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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
The book started and I wondered if it would simply be an updated telling of the Lord of the Flies. While it very much is akin to that book, which I don't necessarily believe is the pinnacle of the study of young boys, this book is much darker. I won't add any spoilers, but the book surprised me with a singular character who made my stomach squirm. The book would be more interesting without the interview portions at the end. It might be better if we were left to wonder about some things.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this hoping for a nice cosy horror story that would be of little literary significance but full of entertaining plot and characters. I had high expectations. Sadly, it was surprisingly dull and more uneventful than I would have anticipated.
The story is about a scout master (Tim) who takes five teenage boys (Kent, Ephraim, Max, Shelley, and Newton) to Falstaff Island just off the main coast. Already the premise is pretty dumb. Teenage boys alone with just one scoutmaster? Modern boys in their teens who care about scouting? Really? But hey, the book needs to happen so let's just go with it. So they're staying at a cabin on the island when out of nowhere a man arrives on a boat, a man who is patently very ill and apparently needs to keep consuming food. He eventually dies and a strange worm-like creature comes out of him. Then, one by one they all appear to be infected by these worms. And well... that's about it. Not much more happens (except one of the boys suddenly being a psychopath out of nowhere). That's about as scary as it gets. The authorities surround the island and don't let anyone come or go.
To make matters worse, the book is written with lots of pointless exposition which undermines all the tension. There are question and answer interviews with scientists and military personnel between several chapters where the worms and their existence are explained. Frankly, I would rather the book kept the cause of their existence vague but the book literally spells everything out -- who created them, why, where, the tests they did on animals, etc. Everything is given away. Then there are articles from newspapers and magazines reporting on what happened in the past tense. You could have removed all of these and you would have lost nothing.
The only part of the book that I found entertaining was the conversations between the boys, their juvenile humour and funny jibes. It had a mild Stand By Me quality which sadly wasn't present for very long. Otherwise, it was a little dull and plodding. Hardly anything happens. The worms are certainly creepy but it never gets gross or terrifying. It's all a bit... whatever. And the fact that one of the boys is revealed to be a raging lunatic in the final third was a tad moronic, suggesting that Cutter himself had lost faith in how scary his own story was. He clearly felt the need to beef things up by doing this.
Ultimately, a bit of a damp squib.
The story is about a scout master (Tim) who takes five teenage boys (Kent, Ephraim, Max, Shelley, and Newton) to Falstaff Island just off the main coast. Already the premise is pretty dumb. Teenage boys alone with just one scoutmaster? Modern boys in their teens who care about scouting? Really? But hey, the book needs to happen so let's just go with it. So they're staying at a cabin on the island when out of nowhere a man arrives on a boat, a man who is patently very ill and apparently needs to keep consuming food. He eventually dies and a strange worm-like creature comes out of him. Then, one by one they all appear to be infected by these worms. And well... that's about it. Not much more happens (except one of the boys suddenly being a psychopath out of nowhere). That's about as scary as it gets. The authorities surround the island and don't let anyone come or go.
To make matters worse, the book is written with lots of pointless exposition which undermines all the tension. There are question and answer interviews with scientists and military personnel between several chapters where the worms and their existence are explained. Frankly, I would rather the book kept the cause of their existence vague but the book literally spells everything out -- who created them, why, where, the tests they did on animals, etc. Everything is given away. Then there are articles from newspapers and magazines reporting on what happened in the past tense. You could have removed all of these and you would have lost nothing.
The only part of the book that I found entertaining was the conversations between the boys, their juvenile humour and funny jibes. It had a mild Stand By Me quality which sadly wasn't present for very long. Otherwise, it was a little dull and plodding. Hardly anything happens. The worms are certainly creepy but it never gets gross or terrifying. It's all a bit... whatever. And the fact that one of the boys is revealed to be a raging lunatic in the final third was a tad moronic, suggesting that Cutter himself had lost faith in how scary his own story was. He clearly felt the need to beef things up by doing this.
Ultimately, a bit of a damp squib.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I started off 2025 with a bang by blasting through The Troop in only a few sittings, and it had me in its grips the entire time. It is the definition of a page turner: the pacing was so perfect and I had an incredibly hard time putting it down. Don't get me wrong - this novel isn't all action and violence. Cutter puts in work crafting an ensemble of characters with rich backstories and contrasting personalities. The violence hits so much harder because you feel like you know these characters inside and out. While the gore is striking and stomach-churning, the characters' reactions to the violence hurt so much more to read.
Speaking of gore, this novel is the definition of "body horror," a genre in which the body is subject to slow, horrifying changes and decimation. With a slasher villain or even a ghost, we can separate the self from the antagonist and even fight against it. With body horror, however, we have to watch ourselves become the antagonist, which is what makes this genre so hard to stomach. Cutter, additionally, does not just stick to the realm of gore. The horror of this book is also expertly established through genuine tension, playing with the psychological complexities between characters, and leaving some things for the reader to expand upon in their imagination.
The way in which the gore is described is unflinching and raw. Cutter's imagination is on full display here, and his biggest strength is being able to communicate these disgusting images in a way that makes them feel vivid and almost tangible. Because of this, this novel will not be for everyone; it is additionally heavy on animal violence, which is a valid turn-off for many readers. I personally felt that it was not gratuitous for the sake of shock, however. These scenes function to develop character and move the plot along. For example,the controversial scene with the turtle is such an impactful moment for Newton's and Max's character development. They start out the attack with such bravado and confidence, but, as children often do, they find themselves vastly in over their heads. This scene is devastating to read, because you understand their plight and their hunger and their agony and their regret.
