The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel

Tremblay keeps getting better and better with each book. This is a well written, taut, little thriller that I have been replaying in my mind for days now.

Most of the negative reviews seem to be stuck on the lack of a definitive ending. Having read Tremblay's other work, I knew not to expect definitive answers, so this didn't bother me in the least. Mileage clearly varies, but if the plot appeals to you and you don't need a tidy epilogue I think you'd be well pleased with this book.

I read this book Becky favorite author,Stephen King posted about it. I was hooked from the beginning; however, I kept ask myself why I continued to read it. It was bizarre. I have three stars because it is good but not telling anyone to rush and read it. I kept saying in my head "leave the damn cabin!"

Started great good style good character development then after a sad twist it went down hill and never really delivered. I wanted to like it but I just didn’t care at the end too heavy handed with the possible endings.

From start to finish, amazingly well-written. Mr. Tremblay has a true penchant for immersing his readers in the twists and turns! Paul Tremblay is also just the right amount of sick, twisted, and dark.

The book sounded promising and with a recommendation from the legendary Stephen King, I decided to give it a try. I think King must be sipping from his flask again because this book was a waste of $12.99. The story started off interesting then quickly became boring and repetitive. It was the same conversation over and over again. I kept waiting for something big to happen and it never did. The lack of an ending to the story cemented that the hours I put into reading this book were a waste of time.

While I thought this book had an interesting premise I found it to be repetitive and annoying...I agree with Cat that it had a terrible ending. Good or bad I like an ending. Skip the ambiguity, this was not the book for it.
I regret spending $12.99 for it and the time I wasted reading it.
Don't think I will ever be tempted to read this author again.

4.5 stars

When I first started reading this book, I thought if the horror films "The Strangers" and "The Cabin in the woods" had a baby - it would be this book! Of course, there are major differences (and plots) but still....

A getaway to a cabin sounds like a perfect time away for Wen and her two dads. They are going to relax, she wants to catch some grasshoppers and they plan to enjoy the lake. But one day a man approaches Wen while she is busy catching her grasshoppers and tells her "None of what’s going to happen is your fault". and "Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they must. We need your help to save the world."

So, what would you do? Four strangers show up on your doorstep, telling you to let them inside. They won’t hurt you, but you must let them in. Do you? Do you believe their stories about the apocalypse? Sounds crazy right? Who are these people? Why should you believe them? Would you let them in?

To say that I thought this book was fantastic is an understatement. I loved the family. Wen is adorable and inquisitive. She wants to study grasshoppers, so she can save them if they get sick. She loves her Dads and has a wonderful home life with them. Andrew and Eric love Wen. They are affectionate and extremely likable. Tremblay has the reader caring so much for their characters that of course, we don't want those four-people coming into their lives and into their cabin. Our feelings for them make this book more powerful. I was invested in what happened to them individually and as a family.

Tremblay sets the perfect mood for a home invasion book. The reader will care about this family. But wait! What about Leonard and his companions message? What is this save the world business? Why should the reader care about what the four-people invading this home have to say?

I would have given this book 5 stars had it not been for the ending. That is not to say that the ending is bad or goes off the rails, I just wanted more. I felt as if I was left hanging -but then again, I feel as if that is how the characters in the book felt. They were faced with uncertainty, so the reader was left with the same emotion.

I loved the tension in this book. I read most of it in one day. I had to keep turning the pages as I wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters I cared about. I also wanted to know if what the home invaders said was going to occur would occur. Were they telling the truth? Is this all real? So many questions!

What does one call this book? Horror with a heart is what I will go with. I thought this book was very well-written. It evokes emotion and has a sense of dread and tension throughout.

Highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and William Morrow books in exchange for an honest review.The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I read this book Becky favorite author,Stephen King posted about it. I was hooked from the beginning; however, I kept ask myself why I continued to read it. It was bizarre. I have three stars because it is good but not telling anyone to rush and read it. I kept saying in my head "leave the damn cabin!"

Started great good style good character development then after a sad twist it went down hill and never really delivered. I wanted to like it but I just didn’t care at the end too heavy handed with the possible endings.

From start to finish, amazingly well-written. Mr. Tremblay has a true penchant for immersing his readers in the twists and turns! Paul Tremblay is also just the right amount of sick, twisted, and dark.

The book sounded promising and with a recommendation from the legendary Stephen King, I decided to give it a try. I think King must be sipping from his flask again because this book was a waste of $12.99. The story started off interesting then quickly became boring and repetitive. It was the same conversation over and over again. I kept waiting for something big to happen and it never did. The lack of an ending to the story cemented that the hours I put into reading this book were a waste of time.

While I thought this book had an interesting premise I found it to be repetitive and annoying...I agree with Cat that it had a terrible ending. Good or bad I like an ending. Skip the ambiguity, this was not the book for it.
I regret spending $12.99 for it and the time I wasted reading it.
Don't think I will ever be tempted to read this author again.

4.5 stars

When I first started reading this book, I thought if the horror films "The Strangers" and "The Cabin in the woods" had a baby - it would be this book! Of course, there are major differences (and plots) but still....

