Chasing the Phantom: In Pursuit of Myth and Meaning in the Realm of the Snow Leopard Paperback – June 21, 2014

This really is a wonderful journey that takes you through both time and space. I could say that it starts with the Big Bang and ends with the latest Pope but, although both topics come up, that would be far too simplistic. Indeed it might be quicker to list the subjects not covered in this book rather than those that were covered or at least touched on. There is a fascinating and wide ranging collection of thoughts on the human condition from eastern and western philosophical perspectives running through almost the entire book. While wide ranging the book remains well written and tight for me.Other than the wide ranging thoughts, this is also the story of a quest lasting over 20 years looking for the very elusive snow leopards in Ladakh. The author has roamed the area a number of times over the years, mostly alone, looking for this rarely seen big cat. As part of this thread there are some wonderful chapters on cats of all varieties, the way they live and their interactions with man - cat lovers will really enjoy it, others may differ! In turn this leads to comments on a favourite author of mine, Jim Corbett, who spent years tracking killer wild cats in India mainly by trying to understand their behaviour much as Fischer does.This for me is one of the best non fiction books I've read for some time. However beware - I find the combination of thoughts on Eastern religions, roaming alone in the wild and the author's thoughts on Wile E Coyote as a metaphor for modern society, for example, enjoyable and in tune with many of my views. It is certainly possible that others may feel differently and I am fairly sure the author himself would say we each need to find our own path in our journey through life. He would definitely say that everything we experience, including what we read, leaves a mark however small on us. This book has left its mark on me and I can only hope it will be enjoyed as much by other readers. Should you be someone who tends towards roaming in mind and or body I'd be surprised if it didn't make you think and smile. 9/10 probably.

Chasing the phantom for me is an example of art that is transformational. The reader's world will be expanded upon finishing this work. Fischer delves into the conscious and deeper yet into the subconscious mind. His medium for this journey is the setting of the high mountains of Ladakh, where he set forth on his quest. Unlike Peter Matheson, whose own quest was recorded in his best selling book "The Snow Leopard" Fisher did not hire an army of porters and traveled lightly spending much time alone. Along the way he met many souls who touched his life.Great art demands that the artist sincerely remove their mask. Writing to me becomes great art when the author has the courage to reveal her or his inner guarded thoughts and yet expresses the universal -- to help us realize that we do not live on an island. Although we may differ in gender, culture, skin color, our humanity - our inner worlds are connected.This work is not a mere travel diary nor is it a climbing book boasting super-human achievements. The complex layering of stories and how they relate to myths, science, religious, spiritual, and philosophical musings come from a person who has dared to leave his armchair and has a passion for thinking. Fischer has invited us into his personal adventure of finding self meaning and place in the universe. Chasing the Phantom encourages us to engage in our own quest and questioning -- our own hero's journey.

A unique and thought-provoking book. In the early chapters I was frustrated by the way it flits from subject to subject, but later I came to value the book precisely for that - almost as a meditation. I an now 80% of the way through, and am deliberately rationing my reading of it. I read just a couple of pages every day, partly because I don't want it to end, and because I want time to reflect on what it is saying. Thoroughly recommended.

about a quest that went on for thirty years and ended with the encounter with snow leopards in the mountains of Ladakh. The book is highly recommend to everyone loving to nature und the spiritually connected to it.