PEAK XV is historical fiction, the product of extensive research into the history of Nepal andMount Everest - a result of my own trip up the mountain several years ago. PEAK XV flashesfrom the ancient past to the early 20th century "age of exploration," weaving in legendarycontemporary characters such as Winston Churchill, British mountaineer George Mallory, andthe British Monarchy.The narrative offers the reader a hero's journey - challenge, conquest, mysticism, struggle, redemption, and more. Oliver Hall and his 1923 Everest expedition team are joined by an ancientdeadly force. After the unexplained disappearance of one of their porters and the grizzly death ofanother, their native Nepali guides voice superstitious beliefs that lead Hall to hypothesize afrightening scenario: An ancient Nepali curse has been resurrected, and the only way to put it torest again is to summit the mountain - and survive against the opposing forces stalking them.PEAK XV is not another rehashed account of an expedition team looking to conquer Everest. Rather, PEAK XV draws on the Nepalese region and its rich history - Buddhism, the ruling dynasties, the life and times of Siddhārtha (more commonly known as The Buddha), the efforts over the centuries to summit Everest, and even the myth and mystery of the yeti