Reviews

The Troop by Nick Cutter

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nicolemello's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

this is. the grossest shit ever. it was very well written. it was tense. it was stressful. it was well thought-out. it has fascinating characters and a very tight story and a well-executed setting. and it is also gross nasty grossness. the descriptions of the gross stuff were so well done, they were upsettingly gross. just an all-around good, gross book.

emilyjaco25's review against another edition

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5.0

“All bodies fail, he realized. They fall to pieces in pieces, bit by torturous bit, and a man had to watch it fall apart around him.”

Though not as gross as it has been advertised to be, this was a wild ride. The imagery and description of the things that happen are visceral. There are two scenes in this that had me feeling sick and it wasn’t even about the infection, it was about the people. This was really so well done and had me hungry for the next chapter each time one ended. One of the best horror novels I have ever read!

tiffandy92's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Once a year, Scoutmaster Tim leads his troop into the wilderness for a weekend camping trip.

But when an unexpected intruder stumbled upon their campsite asking for food, they quickly realize something is amiss.

A bioengineered nightmare. A harrowing struggle for survival. There is no escape from the elements, the infected, or one another.

•••

I feel like I’m still processing this book and the gravity of the situation. I’ve had this on the shelf, and for spooky month - it made sense.

What I liked:

Nick Cutter is an incredible writer. He uses such vivid imagery and shows rather than tells. Amazing vocabulary, fascinating storytelling.
The plot was ripped straight out of old school horror. He did a great job fleshing out (pun intended) the characters.
The conclusion and progress of the story left such a tingle up my spine. The ending is haunting.

What I disliked:

I’m going to be so real: this book is gross. It is horror, yes. But less “scary” horror and more “oh NASTY, what did I just read?!” horror.
There is a huge amount of animal violence and cruelty in this one. There were a few chapters I had to skim because it was so disturbing. You’ve been warned.
One of the characters I didn’t feel was necessary to the book but I understand WHY they were included. Me being picky.

“Do you how hard it is to killing something? Nothing wants to die. Things cling to their lives against all hope, even when it’s hopeless.”

annie_green's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I really liked what you did here. There were some very terrifying moments that I had to stop in order to cry. There was even one incident where I just had to leave the room I was reading it in to just gather myself. Some nice moments that were sweet especially how their friendship was shown. I felt disgusted going through this but finished feeling better somehow.

I was wondering when the other type of worm would show up and I was surprised. I loved that email from the little girl.

Content Warnings

haslock's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

anne_eventually's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

like a really f-ed up Stand By Me. full of gore and guts and things that hurt my stomach (no pun intended). I loved the ending, but I thought it could go without the animal parts

Content Warnings