The Hike

A Novel

By: Drew Magary

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

"The Hike just works. It's like early, good Chuck Palahniuk. . . . Magary underhands a twist in at the end that hits you like a sharp jab at the bell. . . . It’s just that good." —NPR.org

“Inventive, funny. . . . Quietly profound and touching.”—BoingBoing

From the author of The Postmortal, a fantasy saga unlike any you’ve read before, weaving elements of folk tales and video games into a riveting, unforgettable adventure of what a man will endure to return to his family

When Ben, a suburban family man, takes a business trip to rural Pennsylvania, he decides to spend the afternoon before his dinner meeting on a short hike. Once he sets out into the woods behind his hotel, he quickly comes to realize that the path he has chosen cannot be given up easily. With no choice but to move forward, Ben finds himself falling deeper and deeper into a world of man-eating giants, bizarre demons, and colossal insects.

On a quest of epic, life-or-death proportions, Ben finds help comes in some of the most unexpected forms, including a profane crustacean and a variety of magical objects, tools, and potions. Desperate to return to his family, Ben is determined to track down the "Producer," the creator of the world in which he is being held hostage and the only one who can free him from the path.

At once bitingly funny and emotionally absorbing, Magary’s novel is a remarkably unique addition to the contemporary fantasy genre, one that draws as easily from the world of classic folk tales as it does from video games. In The Hike, Magary takes readers on a daring odyssey away from our day-to-day grind and transports them into an enthralling world propelled by heart, imagination, and survival.

©2016 Drew Magary (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Magary's second novel (after The Postmortal) features elements reminiscent of Homer's Odyssey, Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and the PC game King's Quest. Mostly, it is a reminder of not only how easy it is to get lost but also how difficult it can be to find one's way back. Fast-paced and immensely entertaining, this is highly recommended for sf fans and adventurous literary readers." --Library Journal, starred review

"In this literary odyssey, Magary combines fascinating dream imagery, assorted video game tropes, and a story structure that's deliberately predictable (with nods to many other tales of wandering through strange lands before returning home) but still surprising." --Publishers Weekly

"Creepy.... Magary isn't shy about getting weird fast.... [He] even nails the ending with a Twilight Zone twist that would have Rod Serling nodding with approval. An eerie odyssey that would be right at home in the pages of the pulpy Warren comics." --Kirkus Reviews

The Logan's Run of books - not in a good way

Logan's Run is a fairly short (90min) movie that feels like it lasts 4 hours. This book is the written equivalent. The only redeeming qualities were the stellar narration, and the last few paragraphs of the end. Overall, I would say "don't bother" but I'm sure others will enjoy it more than I did.

Fantastic Narration

The narrator was perfect for this novel. He did great work with both the comedy and voices. I loved it.

outstanding in all fronts !

"The hike" will grab you from the start and immerse you in a tale of mind bending adventure.

Weird and Wonderful!

I had no idea where this hike was leading. Is this a fairy tale? Am I leveling up (or not) in a psychotic game? What the hell is happening?! Even when the twisting path leads to a satisfying conclusion, I'm still left with questions. Great read, great peer into the existential void, great philosophical inquiry. And a great narrator to lead listeners down this path to ... what?!

Amazing!

Bought this on a whim for something to listen to while running. What a great decision. A page turner, but also touching and hilarious. The reader enhanced to book as well.

Perfect

Fantastic fantastical story! Put down what your doing or reading and take The Hike now!!!

Great book!

Strange funny and wonderful!
I really enjoyed it reading it and couldn’t stop until it was done.

A bizarre and fun trip

Although it took me a little while to get into this book, once it gets going and got me hooked I was all in. It is definitely a bizarre story, but it was both suspenseful and very funny and eventually poignant all at the same time, a fairly unusual mix. I wasn't sure about the narrator at first, but again, once I had listened for a while I loved the narration.

What the holy hell?

While I did very much enjoy the pace and peculiarities of the book, there was just something about it that's indescribable.
It is equivalent of reading Alice in Wonderland while high on bath salts and main lining heroin to get you through your mid-life crisis.
I can only imagine the author spent several sleep deprived nights rocking back and forth in this chair while mumbling apologies for have unleashed this psychotic, disjointed, tale upon the world.
Once again, I enjoyed the book, but my brain can never be cleansed of the schizophrenic ramblings of Drew Magary. May God have mercy on all of our souls for letting this out into the world.

This book... I mean,...

Any additional comments?

This book... I'm not even sure how to describe it. What a great concept! The plot is pretty simple, a man is thrown into an absurd and horrifying, supernatural situation, forced to accomplish several difficult, if not seemingly impossible, tasks in order to find his way back to his family. But that doesn't really do it justice. I don't think a short synopsis could do it justice.

Magary has created a world where anything can happen and often does. Ben, the main character simply has to survive to the end of his journey. And what an ending it is. Wrapped up in a very satisfying conclusion. I loved the "twist" and the call backs to the earlier points in the book. I very much look forward to more books from Drew Magary.

As a note, I listened to the audio book from Audible. Christopher Lane is an excellent reader, each character had their own life and the narration was perfect for the tone of the book.