A getaway to a cabin sounds like a perfect time away for Wen and her two dads. They are going to relax, she wants to catch some grasshoppers and they plan to enjoy the lake. But one day a man approaches Wen while she is busy catching her grasshoppers and tells her "None of what’s going to happen is your fault". and "Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they must. We need your help to save the world."

So, what would you do? Four strangers show up on your doorstep, telling you to let them inside. They won’t hurt you, but you must let them in. Do you? Do you believe their stories about the apocalypse? Sounds crazy right? Who are these people? Why should you believe them? Would you let them in?

To say that I thought this book was fantastic is an understatement. I loved the family. Wen is adorable and inquisitive. She wants to study grasshoppers, so she can save them if they get sick. She loves her Dads and has a wonderful home life with them. Andrew and Eric love Wen. They are affectionate and extremely likable. Tremblay has the reader caring so much for their characters that of course, we don't want those four-people coming into their lives and into their cabin. Our feelings for them make this book more powerful. I was invested in what happened to them individually and as a family.

Tremblay sets the perfect mood for a home invasion book. The reader will care about this family. But wait! What about Leonard and his companions message? What is this save the world business? Why should the reader care about what the four-people invading this home have to say?

I would have given this book 5 stars had it not been for the ending. That is not to say that the ending is bad or goes off the rails, I just wanted more. I felt as if I was left hanging -but then again, I feel as if that is how the characters in the book felt. They were faced with uncertainty, so the reader was left with the same emotion.

I loved the tension in this book. I read most of it in one day. I had to keep turning the pages as I wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters I cared about. I also wanted to know if what the home invaders said was going to occur would occur. Were they telling the truth? Is this all real? So many questions!

What does one call this book? Horror with a heart is what I will go with. I thought this book was very well-written. It evokes emotion and has a sense of dread and tension throughout.

Highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and William Morrow books in exchange for an honest review.The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Home invasion stories can be terrifying, and A Cabin at the End of the World certainly has potential, but it fell a bit short for me.

The tension and suspense in the first several pages is intense, and I was on the edge of my seat anticipating a gripping read. While I found inquisitive Wen and her two dads, Andrew and Eric, to be a credible, loving family and their reactions to their situation absolutely believable, the repetition and needless details became too much. I skipped several pages, only to discover the characters still involved in the same conversation or flashback, and the suspense and pacing nearly come to a halt once the strangers enter the cabin.

I've read two other books by Paul Tremblay, Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil's Rock, and found both of them compelling. This book, however, didn't work quite as well for me, and I think it would have been more enjoyable as a longer novella.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book, and spoiler free demands require some essential elements to be left out. Some things are easy to scream out loud and proud about, however, and that is Paul Tremblay is a fantastic writer. He writes about families so well, in all three of his novels I've read, it is the family dynamics, where we figure out who we are and how and who we love. In the case of Cabin, it is a same sex couple who has adopted a child from China. He portrays them so well, and I find that the nature of this family: same sex couple raising a daughter of a different race is already starting on precarious footing, and these circumstance demand a special kind of love and strong dedication to stay together. Especially when the world crashes in to their secluded cabin home, and this becomes a home invasion story, where the intruders have this cold sense of politeness, a unique set of weapons, and you find yourself trapped inside with them.

A taut suspense story beings.

I can't help but read this in context of his previous two works where Tremblay teases the reader, leaving clues, making head fakes, popcorn trails and easter eggs, all to make us wonder if a supernatural force is indeed present, begging us to decide if a paranormal force is having an influence or if it is just the flaws of humanity at play. Same way his characters must decide. In this way, we are all a character.

After reading this, or while reading this in my case, you'll pay attention to natural disasters, (volcano eruptions in Hawaii, for example) and wonder if you should take a garden tool to someone's head to save lives or not. Thats the beauty to this: it plays out in a tiny secluded cabin, but has cosmic implications, including the existence of God, and if a loving God would indeed demand a sacrifice. Can we, or should we, maintain faith in a cause that may not be as noble as we first believed?

There are tiny little nuggets in this book you'll need to pay attention to (count the grasshoppers, count the people, count the letters, and the 4 folks bringing in the apocalypse are only missing their horses. There's even a little self-deprecating humor about Tremblay's previous book).

Cabin is a 'Book Club' kind of book, the kind you want to talk about with others when you are finished. In fact, if you are reading this, message me, since I want to talk to you about it, but only when you're done reading.

Sometimes when you leave the trappings of civilization to get away from it all, it comes looking for you. That is the message --- and maybe not the one that author Paul Tremblay means to convey --- in the newly published THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD. Another might be that if 1) you are comfortable with handgun ownership, and 2) you have a secure portable lockbox, you don’t leave your piece hidden in your vehicle when you’re in your residence so that if you need it, you can’t get it. That said, it’s something people do, so it’s not like Tremblay jumps the shark when his protagonists are left so-near-yet-so-far defenseless when the weirdos come to call.

