Mountain Climbing, Mountaineering — K2 — History, Mountaineering — Pakistan, Adventure and exploration — Himalayan mountains, Climbing disasters and success stories, Biography/autobiography of climbers 

K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain is a detailed, richly illustrated hard-cover work published in 1995 by Hodder & Stoughton (London). Spanning 271 pages, it includes full-colour photographs, maps and profiles of major expeditions on K2. The author provides both historical context and first-hand narrative; he was a member of the British expedition in the ill-fated year of disasters (1986), giving him a unique vantage point.

The book explores why K2 is considered the most difficult of the 8000-metre peaks, recounting tales of tragedy, perseverance, and triumph from various international teams. It is aimed at readers interested in high-altitude mountaineering, adventure-travel history, and human stories of risk and reward. 

K2 looms large in the mountaineering world for its difficulty, unpredictable weather, technical challenges and high mortality rate among climbers. In The Story of the Savage Mountain, Jim Curran traces the mountain’s legacy — from early reconnaissance climbs, the first serious assault, the many attempts that ended in retreat or death, to the eventual successes and continuing efforts to push its limits. Curran weaves together his own experience on the mountain (notably 1986) with the stories of other international teams, examining both the physical demands of climbing at such altitude and the psychological/ethical dilemmas climbers confront. The narrative delivers a mixture of in-depth expedition detail, biographical sketches of key climbers, and reflective commentary on why K2 continues to fascinate and terrify. It presents a compelling portrait of one of the most formidable challenges in the human pursuit of exploration.