The Troop by Nick Cutter

My Rating: 2 Stars. 



Date read: 7/2/18



Date published: 25/2/14



Synopsis from Goodreads: 






Once a year, scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a three-day camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story and a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—stumbles upon their campsite, Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. An inexplicable horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival that will pit the troop against the elements, the infected...and one another.


My Review: 

I had heard/read good things about this book before I finally took the leap and read it; and as you can see, I was quite disappointed. I was really looking forward to being terrorised and find myself horrified by this book. But I wasn't. I wasn't even grossed out as some readers may find themselves to be. I am not easily scared by anything these days but I do know when to recognise great talent and when things should be scary. Some people may find that with this book but I really didn't. 

The book follows a type of cabin fever style storyline which was not overly original in my opinion. Cutter does try to be a little different in his style of writing and keeping interest with the reader by using snippets of diary entries, interviews and lap style reports. And although the interviews were quite interesting, I also found all the extras to be in the way of the actual plot. Cutters overall writing style was quite standard and I found myself really struggling to get to the finish. The characters were also quite standard and I didn't really engage with any of them specifically. 

Overall, this was quite a let down for me. I can see why some people may find this a really great read and shouldn't be put off by one review. However, the story wasn't that original and I am unsure whether I would pick up any of Cutter's other works. 

Happy reading :)