And indeed, that is precisely what occurs in this well-written, frightening and wonderfully ambiguous one-sit read, a tale where you don’t want to get particularly attached to any one character since there is ultimately mayhem aplenty. THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD opens with the introduction of a precocious seven-year-old named Wen, who, with her adoptive parents, is vacationing in a remote cabin at the top end of New Hampshire. Wen is gently capturing baby grasshoppers, and Eric and Andrew are doing what parents on vacation do when their idyllic repose is at first softly and then rudely interrupted.

The intruders are four strangers who almost apologetically invade the family space and gently but firmly restrain the trio while presenting the case that Wen’s parents must come to a decision as to who will be sacrificed. The reason for the sacrifice is that the world will end unless one member of the family voluntarily dies. The quartet --- two men and two women who are somewhat of a disparate bunch --- are quite insistent on this. They kind of have proof that something is occurring.

But Wen’s parents aren’t buying it, and the interlopers are somewhat vague as to why this loving family who is collectively minding their own business must make the sacrifice and not, say, the Springsteens in New Jersey or the Fondas in California. Of course, Eric and Andrew aren’t about to blithely take this incessant request lying down, and things get truly crazy as a result.

THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD is full of subtle turns, twists and curves of the type that you encounter when driving on a mountain road, and has as much potential to send you over the side as to get you where you are going. I was reminded of everything from William Styron’s SOPHIE’S CHOICE to Dennis Lehane’s SHUTTER ISLAND, but that is not to say that the book is a pastiche quickly cobbled together. This is a haunting and disturbing work on a number of levels that some will embrace, others will resist, and everyone who reads it will remember --- for better, worse and all points in between.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Trigger warnings for gory violence, home invasion, flashbacks and discussion of a homophobic hate crime, and scenes that may cause your blood pressure to rise.

This is one of those books where you’re certain going into it that you know what you’re getting yourself into, but then you learn you had no idea. An isolated cabin in the woods inhabited by a family whose respite is interrupted by a group of strangers with possible mayhem in mind. That’s been done before, right? I’ve seen the movies.

What if the strangers tell the family that the choices they make in that cabin have the power to press pause on the apocalypse or set it in motion?! Now you’re talking!

In this book you’ll learn who the family are as individuals and how their family dynamics work both before and during the invasion. Invited inside their heads, you’ll hear their thoughts as their lives are turned upside down and you’ll be given access to some of their most treasured and painful memories.

This is a loving and loveable family consisting of two doting dads and their adorable adopted daughter. I loved them all. It would have been so much easier if just one of them were the slightest bit irritating … but they’re not.

So, what about the invaders? Sorry, but all things considered I liked them too. I tried my hardest to demonise them but failed miserably. Whether you believe what they say or not, I believed that they believed it. From that perspective, scary as it sounds, it made sense to me where they were coming from. Much like our gorgeous couple, I went back and forth between not believing the people who had disrupted their peaceful lives and wondering if maybe they were actually telling the truth.

This is not a casual read and if you’re going through a stressful time in your life you may want to put this book on hold until your stress event has faded somewhat. It’s a testament to Paul Tremblay that his writing stressed me out so much. I kept getting this image of my life being this red stress ball at the time and reading this book felt like adding sharp metal spikes to it.

The Cabin at the End of the World may not have had as big an impact if my life had been floating on a calm lake while reading but I still think the constant tension, suspense and paranoia was always going to raise my blood pressure. I read some of this book in a doctor’s waiting room and at the beginning of my appointment my blood pressure was 132/100. Coincidence? You can decide for yourself after you read it!

I adore the way that Paul writes. I connected to his characters and felt like I was immersed in what was happening inside that cabin. I felt engaged the whole time and I was invested in the outcome of every character. I’m not quite sure how Paul did this but there were scenes where I had to pause and marvel at the beauty of sentences describing brutality. It doesn’t seem like the two should go together but they did here.

The pacing feels practically frenetic at times and I can’t see the story working as well any other way. You get to catch your breath when the characters do. Overall though, the stress of the situation doesn’t ease for the characters so it doesn’t ease for the reader either.

I expect some readers will be uneasy and maybe even cranky about some unanswered questions. While I would certainly read with interest a Q&A with the author I thought the book finished exactly where it should have and I’m okay with the unanswered questions. Throughout the book you’re only privy to information as it’s explained to the characters so it felt perfect to me how it ended.

My Nerd is Showing: I really appreciated the synchronicity between the number of grasshoppers Wen catches at the beginning of the book and the number of people that wind up in the cabin. I also picked up on some really interesting (to me) correlations between that and other numbers that pop up in the book and what those numbers are said to represent from a Biblical perspective. [Yes, I have a bazillion years of Bible College behind me. No, I won’t go all ooky spooky super spiritual on you and bore you with the Bible number meaning thing. You’re welcome!]

I wondered throughout the book if the specific numbers were intentional or not and wavered between thinking they had to be deliberate and thinking I was reading too much into something that meant nothing. Naturally after finishing the book I read the author’s bio. Upon discovering that Paul has a master’s degree in mathematics a nerdy smile may have escaped. Now I really want to believe the numbers were deliberate. ?

