hree friends from small-town Pennsylvania set out to conquer Denali, North America's highest peak, but only two come down alive. On the mountain, their grand adventure unravels into a harrowing tale of survival, betrayal, and the haunting consequences of ambition pushed too far. For fans of Into Thin Air, Touching the Void, and 127 Hours, Denali has a full cast, jaw-dropping twists, and immersive sound design that will transport you to one of the most extreme environments on earth.
When their best friend Josh proposes a daring climb of Alaska’s perilous summit, aspiring writer Finn (Jack Falahee, How to Get Away with Murder) sees it as his ticket to literary success, and local lifer Doug (Jake Lacy, The White Lotus) signs up for the challenge. But as the trio ascends into the deadly "Death Zone," long-buried secrets and rivalries emerge, threatening to tear them apart before the mountain does.
Told through a masterful blend of present-day scenes, excerpts from Finn’s now best-selling memoir, and their pulse-pounding ascent, Denali keeps listeners on edge, slowly revealing the mystery of what really happened on that fateful expedition. As Abby (Amrit Kaur, Sex Lives of College Girls), Josh’s sister, pieces together conflicting accounts years later, she’s forced to confront unsettling questions about the brother she thought she knew—and the man she's chosen to love.
Denali explores the complex bonds of friendship, the seductive power of fame, and the psychological toll of surviving when others do not.
2.5 🌟 that I’m rounding up to 3🌟 because of the production value and narration. This story has a promising premise, but it fails to meet its full potential.
Three friends decide to climb Denali and only two survive. There’s a heavy dose of drama that felt out of place and the ending was weak and borderline preposterous. I love books set in frigid climates in mountainous regions so I thought this would be a great fit, but this wasn’t it.
So this was recommended to me a couple days ago because in all honesty, it should have been something I’d love. Nearly every book I’ve picked up recently has been an adventure novel of some flavor, mountaineering or sailing or exploring, and I’ve had a particular fascination with Denali and Alaska since I first read Into The Wild a few years ago. Typical “oh my god I’m alive” kind of thrill seeking reading. I also LOVE thrillers, horror, and horror adjacent writings. But this was just not it.
This felt like a bad episode of The Magnus Archives got shoved in the blender with every Everest movie ever. I admire the try, and had it been done differently, it could have been really good, but it did not land.
The twists, in my opinion, were obvious. The ultimate ending was boring. The last minute or so that was clearly meant to be dramatic or some kind of full circle moment fell flat. Overall, this was just kinda a train wreck. I tried to like it, I do still think that overall it was a cool concept and had a lot of potential, but I’m still happy it was under 2 hours.
Loved the wind effects, really made you feel like you were freezing on a mountaintop. Story more confusing than it had to be because the narrative time shifts (forward and back) are not clearly delineated in this audio format. Difficult to know who is speaking and when. But it was short, free, and I got the point so… not a bad listen.
A great short story about three guys who climb Denali. This was an audio book that was acted out. I generally don’t care for these type of audiobooks but this one was really well done and the story gets intense in just a few moments.
Short listen with an interesting premise, but poorly executed. I was getting so confused during some segments - people basically talking over one another, sentences stopping in the middle and another person picking up.. just a bit too much of a jumble for my brain.
The Dolby Atmos audio is a bane to my existence and I think it ruins the listening experience by adding in unnecessary noise and lowering the overall quality of the only important thing in an audiobook experience, the actual story. Would not recommend this one cause it’s the worst offender I’ve listened to
Best kind of audio book with few characters and multiple readers. Done as a radio play more than as a novel. I expected to love it. I didn’t. Couldn’t hear some of the dialogue over the howling wind effects. I almost never knew what was going on. I feel stupid, but I have no idea what happened in this short story.
I listened to “Denali” on audio, and while it was an engaging ride in the moment, it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The story follows three friends attempting to summit North America’s tallest peak, blending survival, betrayal, and fragmented memories of the climb. The full cast and immersive sound design really pulled me into the mountain’s brutal atmosphere, which made for a gripping experience — at least while it lasted.
The pacing was fast, and the constant shift between timelines added some intrigue, especially as secrets unraveled. But despite the intense premise, the characters didn’t stick with me, and the emotional weight of their struggles faded almost immediately after I finished. The most memorable part wasn’t the drama or the friendships but a random fact about bodies left behind on mountains, which says a lot about where the story's impact landed.
