The Revenant

A Novel of Revenge

By: Michael Punke

Narrated by: Holter Graham

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A thrilling tale of betrayal and revenge set against the nineteenth-century American frontier, the astonishing story of real-life trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass.

The year is 1823, and the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Hugh Glass is among the company's finest men, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker. But when a scouting mission puts him face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not expected to survive. Two company men are dispatched to stay behind and tend to Glass before he dies. When the men abandon him instead, Glass is driven to survive by one desire: revenge. With shocking grit and determination, Glass sets out, crawling at first, across hundreds of miles of uncharted American frontier. Based on a true story, The Revenant is a remarkable tale of obsession, the human will stretched to its limits, and the lengths that one man will go to for retribution.

©2002 Michael Punke (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Great story of survival and revenge

Great book, even for a reader/listener usually drawn to stories set in the present-day or future. Reluctant to buy my first "western," I'm now very glad I gave it a chance. Here, the year is secondary and takes nothing away from the story about survival and revenge. I also enjoyed the narrator - which is critical. I often search for and choose books based, in part, on the narrator's identity. Thanks to both.

Wow. What a Ride

Any additional comments?

This story is interesting in and of itself. I mean a bear attacking a man in the wilderness who's buddies leave him for dead, but he's not. Interesting plot. I learned some history of the fur traders which I had known little about. Since the story is based on fact, it made reading more enjoyable. Really shows how hard life was for these men of the American West.
I thought the narrator was good.

Entertaining despite Oversensationalism.

The story is a fairly straightforward quest for revenge story. Hugh Glass (protagonist) is attacked and severely wounded. He's abandoned by a couple of men who remained behind to care for him. Thus begins the revenge story.
This fictionalized account of the real Hugh Glass is quite entertaining and well-researched. You feel as though you're back in the 1820s with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and its men. The writing is vivid and well-paced.

A few knocks against the story is how often Hugh Glass falls into peril only to be miraculously rescued from that peril by some happenstance or another. It happens so often that these perils/salvations border on contrivances. At eight hours into the story, the author writes "first lucky turn" in describing Hugh Glass's fortunate escape from yet another peril and all I could do was laugh. First? Try tenth!
There are contradictions as well when Hugh Glass is afraid to build a campfire as it may be seen by enemies, but then is more than willing to build a huge pyre. What?? Of course, such action works in his favor, naturally.

The narrator is decent and brings different inflections and accents to the different characters. The narrator is especially good at invoking the shaky, tremulous voice of a young man and the broken, harsh voice of Hugh Glass. However, the narrator also can get a bit overdramatic at times suddenly invoking a rough growl at odd points in the narrative. I liked this narrator on No Easy Day. He's not as consistent in this telling.

Still, an entertaining story and I can see why it'll become a movie. Certainly recommended!

loved it

I loved it. easy to listen to. loved th voice. will listen to more of the author.

Great book - too bad the movie didn't follow it

What did you love best about The Revenant?

This amazing man's sad life

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character as he showed endurance that seemed beyond normal

What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?

Great reader

If you could rename The Revenant, what would you call it?

Indestructible

Any additional comments?

Great book lousy movie

Somewhat hollow

What did you love best about The Revenant?

Any story where man defies all odds to survive commands a listeners attention. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing how Glass survived in unbelievable ways as he traversed the wild american frontier, driven by the all powerful motive of revenge. However, this was the highlight of the book for me and upon finishing it I was left feeling disappointed.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I did not enjoy the different voices this narrator used. I love when a narrator can pull it off, but when he spoke as Glass it was uncomfortable to listen to. When he spoke as Bridger that was even worse, he sounded in constant fear of his own shadow. The french accents were cliche and when they spoke in French it was all I could do to not fast forward it.

Any additional comments?

All in all this book is entertaining, because it is based in such a fascinating time. However the subplot loses all value after the interaction with the bear. Not to spoil the ending but the headline of this book is that he is driven by revenge. While certainly what happened to him was cold, I didnt find it relatable for Glass to become so obsessed over what they did. And the ending certainly lacked the luster and climax that the entire book was built upon.

Excellent story

The story was courageous and deep. I really enjoyed the performance. I must say I enjoyed the book much more than the movie.

Awesome

Awesome story with, great story telling. This book kept me locked in from start to finish.

really good

I haven't seen the movie yet...the book is phenomenal! performance was great...i wish it wasn't over!

Great Performance

Would you consider the audio edition of The Revenant to be better than the print version?

I do consider it better because of the talent of Holter Graham.

What other book might you compare The Revenant to and why?

The Big Sky, but I wish Holter Graham had narrated it. That book also deals with the early fur trappers. The Big Sky does have some humor.

What does Holter Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He captured the tortured voice of Hugh Glass in such a way that i felt some anguish. Every character was well-developed by his vocal talents.

If you could rename The Revenant, what would you call it?

The Man, the Bear, the Gun