"Gripping and unnerving. ... This is what it means to raise a child, to introduce that child to the world, and to bet his life — and his joy — on the odds." — New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice)
"The literature of wilderness exploration is as much about mortal risk as anything else. From Jack London to Jon Krakauer, adventure writing shows us how the rich rewards of interacting with thrillingly raw nature coexist with the simple fact that we tempt fate – and a lonely death – whenever we step from the safely beaten path into the wild. Underscoring this dangerous bargain, The Adventurer’s Son , takes its place among modern accounts of tragic adventure with hard-won wisdom and grace. ... Dial pays worthy tribute to his son with this deeply felt saga." — USA Today ("Best Books of 2020 So Far")
"Riveting and devastating." — Chicago Tribune ("10 Books to Read in Winter 2020")
"Gripping. ... A beautiful and tender book.” — Washington Post
“The Adventurer’s Son is energized by spectacular descriptions of nature and by the narrative action of a father’s fight to find a beloved son. But it is its universality, this question of how to live and why, of how to understand nature, that gives it resonance and beauty." — Christian Science Monitor (A Best Book of the Month)
“Roman Dial has written a brave and marvelous book. It’s a page-turner that will rip your heart out.” — JON KRAKAUER, author of Into the Wild
"A brave, beautiful and eventually restorative book destined to become an adventure classic." — Anchorage Daily News
"The best adventure writers are seekers, traversing not only physical terrain but their emotional depths. These stakes are raised to new heights by The Adventurer’s Son, a wrenching memoir by Alaskan explorer Roman Dial. ... Moving. ... A brave narrative." — Rinker Buck, Wall Street Journal
"Much more than a simple mystery. ... A moving portrait of an inspired young man and a firsthand account of a father’s desperate hunt for his missing son." — Men's Journal
"Roman Dial is a pioneering legend of deep adventure. ... In this riveting account of a family's search for answers, Dial shares a thought-provoking investigation of what it means to embrace life's wild adventures." — Adventure Journal (Recommended Reading)
“A haunting, beautifully-crafted narrative by one of the renowned wilderness explorers of our time. Above all else, The Adventurer’s Son is a sensitive tribute to a son who never emerged from his journey into the rainforests of Central America. Riveting and complex, this is a book that will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page.” — REBECCA MARTIN, President, Exploration Connections, and Founding Director, National Geographic Expeditions Council
“Out of an unbearable personal tragedy, Roman Dial has fashioned an unbearably powerful memoir. The Adventurer’s Son is at once the narrative of a desperate search for a lost son, a poignant meditation on the depths of paternal love, and, in the end, a reaffirmation of the glory of exploration and adventure in the teeth of sorrow and loss.” — DAVID ROBERTS, award-winning adventure writer and co-author (with “Free Solo” star Alex Honnold) of Alone on the Wall
“In its emotional restraint and careful descriptions of the wild, this is a slow-burning tribute. A poignant, highly moving memoir of tragic circumstances and a lifelong love of exploring.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Gripping. … Dial paints a riveting, richly conflicted portrait of family legacies and the call of the wild.” — Publishers Weekly
"An explorer at heart, a scientist by profession, and a parent above all else, Dial guides readers on a suspenseful and heart-wrenching journey from the windswept Alaskan tundra to the impenetrable Costa Rican jungle. The Adventurer's Son is a poignant story about loss, but also about a father’s passion for adventure, his love for his son, and the bonds forged through their experiences in the natural world." — CAROLINE VAN HEMERT, author of The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds
"Real-life mystery, travelogue, nature writing, and memoir all combine to make this book a must-read that you'll stay up all night to finish." — Book Riot
"[A] powerful memoir of a father's love of adventure and of his child. ... Complex and moving. ... Through the twists and turns of his search, Dial must follow his own compass to stay true to the son he knew." — Booklist