Overall, “Denali” is a decent listen if you want something tense and atmospheric to fill a few hours, but it might not linger in your mind afterward. It’s got the bones of a solid survival thriller, and the audiobook production adds a nice layer of realism, but the story itself didn’t climb as high as I hoped it would.
Get it at…
📗 - Hard Copy -📗 Your Local Canadian Book Seller Indigo - (Not Available at Time of Review) Amazon Canada - (Not Available at Time of Review)
📱 - Digital - 📱 Kobo - (Not Available at Time of Review) Kindle - (Not Available at Time of Review)
🎧 - Audio - 🎧 Audible Libro.FM - (Not Available at Time of Review) ___________________ *Star Rating Guide* ⭐ - The writing style didn’t appeal to me. The characters didn’t resonate with me. I pushed myself to the limit to avoid DNF’ing. I wouldn’t suggest this book to anyone I’m acquainted with. ⭐⭐ - The book was passable, but it won’t stick in my mind. Although I didn’t abandon the book, my mind wasn’t fully immersed in the story. I discovered that it was easy for me to stop reading it and not feel compelled to continue promptly. When everything was said and done, I was unsure of my immediate opinion on this book. ⭐⭐⭐ - If someone is actively seeking a book in this general premise, I would suggest this. While it was good, I don’t think I’ll ever pick up this book for a second read. If it were part of a series, I’d probably venture into the next book. Reading it was time well-spent. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This book was brilliant. I had the urge to keep reading and turn to the next page. The book stayed on my mind for days after I finished it. I highly recommend this book to everyone. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I was actively engaged in wanting to finish reading this book. My thoughts are consumed by this book after completing it. I want to have a physical copy as a trophy that I can display on my shelf. I felt a strong connection and investment while reading this book, would definitely recommend.
🏔️ Three friends decide to climb the summit of Denali, but tragedy strikes as Josh doesn’t make it back. Finn is an aspiring author who just published a book recounting what happened on the mountain. Doug is dating Josh’s sister. Abby investigates the events that led her to lose her brother. Interestingly enough, everything that occurred revolves around a recorder that taped all the crucial moments. You can’t spell Denali without denial. All of these characters are flawed and guilty of what their motivations behind their actions are. Finn at one point gets altitude sickness that causes him hallucinations, but it also left a deeper effect on his brain function as we see at the end. Doug finds out that Abby cheated on him with Finn, so he hides the medication for altitude sickness and lies that Finn dropped them. But Finn was also the one who deliberately led them to climb when he was the only one who knew about the storm that was coming and the weather would be less than ideal. Abby, after finding out what actually happened at the summit, decides to climb it herself to see her brother once again (physically but could be metaphorical also).
As someone who has been on a kick watching documentaries about climbing and all of these summits, it’s just fascinating how although it’s inherently dangerous, people still decide to experience a constant struggle of survival and adrenaline-filled adventure with a low probability of making it out alive. It’s pretty known that being face-to-face with death changes the way people think. So, it’s no surprise that there was so much sabotaging involved. And it’s interesting to see how Brunn’s own experience of climbing Mount Whitney inspired this story. Thankfully, no one died there, but he did experience altitude sickness.
Also, the sound engineering and the cast were marvelous; I genuinely felt as if we were on the summit. Kinda disappointed it was only an hour long; it would’ve been interesting to hear more.
I was completely immersed in this selection and when it was at the end I was absolutely sure there would be more. I kept reloading the book in case a chapter hadn’t loaded. As it turns out, the book was over!
This was such a great short story but frankly, it had ne so immersed that it could have gone on for a much longer times. Great acting also!
Friends head to Denali to hike to the top which is their life long dream. What else is on the mountain with them?
York PA is no where close to my home town of Oil City PA but when I saw that the main characters came from York, my first thought was I know people and have relatives living there! I bet that’s a great book.
I guess deep down I’m proud to be a small town girl even at my great age but I also want every small town person to succeed beyond all expectations. Just having a book set in the locality would make the area seem better to outsiders and all small towns could benefit from the curious who might just drop by, spend a few bucks while eating and drinking and realizing what a beautiful place to visit!
