*NOW IN PAPERBACK*
One of the Best Books of 2016 according to The Atlantic
One of the Best Books of 2016 according to The Atlantic
A Wild, Thrilling Fantasy Saga from GQ Correspondent and Deadspin Columnist Drew Magary
THE HIKE
by DREW MAGARY
“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
“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”
—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… Easily a contender for a slot in my top five favorite books of 2016.”—Alex Brown, 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 more than most fantasy quests, even as it draws on everything from myths to video games.
—iO9, named a book
“You Desperately Need to Add to Your ‘To Read’ Pile This Summer”
—iO9, named a book
“You Desperately Need to Add to Your ‘To Read’ Pile This Summer”
“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
Full of adventure and agony, hilarity and heartbreak, Drew Magary’s novel, THE HIKE (Penguin Books; On-sale July 4, 2017; 9780399563874; $16), now available in paperback, is a wild, thrilling fantasy saga that chronicles one man’s epic life-or-death quest to return to his family after getting lost on a wooded path that leads him into an alternate, dreamlike world full of man-eating giants, garish demons, and colossal insects.
At the onset of THE HIKE, Ben, a suburban family man from Maryland, is on a business trip in suburban Pennsylvania when he decides to spend the afternoon exploring the foothills behind his motel. Once he sets out into the woods, however, he quickly comes to realize that the path he has chosen cannot be given up easily. Dreams and flashbacks from Ben’s past dominate his thoughts, showing him the most powerful and terrifying moments of his life, as real as when he first lived them. Along the way, Ben finds help 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.
In the vein of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One and Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, THE HIKE is a unique addition to the contemporary fantasy genre that could only have been spawned by the brain of Drew Magary. It 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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Drew Magary is a correspondent for GQ and a columnist for Deadspin. He is the author of the memoir Someone Could Get Hurt and the novel The Postmortal. His writing has appeared in Maxim, New York, The Atlantic, Bon Appétit, The Huffington Post, The Awl, Gawker, Penthouse, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and on Comedy Central, NPR, NBC, Yahoo!, ESPN, and more. He’s been featured on Good Morning America and has been interviewed by the AV Club, the New York Observer, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, and many others. He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids, and is a Chopped champion.
THE HIKE
By Drew Magary
Penguin Books / On-Sale: July 4, 2017
ISBN: 9780399563874 / Price: $16.00
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK
IN JULY, DREW MAGARY WILL BE TOURING TO:
Los Angeles, CA Pages a Bookstore / 7:00 p.m. July 10
Denver, CO Tattered Cover Book Store (Colfax) / 7:00 July 11
Austin, TX BookPeople / 7:00 p.m. July 12
Cleveland, OH Cuyahoga County Library (Brooklyn) / 7:00 p.m. July 24
Asheville, NC Malaprop’s Bookstore / 7:00 p.m. July 25
Washington, DC East City Bookshop / 6:30 p.m. July 26
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