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

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