The nitty-gritty: A mysterious tower is the setting for this entertaining sci-fi/fantasy tale, made better by Dan Hanks' emotional themes.

Dan Hanks takes a familiar idea—the survival game—and twists it into something new and exciting. The Way Up is Death is a fast-paced thriller with horror elements and a bit of a LitRPG feel to it, and while I wasn’t too keen on the last LitRPG book I read, luckily this worked much better for me. 

The set-up is intriguing: one day, in the sky above the UK, a huge tower appears, seemingly floating in the air. No one has any idea what it is or what it means, but then a word appears on the tower—”Ascend.” Soon after, thirteen random people, all ages, ethnicities and walks of life, are magically transported to the base of the tower, pulled out of their lives for a mysterious purpose.

Among the thirteen is Alden, a musician who is struggling with the loss of his beloved dog Leia; Nia, a movie set designer who is unhappy in her male dominated workplace; Dirk, a famous children’s author and social media darling; and Rakie, a thirteen year old who loves video games and wants to be a writer someday. As the strangers begin talking to figure out what’s going on, the tower comes to life, subtly pushing them in certain directions. Before long, it’s clear that this multi-level tower is meant to be climbed, and along the way, the “players” must choose the correct paths or be killed. Even stranger, each level is familiar to a different member of the group, as if the tower had pulled a memory out of their heads.

As the players move from level to level—and as their numbers start to decrease—one thing seems certain: only one of them will reach the top alive. 

This is a great combination of tense action, inventive “game play” scenarios and well developed, interesting characters. Each level of the tower is different from the last, which kept the story fresh. Do be aware that there are some gruesome death scenes, especially the first one which comes out of nowhere and was probably meant to shock readers.

With thirteen characters, it’s inevitable that Hanks focuses on just a few of them, so not everyone is fully fleshed out. However, I was OK with that. For different reasons, I connected with Alden, Rakie and Nia, and I absolutely loathed Dirk (who you are supposed to loathe, he’s an awful person!). Rakie is young but very brave in the face of all the horrible things that are happening around her. I empathized with Alden because he had just lost his dog, a fact that will resonate with lots of readers I’m sure. And speaking of Alden’s dog, without spoiling the story I want to mention that this is how you write a story about a dead dog. Maybe I’ve been extra sensitive lately about dogs dying in books, but I appreciated the way Hanks handled this element.

As the characters make their way through the different levels, they are forced to work together to figure out what the tower wants from them. I loved these introspective moments where the author explores big ideas like what’s our purpose in life, and how can we find meaning in our lives when so many things distract us from that purpose. Certain motifs are repeated throughout the various levels and rooms in the tower, and these motifs are important clues that eventually explain what’s happening. Hanks includes some philosophical themes and even a bit of Norse mythology, making the characters’ quest to reach the top of the tower even more interesting.

Despite the action and tension, I did find parts of the story to be slow, though. I found myself setting the book aside a couple of times to pick up a different book, and I think the pacing suffered from the repetitiveness of going from level to level. But that pace picks up significantly near the end, especially when only a handful of characters are left, and at that point it was hard to stop reading. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending, which was much more emotional and hopeful than I was expecting. This was a bunch of fun and well worth your time.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

5 stars!
Ohhhhh man! This was a very good read!
Absolutely deserved the first 5 ⭐ rating of 2025!

@dan_hanks and @angryrobotbooks knocked it out of the park. I inhaled this story, reading the entire book in less than 24 hrs. I could not put it down. The tension, the heart, the horror and the sorrow. Yes, I cried and cheered too! Dan, you gave us everything!

Highly suggest you run right out and GET THIS BOOK!

Thanks to NetGalley and AngryRobot for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. These thoughts are my own.

From the cover alone, this book caught my eye. Looking at the synopsis, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. And after a few short pages, I was hooked!

The entire opening for this book sucked me in and I had to keep reading to figure out the mystery behind this peculiar tower that floats over the countryside of the UK. I had no idea what to expect as we follow our random mix of strangers navigate the mysteries of the tower.

The mixture of characters and personalities we see in our strangers reminded me of Stephen King’s The Mist. Our characters each needing to learn how to work together and trust one another, while also being wary of each other in order to stay alive.

