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  • The Adventurer's Son

  • A Memoir
  • Written by: Roman Dial
  • Narrated by: Fred Sanders
  • Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (51 ratings)

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The Adventurer's Son

Written by: Roman Dial
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
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Publisher's Summary

"A brave and marvelous book. A page-turner that will rip your heart out." (Jon Krakauer)

In the tradition of Into the Wild comes an instant classic of outdoor literature, a riveting work of uncommon depth. I’m planning on doing four days in the jungle.... It should be difficult to get lost forever: These were the haunting last words legendary adventurer Roman Dial received from his son, before the 27-year old disappeared into the jungles of Costa Rica. This is Dial's intensely gripping and deeply moving account of his two-year quest to unravel the mystery of his son's fate.

In the predawn hours of July 10, 2014, 27-year-old Cody Roman Dial, the son of preeminent Alaskan scientist and National Geographic Explorer Roman Dial, walked alone into Corcovado National Park, an untracked rainforest along Costa Rica’s remote Pacific Coast that shelters miners, poachers, and drug smugglers. He carried a light backpack and machete. Before he left, he emailed his father: "I am not sure how long it will take me, but I’m planning on doing 4 days in the jungle and a day to walk out. I’ll be bounded by a trail to the west and the coast everywhere else, so it should be difficult to get lost forever."

They were the last words Dial received from his son.

The Adventurer’s Son recreates the author’s two-year quest to learn the truth about his child’s disappearance. Immediately after Cody Roman’s planned departure date passed without a word from him, Dial set off for Costa Rica. As he trekked through the dense jungle, interviewing locals and searching for clues - the authorities suspected murder - the desperate father was forced to confront the deepest questions about his own life. Roman had raised his son to be fearless, to seek out adventure amid earth’s wildest places. Was he ultimately responsible for his son’s fate?

A harrowing story of drama, adventure, and a father’s love for his son, set in the most beautiful and dangerous reaches of the planet, The Adventurer’s Son is a mystery, the memoir of a father and his son, and an unforgettable story of love and profound loss.

©2020 Roman Dial (P)2020 HarperAudio

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What listeners say about The Adventurer's Son

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A Parent’s Grief….

This was a story that I found captivating from the start. The closeness of Roman and Peggy is passed on to their children. The love of family shines through in every chapter. The loss of their son is unimaginable; truly something that I feel only a parent could really understand. The search for their son is so commendable. Even though it was a tragedy, I enjoyed the love that ultimately prevailed in their story. I will highly recommend this book to others… thank you for sharing your son with us!

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Engaging

Such a well written book. I was captivated by the life this young man lived and the honestly of his father in telling their story.

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  • 2021-05-01

Really tugs at the heart

This book is centred around a father who’s adventurous son goes missing.
I’ll just say that, to follow along and hear all about the search was just as interesting to me as the adventures this family was involved with before tragedy ever befell them.
They are a family of explorers living interesting lives that are worth living and reading about. At least, that’s this fellow adventurer’s point of view.
I hope you find this as interesting as I did, I will be hard pressed to find another audiobook to follow it up with.

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Answers found

Interesting and well written. By the time his son had gone missing, this father had made me understand who he was. This enabled me to believe his truth when others were saying he was something else. It’s quite remarkable that they were able to get answers… disappearing into a jungle in Costa Rica is like a needle in a haystack. A good listen.

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Story of love and loss

This was a very full story of a family of adventurers first, their love for each other and their desperate search for the missing well understood son. The thoroughness of their search for Roman was exhaustive. So glad they found hit.

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Excellent Read

I loved this book. Honest, well written. Beautifully detailed. Heart wrenching story. I love true adventure stories and this didn't disappoint. As an adventurer and father my heart goes out to the Dial family. Thank you for sharing the truth.

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Heart wrenching

As someone who has you adult children this was heart wrenching to listen to but I am so glad it did.

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