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The Hike
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
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The Hike
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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.
What the critics say
"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
What listeners say about The Hike
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheliza Sagala
- 2020-10-12
A word
what a delight to the delighted
what a wonder to the wandering
what a path to the maker,
what a end to a beginning
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Green sesame
- 2019-03-27
Strange but captivating
I bought the book without reading the synopsis so I had no idea what to expect. The story was fast paced and entertaining. It drew me in very quickly and made me guessing until the end. The performance of the reader was also excellent.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-01-05
An acid trip of a story
Love love loved it! 2 twists and an incredibly ending. Highly reccomend. U love the way Magary writes his characters they are rich and complex. The narration is great too lots of great voices.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mike Reiter
- 2017-11-01
Strange but engaging
It is a very odd tail about a hike which I can't actually say anything about without making this a spoiler. It is in the tradition of all epic journeys such as the Oddesy, a voyage home, vs Lord of the rings, a quest to something out for a cause. The situations are interesting, the pace is good and the performance is very good.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Leah
- 2020-12-22
Great story
I loved it when I first read it and loved the audio book just as much!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- LadyK
- 2022-09-08
Loved it, Great narrator
This book was far better than it had any right to be. It was a lot funnier than I thought it would be. Loved ever moment of it, but I have to admit that the side characters are WAY better than the main character.
Also why wasn't this book titled "The Path" it is mentioned so often that I felt like that was supposed to be the title.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-10-04
Loved this adventure!
This book was really well done! It was an awesome adventure set in an incredibly imaginative world.
I loved it.
The narrator did an excellent job. I found myself laughing out loud more than once.
I really enjoyed this and would absolutely recommend it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gigi
- 2023-07-30
Lol
Great performance from the narrator, I’m so glad I listened to this instead of just reading. So bizarre and hilarious and unexpected. We love crab!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-12-02
Stay on the Path.
Wow. Just wow. Fantastic read that went in a completely different direction then I expected. A journey from start to finish that I had no idea where it would take me. Would highly recommend this bizarre story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-10-16
Wow! Unlike anything I've ever read before.
Captivating, mind bending trip of a book. I hung on every word. Fantastical, gruesome at times with rich storytelling.
The narrator was the best I've ever heard. A perfect match.
I'm definitely going to look for more from this Author and Narrator.
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