Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

Dystopian/end of the world books are my favorite and this is a top contributor. It's 25 years in the future and the world is very different 15 years after a bird flu wiped out 98% of the world's population. Will Collins leaves his solitary life at a Buddhist retreat center in Colorado to deliver a potential cure to southern California. He's traveling with two mules pulling his truck, and a raven and large housecat who he can communicate with.

I loved Will and his outlook on life. He's always trying to avoid violence and looking for the bright side. His good karma defiantly helps him throughout his adventures. Check out the audiobook, you wont regret it.

I absolutely loved listening to Byron Wagner. He made the book even better.

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book. It didn’t capture my attention the entire time, but it was still really enjoyable. A lot of the parts of it made me laugh or think about things that i wouldn’t have had i not heard it in the book! I really enjoyed the found family parts of this and all the animal friends! I can see a lot of people really enjoy this.

[...She] said [World War 2] must have been a big deal. I told her the world had never really recovered from it. "No country ever trusted another one again," I said. "Which led to more nukes, and biological weapons, and the whole situation that got us to where we are now." (-3:46:00)

I really enjoyed this book, but the climax and denouement were a little soft for my taste. However, I think this ending will work for many readers! It's quite sweet, which I also like, but here I thought the tone wasn't quite right.

I love a good adventure story and this is one good adventure story. The characters meet all kinds of creatively written animals, which I really enjoy. Touch of magical realism here, with animals and humans communicating, or more accurately, humans interpreting animal utterances and vice versa. I really loved this treatment, even though anthropomorphic animals are usually not my bag.

The says many interesting things about contemporary society and the wild places that would survive our annihilation. In that way, it's one of the better dystopian books I've read.

I recommend this one to fans of dystopian settings, animal lovers, enjoyers of apocolyptic stories, and snappy dialog fans.

I said, "I think you're developing a false sense of security." She laughed. "Is there any other kind?" (-2:56:00)

Reading Notes

Three things I loved:

1. Groner is a master with dialog! There is little of it in the book because there aren't many people left in this story. But the mmc is being tracked down, so he has run-ins with many small secondary antagonists. The first bit of dialog, at the end of the long first chapter, is terse, clever, tense, and even funny!

2. I learned excellent things from this book, like the science behind animal emotions, and that they feel the same span and intensity of feelings that humans do. This author definitely did extensive research about animal, especially avian, behavior.

3. Glowing freshwater crocs. That is all.

4. "My motivations are never pure," I confessed. "There's always a little subterranean whisper– I want this, I want that, me me me." (-06:54:00) I really adore reflective characters, versus those that sprint through their story like their path is painted in glowing paint before them.

5. I love the humor in this book. Good humor is almost necessary in very tense stories like this one. She found the box of bullets and slid them in, one after the other, until the magazine was full. "It only holds five?" "It's for small game, not storming Normandy." (-5:24:00)

6. I like the little twist of magical realism in here, and it's just *barely* magical! It's perfect.

Three things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The narrator of this book, Byron Wagner, is ill-fitted for the content. He's a good reader, but has the sort of voice I would expect for a Western. His voice is sort of proper and old school. But with this book, an apocolyptic dystopian thriller, the reader's tone clashes with the book's tone. *edit Once I got used to Wagner's voice, I actually found it a good listen.

2. Considering the tone of the rest of the book, I thought the ending was a little soft. It honestly just went right by me, and then I was surprised that the book ended there.

Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈 /5 nonhuman traveling pals
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Nov 30 '24
Format: Hardcover; Audiobook, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🐦‍⬛ animals that communicate with people
🏚 dystopian settings
🐊 evolved wildlife
🛣 adventure / journey stories
👨‍👧 father daughter dynamics

Thank you to the author Cary Groner and publishers Spiegel & Grau for an advance copy of The Way. Thanks also to NetGalley for an accessible (audiobook) copy. All views are mine.