And the mixture of horrors we meet between the different levels of the tower gave me vibes of the search for the second key in the film adaptation of Ready Player One, where they explore the hotel in the movie, Stephen King’s The Shining. Especially around the idea of there being horrors around every corner, and the concept of how things seem similar but not quite how they remember it should be. Bringing nightmares for each of the individual characters to life. It’s like a demented escape room, except you’re going up “floor” levels of a tower. But the floors don’t quite feel like floors with the horrors we find on each of these levels.

And speaking of Ready Player One, this gives off strong vibes of a horror game feel throughout the entirety of the book. Even our reclusive artist, Nia sees this as our strangers try to make their way up the tower. Treating the different levels like they would in a video game. And often saving their skins to avoid the horrors that await them.

A truly interesting concept. One which I found myself devouring my way through. I highly recommend this if you’re a fan of horror games and science fiction books!

I went through the majority of this book thinking it was a solid four star science fiction horror, thrilling and engaging, and then it grew into something that had me tearing up and highlighting like crazy.

When a tall crimson tower appears on a floating island above the Peak District of England, the citizens of Earth are temporarily obsessed with it, trying to figure out its origin and meaning. As it continues to float in the sky with no hints to its purpose, they slowly lose interest. That is, until a timer and a large word appear at its base: 'ASCEND.' Shortly after, thirteen strangers find themselves suddenly transported into the bottom of the tower and tasked with the challenge of making their way to the top. Each level of the tower contains deadly horrors that claim the life of one person as they rise and try to solve the mysteries of escaping. The tower creates scenes and puzzles at least partially inspired by their memories, while simultaneously challenging them to discover the meaning of life and prove their worthiness.

This story seemed like a brutal game of survival without an explanation, but each level slowly revealed a complexity and meaning. It was simultaneously so dark while gradually becoming hopeful, even as more participants died. This is one that I'll be re-reading more slowly, now that I'm past the rush of finding out what happens.

Thank you so much to Angry Robot for this ARC!

Rated 4.5 really.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Angry Robot for providing an ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

MORE TO IT

This book's premise is impossible to resist if you're the kind of reader whose mantra is "the weirder the better", but I'm here to confirm that, if you take a chance on TWUID, you won't regret being lured in, and you'll end up getting more than you bargained for. The short-and-sweet version of such premise: thirteen everymen and women from the UK (or just passing through) are pulled from their lives and forced to ascend an impossible tower in the skies, all while trying to fathom the how and (especially) the why in the process. From videogame settings to spaceships, from haunted houses to tropical beaches, a series of equally impossible locations (but ones that are somehow tailored to the travellers' past experiences) have the characters play a deadly game of escape rooms, of which they have to figure out the rules as they go. Exciting, isn't it? But if you tend to need a little more meat on your stories' bones, or if the cosmic horror premise and the content warning list left you on the fence about giving TWUID a chance, there are a couple more things you need to know. One: for a book that sheds so much blood and put its characters through the wringer, Hank's latest is surprisingly comforting and life-affirming. Two: for a book that relies so much on nightmarish experiences and frantic escapes, and even comes close to jumping the shark a couple of times (one of which quite literally 😂), TWUID is (also) surprisingly deep, so that you end up forgiving it for not making you care more for its characters (more of that below) or not giving you all the answers (if you're the type of reader who needs them, because to be honest, they're NOT the point here).

CRAMPED SPACE

When a book has a large cast of characters, it's a given that not every one of them can be fully fleshed out, more so if there's supposed to be a number of casualties among them. That being said, I think my biggest reservation about this story is that I would have liked to know some of the deuteragonists better, or see them develop beyond the trope they embodied or originated from. Not to mention, this would have enhanced the suspense of finding out who was going to reach the last level of the tower and ultimately survive, because some of the characters came across more like vessels to advance the plot (or even like actual cannon fodder) than people with real lives and personalities. On the other hand, there was an unexpected 14th character woven into the story that ended up feeling better developed (and surprisingly more relatable...I say "surprisingly" for a reason I can't spoil) than most of those we met at the start, and whose presence sent a beautiful message about overcoming our differences and helping one another across apparently insurmountable divides.