Favourite Phrase: “brain-bashed proto-zombie” … Seriously, how awesome is that word combo?!

The Bottom Line: I need to read every single thing Paul has or will ever write. I want to ramble on and on about all of the parts of this book that either surprised me, had me wanting to bite my nails or melted chunks off my icy heart but I won’t because I don’t want to ruin your reading experience by getting into spoiler territory.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, for the opportunity to read this book and discover a new favourite author in the process.

Tremblay is my new favorite writer because of his masterful use of what would sometimes be called "magical realism" (an influence he references in this book) wherein the supernatural is presented in a way that is as plausible as the rational or mundane explanation. If you've ever been alone in a scary building and almost (almost!) convinced yourself that you were surrounded by ghosts, then you know what I mean. In the end you're left to wonder if it was all real or if it was all in your head, or if it even matters either way.
I don't usually compare books to Stephen King: it's not only cliche, it's unfair to the author and the comparisons seldom hold up on closer inspection. This book, however reminded me very much of King's novel Misery. Not for content, but because this was a very hard book to read. It's difficult to read page after page of defeat and despair, where even victories have painful consequences. No one walks away unscathed, and it tears you apart at the same time.
The story however is very well crafted and the prose is very fluid. As others have noted the ending is rather abrupt, which is largely due to the author not wanting to spoil the ambiguity of the story. If it went any further, it would ruin the effect. The ending didn't bother me; in many ways it was the perfect ending, heartbreak and all.
I'm only giving it 4 stars because as much as I like this book, I didn't love it as much as A Head Full of Ghosts or Disappearance at Devil's Rock. I still highly recommend it, as long as you know what you're getting into.

The blurb of this book really intrigued me but Tremblay`s writing style really dragged at times which really elongated the familiar and predictable storyline... Anyone remember the 2008 film titled The Strangers starring Liv Tyler? I could not help but think that Tremblay saw that movie and decided to write a book influenced heavily by that movie but just throwing enough twists in there to make it his own. This book could have been really good if it weren't so damn predictable and similar to so many films in the last decade.

Tremblay also had too many flashbacks bringing the action to a grinding halt at times. I agree with many reviewers here who mentioned this would be a better short story. I felt there were many spots where Tremblay wrote for 3-4 pages and nothing happened. I think he tried to use those moments to build tension but those moments of suspension actually lured me to sleep. This happened numerous times throughout the book where I had to force myself to stay awake or come back to that page another day.

Interestingly, the ending did not disappoint me. Its not what I was expecting but after some consideration, it made the most sense.

Paul Tremblay does it again. In his new release he explores a tight tale of a small family who is looking for some peace and quiet in a remote cabin in upstate New Hampshire. When Leonard (a nod to Lenny from Mice and Men?) approaches 7 year old Wen, the dread is palpable. What seems to start as a simple home invasion story evolves into so much more, characters forced to make impossible decisions with drastic repercussions. Ambiguity is Tremblay’s secret sauce, and it is applied expertly here. Read this book, then make sure you’ve read his others!

(this review first appeared in issue #50 Scream magazine)
So this book, The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay is going to be my new ‘go-to’ recommendation for any reader that still thinks horror is only “blood & guts and scary stuff”. But hang in there with me a little bit while I explain why.
Being a ferocious fan of horror, I’m regularly faced with genre stereotypes. For example, a friend was looking at my personal collection and she says, “So much Stephen King.”
I said, “Well, he’s been my favorite author since I was like thirteen.”
She scrunches up her nose and says, “Ugh! Why? He only writes scary stuff right?”
I try not to take offense to these sort of ignorant statements (I say ignorant not to be insulting but truly because they just don’t know).
I can’t fault them for what they don’t know. But it’s the same sort of ignorance I find in bookstores EVERYWHERE, among people who should actually know better.
Horror authors are usually shelved in general fiction. If you’re lucky, a bookstore might stuff some mainstream horror in with SciFi and Fantasy. On the off chance there is a horror section, it’s usually a whole bookcase with King and Koontz because, well, they have a lot of books and they write in the same genre so...voila! A horror section!
But horror is so much more than King and Koontz and “bloody, scary stuff.”

Take Paul Tremblay’s books for instance. A Head Full of Ghosts, at face value, is a demon possession book? “Scary stuff” as contemporary fiction readers would say. But it’s so much more. It breaks down lots of horror stereotypes. Tremblay expertly tells his tale with young, female protagonist narratives and short, punchy chapter breaks. He also weaves in some pop culture influences that add an urgent relevancy that will still read fresh and modern in years to come.
I was so pleased that this sort of “out of the box” storytelling seems to be a lasting trend for Paul Tremblay. The Cabin at the End of the World lives right on the edge of a familiar plot trope, A small family are ‘unplugging’ in a remote location when their peace and quiet is interrupted by an unexpected visitor with a strange, threatening message.
But this description is really where all the familiarity ends.
Tremblay’s family in crisis is a beautiful snapshot of what a family in today’s America looks like. The subject matter, the horror that shows up at their door is the catalyst or the vehicle per se, for our harrowing story but its Paul’s lovingly crafted family and their relationships tested under duress that make this book so successful.
We, the reader are emotionally invested from the moment we catch grasshoppers in the weeds with seven year old Wen all the way through to the book’s final scene. And this is exactly what Paul Tremblay intends to do with his writing. He’s not just out to exploit your fears (although he does that too!) he’s really after that lump of flesh in your chest we try so hard to protect--your heart. Fans of Tremblay’s work will already know this after reading, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. You already know these words are designed by a master to punch you in the guts and leave you hollowed out with a nasty book hangover.
So it’s my recommendation to fully embrace horror for what it really is: A full resignation of all your emotions. Paul Tremblay invites you to go all in with this one and it is pretty uncomfortable but worth every sigh and every tear.