I was craving an immersive dystopian read, and this one caught me a bit by surprise. Though filled with the usual dark and despairing faire, it was surprisingly zen and almost cheery.

I found myself lulled into relaxation listening about Wills journey, and the various characters he meets along the way. Whilst the situations he encounters are often life threatening, there’s a consistent thread of existential reflection and zen which seem to make these situations more intriguing than confront. Really interesting are the more fantastical events, Will’s conversations with his cat and crow, glowing crocodiles and more.

The narration was well done, creating an immersive experience and elevating Will’s emotional experience. Great commitment was shown by the narrator in emulating Will’s injuries after a fight, via a notable change in tone.

A great read for anyone looking for a dystopian, reflective and engaging escape.

Thank you Spotify Audiobooks for an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Although I enjoyed this auidiobook, I found myself often knowing the phases the characters would used before they used them. A little too predictable for my tastes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. The cover caught my eye immediately and being a lover of a good post apocalyptic book, I picked it up right away.

Unfortunately, it was unbearably slow and much of the book was spent describing things that really didn’t further the plot and just slowed the pace too much for me. I found myself drifting off quite frequently to the point where at times I would be unsure what was happening, but then coming back in to them still talking about the same conversation that holds next to not relevance to the story. My the midway point, I couldn’t decipher still where the plot was going which is a shame.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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.

I listened to the Audio version of this book narrated by Byron Wagner. The narrator did a good job of using tone and inflection to express the various emotions of the main character, Will, and how he perceived those around him. In one section Will had been punched in the nose. The narrator used a nasally voice for his speech at this time, so you were reminded that the nose was damaged.
The book itself had good descriptions of the landscape. It also contained some thought-provoking ideas of what the future may hold. About three quarters of the way though there was a spot that seemed to drag on a bit too long but it was fairly short and continuing was worth it.

When I initially read the premise of this book, it looked like something I would normally enjoy. However, it ended up being a more wholesome version of your "normal" post-apocalyptic novel. I enjoyed getting to know Will and his travel companions, and I genuinely enjoyed the journey as a whole. The twist at the end was a pleasant one and it's overall something I would recommend people read, even if just for the experience.

This was definitely a different read than it used too! I did like it a lot and and surprised by that!

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝒀 𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓 was my companion today, thanks to @spiegelandgrau & @spotify audiobooks via @netgalley. This comes out on December 3rd.

I had a long list of to-do's and felt like escaping into a dystopian tome. This story felt extremely near in time, giving it an even more dire feeling. And yet, this is an afterward which also embues a sense of hope.

Will Collins is a man in his 50's, a rarity in this new landscape, sparsely populated by mostly the young. He has mourned the loss of his wife and lives in a Buddhist monastery in Colorado when a cryptic message to bring a cure to the virus to California. He sets off and the adventures and people he meets both offer danger and life to Will, not to mention the animals with whom he has learned to communicate.

This story had some very unique aspects that somehow worked! Specifically a raven named Peau and a cat named Cassie and their communication with Will. These aspects are explained in slightly less fantasy notions, though a suspension of belief may be required.

I enjoyed following Will on his travels with his companions. I could have done with less Buddhist theology, however. It got a little bit preachy to me, but I was recaptured by the story each time it reconvened.

I was glad to have both a physical copy and the audio to keep the story going throughout my day. I was able to read when I had slower moments, and audio when I had to change laundry or mow the leaves. (It's how I rake!) I did feel like the narrator was not my favorite. It felt a bit too "sing-song" reading, especially for a dystopian, but after a while I got used to him.

Overall, I think this will be a unique option for the genre, and I appreciate the different world-view.

The Way by Cary Groner is a thought-provoking and unexpectedly satisfying read that I didn’t anticipate liking it as much as I did—or in the way that I did. The Way is set in a world ravaged by a deadly virus that has wiped out 80% of the population, leaving our protagonist, and while this post-apocalyptic/post-pandemic novel might initially seem like a bleak tale of survival, its heart and tone seem to lean towards a more hopeful overall atmosphere.