THE GOOD RACE

Speaking of messages, the one above is not the only one woven into the plot...TWUID has a lot to say about sexism, celebrity culture, the use of AI (and its proponents' inane justifications), and conversely, grief, morality, mortality and sacrifice, in a way that feels organic to the story and bends its cosmic horror premise in a very human direction. Especially in the current political and social climate (*gestures at the world*), this book is a breath of fresh air, and a gentle, yet passionate reminder that we're here to preserve/protect and create a legacy of love, not to exploit and scorch (burn, even) the Earth and the future to satisfy our whims and nurture our prejudices. You can't ask for much more from a story (besides it being entertaining), can you? 🙂

I can’t even begin to attempt to describe the journey that this book is, crossing several genres, it is full of action and emotions, with such an inventive setting that I’m sure will leave anyone mesmerised.

What starts as a seemingly straightforward journey to get to the top of a mysterious tower that suddenly appeared in the English sky, quickly becomes a thrilling ride to escape death. But is escaping death the true objective?
The randomly chosen thirteen people will soon learn that not only the towers knows their thoughts, emotions, memories and pretty much anything about them, it also wants their blood.

Although it took me a bit to get into the story and to get attached to the characters, I ended up loving this book, and I felt a great connection to some of the concepts explained. I was thoroughly entertained by the characters’ dynamics, their beliefs and their choices, but also by the creativity of the plot. I won’t say any more to remain spoiler free.

I want to thank the author for including Leia and highlighting her importance and the impact of her existence on Alden’s life. That was heartbreaking, but so beautiful.

I think most readers would enjoy this book, not only because it doesn’t fit any specific genre, but also because of the emotional and thrilling experience and deep meaning, all contained within a very creative and surprising setting!

Thanks to the author and Angry Robot Books for a copy and this is my honest opinion.

The Way Up is Death is a reality-bending science fiction thriller that tells the story of a group of people forced to ascend a cosmic tower, after it randomly appeared in the middle of the sky, filled with life threatening challenges in order to get to the top before time runs out.

What started out reading like a sci-fi thriller combining the squid games with escape room puzzles in an ominous tower, slowly became a much more meaningful exploration of the human condition through multiple points of view. Each POV provided a drastically different take on the tasks at hand, making it an interesting read with a lot of group dynamics and existentialism told in a mind-bending sci-fi thriller. By the end of the story, it was a much more emotional and philosophical read than I initially expecting but was pleasantly surprised by. I would recommend this book if you enjoy things like social psychology and existentialism and think it’d be interesting to think about those things through the lens of a sci-fi escape room story packed with video games, movies, and aliens.

When thirteen strangers are teleported to a mysterious tower, they must work together in order to navigate deadly traps and puzzles.

The Way Up is Death by Dan Hanks delivers a propulsive, genre-bending thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I’ve got to say, this is a multi-facetted read.

On one hand, it’s an entertaining book that pokes fun at influencers and modern culture.

On the other hand, there’s a definite horror undercurrent as well. I absolutely loved the unsettling, every-changing architecture of the tower that seemed to respond to the characters, forcing them to face their inner demons. In a way, this reminded a bit of Silent Hill or the movie Escape Room (2019)—where the environment is a reflection and manifestation of its visitor’s mind, which allows for a deeper psychological look into its characters.

Overall, I feel like if you’re a fan of video games, complicated group dynamics, and cosmic horror with heart, you’ll have a good time with this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and Angry Robot Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

7.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2025/01/14/the-way-up-is-death-by-dan-hanks-review/

I’ve seen this time and again billed as a mashup of Squid Game and the workings of Matt Haig—but seeing as how I’m not familiar with either of those… The Way Up is Death is a totally new and original theme, except it’s not, because I know I’ve read a book like this before. Anyway, skipping over how original it may or may not be, it’s a fairly quick, dark read with a whole lot of elements that you can lose yourself in over and over again.

Although, to be fair, once is probably enough.

