The Way Up is Death

by Dan Hanks

Overview

A SFF thriller where a mysterious, otherworldly tower appears in the sky above the UK with a single word emblazoned above its doorway... ascend. A great read for fans of Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart.

When a mysterious tower appears in the skies over England, thirteen strangers are pulled from their lives to stand before it as a countdown begins. Above the doorway is one word: ASCEND.

As they try to understand why they’ve been chosen and what the tower is, it soon becomes clear the only way out of this for everyone is… up.

And so begins a race to the top with the group fighting to hold on to its humanity, through sinking ships, haunted houses and other waking nightmares. Can they each overcome their differences and learn to work together or does the winner take it all? What does the tower want of them and what is the price to escape?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781915202949
Publisher:	Watkins Media
Publication date:	01/14/2025
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	73,571
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Dan is a writer, editor, and vastly overqualified archaeologist who has lived everywhere from London to Hertfordshire to Manchester to Sydney, which explains the panic in his eyes anytime someone asks “where are you from?”. Thankfully he is now settled in the rolling green hills of the Peak District with his human family and fluffy sidekicks Indy and Maverick, where he writes books, screenplays and comics.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The Way Up is Death is quintessential Dan Hanks: a nonstop bonkers adventure that gets you laughing just hard enough so you won't see it coming when it stabs you in the heart."
– Chris Panatier, author of The Phlebotomist, Stringers and The Redemption of Morgan Bright

"Dan Hanks has done it again with The Way Up is Death - a book which crosses all the excitement of your favorite video game with the heart of your favorite quest novel. Definitely his best book yet!"
– Ginger Smith, author of The Rush's Edge

“The Way Up is Death is a masterful thrill ride of a novel. The kind of book with enough mystery and action to keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning just to find out WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Full of characters you will love and characters you will love to hate, it is also a profoundly human story about grief and loneliness, friendship and love, courage and cowardice, selfishness and sacrifice. This book will break you and put you back together again and I loved every moment of it.”
– Sarah J. Daley, author of Obsidian

"The Way Up is Death offers readers gripping action coupled with a quest of survival. A mindfuckery that blends scifi, fantasy and horror together to create a heart-pounding and unexpectedly emotional story."
– Nils, The Fantasy Hive

"Cleverly blending science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Hanks uses a video game format to probe the nature of humanity in all its glory and gore…The pages fly by through all the humor, social commentary, and suspense."
- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/11/2024

Cleverly blending science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Hanks (Swashbucklers) uses a video game format to probe the nature of humanity in all its glory and gore. The story kicks off when a mysterious and foreboding tower suddenly materializes in the air over central England, and a diverse group of 13 strangers are zapped up to its doorway. Among them are Alden, a disillusioned teacher; Nia, an underappreciated game designer; Dirk, an arrogant American Instagram influencer; an unnamed priest; and a father, Earl, and his precocious teenage daughter, Rakie. Though the group fear the tower and sense that it is somehow sentient, they follow the instruction to ascend, which is written in glowing letters above the door. The priest believes it’s the Rapture, but upon taking some gold from a treasure chest on the first floor, he is ripped apart by scythes. The remaining 12 realize they are in a video game designed to “test on what’s important” and must survive various levels within the tower—including a torture chamber, a huge drilling machine, and an upside down room—as they work their way to the top. Hanks punctuates each level with displays of the best and worst human qualities: fear, logic, betrayal, sympathy, sacrifice. The pages fly by through all the humor, social commentary, and suspense. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2024

An ominous-looking tower suddenly appears, floating over the English countryside. When 13 random strangers are jerked out of their lives to its doorstep, the game, whatever it might be, is clearly on. Some think it's a live-action role play. Others are convinced it's reality TV. Initially, the only clue is emblazoned over the entrance: "ASCEND." As they climb, the tower creates scenarios from the depths of their imaginations, revealing their most horrifying fears, and it becomes clear that only one can survive the perilous ascent. The tower will judge their choices, and the price will be higher than any ever imagined. Hanks (Swashbucklers) combines the entertainment of reality TV with the deadly consequences of epic disaster films, the traps and monsters of video games, and the worst horrors hiding in the human psyche to tell a story about people bonding and fracturing between hope and dread, searching for escape or salvation. VERDICT A compelling blend of science fiction and horror, conceptualized as reality TV with huge consequences. Readers of SF thrillers will be chilled and thrilled.—Marlene Harris

Library Journal