Escape from Kathmandu

Living in the city of Kathmandu in the Kingdom of Nepal are dozens of American and British expatriates who are in love with the Himalayas. George Fergusson is one of them—he works as a trek guide for "Take You Higher, Ltd.", leading groups of tourists into the back country and occasionally assisting on serious climbs. George "Freds" Fredericks is another—a tall, easy-going American who converted to Buddhism while in college. He visited Nepal one year and never went home.

The adventures started when George and Freds got together over the capture of a Yeti—an abominable snowman—by a scientific expedition. The thought of such a wild and mysterious creature in captivity—in prision—was too much for them to bear. And in freeing the Yeti, a great partnership was born. George and Freds will go on to greater heights as they explore the mysteries of Nepal, from Shangri-La to Kathmandu's governmental bureaucracy.

Living in the city of Kathmandu in the Kingdom of Nepal are dozens of American and British expatriates who are in love with the Himalayas. George Fergusson is one of them—he works as a trek guide for "Take You Higher, Ltd.", leading groups of tourists into the back country and occasionally assisting on serious climbs. George "Freds" Fredericks is another—a tall, easy-going American who converted to Buddhism while in college. He visited Nepal one year and never went home.

The adventures started when George and Freds got together over the capture of a Yeti—an abominable snowman—by a scientific expedition. The thought of such a wild and mysterious creature in captivity—in prision—was too much for them to bear. And in freeing the Yeti, a great partnership was born. George and Freds will go on to greater heights as they explore the mysteries of Nepal, from Shangri-La to Kathmandu's governmental bureaucracy.

Publishers Weekly

Robinson ( The Wild Shore ) has expanded a previously published novelette into the title story of this enjoyable collection, and added three sequels. All four tales are about mountain climbers George Fergusson and George ``Freds'' Fredericks, and their supernormal encounters in the mountains of Nepal and the capital city of Kathmandu. The title story is a delightful romp in which they rescue a yeti from the scientific team which kidnapped him; the chase scene is classic, the red herring perfect, and the yeti supplies a few surprises of his own. In ``Mother Goddess of the World'' George and Freds scale Mount Everest to help a llama, while trying to evade a video nut who wants to record their illegal trespass into Tibet. In ``The True Nature of Shangri-La'' the writing turns dark as Robinson vividly depicts the endemic poverty and illness affecting much of Tibetan society. ``The Kingdom Underground'' is lacking in both plot and resolution, but redeemed through its descriptions of starkly beautiful scenery and exotic, appealing people. (Nov.)

Kim Stanley Robinson was born in 1952. A native Californian, he is the author of the Nebula Award-winning Red Mars and several other highly regarded SF novels, including his acclaimed Three Californias trilogy.