To me, this is nearly a perfect novel, but falls short in one aspect. While the characters felt realistic, they also simultaneously bordered on stereotypical and trope-y at times. Additionally, I noticed several instances in which one of the boys' dialogue was too advanced or flowery to justifiably be coming from a fourteen year old boy. It was hard to balance their jokes about farts on one page and then thoughtful metaphors/similes on the next page. While this was a bit distracting, I don't think it significantly hurt my enjoyment of the novel overall.
If you're a fan of hefty gore, fun and imaginative body horror, and stories of isolation and the unraveling of a psyche, you will likely love this standout addition to the horror genre.
Speaking of gore, this novel is the definition of "body horror," a genre in which the body is subject to slow, horrifying changes and decimation. With a slasher villain or even a ghost, we can separate the self from the antagonist and even fight against it. With body horror, however, we have to watch ourselves become the antagonist, which is what makes this genre so hard to stomach. Cutter, additionally, does not just stick to the realm of gore. The horror of this book is also expertly established through genuine tension, playing with the psychological complexities between characters, and leaving some things for the reader to expand upon in their imagination.
The way in which the gore is described is unflinching and raw. Cutter's imagination is on full display here, and his biggest strength is being able to communicate these disgusting images in a way that makes them feel vivid and almost tangible. Because of this, this novel will not be for everyone; it is additionally heavy on animal violence, which is a valid turn-off for many readers. I personally felt that it was not gratuitous for the sake of shock, however. These scenes function to develop character and move the plot along. For example,
To me, this is nearly a perfect novel, but falls short in one aspect. While the characters felt realistic, they also simultaneously bordered on stereotypical and trope-y at times. Additionally, I noticed several instances in which one of the boys' dialogue was too advanced or flowery to justifiably be coming from a fourteen year old boy. It was hard to balance their jokes about farts on one page and then thoughtful metaphors/similes on the next page. While this was a bit distracting, I don't think it significantly hurt my enjoyment of the novel overall.
If you're a fan of hefty gore, fun and imaginative body horror, and stories of isolation and the unraveling of a psyche, you will likely love this standout addition to the horror genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia
The plot sounded like a great concept, but I didn’t find this scary. It did have a bit of gore. I think this book just didn’t meet my expectations.
Relies on really gross body horror or gore and violence towards animals to make you feel anything at all about what’s happening because there’s not actually anything interesting going on story or character wise.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trigger Scale: ❗❗❗❗❗{Check Below For Trigger Warnings}
Smut Scale: No Smut, But Not Fun For The Whole Family
Notes:
Trigger Scale: ❗❗❗❗❗{Check Below For Trigger Warnings}
Smut Scale: No Smut, But Not Fun For The Whole Family
Notes:
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was fine! It was more unsettling in a gory, graphic, body horror way than scary, although books don't often scare me at all so YMMV. People have been calling it scary and disturbing, which I don't really feel was my experience at all. I think the beginning held a lot of promise that I felt the rest of the book didn't live up to. There is a LOT of graphic animal/creature torture and violence that just isn't for me (I skipped the audiobook ahead 10 secs until I passed those sections lol). If you're squeamish, you've been warned.
It's very much if Lord of the Flies were Canadian boy scouts infected by parasites (re: genetically engineered tapeworms), and it reads similarly masculine. It just felt quite cookie cutter, formulaic, and predictable, and every single one of the boys fits into a particular stereotype (ie. the fat one, the alpha jock/bully, the creep, etc.) where I knew from the get go who was going to survive. I don't feel it added anything new to the genre and while not every book has to do that, I do at least want to have fun while reading it. This book unfortunately just sort of happened and left no real imprint on me at all, outside of now remembering the scene with that poor turtle for all of eternity. While I don't mind body horror and gore at all (in fact I enjoy reading books that are likely to revolt me and make me uncomfortable within reason), this book just felt like shock value and "look how disgusting I can make things sound".
I appreciated the attempt at Epidemiology but felt that the jumps between perspectives of the boys vs. scientists were abrupt and disjointed without adding much additional context. I find Mira Grant's Parasite to be a more effective version of the "science genetically engineering things without concern for nature's consequences" bit. I want to read The Deep, also by Cutter, and then from there will make my decision on if he's an author I enjoy but so far we're batting zeroes.
It's very much if Lord of the Flies were Canadian boy scouts infected by parasites (re: genetically engineered tapeworms), and it reads similarly masculine. It just felt quite cookie cutter, formulaic, and predictable, and every single one of the boys fits into a particular stereotype (ie. the fat one, the alpha jock/bully, the creep, etc.) where I knew from the get go who was going to survive. I don't feel it added anything new to the genre and while not every book has to do that, I do at least want to have fun while reading it. This book unfortunately just sort of happened and left no real imprint on me at all, outside of now remembering the scene with that poor turtle for all of eternity. While I don't mind body horror and gore at all (in fact I enjoy reading books that are likely to revolt me and make me uncomfortable within reason), this book just felt like shock value and "look how disgusting I can make things sound".
I appreciated the attempt at Epidemiology but felt that the jumps between perspectives of the boys vs. scientists were abrupt and disjointed without adding much additional context. I find Mira Grant's Parasite to be a more effective version of the "science genetically engineering things without concern for nature's consequences" bit. I want to read The Deep, also by Cutter, and then from there will make my decision on if he's an author I enjoy but so far we're batting zeroes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Blood, Toxic friendship
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Alcohol
challenging
dark
mysterious