The characters are interesting and distinctive, though I didn’t find any of them terribly deep, while a few were just straight-up cannon fodder. The plot is straightforward but not, and impresses to the point where you remember that this whole thing has been done a hundred times over. Still, it’s entertaining, and took me very little time to get into and ultimately get through. A race to the top, the contestants know that they have to find their way UP the tower, in the same ingrained way that they know that to ascend will almost certainly mean their deaths. Although, to remain is pretty much a guaranteed death, so there’s little enough to criticize here.

Honestly, so long as you don’t read too much into it, there’s a lot there to enjoy. It’s dark, a thrill-ride, and somewhat plot-light. More than enough to please you, should you enjoy any of the above. A great one time adventure—though I’m not convinced it’d be a great one to reread. Still, a $10 ebook price isn’t terribly high (nowadays), so either splurge on it, or wait for a sale. Either way, I doubt you'll be overly disappointed.

Some locked room horror vibes coming from this fantastical tale about thirteen random strangers transported to an alien tower in the sky where death waits around every corner.
I loved the fact that the reader was attempting to understand the purpose of the tower at the same time as its victims. The early reveals that the floors of the tower were based on movies or computer games were excellently done, leaving you unsure if it was a twisted Saw-type game, or something else. I was waiting to find a link between the characters that never appeared, and it was slightly more horrifying when the realisation came that the choice of contestants was purely chance - a snapshot of humanity forced to compete.
The Way Up Is Death is full of suspense - we were on tenterhooks along with the characters waiting for the next monstrous creature or grisly death.

No doubt at all that this would make a fantastic movie - part Arrival, part Saw - and it was a great read. I was gripped within the first few pages. I would have liked a smidge more time with our POV characters in the final levels - a little bit more time to sit with their revelations and understanding as I expected a bit more of a heart-wrench. The format was a smidge repetitive as the characters had to traverse each floor, always heading up the tower. but each level was individual and I'd love to see some artwork around the different floors of the tower. Hanks did a wonderful job of making each floor unique, but holding that same level of dread and a dogging menace.

I loved the ending, the fact that we were left with so many questions, just as the players had been. It was left to the reader to find their own acceptance/understanding. If you're looking for a clear and concise conclusion, this is not the book for you - we're instead left wondering about our place in the universe, our roles in society and how we'd react when presented with similar choices.

Dungeon Crawler Carl meets The Contest meets The Sphere in this deliciously plotted atmospheric horror novel that is unputdownable while adhering to group dynamic tropes - interesting choice in the ruminative nature of the book ending

Okay The Way Up Is Death was great and I am going to tell you why: It's obviously dark, as the title and synopsis implies. But. It isn't just dark. It is funny and quirky and even hopeful. And it brings so much to the table in terms of character development and excitement! The world-building itself is fabulous- often it is hard for me to imagine what a fantastical place looks like, but not so here- the author uses just the right of detail for me to imagine it, but not too much to be overkill. The plot, of course, is exciting- what the heck is this thing, and why do these particular people happen to be trapped here?


Which brings us to the characters! Oh, they were a motley bunch indeed, which made for such fun dynamics and interaction. It also provided a ton of thought provoking reflection- what would you do, how would you react, if locked in hell with some of these folks? Some of the characters we get closer to than others, and I really enjoyed each of their stories. I also really found the ending to be fitting, too, and certainly enough to answer your questions. I may have wanted a wee bit more background knowledge, but I think that is just me being picky, honestly. And because I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to know all the things!


Bottom Line: Very exciting and high stakes, but also delivered on the characters and relationships, too!

The Way Up is Death starts when a mysterious tower appears in the sky over an English town. It hangs there doing nothing until the word ASCEND appears over a doorway and 13 people are transported up. What follows is a harrowing trek to the top of the tower.
A lot can be said about this book. It’s an interesting look at the human condition. What people will do in a moment of survival.
But let’s take a look at some other aspects, first.
It is an escape room on acid. A psychological stress test writ large.
The characters moved from one extreme to the next with little to no rest in between them. These tests brought out the best in some and the worst in others.
The tests themselves are creative and extreme.
At the end, there is also a nice callback to a previous Hanks novel.
If you’ve never read Dan Hanks before, you should do yourself a favor and look up his other two. You will not be disappointed.