"This book will stay with readers long after the last page is turned...a provocative exploration of fatherhood and a moving tribute to a son whose wish as a small boy was to be called by his father’s name." — Anchorage Press
“A story of love, loss and letting go” — Alaska Public Radio
"A powerful testament to the bond between parent and child and the need to do the things we love, even when fear seeks to stop us. ... A beautiful book" — Library Journal
"Quite possibly the most poignant, honest look at the unique relationship between a father and a son that I’ve ever read." — Hatch Magazine
"Dial passed his love of exploration to his son Cody, who at age 27 went missing in a Costa Rican jungle. Dial and his wife, Peggy, spent the next two years battling bureaucracies and nature, chasing down leads of drug dealing and kidnapping, all in a quest to find their son alive. ... A heartbreaking tribute to a chip off the old adventurer’s block." — Los Angeles Times
"The Adventurer's Son is a gripping account of a tight-knit family whose shared passion for the natural world leads them unsuspectingly to that harshest traverse of all, across time, life and death." — SETH KANTNER, bestselling author of Ordinary Wolves
“Dial tells the story of his two-year quest and the events that preceded it in a heart-wrenching, spellbinding book, The Adventurer’s Son. ” — Enterprise-Journal (Mississippi)
"Dial’s book is interesting on two levels: as a gripping and suspenseful wilderness story (the noted Alaskan adventurer’s multi-year quest to figure out what happened after his son Cody disappeared in the Costa Rican jungle in 2014), and as an introspective meditation on the meaning of life." — Outside Magazine
"Riveting and devastating."
Chicago Tribune ("10 Books to Read in Winter 2020")
"Gripping and unnerving. ... This is what it means to raise a child, to introduce that child to the world, and to bet his life — and his joy — on the odds."
New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice)
"Roman Dial is a pioneering legend of deep adventure. ... In this riveting account of a family's search for answers, Dial shares a thought-provoking investigation of what it means to embrace life's wild adventures."
Adventure Journal (Recommended Reading)
"Much more than a simple mystery. ... A moving portrait of an inspired young man and a firsthand account of a father’s desperate hunt for his missing son."
Roman Dial has written a brave and marvelous book. It’s a page-turner that will rip your heart out.
"Gripping. ... A beautiful and tender book.
"This book will stay with readers long after the last page is turned...a provocative exploration of fatherhood and a moving tribute to a son whose wish as a small boy was to be called by his father’s name."
"The Adventurer's Son is a gripping account of a tight-knit family whose shared passion for the natural world leads them unsuspectingly to that harshest traverse of all, across time, life and death."
"An explorer at heart, a scientist by profession, and a parent above all else, Dial guides readers on a suspenseful and heart-wrenching journey from the windswept Alaskan tundra to the impenetrable Costa Rican jungle. The Adventurer's Son is a poignant story about loss, but also about a father’s passion for adventure, his love for his son, and the bonds forged through their experiences in the natural world."
Dial tells the story of his two-year quest and the events that preceded it in a heart-wrenching, spellbinding book, The Adventurer’s Son.
Enterprise-Journal (Mississippi)
"Dial passed his love of exploration to his son Cody, who at age 27 went missing in a Costa Rican jungle. Dial and his wife, Peggy, spent the next two years battling bureaucracies and nature, chasing down leads of drug dealing and kidnapping, all in a quest to find their son alive. ... A heartbreaking tribute to a chip off the old adventurer’s block."
Dial tells the story of his two-year quest and the events that preceded it in a heart-wrenching, spellbinding book, The Adventurer’s Son.
null Enterprise-Journal (Mississippi)
"Much more than a simple mystery. ... A moving portrait of an inspired young man and a firsthand account of a father’s desperate hunt for his missing son."
The Adventurer’s Son is energized by spectacular descriptions of nature and by the narrative action of a father’s fight to find a beloved son. But it is its universality, this question of how to live and why, of how to understand nature, that gives it resonance and beauty."