Five stars/Skulls Sadie Hartmann aka Mother Horror on Instagram & Twitter

Oh my holy wow, wow, wow. This was an incredible read! Right off the bat, I absolutely love Wen. She is such a quirky, lovable little girl. There's a scene in the beginning of the book where she's catching grasshoppers for very scientific reasons, intending to study them, and she names every single one. That was so cute, I giggled out loud.

I fell in love with this family. Daddy Andrew and Daddy Eric and Wen seem like they have so much going for them. This is a family that they chose and that they pulled together deliberately, with care, and determination. I have always believed that love is so much stronger when it's chosen versus "fallen into" or even "at first sight." Since, you know, what you see at first sight ends up looking WAY different after some time passes. I am a complete romantic, but I still believe that deliberate love is what stands the test of time.

What is intended to be a fun, relaxing, family vacation at a remote cabin in the woods turns into an apocalyptic show-down between this loving family and a band of intruders. Literally. The intruders insist that the apocalypse is coming and the only way to stop it is for this family to decide to willingly sacrifice one of their own. It's a horrifying concept, and every reader instantly goes, "Absolutely not!" What person could choose to sacrifice themselves, their partner, or their child? What kind of choice is that? An insane one, that's what kind. And who goes along with crazy people?

But as the story goes by, things happen just as the intruders said they would...don't they? And you start to wonder, are they really crazy? It still sounds crazy, kind of. But then you wonder, because strange things are happening.

It's an exquisite story that explores mob mentality, cult mindsets, and the effects of trauma, PTSD, and perhaps even a bit of Stockholm Syndrome. Depending on how you view the story. No matter your perspective on that part, though, there is no question that this is a heart-stopping, thrilling book. From start to finish, I was lost in the story, in the characters, in the mystery. I highly recommend this book to all fans of psychological thrillers, mysteries, and family dramas.

What makes a good story? I’m not talking horror, but just a good story. Characters who feel real, a unique and moving plot, some sort of social significance, just plain old good writing? Here’s the thing haters, horror stories have those things too.

As horror fans (and I know that’s who I’m mostly talking to), we’ve all had that moment (or those moments) when we profess our love for the genre and you get that reaction, eyes sort of creasing, mouth thinning into a line, their entire body shifting back from you. A literal visceral reaction to the word horror. And the immediate response of “I hate scary things,” “I can’t read those books,” or “why do you like that?”

Yeah.

I am 100 percent for everyone doing their own thing, liking what they like (and who they like for that matter!) but I do wish people would give horror more of a chance. Horror is so much more than that first impression, and while it is making a waves recently due to crazy amazing hits on screens big and small like Stranger Things, It, Get Out, and real-life happenings like our current (and seemingly always escalating and never-ending) political situation, the craze for true crime, and so on, there is still a lot of ground to cover.

So why horror fiction?

Well, I guess that brings me around to the point. Why horror fiction? Writers like Paul Tremblay is why.

On the face of it, The Cabin at the End of the World has a simple set up. A little girl and her two dads taking a vacation at a secluded cabin by a lake. Four strangers converge on the family and they want something—and it’s not good.

But it’s also not what you expect. This isn’t The Strangers. This is bigger than that. Or is it?

This book is a white-knuckle one-sitting type of read. Though told in third person, it switches perspectives between the characters, giving the reader brief insights into each of their psyches and feelings. I really liked this technique; it felt cinematic to me, but in a three-dimensional kind of way because it was like I was really seeing the story through each of their eyes in turn, feeling the emotional pulses of the story, rather than just being an outside observer.

This is my third Tremblay book (I’ve read A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil's Rock too) and I’m noticing a trend of his. He loves the fantastic, that suspension of the story between reality and the supernatural. He’s always holding the reader on a string throughout his books making us wonder what exactly is going on. Is there a rational explanation—can we keep our feet firmly on the ground? Or, is something supernatural at play and we’ve left the known world behind, we’re untethered, an astronaut floating through the dark stillness of space alone with only his own breath—and the monsters. Tremblay pulls us back and forth along the string of the fantastic, leaving us to wallow in that moment of hesitation, that catch of breath between the known and unknown.

And what a delicious place to live.

Cabin is also taking on underpinning themes of the current state of the world and our society today. Though perhaps not in your face, I think these themes of environmental and also social downfall are definitely an important part of this book. And it brings me back to my original point about why horror.

