The Troop

“They talked about stuff... like who’d win a fight a zombie or a shark.....well if it bites the zombies head off and swallows it , it’s head will be in the sharks belly—and it’ll still be alive. Like zombie alive, which is really dead but whatever. So the zombie can bite the sharks guts out from the inside,” he pumped his fist in victory. ZOMBIE WINS!” Pg 47 the Troop

Well now I know what a horror book by chuck palahniuk would be like. Robert Rodriguez would jizz his pants at this script for a movie.

I’m giving this book 5 stars because it is horrifying.

I will never reread it and if I didn’t cherish literature I would burn this book. If you enjoy horror read this on a camping trip or long hiking trip.

Ended up a DNF...I loved the book in the beginning, but I can't get through it. I thought it would be really good since I enjoyed Lord of the Flies and horror. I got 68% through and it is just straight up unpleasant to read/listen to. The body horror, worms, animal abuse ect...I kept waiting for it get to get better and it didn't. I think the writing is good...but it's just not for me. I also tried to read Handyman method and the same thing happened. No shade at the author, it's just not my style.

Simple premise. A boy scout troop on an isolated island off Prince Edward Island. A contagion spreads rampant across the island.

I'd initially wondered whether this was going to turn out to be a story for pre-teens. Uh, no. While it was mainly about kids, it was vulgar and violent at times, and definitely not geared toward kids.

My final word: Creepy and gross with a Dean Koontz-esque kind of feel, I really enjoyed this story. It's a quick read, fun and will make your skin crawl! It's rare that you find a horror novel that not only has a good plot, but is so well executed and written.

I think this book was well written + had some phenomenal body horror. I only rated it a three-star because it wasn't entirely my jam. I do appreciate the story and the Lord of the flies vibes. That poor turtle.

Trigger warning: descriptive animal abuse/gorry body mutilation

OK, wow, this is a tough review..I'm a huge fan of horror, but this book is beyond horror, more on the disgusting? Disturbing? Unnerving? side. Five 14 y/o boy scouts are on the island with their troop master when a stranger appears and exposes them to something all-consuming and sinister. What the boys had to endure and suffer through was horrid. The story just unfolds quickly and fast-paced and the incredible writing utilized by Nick Cutter to describe what occurs will just make your skin crawl. There were definitely a few points in the book that I had to skim past or skip because the descriptive nature of what was occurring was making my stomach curl. This was a good book but most definitely a one-time read as I will never, ever, read this story again.