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

Begins and ends in spectacular fashion

The greatest strength, it seems to me, this author possesses in relation to the Hike is that he really knows how to start a story and suck you in. Similarly, the ending was perfect. It honestly could not have ended any other way. The final scene is so beautifully done that it makes you feel as though the journey was worth the wait.

That said, it is the journey that wore me out. At some point I sat there listening to all of the things he had to go through and began to wonder just how much of it was essential to the novel and how much merely served as filler. Either way, it works because you enjoy it or you don't. If you don't, then by the end you are just as delighted to finish the path as our dear friend we've been walking it with.

The narration is superb and in my opinion made the book a wonderful listen. I'm not sure if have endured the boredom of certain scenes had it not been for the narrator.

the best cheeseburger I've had in a long time!

If you could sum up The Hike in three words, what would they be?

This book was great like when your hungry and you find a fantastic burger place and the fries are just right.
great story. fantastic narration. nicely weird. fabulous!

What other book might you compare The Hike to and why?

slightly comparable to "alice in wonderland" & "the wizard of OZ" in that hes lost in a strange land. but really nothing like those stories.
I thought it was a good listen like "Off to be the wizard", "repeat", "ready player one" but really nothing like those stories either.

Any additional comments?

stop what your doing and run right out and buy it. do it now!

It's an adult Alice in Wonderland

It's a bad dream. It's Dr Who. Its the Flying Circus. It's hard to understand what it is about someone else's bad dream that we can't look away even when we try. I wanted to put this down but I couldn't. I had to find out -I was hooked from the 1st 5 minutes. And yet this craziness seemed to have a point and made me ponder. Unlike Alice at the end I was satisfied.

Enjoy your journey

This book is better with every listen
I last indulged in this book when it first was released and recently Re discovered it
It is not for everyone
But where I am in life it is helping me appreciate my time and my loved ones more.
Happy listening
And thanks for looking at my review

Fantastic

Garners interest from start to finish. Well written, well read and well deserving of a 5 star rating.

Worth it

This book was a journey in itself to read. There were times I wanted to stop, but the premise was so intriguing. The ending was well worth every minute, even the bits I wanted to skip over.

Well done.

Great Adult Fantasy

I love reading a great original adult fantasy, that's not porn, occasionally but it's hard to find one that is not a rehash of "Lord of the Rings". Here is a great one that makes you think, laugh, and go on a adventure. Wonderful reader. Don't miss

The crab!!

Ben talks to the Crab character, says “I’m from Maryland” the Crab says “I know Maryland, I have family there.”

This isn’t a spoiler, just the moment I decided I love this book. Take a journey w/Ben. You’ll enjoy it.

The Narrator was PHENOMENAL!!

it was a little slow to pick up at first but the narrator totally made it and in the end I loved it. It was hilarious and creative and I was constantly eager to hear what came next.

Amazing, and what an ending

an incredible journey with a payoff that is worth every minute. laugh out loud moments with moments or disgust mixed in