Horror shows us a way through the darkness.

It shows us characters in situations that we (hopefully) never have to deal with, but reading about how others struggle—whether they win, lose, live, die, become a zombie, stake a serial killer, or just deal with the darkness within—helps us negotiate our own struggles and process our traumas in our daily life and those in the world at large too. Horror is cathartic and all the many different strands of it are worth investigating.

I am hesitant to say this is Tremblay’s best because I know there’s more coming. And we’re ready to read it when it gets here.

This is the third book in his “ambiguity triology ”. I was surprised at how much I disliked this book. In fact I’ve come to the realization that I don’t care much for his writing period. The author has for three books used the exact same schtick. I understand that hand feeding a reader isn’t what authors want to do but this is a little annoying. Also, Tremblay reads like a person who is not a natural writer in that he knows how to physically write a book but it feels forced and cold. He described literally every little detail in this cabin the characters are in. The dialogue is clunky and overall a bad experience. I am probably not gonna read his next books and that’s unfortunate because he seems to be really popular and I don’t really know why.

Having read A Head Full of Ghosts, and listened to an interview with the author, it's obvious Tremblay likes his ambiguity, especially in terms of endings. What's real, what's true? Those are good questions for a horror/psychological thriller once in a while. It worked in spades for the first book and helped to create an ending that stuck with me for days after reading it.

Unfortunately, going back to that well didn't work out quite so much for this particular story. This book needed a resolution of some kind, even a dark one--the story was begging for it, and so was my patience. However, as much as I hate to give away too much info, this story does not have an ending. It's left very much up in the air. After hours of listening to this audiobook, having an ending without an ending felt frustrating this time around.

As I said before, that technique worked very well for Head Full of Ghosts, but this is a very different kind of story. The stakes are so enormous, for literally the whole world, that leaving the audience with an ending that doesn't spell out a clear conclusion feels like a bit of a cop-out, which I know for sure is not what the author intended. Ambiguity is great--I love it when it's done right--but stopping a story before it's over is not at all the same thing.

This book probably would have been better served as a novella, rather than a novel. I felt the author stretching things out, explaining back stories and situations, action and dialogue, in much greater detail than was necessary. All too often, it all felt like so much filler. A forty or fifty thousand word book would have been perfect--and might have actually made the non-ending more palatable.

However, there is a great deal of excitement to be had here, and Tremblay is obviously an author with major abilities. I look forward to what he brings us next. This one is just a very near miss.

I fell in love with Wen almost immediately as she ran across the front lawn, chasing grasshoppers. As this 8-year-old caught the smallest ones, she would place them in her jar, naming each one as she planned on studying them later. As a tall stranger walked up on the lawn, she hesitated on what to do, as she knew about stranger danger. This man proceeded to talk to her and Wen felt that he didn’t appear to be dangerous. Collecting grasshoppers with her, Wen again felt that he was too friendly to be a bad guy and she continued talking to him. I don’t think it would have mattered when Wen notified her dads about the stranger, as they already had their agenda planned out.

I enjoyed the beginning of this novel, I liked how the stranger and his accomplices showed up on the property unannounced and began their assault. They had no explanation for their initial raid, they went with the hammering and the pounding of their voices to shake up the family. Yielding handmade weapons, the foursome promised them that they were not there to hurt them, they were only there to make sure that the family saved mankind from disaster.

How a family of three could save mankind intrigued me and how these four strangers carrying weapons, could convince them to save the world was beyond me. When they told the family the whole story of why they were there, I knew it was now a question of time. Who would really walk away from this situation? I knew not everyone would make it out alive.

As events heated up, I found the sentence structure confusing at times. I found myself not enjoying this section of the novel as I had to slow down my pace as I read. It was a shame as I was enjoying the novel thus far. This section of the novel was where there was a lot of the action in the book, but I found some sentences that were extremely long and it was how the author was describing what was taking place, that felt off to me.

I thought the premise of the novel was good and I’m glad that I read it. I wasn’t too happy with the ending, but I don’t know what ending I was hoping for. I thought this ending seemed cheesy for how tense and dramatic the novel was. 3.5 stars

Paul Tremblay's long awaited and much anticipated follow-up to "Disappearance at Devil's Rock" and "A Head Full of Ghosts" certainly lived up to the hype and delivered another ambiguous ending for readers to decide if the supernatural forces at work are beyond the scope of human understanding or if they're merely the delusions and madness of man.

The Cabin at the End of the World starts with a parent's worst nightmare. A stranger approaches Wen, the adopted daughter of Andrew and Eric, and the situation quickly escalates into a home invasion situation. If this isn't terrifying enough, these four strangers come with a message for Eric, Andrew, and Wen which will forever alter the course of their lives.

From page one, the tension and dread are palpable, and it doesn't let up until the last page is turned. The strength of Tremblay's characters is what drives the typical home invasion plot into something more than the cliches we've come to expect from Hollywood or other horror novels splattered with blood and gore. That isn't to say Tremblay doesn't tread into those waters. There is indeed a fair amount of blood and gore in this book, but it isn't to satisfy some serial killer's bloodlust or for Tremblay to describe hideous events to shock the audience. There is a method to this madness, and there is a necessity to the bloodshed.

