The Ritual

Would probably not advise anyone else to do that. But it did add to the overall atmosphere of this book. Most of the novel was intriging, but I felt the last few chapters were terribly out of synch with the beginning? A twist, yes, everyone loves a twist, but it needs to be done very, very well and I don't feel this was done as well as it could have been.

Hutch, Phil, Dom and Luke. Four friends embarking on a short walking trip to strengthen old friendships decide to take a short cut in the brutal Scandinavian woods and become lost. At first, the blisters and soggy clothes are an irritation. The men bicker and fight but remain determined to find a way out of the woods. Until they find the shredded animal remains artfully arranged high up a tree, too high for an animal. Panic sets in and slowly, one by one, the men are taken and arranged in the trees. It sounds amazing, right? A true thrilling horror story. A little 'Predator' meets 'Wrong Turn.'

Except it seemed like it would never end. This book was ridiculously unnecessarily long. And half way through the story took a bazaar turn and basically went off the rails. The last man standing defiantly drew the short straw. You won't feel bad for the first guy to die until you read the end. Then, after an excruciating four hundred pages, the story just ends. Out of the blue. Nothing felt resolved or really finalized. Disappointing.

I just finished this book and I am utterly exhausted emotionally and physically. What a harrowing journey through the Scandinavian wilderness this turned out to be. Mr. Neville has such a beautiful and descriptive voice. Some of the passages are so lyrical yet horrifying. I honestly felt the fatigue, agony, and utter hopelessness these characters felt. While some readers didn't care for what some are calling the second half of the book, South of Heaven, I found it just as frightening as the first half. My only complaint would be that the story as a whole could of been wrapped up in about 100 less pages. There are a lot of wordy passages, that while beautiful and excellently written, may of been unnecessary in the grand scope of the novel and wouldn't have effected the plot at all. I look forward to reading more work by this incredibly talented author.

The bottom line, for me? Parts of this creeped me out in a way I haven't experienced in a very long time. Nevill can craft a horror scene like few others. A writer who can do that may yet turn out one of the all-time masterpieces of the genre.

This book, to be fair, is not that masterpiece. As many point out, the strange, two-piece structure is problematic. Having brought the reader to a slow-developing, absolute nervous peak, Nevill pulls the plug and essentially starts all over again. You can only guess he didn't trust his own skills to finish up in the vein he began.

Further caveats: you need to be an old-fashioned "reader" to get the full jolt. If you're looking for the instant amphetamine blast this will disappoint. The buildup is lovingly gradual. Also, Nevill isn't much on dialogue. More than once you'll come to lines, even occasional paragraphs of speech that ring a little false. And, as many reviewers have found, if you're the type who likes to deconstruct film or novel looking to score "gotcha" points, you'll rack up a few here. You may come away thinking these four guys shouldn't be trying to survive in the subway, let alone a four-day hike near the Arctic circle. And, of course, the idea is a little derivative. Show me something that isn't.

But. I defy anyone who loves this genre to read the scene where these guys camp out in that claustrophobic, ancient house and not be seriously affected. The part where one of them comes stumbling down the steps with his hair standing up, moaning that there's something up in the attic. The discovery of the thing in the dark, sitting up in a rotten crib, will stay with me for a long time.

So don't tell me about camping mistakes, or misconceptions about Norse mythology, or that you're too impatient to enjoy the painstaking ramp-up. If you want to experience more than a few riveting, horrific moments on a page, you'll rate this as I did. A flawed, but full five stars.

First a little background, some of my favorite authors are Jack Ketchum, Ed Lee, Stephen King, and Richard Laymon. One of my all-time favorite reads is 'The Terror' by Dan Simmons. That being said Adam Nevill has earned the right to be on my list. This is the first book in quite a while that has made me feel I was with the characters from the begining to end. I could smell the forest, the rotting vegetation, the cold dampness of the non-stop drizzle, I even had to check my arms for insect bites! The stinging nettles were also uncomfortably real. Adam does an uncanny job also bringing his 4 main characters to life. Right out of the gate I felt I was backpacking with them on the same trail.
I can't say enough, what a great surprise, anything with by Adam is now on the wish list.
You won't be dissappointed, Dirk

This one almost gets three stars, but it was tedious for long stretches and not as creepy as I would have liked. I see how the author was trying to build suspense between major sections, but the character's dire situation was hopeless from the beginning.

First half of the book was amazing!!! Nevill did an amazing job at cultivating anxiety and desperation in that dark Scandinavian forest. Had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through!
However the second half was less to my liking. I will not give anything away but I think the ending was adequate. The rest of the book failed to stand up to the first half though.

A pretty kick-ass thriller that, in the first half, is very intense and scary and in the second half descends into true horror. While the second half went on a bit too long for me, this was still an excellent book I read in a day on vacation. Nevill knows how to create that choking fear in your chest as you read. And, most importantly, I really cared about the characters that mattered. If you like thrillers with some horror (it can get pretty graphic at times), this is terrific.

