The Hike

Drew Magary's new novel, The Hike , follows Ben, a dad trying to get home after wandering into a parallel universe on a business trip. . . . Buy it for all your friends-everyone loves a good dad odyssey. -GQ The Hike just works. It's like early, good Chuck Palahniuk leeched of all bitterness and class warfare-back when Chuck was still weird and tired and furious. It's like a story you tell yourself on a long drive alone in the dark. It's fun and fast and bizarre, familiar yet completely other . But the real kicker? Magary underhands a twist in at the end that hits you like a sharp jab at the bell. You'll see stars, I promise, but I don't want to come within a million miles of spoiling for you. It's just that good. -NPR.org A page-turner. . . . A successful work of contemporary fantasy. It displays a writer in command of his voice and experimenting with more traditional forms of narrative, while being inventive, funny, and, by the end of the work, quietly profound and touching. - BoingBoing It's kind of a more cynical version of The Phantom Tollbooth mixed with a game of Dungeons & Dragons from Community creator Dan Harmon's podcast Harmontown . -Wired , chosen as one of This Summer's 14 Must- Read Books At once heartfelt, nerve-wracking, and soul-searching, The Hike is an emotional punch to the gut draped in the trappings of fantasy and psychological horror. It's a beautifully written novel with thoughtful characters, crunchy descriptions, and crisp action. I loved every single ounce of this book. I'm already looking forward to re-reading it and I only finished it a few days ago. Easily a contender for a slot in my top five favorite books of 2016. - Tor.com Often hilarious, as you would expect any book by Magary to be, but like The Postmortal there is a real darkness and thoughtfulness to Ben's journey that will keep you engrossed. - i09.com's Summer Reading Guide A gonzo fantasy adventure with a simple premise: a guy gets lost in the woods. Yet with Magary, getting lost means being chased by dog-faced murderers, crashing into an iceberg, almost getting eaten by a giant, and being forced to build a castle for the undead. In short, things get weird. -Men's Journal The Hike does for casual hiking what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean. . . . An existential, metaphysical journey into what would happen if you ended up in an alternate universe that challenged everything you thought you knew about yourself. - GeekDad.com A fun and funny book. - PopMatters.com The Hike reads like a mix of The Odyssey and The Phantom Tollbooth , with the same humor Magary uses on Deadspin. . . . Along the way, Magary's hero hunts for an enigmatic mastermind, encounters man-eating giants and monsters, and teams up with a talking crab. What starts out as a saga of suburban ennui quickly turns into gripping tale of survival. -Washington City Paper Among the strangest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. . . . True to its nature, the story stays unpredictable and weird right up to the climax. Magary's book is a love letter to fans of gaming, fantasy and adventure, but above all, to open minded readers who can relax and hang on for the ride. -BookPage A road novel, a psychedelic Pilgrim's Progress for the 21st Century, Cormac McCarthy after three scotches. . . . I loved every single page of it. . . . [This book] is very good. Tell your friends. -The Free Lance-Star 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 odys