If there is any criticism to level against the novel, it is a personal one. I'm not a big fan of ambiguous endings. The three novels I've read by Tremblay all have ended with ambiguity, but in my opinion, the strength of the plot is the deal breaker on whether or not the books are satisfying despite their endings. "A Head Full of Ghosts" was incredibly satisfying with the plot, so the ambiguous ending didn't bother me as much. "Disappearance at Devil's Rock" was the opposite as I wasn't quite as drawn into the plot as I was with "A Head Full of Ghosts." Being as how I was split down the middle with these novels, "The Cabin at the End of the World" was going to be the tie-breaker on whether or not I would consider myself a fan of Tremblay. Luckily, "The Cabin at the End of the World" was a much better reading experience than "Disappearance at Devil's Rock" so I will be reading Tremblay's next novel whenever it may come out.

Overall, "The Cabin at the End of the World" lives up to its hype and will likely make a lot of Top 10 of 2018 book lists.

This book seems to be polarizing a lot of readers. Or at least the the store reviews which seem to mostly love the book or hate it. I don't know why. Personally, I would rank it as awesome! A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS was just a tad better in my opinion but they are photo-finish close in that ranking.

The story: seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin. One afternoon four strangers arrive carrying menacing weapons and needing their help to save the world. The story the strangers tell is crazy; their actions are even crazier. Or are they sane behavior from people who have no choice. Suddenly Eric, Andrew, and Wen must make some difficult choices in order to survive.

I found the story amazing. It was scary and terrifying but in part because it was so thought provoking. What would I have done if I was in their place? Would I have made the hard choice earlier? And if so, when? Because Tremblay made the characters so real, it made everything have more impact. The hardships and pain yanked hard on my heart. I felt for both the family and the strangers. One of the other things that Tremblay does with his novels (or at least the three I've read so far) is end them all with a touch of mystery. Was there really something supernatural that occurred or not? In this case, strangers claim the family needs to help save the world. So by the story's end, the world either has to be saved or be destroyed. But if the strangers are crazy, was the world really saved? Or were the claims deluded ravings from a madman? Unless the book ended with "The world then blew up.", you can never be sure. And that's what makes the story even better, that element of faith. Eric, Andrew, and Wen must have faith that the story is real, even if the messengers are crazy or demented. And as readers, we must decide who we want to believe. Taking Tremblay's story at face value is easy; seeing possibly demented motives makes it scarier. These are the type of books that will leave me pondering for days afterwards. And that is why I loved it.

Andrew, Eric and their 7 year old daughter Wen are vacationing at a remote New Hampshire cabin near the Canadian border. Hoping for a peaceful vacation away from it all, there isn't even any cell service or internet. As the two dads relax on the back deck, Wen, their curious, daughter, who the couple adopted from China, is busy collecting grasshoppers and naming them in the tall grasses in front of the house. Suddenly, a big man, with a friendly face appears. He tells Wen his name is Leonard and begins helping her catch grasshoppers. Wen knows about stranger danger, but Leonard is so kind and helpful but, yes, he has another agenda. Soon Leonard tells Wen,

"None of what’s going to happen is your fault". Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: "Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world."

All the above happens within the first 20+pages of this gripping, at times heart-pounding, novel. The remote setting, a home invasion, and what follows had me quickly turning pages, even though it became clear, early on this was a book that was making me uncomfortable and, yes, there are aspects of the story that were quite disturbing, I had to see how the story played out. Can't say I'm sorry I tried this one but overall, I did have my issues with this one.

A book self-published (that's the operative word, i.e., no editor who'd know better) by a well-meaning fellow needs to have his Thesaurus taken away. The wind "locomotives" through the door? The blood "acned" the cloth? Please. The story is ho-hum, the details excruciating, the violence pointless, and the characters unlikable (except, maybe, the 8 year old daughter but her inner dialogue is exceptionally mature and unbelievable). I wonder if Stephen King, whose high praise is quoted on the cover, read the same book I did. "Horror" it's not. More like a first draft for a scary story one writes for a contest. Hint: it's not a winner.

This is a shocking and disturbing book that takes the reader on an enigmatic trip through the Twilight Zone. If I were to rate the book solely on it's ability to keep my attention, and keep me turning pages quickly through to it's end, then it would score very high. However, there are a few things that detract from the story, and ultimately take what might have been a 5 star review down to a "so-so" 3 star one.

The writing becomes increasingly congested by over use of simile and metaphor. At some point I scratched my head and thought "Enough!" not everything has to remind you of something else, or be compared to something else. There is also an extended neo-psychotic rambling soliloquy by one of the characters that is supposed to provide the reader with some backstory and context as to why what is happening, is happening--But it does so in a way that is jarring and unpleasant--Like hitting an unexpected speed bump doing 60 mph. Why is this here in this place at this time? Additionally there are distracting shifts in pov through-out the book which at some point seems to even confuse the narrator. Finally there is the polarizing ending, which may leave some readers feeling cheated.

