Sunday 4 September 2016

Nick Cutter "The Deep" and "The Troop"


Stephen King's facebook profile s definitely one one the most entertaining around. His pictures and description of Molly, his Corgi and her "evil" nature. Sometimes he also makes book/movie recommendations. Nick Cutter's books were mentioned there so I decided to give them a go. 
I started with "The Deep". The novel is set in contemporary times. People start forgetting things. At first those are simple ones, such as forgetting where they placed household items. As the disease evolves, humans start having problems remembering essential skills and the most basic body functions. As thousands of people begin to die, an expedition is sent to a research center located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Tench. A substance called "ambrosia" has been discovered there and it's supposed to be a universal healer. Problem is, there's no contact with scientists locked down there. 
I have to admit that the first half of the novel had me completely captivated. The atmosphere was built really well as the protagonists were making their first steps in the research center. Fear of the unknown is certainly a good tool as it keeps the tension high. Unfortunately when the proverbial shit hit the fan things became less scary and more grotesque, pretty much ruining the scary aspect of the book for me.


A group of scouts goes with their scoutmaster on an annual trip to a remote island. It is their traditional event and it's been organised for a while. This time round things take a turn for the worse when a stranger pays them a visit. He's extremely skinny and he's voraciously hungry and he's very ill as a result of a bioengineered experiment that got out of control.
While reading the novel I came to think of it as "Lor of the Flies" with things getting completely out of hand at the start and then only worsening. While the setting is interesting, the gore aspect of horror here takes over too early in my opinion and once again, the scary aspect is ruined. Elaborate description of twisted young mind of one of the boys were gut-wrenching and I had hard time finishing the book. Well, I guess not all recommendations from a person you like and respect should be trusted.


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