I stumbled upon this book quite by accident and was incredibly happy to hear that Netflix had recently released a film adaptation. The Ritual is a horror romp through the woods with a distinct Blair Witch feel. Four former classmates, Hutch, Dom, Phil, and Luke, reunite for a hiking holiday among the Arctic Circle forests in Sweden. When Dom twists his knee in a fall, their leader Hutch makes a last minute decision to cut through a swath of virgin forest. Upon entering the woods, the hikers are greeted with a gruesome spectacle, as the remains of an animal are hung up like a welcome banner in the trees. Undeterred, the men shuffle past and into a nightmare, where a creature, seemingly out of some dark fairytale, relentlessly stalks the small band.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite some major flaws. For one, the story is told in the third person and for the first chapter or so, you are lead to believe that Hutch is the main character, but then there is an abrupt shift to focus on Luke, which continues throughout the duration of the narrative. There is a tension between Luke, who is perceived as a freespirit, and the rest of the group, who have all led more traditional lives. It's one-dimensional at best, but does fuel Luke's development into a pure lone wolf character and his determination to survive. The reader is also stuck with Luke, every step of the way. Confession time: I am used to the break-neck pace of young adult novels, where no one stops to dwell for more than a sentence or two on internal monologue or setting description. Nevill will make you experience the creeping fear, mounting tension, and physical discomfort right along with the main characters and it never lets up for a moment. Ultimately, this is the story's saving grace as you are never left to ponder Luke's motivations or thrown any cheap devices to reveal more information than is necessary.
Well worth the read for the horror genre. Now excuse me, while I go scare myself senseless and watch the Netflix adaptation.
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