Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
This book was highly recommended to me and caused me to check out a book in the horror genre, which I don’t read very often (outside of October).
The Analysis:
When a boy scout troop sets out for a weekend camping trip, they have no idea of the danger in store. Scoutmaster Tim, the town physician, and five teenage boys head out to a remote island, cut off from the mainland except for a radio in case of potential storm. The first night, a man arrives by boat unexpectedly, looking unbelievably malnourished and desperate. Tim, fighting his instincts that something is off about the stranger, feels that as a doctor, he must help. The Scoutmaster could never have predicted that the stranger was host to a gruesome terror that may mean the end of him and the troop. As the tensions heighten, it turns out that the man from the boat may not be the only danger on the island...
One of the biggest highlights of this book was the writing style. Nick Cutter (pen name for author Craig Davidson) masterfully weaves together different timelines and perspectives to slowly create a picture of what is happening on the island. I enjoyed that the story was accompanied by snippets of news articles, files, notes, and testimony. This was a great way to give bits of information to the reader without having to write them directly into the narrative.
My only issue with the book is that some parts get pretty gruesome and graphic for my taste. There are several scenes of animal abuse and descriptions of creepy crawly things so I would only recommend The Troop to fans of the horror genre or people that don’t get squeamish easily. However, if creepy and macabre is your thing, then this book has a great style and compelling plot that you’ll likely enjoy.
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