Title: The Hike

Author: Drew Magary

Publisher: Penguin Books

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

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 an incredibly weird, amazing book! I started the book on the recommendation of a podcast and did not read more of the summary. I had no idea what I was getting into and that’s the best way to approach this book. I read the first two chapters and was completely sucked in. I was completely on the path with Ben facing the trials and tribulations as he did. The middle section involving a fellow traveler was a bit slow, but thankfully things pick up quickly after that encounter. Genuinely strange book about a journey. I loved it!

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