Shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature.
'As I sat cradling the man's head,with his blood and brains sticking to my hands,I heard a voice - my own voice. It was asking me something. Asking how I had ended up like this,desperate and lost among people who thought nothing of caving in a man's head and then standing back to watch him die.'
Nick Bullock was a prison officer working in a maximum-security jail with some of Britain's most notorious criminals. Trapped in a world of aggression and fear,he felt frustrated and alone. Then he discovered the mountains. Making up for lost time,Bullock soon became one of Britain's best climbers,learning his trade in the mountains of Scotland and Wales,and travelling from Pakistan to Peru in his search for new routes and a new way of seeing the world - and ultimately an escape route from his life inside. Told that no one ever leaves the service - the security,the stability,the'job for life'- Bullock focused his existence on a single goal: to walk free,with no shackles,into a mountain life.
Echoes is a powerful and compelling exploration of freedom,and what it means to live life on your own terms.
Publisher: Vertebrate Publishing LtdISBN: 9781912560981Number of pages: 256Weight: 300 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 16 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A brilliant page-turner from one of our most outstanding adventure mountaineers.'-Chris Bonington'Wild,exciting and inspirational. A book that grips you throughout with wild tales from handling Britain's most notorious criminals to tackling some of the world's most exciting unclimbed lines. I loved it.'-Mick Fowler'Utterly gripping. From his first clumsy steps to the all-in commitment of his greatest ascents Nick Bullock's early climbing career was inextricably linked to his work as a prison officer. Prison was both the force he climbed to escape and the hell that compelled him to push himself further in the mountains than others might have gone.'- Mark Twight'An unusual and powerful story that is as remarkable for its depiction of the author's life as a prison officer in one of the country's toughest jails,Gartree,as for his prodigious achievements on the mountains.'- Peter Beaumont,The Observer'When some aspects of climbing are turning into another off-the-shelf consumer lifestyle as predictable as the Gap catalogue,Echoes offers a compelling picture of what the real thing is all about.'- Stephen Venables,ClimbMagazine'This book,an important book,a real book,captures a period in modern British climbing history...the writing is captivating,intelligent,gentle,inquisitive.'- Jack Geldard,UKclimbing.com'A thought-provoking,entertaining and at times frightening book. Essential reading for anyone into having adventures.'- Dave MacLeod'Echoes is very entertaining and credit should be given for the author's vivid portrayal of prison life. The writing in the main is spare and matter of fact. A style which suits the rather dark subject matter. Prison life does not really lend itself to romantic prose!'- John Appleby,Footless Crow
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