Superb characterizations. The story pulls you into a macabre voyage unlike anything I have read. Before. Have preordered his next book and read his two previous ones out loud to the horror of my wife.

This book captivates you and sucks you in from the very first page. It thrills to the very end and makes you wish you hadn't read it so fast! It will make you leery of camping trips in any forest and I believe the next time I'm among the trees I'll be wondering what secrets the forest might hold. Exactly what I look for in a scary book!!

An amazing piece of horror fiction written by an incredibly talented writer.

The Ritual is an effortless page turner filled with monsterous violence, physical exhaustion, and strained friendships. It was a very difficult book to put down and is easily one of the most satisfying books I have read since "The Terror".

I look forward to reading Adam Nevill's other works.

The first half is a crazy, terrifying hiking story, which was what drew me in, but the second half is of a whole different flavor. I think the latter half was supposed to be the scariest part of the book, but, in my opinion, it was way less interesting.

I honestly don't think I have any actual complaints about it other than I had to invest some time in it because I kept putting it down. It was a little too slow moving for me, buuuuuut I found myself going back to it out of curiosity.

36 stars!!!

I was totally engrossed in this book from the first sentences. A graphic, gory, terribly suspenseful, tense, horrifying, mystery-adventure-horror-untangling of emotional revelations, this novel riveted me completely. I so wanted to stay up all night to finish it! The compulsion to know "who's next" and "what's going on," "why oh why is this happening," and "is there inexplicably a human cause-or is this truly all Supernatural?" kept me turning pages nearly at the speed of light.

Mr. Nevill is a fine writer-I enjoyed his "Apartment 16," but "The Ritual" in my opinion surpasses it, both for superbness of writing, for characterisations, and for sheer unmitigated terror. (Make no mistake, "Apartment 16" is very scary!) In "The Ritual," the lives of four former collegiate friends, now in their mid-thirties, are peeled down quite literally to matters of survival-who will, who won't, will any, survive? "The Ritual" is an actual "page-turner," and refuses to be set aside. Even if one puts the book down, the story line will linger in the mind, demanding one's attention.

I cannot rave highly enough about this novel! So I am off to read the author's "Banquet of the Damned," and count the days till the 2013 publication of his newest novel, "Last Days."

The Ritual

You really think at the beginning,this is a scary,interesting book.But pages and pages are wasted to describe always the same situation.From time to time someone vanishes,being brutally killed and the last one ends up with some kind of an ancient race of "people".And that's it.Not scary,no horror,no goosebumbs,not extraordinary.
First,the story takes a lifetime to move on-this is so boring over some 10,20,30 pages.Again and again.And finally-when you think,now the real interesting part begins-the situation changes,but the same endless,alway the same describing pages continue.For me the book is real nice writing work,but that's all.Not worth buying and reading it.

I started reading this book on the recommendation of a friend and coworker. Horror isn't usually my genre of choice but from page one to the very end I was on the edge of my seat! I won't give any away but I definitly recommend this book to anyone!

My first Adam Neville book. Wow. Gripping from start to finish. The book follows 4 best mates on a hiking adventure. They take a short cut and now something is hunting them. Will they all make it out alive??? Unknown to them, there are more horrors to come. Brilliant book!!

I really enjoyed this book. The author is seriously talented at creating atmosphere and dread. It is a fast-paced, character driven story that grips the reader from the first chapter. I always know I'm reading something special when I have to force myself to not skim because I'm so excited to find out what happens next.

This book had a good premise and started out well enough, but as the story unraveled so did the storytelling. The writing was all over the place in terms of style and tone as if it were written by multiple writers. As the story progressed it became less cohesive until I no longer took it seriously. I found myself wishing for the end just as the main character wishes for mercy. It had strong moments, but really needed to be edited. Heavily. I would not recommend this.

Talk about a wrong turn at Albuquerque! I kept thinking throughout the narrative "why don't they have a gol-darned GPS? Who goes on a 3 or 4 day hike nowadays without a GPS?"

I found the book a little tedious and plodding; too much like being on the endless hike with the characters. Luke's repeated injuries were simply over-the-top. A skull fracture with bleeding open head wound, twice broken nose, stab wound to the thigh and countless other injuries each described in explicit detail, along with no food, no water, no sleep after a fifty mile hike and I'm supposed to believe he's still alive capable of killing a pack of teen thugs. Maybe the old crone and possibly the fat girl, but not Loki or Fenris even with his 'feminine' hands. After the 25th injury, it just didn't add anything to the storyline and seemed more like a crutch for the lack of authentic suspense.

I actually enjoyed the imagery though. Nevill did a great job in communicating the look and feel of the landscape, forest and ramshackle buildings. The grotesqueness of the crone's house, the sleeping box and the thugs were truly palpable. The book was at its best when describing the events that took place at the campsites at night which were pretty much the only suspenseful parts of the book.

To me there are three types of suspense/horror novels; those I forget immediately after reading, those I still think about a few days later, and those with sections I re-read years later. The Ritual is the second. I did go online to learn more about Norse mythology and pictures of the Norwegian mountains; so it certainly did have some interesting moments.