I would love a longer story set around these climbers who began in the quaint town of York, PA and were able to set off to fulfill their dream!
First of all, this ought not to be listed as a book. It's a full-cast dramatic fiction podcast. I'm leaving it in my list merely for the sake of remembering that I listened to it.
As for the podcast itself, it's a solid meh. If you like arctic horror (I do), it's worth a listen. The production values are pretty good, as is the acting. The story is only so-so in terms of plot and presentation. It has a lot of promise, but needs more development than it gets here and might be better suited to a print format in order to make more complexity and depth possible.
I'm generally OK with stories that jump back and forth through time, but found the technique detracted in this case. I think that is largely because the audio was fairly cluttered. There were a lot of sound effects (wind on the summit, etc.) that ought to have made it easier to jump through the transitions, but didn't.
I recognize that a podcast, especially one that is just one episode, can't really build characters or suspense, so maybe I'm being unfair here. I found the premise intriguing, but wanted far more from it than this treatment could give.
This was an audible original. The story had potential. There were a couple of twists (which is why I gave the story 3 stars), but the way the story was told was awkward. The timeline in the story was confusing in several places. Sometimes it was hard to tell if the story was in present time or if they were listening to the tape recorder or having flashbacks. I also thought the ending was a copout.
I’m not a fan of multiple narrators and even more so in this story because it was hard to distinguish the voices of the male characters. I couldn't always tell which character was talking. After listening to several dramatized books, I now know I prefer to have a story read than dramatized. The sound effects (zippers opening, doorbells, eating food) were disruptive to the story. Sometimes it was hard to hear the people who were supposed to be some distance away from the character who was talking.
When a man dies on Denali his death is attributed to the fierce conditions of the mountain but audio recordings tell another story. Was it accidental or did someone intentionally kill him?
One thing audible productions do so well is using a full cast and sound effects, which truly does enhance the reading/listening experience. But with this one, that’s about all it does.
This started off so strong with a gripping storyline and a strong sense of foreboding. However, we don’t really get anything else. This was way too short and left me asking, “what was the point?”. I think I know what was trying to be done and what was being insinuated, but the execution did not land. I wish this was longer than an hour to fully flush out the plot.
Three friends decide to climb Denali, but one does in a storm, his body not found at first. But what really happened in the days they spent on the mountain? The production of this Audible Original is excellent, with chilling winds buffeting the climbers. But it was too short to fully tell the story with conviction, and, at times, the actors voices were difficult to differentiate. But it definitely grabbed attention.
Although only a three star rating, this was a good read (almost made it to my purely subjective four star rating) and as it is currently free to download through the Audible Plus programme, well worth a listen.
2.5 / 5, rounded up for GR. I listened to the audiobook of 'Denali', included with my Audible Plus membership. While the full cast were effective in their narration, they weren't given much to work with by way of an engaging storyline. Nothing about the 'twists' were shocking or surprising and some of the production quality was questionable - particularly during the scenes where the climbers were stuck on Denali in the blizzard (during these scenes it was very hard to hear what was being said due to audio effects, though I think that was the point?). Overall this wasn't a bad listen but it isn't something I'd rush to recommend to anyone, either 🤷♀️
Warning: Minor spoilers... but the story is soo F'ing hard to follow that it might actually help.
Josh and Abbie are siblings. Finn and Josh are best friends. Doug is Abbie’s boyfriend. Finn and Abbie are sleeping together behind Doug's back. Josh, Doug, and Finn climb Denali but Josh didn’t make it back. There are lots of audio recorders used. Finn got rich by writing about his experience on Denali. Doug is unhappy about it. Abbie can't come to grips with her brother's demise. The end.
1 star for the preposterous story and the editor who put it together like a Rorschach test. +1 star for the soundscaping.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a radio drama for audible that is only a little over an hour long. It's the story of three guys who set out to climb Denali before disaster strikes. The drama jumps around in time so it takes awhile before you grasp what is going on, but then it's quite entertaining. It seems like all of the three have something to hide that eventually gets revealed, but it's too short to really develop why they chose the decisions they did.
At any rate, I really read it so I could crush my oldest brother in our annual book-reading competition, so it was a worthy entry for that reason alone.