The story centers on Will Collins who has been taking care of a Buddhist monastery when he is tasked with delivering a potential cure to a facility in California, which means a long journey west is in store for him. Will's journey is a perilous adventuer full of risks and encounters with a fairly eclectic cast of people and animals. His Buddhist background and beliefs added a lot of depth to his observations of both the world around him, as well as his own inner thoughts and struggles, all of which provides some truly thought-provoking perspectives on humanity and survival.

Accompanying Will are Cassie, his cat; Peau, a raven whom Will has learned to successfully communicate with; a couple mules; and a variety of other people and creatures that pop in and out of this journey. I especially enjoyed how Groner explored the lives of various survivors of the virus and delved into the unique ways individuals and communities have adapted to the harsh realities of a post-virus world. I always enjoy getting to meet different people and see how they've all set up their lives and what their own opinions and perspective are on everything that's been going on. These glimpses into survival and rebuilding were some of my favorite aspects of the story as I felt they added so much more depth to the story and narrative.

I previously mentioned that The Way has an overall hopeful tone to it, but that's not to say that it does not also take a cold hard look at the realities of a post-virus world. There are many moments when Will and readers alike are confronted with the unflinching reality of loss, desperation, and many more hardships that would likely occur after such a traumatic event. There's a strong balance of realism and optimism that I thought worked perfectly for this story that prevented it from becoming too dark.

I particularly liked the ending and thought it was well-deserved and more satisfying than I anticipated. I can see it not working well for some people and I can certainly understand why, but it's one of those where I sort of secretly wanted a certain ending and this one really hit the mark for me with how earned and meaningful it felt.

Lastly, I listened to the audiobook version and thought the. narrator did an excellent job capturing the tone of Will throughout. I felt they captured Will’s voice and the tone of the story perfectly, which made it an even more immersive experience.

The Way is a fantastic post-apocalyptic novel that blends insight, adventure, and heart. I would readily recommend it to readers across genres—whether you’re here for the premise, the philosophy, or the character-driven storytelling, there’s a little something for everyone.

I was unable to finish this audio book because the narration is terrible. The tone, pacing and excitability level of the narrator was totally out of sync with the plot

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Best way I can think of to categorize this wonderful book is Zen Dystopia- Is that even a category??
In our near future, It would seem that Covid was just a coming attraction with the main feature- a bird flu with 80% fatalities a couple decades later. Of course, all the signs were there but no one wanted to do anything, except mad scientists who thought there might be tremendous profit in it. Our constant quest for “more” sent us back technology wise to the 1700s in a matter of 14 years. What remains of the population is huddled in small scattered settlements and gets to-deal with all the fun of rotten teeth, TB, plague, measles, cholera and starvation. If that wasn’t enough it seems that another repercussion is “DiseaseX “ which essentially prevents anyone from getting older than 40.

Our story begins with the hero’s journey told first person. A scientist in Denver has what he believes may be a cure for disease X but the technology to fix it is in N California. The scientists in N California reaches out via email ( a few servers are still running) and asks an old friend who is ensconced in a Buddhist monastery to make the dangersous trek to bring the formulation there. Our hero hitches a pick up truck chassis to a team of mules, and along the way picks up a cat and a raven, who he finds to his surprise can communicate with him. The road is long and dangerous and he meets people both good and bad.

He spends a lot of time discussing meditation and philosophy. I imagine some readers will find this boring, but it filled me with a sense of gratitude of how incredibly good our lives are. Also, how even in the most dire of circumstances people will often choose kindness and joy over fear/anger and hatred. It was a balm to my soul. Finally, one of my core beliefs Karma will send back to you what you put out. The conclusion was satisfying.
For those looking for a thoughtful story that is far deeper than just an action adventure, I highly recommend this story.