Christian Science Monitor
"[A] true-life family saga. ... Both riveting and devastating."
A haunting, beautifully-crafted narrative by one of the renowned wilderness explorers of our time. Above all else, The Adventurer’s Son is a sensitive tribute to a son who never emerged from his journey into the rainforests of Central America. Riveting and complex, this is a book that will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
A story of love, loss and letting go”
"Quite possibly the most poignant, honest look at the unique relationship between a father and a son that I’ve ever read."
"Dial passed his love of exploration to his son Cody, who at age 27 went missing in a Costa Rican jungle. Dial and his wife, Peggy, spent the next two years battling bureaucracies and nature, chasing down leads of drug dealing and kidnapping, all in a quest to find their son alive. ... A heartbreaking tribute to a chip off the old adventurer’s block."
"Roman Dial is a pioneering legend of deep adventure. ... In this riveting account of a family's search for answers, Dial shares a thought-provoking investigation of what it means to embrace life's wild adventures."
null Adventure Journal (Recommended Reading)
"Real-life mystery, travelogue, nature writing, and memoir all combine to make this book a must-read that you'll stay up all night to finish."
"[A] powerful memoir of a father's love of adventure and of his child. ... Complex and moving. ... Through the twists and turns of his search, Dial must follow his own compass to stay true to the son he knew."
Out of an unbearable personal tragedy, Roman Dial has fashioned an unbearably powerful memoir. The Adventurer’s Son is at once the narrative of a desperate search for a lost son, a poignant meditation on the depths of paternal love, and, in the end, a reaffirmation of the glory of exploration and adventure in the teeth of sorrow and loss.
The Adventurer’s Son is energized by spectacular descriptions of nature and by the narrative action of a father’s fight to find a beloved son. But it is its universality, this question of how to live and why, of how to understand nature, that gives it resonance and beauty."
Christian Science Monitor (A Best Book of the Month)
"A brave, beautiful and eventually restorative book destined to become an adventure classic."
"The literature of wilderness exploration is as much about mortal risk as anything else. From Jack London to Jon Krakauer, adventure writing shows us how the rich rewards of interacting with thrillingly raw nature coexist with the simple fact that we tempt fate – and a lonely death – whenever we step from the safely beaten path into the wild. Underscoring this dangerous bargain, The Adventurer’s Son , takes its place among modern accounts of tragic adventure with hard-won wisdom and grace. ... Dial pays worthy tribute to his son with this deeply felt saga."
USA Today ("Best Books of 2020 So Far")
"The best adventure writers are seekers, traversing not only physical terrain but their emotional depths. These stakes are raised to new heights by The Adventurer’s Son, a wrenching memoir by Alaskan explorer Roman Dial. ... Moving. ... A brave narrative."
"A wrenching memoir. ... A brave narrative."
Gripping, honest, raw . . . . a beautiful and tender book.
"A wrenching memoir. ... A brave narrative."
"[A] powerful memoir of a father's love of adventure and of his child. ... Complex and moving. ... Through the twists and turns of his search, Dial must follow his own compass to stay true to the son he knew."
"Gripping and unnerving... This is what it means to raise a child, to introduce that child to the world, and to bet his life — and his joy — on the odds."
New York Times Book Review
"Takes its place among modern accounts of tragic adventure with hard-won wisdom and grace...Roman Dial pays worthy tribute to his son with this deeply felt, sad saga."