This is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A mysterious tower appears above the English countryside. 13 people are plucked at random and materialise in front of this tower. The only way to escape is to make it to the top by ascending through the various, sometimes horrifying, levels.

I enjoyed the fairly simple conceit and to start with it was like reading a lit RPG which was kind of fun. I did feel that a lot of the characters lacked depth and some of their motivations were fairly simplistic, but I was rooting for them to succeed at the same time. It also seemed like not everything that happened made sense within the world that the book creates.

I think for anyone who loves fast-paced action with fantastical elements thrown in this would be perfect for them.

When an impossible tower materialises in the sky above the UK, it quickly becomes a meme and is then pretty much ignored. Until a countdown begins and a single word, an instruction, appears.

“ASCEND.”

The tower, which cast a shadow over the town of Hope (read into that what you will), vanishes our 13 chosen ones from their everyday lives. Teleported to the base of the tower, their mission is clear. What’s not clear is the why, the who, the how or the what the fuck is going on.

I was anticipating the bloodshed. It is called The Way Up is Death, after all. This is escape room fun with a blend of pop culture and existentialism in a post pandemic world. There’s commentary; government, influencers, famous children’s book authors and AI are all up for grabs.

I’m pretty sure if I were one of the 13, I’d be thinking that if the way up is death, then maybe not ascending equals life. The tower has other ideas, though. Free will is not a constant companion up here.

I wasn’t expecting the bloodshed to be wrapped in a Matt Haig shaped hug. Early reviews warned me of the Matt Haig vibe and my initial thoughts were, ‘Surely not. This is going to be the horror/sci fi blend of my dreams.’

It was some of that but the readers before me were also right and I don’t know what to do with that disconnect, except to try to scrub it from my mind with the bloody entrails of those of the 13 who didn’t make it to the sentimental moments.

Like the tower giving the 13 clues to follow in order to ‘ascend’, I took the author’s descriptions of the characters at the beginning of the book as my own clues. A few characters were described in more detail than the others. They were the ones I paid the most attention to.

There’s Alden, a school teacher by day and musician by night, who’s weighed down by anxiety and grief. Nia is a talented designer that’s constantly spoken over and taken advantage of by her colleagues. Then there’s Dirk. Dirk’s a caricature who loves himself as intensely as you’re supposed to hate him.

The chapter titles sometimes acted as spoilers and although I absolutely adore the concept, the characters and different levels inside the tower weren’t fleshed out enough to entirely suck me in.

Although there wasn’t anyone I connected with enough to mourn, I enjoyed the interplay between the characters. The interactions often reminded me of Survivor, with some characters willing to make sacrifices while others would do whatever it takes to reach the top with a heartbeat.

I loved the connection with nature that flowed through the book and anticipating the dangers our chosen ones would encounter next.

“Go on then, nerds. Lead the way."

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

A mysterious tower appears in the sky above England. Since neither the military nor any other form of investigation with drones, helicopters, cameras etc reveals anything about the tower, the British do what they do best: Carry on. Then a "countdown" appears on the outside of the tower, as well as the word 'Ascend' and thirteen people from all works of life are beamed onto the base of the tower. It's pretty obvious what is about to happen now, the thirteen have to enter the "dungeon" and work their way up.

The story has good pacing, the action is good too, yet throughout the book I was expecting a different twist on what I had read and seen before. Sadly plot and characters were rather basic, stereotypical even. To me it was a mix of "Arrival", "Saw", "Cube", "Resident Evil",...

Dan Hanks’ The Way Up Is Death delivers a gripping, unsettling adventure with unexpected emotional depth, all wrapped in a story tied to Norse mythology. The novel begins with a chilling premise: a mysterious tower appears in the skies over England, and thirteen strangers are summoned to ascend it. Above its door, a single word marks their fate: ASCEND.

Among the group are a grieving teacher, a reclusive artist, and a self-absorbed children’s author, whose clashing personalities drive much of the tension and drama. As they navigate the tower’s surreal and nightmarish levels - ranging from sinking ships to haunted houses - they’re forced to grapple not just with external threats but also with their own humanity. The stakes are high, as every misstep could cost them their lives, and the question of why they’ve been chosen looms ominously overhead.

