Angels of Light

by Jeff Long

Book Overview

A group of mountain climbers discovers a huge cache of marijuanaand is rewarded with headlines and bad fortune. "Climbers will relish this rapturous and penetrating, slightly macho paean to their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688072518
• ISBN13: 9780688072513
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Beech Tree Paperback Book
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Classic book for climbers who know Yosemite

This is a well written fictional story based loosely on the events surrounding the plane crash at Lower Merced Pass Lake in 1977 and how the local climbers, 'valley rats', cashed in on the event and in some cases suffered some bad consequences. It will mostly interest climbers familiar with the Sierra Nevada and in particular Yosemite Valley. The narrative flows well and some real tension is created. The characters are reasonably well created and the technical aspects of the climber's adventures are well described without being too arcane. A good yarn and worth tracking down.

A Bit About Jeff

I've had the priviledge of meeting Jeff several times. He's the kind of writer that takes you by surprise. Not only is he one of the greatest writers in the entire world (not just my opinion) but he's an "older brother" or, at least, I consider him an older brother type. My actual older brother used to read to my when I was younger and now Jeff "reads to me" by telling me wonderful stories about human beings and the glories and tragedies of being human. He's reserved, quiet kind of guy, very personable, intelligent and also a gentleman. The first of Jeff's books that I read was "The RECKONING." Now, it's very hard for me to describe what it's like for me to read any of Jeff's novels (those of you who've read Jeff's books already know). From the first page I'm lured into the story as an interested viewer - an outsider. Before too long, I'm swept along as a PARTICIPANT, living and striving right along with the characters! People who LOVE to read know this pleasure of being INSIDE the story, and the satisfaction and sadness that comes when reaching the last page and closing the book with a loving hand an a sigh. This is what is readily available within the pages of a JEFF LONG novel - from the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of the earth, the human spirit is a force to be RECKONED with. Pick up one of Jeff's books. Treat yourself.

This book rocks!

I read this book a long time ago and loaned it to an old student and never got it back. But it is worth reading again so I am looking for another copy. Anyhow, to get to the point, I found the story to be very cool, especially if you're a climber and have experienced Camp 4 before it became the "stalag" it is now. Anyhow, good climbing!

What is real and what is fiction? I want to know!

Based on a true event, but no doubt extrapolated, simplified, and honed to a horrific, cinematic edge, I found myself wanting to know just how much was real. True: In the mid-1980's an airplane attempting to smuggle a large amount of marijuana crashed in Yosemete National Park and it's cargo was salvaged right under the nose of the Park Service by the residents of the historic "camp four," a vagabond group of dedicated, almost fanatic rock-climbers who live up there year-round. Authentic: the description of the intricasies in big-wall climbing, the language, codes, and traditions. But the rest, the deception, the manipulation, the murders, and the dark, murderous bogieman haunting the camp, hunting for the real booty, did that really happen? Although I doubt it, I chalk it up to this writer's skill that he made me wonder, if only for the moment between the late moment I had finally finished it's 300 taut pages and the moment I fell to sleep, dreaming of the veritcal world. As a footnote, the movie, "Cliffhanger," was loosely based on this story, but bears no resemblance. That is a shame, Angels of Light would have made a far better picture.