The Way

By Cary Groner

Book Overview

A postapocalyptic road trip and a quest for redemption.

It's 2048, and the world has been ravaged by a lethal virus. With few exceptions, only the young have survived. Cities and infrastructures have been destroyed, and the natural world has reclaimed the landscape in surprising ways, with herds of wild camels roaming the American West and crocodiles that glow neon green lurking in the rivers.

Will Collins, the last surviving resident of a Buddhist retreat center in Colorado, receives an urgent and mysterious request: to deliver a potential cure to a scientist on the West Coast. So Will sets out into an unknown and perilous world, haunted by dreams of the woman he once loved, in a rusted-out pickup pulled by two mules. He doesn't have much time--temperatures are rising to lethal heights, a hit man is on his tail, and armed militias patrol the roads. The only way he'll make it is with the help of a clever raven, an opinionated cat, and a tough teenage girl who has learned to survive on her own.

A highly original contribution to the canon of dystopian literature, The Way is a thrilling and imaginative novel, full of warmth, wisdom, and surprises. It raises age-old questions about life, death, and how to live, while reflecting our own world in unsettling, uncanny, and even hopeful ways.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1954118422
• ISBN13: 9781954118423
• Release Date: December 2024
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Engaging and Enjoyable Read

I loved the story and found Cary Groner’s writing style very appealing. A wonderful reading experience and a book I did not want to end.

A journey of hope

If I had to travel across an apocalyptic landscape (wow did it get hot! 140! not fun) with tigers and camels and even glow in the dark crocs up in the mountains (darn gene splicers!), I would want to have Will and his friends Peau and Cassie be my companions. They can handle about anything and have some amazing luck when in sticky situations on the run from a very nasty guy. And maybe I could figure out how to understand Cassie and Peau too. yes, it is not really explained how Will can, but I mean he was kind of by himself and also studying Buddhist teachings for years while the world crumbled into chaos so it is not too far a stretch to believe he can do that (also all the gene messing that happened to create disaster and disease could have changed animals in a good way). It was a fun journey to listen too, because while there are awful people trying to ruin everything, Will also meets nice people who help him on his way, or he helps them. I like how it all combined at the end for a sweet story with good feelings, despite it being the end of the known world kinda. And the narrator did a phenomenal job with being the character of Will, even to the point of being stuffy sounding when Will ends up with a broken nose. It really made the story alive. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook and live in this apocalyptic world and see the hope and survival of people even then.