Book Review: The Troop by Nick Cutter

A scouting trip on Falstaff Island goes disastrously wrong following the arrival of an emaciated man, asking for food. This man isn't just hungry, he's sick. Pretty quickly, the young boys are fighting for survival, both against this sickness and each other.


"Do you know how hard it is to kill something? Nothing wants to die."

Okay, so first of all - when Sadie and the guys at NRB kept pushing me to read this book, telling me I'd love all the horror and gore etc...they did NOT tell me that I'd also FEEL things other than fear and disgust. I teared up numerous times during this book, one part involving a turtle (it'll make sense if you've read this) and then I got emotional about the storyline surrounding the actual boys themselves. I did not sign up for this! But I loved it. Cutter really brought these characters to life and I was there with them every step of the way, through all the horror and terror...

Word of warning though - this book is only for readers who can tolerate stomach-churning descriptions and gore. Thankfully gore does not bother me, but there were still a couple of occasions where I was gritting my teeth and grimacing. Anything to do with eyes just unsettles me! There is also some animal abuse in this book, which I know can be a trigger for some people - again, this does not bother me as it's just fiction. If I can read about people getting brutally murdered, then I can read about animals too. It's not real!!!

I loved how Cutter used interviews and newspaper clippings, as well as log entries from scientific experiments to tell the story alongside events on the island. It helps tease the information for you, as well as building tension and suspense. It's a damn page-turner, alright!!

I couldn't put this book down and blasted through it in a few days. It's one that'll stay with me, what those poor boys had to go through. The horror and terror is magnified by the feeling of claustrophobia, being trapped on an island and not being able to escape from the horrific events unfolding around you. I loved, loved, loved this book. I'm officially a Nick Cutter junkie. Hook me up! This book gets 5 stars out of 5 and I strongly recommend it to lovers of horror!

Johann
x

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

50 Horror Books You Must Read!

Image
Behold! A blog post I've been working on for a few weeks now. I often get asked which horror books I would recommend, so I thought I'd make my life a little easier and create a mammoth list. So as of this minute, here are 50 books that I've read and enjoyed. I have included some that I personally wasn't overly enamoured with, but reading is such a personal experience that I thought I'd give you the chance to make up your own mind! In a year or so I might post an update with great horror books that I've discovered since this list was made. In the list you'll find novels, some short stories and a few novellas thrown in too... Enjoy! 1. Pet Sematary - Stephen King It’s me. Of course this book is at the top of the pile! (Even though the rest are in no way ranked…). An incredible horror novel providing heartbreaking insight into death, loss and grief. The horror is not found in huge tense, scary moments, but in those quiet and soul-crushing moments ...
Read more

50 States 50 Horror Books

Image
One of my reading goals for 2021 is to start working through my 50 States, 50 Horror Books challenge (inspired by lists on NYT and Bustle). For those who haven't heard of these lists, essentially a horror book has been assigned to each state in America depending on where the book has been set. Throughout 2021 I am aiming to tick off 2 states per month. And if others want to take part, then great! You can either follow along with me, or work through the list at your own pace, picking whichever books appeal to you (or inserting some of your own!) I've combined both the NYT and Bustle lists, adding in some suggestions of my own to get started (and thank you to anyone who sent me their suggestions too!) Alabama The Elementals by Michael McDowell Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke   Alaska 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles         Polar Night by Julie Flanders   Arizona The Revelation by Bentley Little   Arkansas Southern Gods by John Hornor Jaco...
Read more

Book Review: Books of Blood Vol 1-3 by Clive Barker

Image
Comprised of insane and downright horrifying tales from Clive Barker, Books of Blood is a strong debut release which led to King referring to him as "the future of horror". This edition contains Volumes 1-3, a grand total of fifteen stories (sixteen if you include the intro) - a large number of which have been subsequently adapted into movies.  "Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red." Having already been blown away by The Hellhound Heart, I was excited to get into more Clive Barker - and oh boy, this did not disappoint. The sheer range of stories within these first three volumes of Books of Blood is staggering. And the quality remains consistently high throughout. Barker's imagination is unparalleled - I mean, King has a pretty awesome imagination too, but his skills are slightly different to Barker's. One minute you're reading about a serial killer who quite literally skins his victims and hangs them up like ...
Read more