This epic journey through a near-future, postapocalyptic landscape blends extreme suspense with serene meditation. . . . Groner offers a contemplative take on the postapocalyptic genre that leaves room for hope but doesn’t stint on realism. This novel reads like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road meets Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Irreverent yet warm . . . A smart, tough-minded thriller.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“The novel blends action with deep philosophical reflections, offering a hopeful perspective on life after disaster. Perfect for fans of Station Eleven and Oryx and Crake, The Way is a triumphant success.”—Booklist
“Groner paints a persuasive picture of his dystopian world, peopled with strong characters and driven by cinematic action. This reinvigorates an overworked genre.”—Publishers Weekly
“Not many writers could match the marvelous, imaginative achievement of Cary Groner’s The Way. Groner creates a post-apocalyptic world that is frighteningly believable and populates it with finely-drawn characters—both gracious and wicked—whose capacity for love, hope, and cruelty mirrors what we encounter in our real, present world. Part page-turner, part love story, partly a plea for respect of both human and animal life, The Way heightened my appreciation for what I too often take for granted.”—Roland Merullo, author of Breakfast with Buddha
“A thrilling, life-affirming adventure, The Way is a bold blend of a post-apocalyptic scorched earth, ancient Buddhism, and interspecies relationships—all packed into a tightly woven story of horror, hope, and love.”—Katie Hafner, author of The Boys
“Part survival story, part grimoire, The Way is a magical book. Cary Groner is a master storyteller. His glorious, enchanting prose cast a spell on me from the bleak beginnings of his post-apocalyptic tale until its symphonic conclusion. In the end, The Way tells us that the only way to survive this world we've destroyed is to make better friends with the animals who remain.”—Domenica Ruta, author of Last Day
“Cary Groner's The Way, with its post-frontier Buddhism and thrilling quest, is everything that apocalyptic doomer novels should be: entertaining, unsparing, and spiritual. This is an invigorating addition to the vital literature that bears witness to what we can't afford to ignore: our collective patterns of self-destruction. I loved it.”—Claire Vaye Watkins, author of I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness
“An ultimately hopeful vision of the aftermath of disaster. . . An engaging window into a strange new world.”—Kirkus
★ 09/01/2024
This epic journey through a near-future, postapocalyptic landscape blends extreme suspense with serene meditation. Will has survived a brutal pandemic by isolating at his Tibetan Buddhist retreat center after the death of most of the populace. With the devastated country in ruins, he is tasked with delivering a potential cure for the plague from Colorado to California. He and his companions—a raven, a cat, and two mules pulling a Ford pickup—journey across the Western United States. An intriguing facet is that Will has developed the ability to converse with the cat and the raven, adding an extra dimension to the narrative. The tale unfolds in a series of high-stakes encounters with dangerous wildlife and humans, including an enigmatic militia leader intent on stealing the plague cure. Due to Will's thoughtful preparation and good luck, the company survives numerous deadly encounters. Along the way they pick up several traveling companions and make a series of surprising discoveries. VERDICT Groner (Exiles) offers a contemplative take on the postapocalyptic genre that leaves room for hope but doesn't stint on realism. This novel reads like Cormac McCarthy's The Road meets Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; highly recommended.—Henry Bankhead
2024-08-17
A pensive, dystopian Western set in the wake of a devastating pandemic stars a reluctant Buddhist hero with an ability to talk to animals.
In 2048, 52-year-old Will Collins is one of the oldest surviving members of a human society that consists mostly of those 30 and under. Living as a hermit for a year when Disease X struck, he got sick but didn't die. Now the sole caretaker of the Colorado Buddhist community where he has spent decades, he receives a message from California-based scientist Lars, father of his old flame Eva, who, Will has been told, died when the pandemic spread 14 years earlier. Lars instructs him to go to a local veterinarian and get an ampoule, which may contain an antidote, implanted in his body, and then make his way to the Sovereign Republic of California. Will calls together his two best friends, the raven Peau and the cat Casse, and uses a team of mules to pull an old truck across the deserted roads, pursued by the vicious Flynn and his militia. Along the way, he reluctantly assumes custody of bright, mouthy 14-year-old orphan Sophie, who is at risk of being forced into prostitution. Groner is at his best in describing the changed landscape, where passenger pigeons and bison have returned in full force and mutant crocodiles make river crossings dangerous, and the many settlements his little troupe encounters, some welcoming and others very much not. The novel sometimes bogs down in discussions of religion, philosophy, and the history of the series of pandemics that led the world into its present situation, and its final chapters are loaded with unlikely twists. But as long as the narrator is on the road, his exploits and observations provide an engaging window into a strange new world.
An ultimately hopeful vision of the aftermath of disaster.