03/06/2020
Rarely does a parent share with such candid emotion their experience of losing a child as Dial (Packrafting: An Introduction & How-To Guide ) does in his memoir, which begins with the author's early life and passion for the outdoors, then explores how he shared that passion with his children. Dial tells stories of sheltering in tents during storms, traversing rivers, and trekking remote paths with his young son, also named Roman, by his side. In the second half of the book, the author describes his search for his son, who went missing while on a solo trek in Central America. Navigating cultural, geographical, and linguistic barriers, the challenge seemed overwhelming, and Dial leaves no emotion unaddressed, sharing his grief, panic, guilt, fear, hope, confusion, and frustration throughout his long search for answers. While heartbreaking to read, Dial's story is also a powerful testament to the bond between parent and child and the need to do the things we love, even when fear seeks to stop us. VERDICT Dial's memoir is a beautiful book that will speak most ardently to parents, but also to adventurers, travelers, scientists, and all those who find joy in exploring the world.—Sarah Schroeder, Univ. of Washington Bothell
2019-11-25
Alaskan adventurer and ecologist Dial (Mathematics and Biology/Alaska Pacific Univ.; Packrafting! An Introduction and How-To Guide , 2008) chronicles his quest to figure out what happened to his son, Cody. Fusing personal history with elegy and adventure, this arresting narrative of every parent's worst fear begins with the author's background and then recounts the Dial family's many exciting excursions. Meticulous memories of father and son exploring places like Alaska and Borneo establish Cody as a person who grew into a capable adventurer and biologist. In the second section, the author pieces together Cody's volcano climbs and resourceful forays in Central America before contact with his parents ceased. His last email was written in Costa Rica in 2014, and its haunting last line—"…it should be difficult to get lost forever"—reverberates throughout the text. When he realized that his son may have disappeared, Dial left for Costa Rica to unearth the truth. With the assistance of his friends, wife, and an intriguing mixture of officials and locals (who weren't always forthcoming with information), Dial confronted rumors of foul play and continued to sift through his own knowledge of his son's character for clues. The author's guilt at having sparked Cody's interest in the wild mingles with the veteran adventurer's tactical calm in the face of numerous obstacles. His descriptions of Costa Rica's jungles echo with mystery, and, despite his grief, Dial's writing remains measured and cleareyed. When he recounts how a TV crew took a sensational angle for the sake of drama, the author's dismay is palpable. Two years later, Cody's remains were found, and it was determined that his death was an accident, which brought his family some sense of closure. In its emotional restraint and careful descriptions of the wild, this is a slow-burning tribute.
A poignant, highly moving memoir of tragic circumstances and a lifelong love of exploring.
"Dial’s book is interesting on two levels: as a gripping and suspenseful wilderness story (the noted Alaskan adventurer’s multi-year quest to figure out what happened after his son Cody disappeared in the Costa Rican jungle in 2014), and as an introspective meditation on the meaning of life."
Narrator Fred Sanders’s understated performance is fitting for Roman Dial’s memoir of searching for his son, Cody, in the dense Costa Rican jungle. Roman had always been adventurous. He climbed barely mapped Alaskan peaks in college, took 6-year-old Cody on a sixty-mile hike across a nearly uninhabited Aleutian island, and allowed his children to handle wild critters in Borneo while on a research trip. He describes it all with quiet pride and little drama. When Cody doesn’t return from Corcovado National Park after entering it illegally without a guide, Roman spends two years doing repeated treks with friends, miners, poachers, and police trying to find him. Sanders adeptly channels Roman’s roller coaster emotions of soaring hope and plunging despair as well as his steadfast belief that Cody would not be involved with local drug dealers. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Narrator Fred Sanders’s understated performance is fitting for Roman Dial’s memoir of searching for his son, Cody, in the dense Costa Rican jungle. Roman had always been adventurous. He climbed barely mapped Alaskan peaks in college, took 6-year-old Cody on a sixty-mile hike across a nearly uninhabited Aleutian island, and allowed his children to handle wild critters in Borneo while on a research trip. He describes it all with quiet pride and little drama. When Cody doesn’t return from Corcovado National Park after entering it illegally without a guide, Roman spends two years doing repeated treks with friends, miners, poachers, and police trying to find him. Sanders adeptly channels Roman’s roller coaster emotions of soaring hope and plunging despair as well as his steadfast belief that Cody would not be involved with local drug dealers. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
