1972's "The Eiger Sanction" was affectionately referred to as a light spoof of the spy genre by its author, Trevanian. In some ways that claim is bankable but, in others, the descriptor really doesn't stick. Simple in structure but complex in its narrative features, this thriller is both compelling and conflicted. So grab your pitons and fasten your ropes, it's time for a literary ascent of this novel's notorious north face!