Why people recommend it
The Revenant by Michael Punke is a gripping historical survival novel inspired by the harrowing true-life ordeal of frontier fur trapper Hugh Glass, who was mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead by his companions in the American wilderness. On The Book Review podcast, Ryan Holiday recommended the novel to listeners who appreciated the survivalist themes, relentless journey elements, and unyielding human spirit found in Cormac McCarthy's The Road, noting that Punke's book offers a similarly compelling story of survival and resilience. Greg Coles, Alexandra Alter, and other commentators frequently discussed the novel in relation to its blockbuster film adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio, noting how the cinematic release propelled Michael Punke's 2002 work into a massive bestseller. The podcast hosts and guests explored the challenges of adapting such a bleak and chilling survival story for the screen while acknowledging the enduring appeal of the frontiersman's quest for vengeance and endurance. Through these discussions, the book was framed as a prime example of gripping narrative non-fiction and historical fiction crossing over into major pop culture phenomena.
Who recommended it
- Alexandra Alter Discussed
- Ryan Holiday Recommended
- Greg Coles Discussed
Alexandra Alter — 2 mentions
“and that is uh the story of the Revenant I don't know if you're familiar with the novel The Very title then for this story as well as for the movie”
“among the nominations are um Brooklyn by col toyin The Big Short by Michael Lewis room by Emma Donahue which is a really sort of chilling novel and a hard one to adapt and the Martian by Andy Weir and the Revenant which is based on U Michael pun's 2002 novel about a frontiersmen that actually picked up 12 nominations”
Ryan Holiday — 1 mention
“And then if you like the survivalist elements of The Road, the sort of journey element of it and the implacable sort of human spirit, the inability to quit or be killed, I thought The Revenant, which is also a good movie, is a very good one.”
Greg Coles — 1 mention
“number two is the Revenant by Michael Punk or Punky the basis for the um Leonardo DiCaprio movie of the same name”