Horror Review - The Troop by Nick Cutter

Release Date - February 25, 2014


Gallery Books

Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth

My review of The Troop has to be mixed. The opening is amazing. A scoutmaster and his troop are on a remote island doing things that typical Boy Scouts do - camping, bonfires, and the occasional scary story or two. What they never expect is to have a stranger come to the island. This stranger is ravenous, skeletal, and near death. This stranger brings with him a horrifying biological weapon that turns the trip into a horrific quest for survival.

The stranger was creepy. Tim Riggs (scoutmaster) and the boys all well developed and engaging. The setting only adds to the chills. That's the part I loved. Once the "biological" weapon was revealed, the story became humorous to me. Once I was laughing at the image of the "monster," it became a little more like one of my favorite horror movies - Tremors. I've spent more time laughing at Tremors than ever taking it seriously. That's not a bad thing but to go from a very chilling book to one that had me snickering did take the creepiness away.

Would I recommend The Troop? Yes, but with the assumption that most readers, like me, will find the "monster" to be more amusing than frightening.