The story masterfully weaves elements of psychological suspense, horror, and mythology, creating a unique atmosphere that grips you from the start. The tie to Norse mythology, revealed as the story unfolds, is both clever and unexpected, adding a layer of depth that enriches the narrative. While the plot maintains a fast pace, it also provides space for introspection, allowing readers to connect with the characters’ fears, flaws, and moments of courage.

One standout feature is the emotional resonance embedded in the story. Hanks doesn’t shy away from exploring grief, guilt, and redemption, and a small, throwaway detail near the end of the book lingers with a surprising sadness. It’s these quieter moments that balance the intensity of the plot and make the story truly memorable.

For fans of tense, character-driven speculative fiction with a mythological twist, The Way Up Is Death is a must-read.

For recommendations, the Norse mythology connection and the surreal trials suggest The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith, which also explores themes of redemption and the unexpected places that journeys can take us. On the screen, The Platform offers a similar feeling of ascending tension with its own thought-provoking twist on morality and survival.

I wasn't sure what I'd be getting as I opened this book. Setting aside, it's not a very original idea - I remember seeing 'Cube' years ago, which was the first time such a 'strangers waking up in a room and having to battle philosophical and psychological demons' story was told for me. Since then, it's been done a few times, from Resident Evil movies to escape rooms.

If anything, this felt like a cross between 'Cube' and 'Ready Player One'. The humour was subtle and helped enhance the horror of the scenario. The pace is fast and the main characters easy to pick up on and follow.

Unfortunately though, it felt to me as if I was seeing something that's been done a lot better elsewhere. Given the amount of 'contestants', some are given more personality than others, but they're all pretty basic, with predictable arcs; just a matter of which order they'd die in. The 'baddies' are virtual caricatures, and it soon became frustrating that the frank descriptions of 'dickish behaviour' (quote) covered a pretty two-dimensional Imminent Victim.

It's not a bad book, with action and pace aplenty, and I'm sure many readers will enjoy it. To me, it was like a Blumhouse movie: basic plot, basic characters... I found myself not really enjoying it, sadly. I'd hoped for more.

After a mysterious floating tower appears in the skies over England, thirteen random strangers are plucked from their lives and chosen to fulfill the tower's command: "Ascend." They quickly determine that wherever the seemingly sentient tower came from, it wants them to climb the tower, and will test them along the way.

This book had a really interesting premise that was let down a bit by the execution. I saw several other reviews compare this to Squid Games, which feels accurate--the characters have to work their way up through various (and deadly) "levels" in the tower, which resemble everything from a video game to a bad '70s sci fi movie. The novel is told from three POVs and although those three, and a few other, characters are fleshed out, all the others are a bit flat. Which, to be fair, there are 13 at the start, which is a lot to keep track of. The levels themselves were really interesting as were the realistically depicted dynamics in the group, although the book started to get a little repetitive after the first few and the ending fell a bit flat for me. Nonetheless, it was compelling enough to keep me reading to find out what happened.

Note there is a lot of fairly descriptive gore/violence throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and I was so excited to receive an e-ARC—what a thrill! While it didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I can absolutely see how it could be a favorite for others.

The story is fast-paced and action-packed, diving into the chaos early (around 15%), which means readers looking for thrills won’t have to wait long for the excitement to begin. The concept is undeniably intriguing: 13 people scaling a mystical tower filled with deadly traps—it’s a unique and compelling setup that promises plenty of tension and drama.

That said, I personally prefer stories with slower pacing, heavy atmosphere, and a focus on character development, so this wasn’t quite aligned with my tastes. The characters felt a bit too stereotypical for me, and I found myself rooting for the tower more than the protagonists. But hey, not every story needs to be a character-driven journey, and action lovers will likely find a lot to enjoy here.

Also, a heads-up: there’s more gore than I expected from the synopsis. I didn’t mind it, but readers sensitive to that should be aware.

If you love fast-moving, action-focused stories with high stakes and don’t mind a lighter focus on character depth, this might just be the perfect read for you! While it wasn’t my cup of tea, I’m sure it will find its audience.