Publishing Information: Trade Paperback; 368 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (6 May 2011)
ISBN 10: 0230754929
ISBN 13: 978-0230754928
Copy: Sent by the publisher
Reviewer: Yagiz
"And on the third day things did not get better. The rain fell hard and cold, the white sun never broke through the low grey cloud, and they were lost. But it was the dead thing they found hanging from a tree that changed the trip beyond recognition.
When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise.
With limited fitness and experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, Luke figures things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
But then they stumble across an old habitation. Ancient artefacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. And as the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees..."
Oh! How I love a good horror story. But in my humble opinion and limited experience, they are rare. When I reviewed Adam Nevill's Apartment 16 last year, I told that I was looking forward to the author's next book. Today I'm glad because he won't disappoint his readers with his last book. Nevill comes back with even a greater horror story in The Ritual.
The story starts with four old university friends going on a camping trip together. Having lived their lives their way since leaving the university, some see the trip as a bonding session, some see it as an escape from their day-to-day life. The crucial detail is that the trip is in Scandinavian wilderness. Life has treated them differently and being together once again doesn't go without its tension. But their story grows its real thorns when they decide to take a shortcut and they get lost.
At this point I can almost hear your thoughts. This or very similar stories have been told before. But believe me, never like this. Nevill's characters are so well developed that the reader finds herself in the midst of a quicksand of horror, slowly sinking deeper as the pages turn themselves. Hutch is the cement of the group. He is a level-headed, nice guy who is loved and respected by the other three. He assumes the leadership naturally. Luke is the wild spirit who hasn't had a career and a stable life since leaving college. And he doesn't get along well with Dom and Phil, who have a good career and a family life. Nevill develops their characters skillfully throughout the story.
One of the things I like about Nevill's stories is that the author doesn't rely on gore to scare his readers. I may be old-school but gore has never impressed me. I value horror when it shapes itself in the reader's mind, tickling primitive, evolutionary, well-hidden fear buds. Nevill's stories are like that. The reader is ensnarled in their slowly growing tentacles, holding her in place, while she is incapable of separating herself from the book.
"There was simply no preparation in life for the determined madness of others."
In The Ritual, the reader finds herself right in the middle of a distressing situation from the very beginning. The first pages clearly announce what is to come. The setting alone is disturbing. The author leaves the urban environment of his previous books to bring the reader in the untouched parts of the Scandinavian forests. With the author's fluent style and his masterful descriptions, the black forest becomes the perfect horror setting.
Adam Nevill raises the bar higher with The Ritual. When great setting, memorable characters and beautiful prose come together one can happily sit back and enjoy the incredible ride. I would buy Nevill's next book without even reading its blurb.
Plot: ............. 9
Characters: ... 9
Style: ............ 9
Overall: ....... 9/10
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