I listened to an audio version , and the voice acting by Byron Wagner was excellent.

A POST APOCALYPTIC ROAD TRIP

A not so distant future dystopian story. Will is on a journey with his raven, cat and mules. He is on the run from a gang. What's left of the United States after two pandemics, is the landscape for this journey. There are lions, tigers, freshwater crocodiles and camels roaming free. There is quite a bit of humor despite the horrid setting. While most of the "old" were killed off my disease X, the young people have began to rebuild society along Will's journey from Colorado to his destination of California. There is a fairly large supporting cast of interesting he encounters along the trip. A very enjoyable read with a quite unexpected twist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Spiegel and Grau and Spotify books for the ALC.

4 stars

A beautifully written post-2nd pandemic story. A man who spent 14 years in isolation at a dharma retreat in Colorado is asked to take a potential cure to California. This is his journey. It’s also about the people and animals that accompany him along the way, welcome or not. It’s a meditation on the human experience, and the precarious place in which we find ourselves (now and in the novel some 20 years hence). I really enjoyed listening to the well-narrated audiobook from #SpotifyAudio.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date for #TheWay is Dec 3, 2024. I recommend reserving your copy today if you like post-apocalyptic adventure or are thinking about how meditation fits in with science.

I generally don't read books written by men and it is a rare male narrator that can keep my attention. I am just a big ole girls girl, and struggle to relate. This is a me issue and I am working on it.

So I will admit that I probably should not have picked this one up. It just had the most compelling description. I just could not relate. I think in my case this is just a book meant for other people.

Thank you to Netgalley, Cary Groner, and Spiegel & Grau for the ARC audiobook.

This book is set in a post apocalyptic America, after 2 deadly pandemics and another on the way. We follow Will, our main character, across the US as he heads west with a very important mission. He's accompanied by his lovely companions, a cat and a raven, whom he can communicate with. Along the way he picks up Sophie, and orphan, and pretty much saves her from a life that would've been awful for a teen girl. (Major bonus points for Will's character) They find themselves in hot water a couple times on their travel across the country.
This is a nice story of found family and surviving post apocalypse/2 pandemics. There were some minor plot lines i just didn't understand too well. But overall those didn't take away from my liking of this book. The ending was what I hoped it would be. There weren't any big twists in this book. Just your straight forward post apocalyptic story.

This story is set in a post apocalyptic America in 2045. Two separate viruses have swept through leaving 80% of the population dead and at risk of contacting yet another disease, ‘Disease X’.

The book follows a character named Will and his animal companions as he is sent on a mission across the West with a cure for ‘Disease X’ to be delivered to a scientist trying to help infected patients. Will meets friends and foes along the way and learns a lot about himself.

During his journey Will meets a young orphaned girl named Sophie and she decides to come with him on his journey in order to escape an unfortunate future for herself.

One of my favorite parts of this book was Will’s understanding of his animal companions, cat and raven. They have a very interesting dynamic and have developed a sort of ‘found family’ and add Sophie to this when they meet her along the way.

Overall, I think this book was very engaging and kept my attention easily. I listened to this audiobook in one sitting, no problem. Although this wasn’t my usual type of read, I really enjoyed it and think it would make an excellent movie. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in dystopian and apocalyptic settings. It was an overall great read!

I want to thank NetGalley, Cary Grover, and the Spiegel & Grau for making it possible for me to read the ARC for this book.

2.5 stars. At first I wanted to blame the narrator for how robotic and unemotional the book was, but I now think it was the writing. There is a really good chance this book wasn’t written for me, and I acknowledge that, but I have never come across a more tame (and I’m sorry, but boring) post-apocalyptic world. There were times I was pulled into the story but then there would be long sections talking about unrelated or unimportant details and it would lose me again. The last 15% was better, but still wasn’t enough of a twist for me. Lots of potential, but missed the mark for me