I'm glad I read the book. It kept my attention and took me to some uncomfortable places, and it certainly stayed with me afterwards--but it's execution is flawed.

Dark. Very Dark.

Can see why Stephen King endorsed this gripping and horrifying tale........Yikes!

Creepy, unsettling start - - A sweet, but cautious little 7 year old Wen knows very well she shouldn't talk to strangers, but this BIG guy is so nice and is helping her catch grasshoppers after-all so everything is copacetic until his repeated requests for her help begin to frighten her.

Run to the cabin she does to warn daddy Eric and daddy Andrew. The cabin doors are bolted....the man as BIG as a boulder....and his scary entourage appear, and the relaxing week at the lake turns threatening and deadly.

The menacing visitors....with their ominous tools insist they must be allowed in....just to talk....to explain why they have come to this remote location....to them.

Time is of the essence to prevent the worst....the annihilation of humanity.

No doubt about it, THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD is a horrific tale, one of sacrifice and survival, and for me so much better than A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS.

Add to your October reads....if think you can handle a few hours of suspenseful horror and evil-doing....time is running out.

I've read through a lot of the reviews, particularly the lower scores, and while I understand why some were compelled to write things like, "it just ended," (it does) and be disappointed by that, I guess my response is that life just doesn't generally have an O'Henry ending. When some stories do...well, that's fine if it works and doesn't feel contrived. But it's not really how things work out. The book's ending is ambiguous. The author walks a fine line between something otherworldly going on, and a plausible explanation for events in the book. You're left to process that, he's not going to tell you. It made me think quite a bit. In fact, I'm still processing a few days after finishing. I suppose, in the end, that's the best a book can hope to do. Make you think about it beyond that last page. Sure, somewhat confounding, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it was handled the way it needed to be. The answers are all there and depending on who you are, I think that the answer can be a bit different for everybody. I can't imagine a film of the book, it will have be its own thing—like "The Shining." The film is not the King book, it's something else. I just can't imagine a studio serving this film up. I can see the notes now. And I'd write them here, but I'd blow it for you. And that wouldn't be fair. Give it a read. It messed with me. It's a cool idea, and there is a lot to unpack when you think it through. That's the highest praise I can give.

This is quite a disappointing novel and I am bewildered that some book critics are giving it glowing reviews. For a book that is supposed to be an apocalyptic thriller, I found it boring and unbelievable.
I was attracted to the premise and the location the novel was set in, but the author did not construct a convincing narrative to make me suspend my disbelief. It's interesting I found gripping a book lilke Cormac McCarthy's The Road where almost nothing happens, but this book where there is alot of action has me shrugging. This is my first time reading Tremblay, so I guess his style doesn't do it for me.
I read it to the end, and the story compelled me to write a review which i almost never do, so I guess it did generate a reaction, but not the one I think the author was hoping for. My review is mostly caused by the incongruence of what I've read others have written about this book and what I read with my own eyes. I don't see what they see. Simply put, it wasn't scary.

***Note - I listened to this as an Audible audiobook which may have affected my review. The narrator was somewhat monotone and not well-suited to the story.
I loved Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts, liked Disappearance at Devil's Rock, but this was just ok.
The premise was very intriguing, but I felt like the dialogue dragged things out, and the ending was anti-climactic.
By 3/4 through, I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters, unfortunately.
If you are a fan of Tremblay, give this a chance, it could just be my personal interpretation, as it seems others really enjoyed this book.

A perfect family vacation at a secluded lake cabin goes horribly awry when four strangers appear.

Tense psychological thriller that will have you turning pages long into the night. Episodes of terror and tenderness that will leave your head and your heart beating wildly. A moral dilemma that will make you ask, "What would you do?" What a read, what a ride!

Contains graphic violence, themes related to same sex marriage. apocalyptic themes.

After reading the book and then the many low rating reviews, I'd to leave a comment, also. It is a very powerful ending, just not what many readers were waiting for.

This was the first piece I’ve read of Tremblay’s and I’m walking away thoroughly impressed. Conceptually, the story is enthralling and practically begs for a motion picture adaptation. I’m eschewing details so that prospective readers may go in unsullied, but I feel the ending will be a potential point of contention for many. It’s ambiguous and does not yield the answers many will be hoping for. I enjoy this ambiguity and personally find it to be a strength, a grand reveal of any kind would ultimately undermine the novel’s potency.

I do wish some elements had been focused on a bit more, but if anything this is a testament to Tremblay’s ability to leave the audience wanting more. From a technical perspective, I feel he is a superlative writer; however, at times his style can be a bit ponderous and unnecessarily ornate for my tastes (expect some protracted segments providing unnecessary details that do little to contribute to the atmosphere, but do disrupt the pacing in my opinion). These are minor quibbles, since this book is a pleasure to read.

I am quite particular when it comes to the horror genre, as I do not enjoy books that adhere to typical genre conventions. I will definitely be investigating other works penned by this author.