SFF

The Ritual

by Adam Nevill
Griffin: St. Martin's. Feb. 2012. c.432p. ISBN 9780312641849. pap. $15.99. HORROR
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When four university friends embark on a camping trip in a Scandinavian forest, their goal is to reestablish old ties while briefly escaping the pressures of their day-to-day lives. Tensions rise when an ill-conceived shortcut leaves them lost in the dense wilderness and nearly explode when the men encounter an eviscerated corpse strung up in a tree. Lost, terrified, and now hunted, they know their nightmare has just begun. Despite the apparent Blair Witch/Dreamcatcher/Deliverance-derived premise, Nevill's U.S. debut spins an old idea into something fresh, gripping, and deeply disturbing. The presence in the woods is unspeakably evil, but the growing hostility and violence among the men is nearly as alarming.
VERDICT Nevill's prose is sometimes challenging—he repeatedly pummels his readers with lengthy passages of baroque description that slow down the action—but, in the end, he has crafted a harrowing read that will keep readers riveted right through the final page. Highly recommended, especially for fans of gritty, literary horror by authors such as Scott Smith, Clive Barker, and Dan Simmons.
Reviewed by Jeanne Bogino, New Lebanon Lib., NY , Feb 15, 2012
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