think the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Very macabre and creepy
A hauntingly, spine chilling epic of a book!
I was surprised and delighted to find this an utterly absorbing tale that I think I would have read in one sitting regardless as once I began I didn't want to put it down
Thin Air is a wonderfully evocative and creepy story but it's more than that - it's a capturing of the awe of nature, the exhilaration of climbing and of a time during British colonialism which combined some noble endeavours but also an awful lot of ignoble behaviour. Of course, of course, of course, I recommend Thin Air to you.
I loved her previous ghost/terror novel, Dark Matter. This is similar, the tension tightens slowly, with the turn of every page, until you cannot put the book down.
All stars
Most relevant
I have been waiting all year for Michelle's new book. I am a massive fan of Paver's ghost stories. Dark Matter was one of the great British ghost stories, and Thin Air is every bit its equal. And the bonus afterward by Michelle herself talking about the book is fascinating.

Another Winner, thank you, Michelle!

When's the next one out?

One of the best downloads this year!

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It must be very difficult to find a way of presenting the Empire-building English upper class (and a Scot) that doesn't feel like cliche. Perhaps there have been so many parodies (and perhaps the real thing wasn't too far off) that it may be impossible to describe frost-bitten Brits being plucky in the cold without risking a slight comic edge. This gave the characters a two-dimensional feel, possibly as they felt rather like amalgamations of every shivering bearded posh adventurer I've come across in fiction.

The spooky side managed a bit of mystery and threat, and the final chapter or so was reasonably dark, but overall the book felt like it could have been a reasonable short story. It really didn't need to be this drawn out, and it was very hard to engage with any of the characters as they simple didn't feel very real.

A little too familiar, a little too long

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Not what I would usually choose....soooo glad I did! Heard a radio review with the author...and it interested me. 100% recommendation 👍😀

Fantastic and capturing...a must listen 👍👍👍👍👍

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This is a beautifully written and compelling story, full of historical detail, good characters and with a genuinely frightening supernatural element. However, if you read Dark Matter by the same author, it’s almost exactly the same sequence of events (panda characters (even down to the dog!). Michelle, please try another genre for a bit!

Excellent story … shame Michelle Paver used it before!

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Thin air is a really engaging novel about a mountaineering expedition, the object being to reach the summit of Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world and situated in the Himalayas. The expedition comprises five climbers, including the narrator, Dr Pearce and the narrative makes much of a previous failed attempt, resulting in fatalities,
one of which gives rise to the narrator’s subsequent haunting. The novel is clearly very well researched and Michelle Paver brings the scenery, the atmosphere and characters fully to life and Daniel Weyman’s performance is fantastic. The plot is a little thin but it makes up for this through the psychological tension built up through the novel. Definitely worth a read.

A chilling read

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