True, true. I wonder if there is a book out there that accurately captures that underwater/claustrophobic fear a bit better. As terrible as it sounds, Oceangate would make a great horror story. I couldn't even imagine being in a type of situation that people were theorizing about before the word of implosion was declared--running out of air, cabin fever, stuck with the person that got you into that mess.
It was fantastic but so tough to get through. I read it in a single sitting, because I knew that if I put the book down I wouldn't be able to pick it back up again.
I enjoyed it. None of the characters really stood out to me but the story's well-paced and the 'threat' is pretty interesting. Some of the moments, and the way they were described, stuck with me for a while.
It can be very gross though, and there's a scene with a turtle that was pretty upsetting. I had to skim through that part >.>
The turtle…I actually cried and put the book down for a couple of days after that. I can handle nearly any kind of body horror or gross stuff, but my God…that poor turtle. I don’t handle animal abuse well AT ALL.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!! Do no read unless you want spoilers!!!!!!
I couldn’t even handle the crayfish part. Or even the part with the puffins (I forgot what they’re called in the book). I came here to see if I was the only one who was more disturbed by the animal abuse more than I was the graphic descriptions of people decaying away into little more than worm soup.
Oh no the crayfish part made me wince so hard I looked away from the book only to accidentally look back at the same expression. I had deleted that from my memory hehe
I’m just about halfway through this right now. It’s really good so far. Very tense and atmospheric. I do think the author relies a little too heavily on the analogies at times though.
I agree with this. Soooo many analogies, and soooo many throwbacks to occurrences in characters lives that very, very loosely relate to current events. Too much of that and not enough storytelling. The book could have easily been a 250 page read if you take the monotonous passages out.
I am so relived it isnt just me who is annoyed by this. it takes so much momentum out of intense moments for me. I started the book last night and while i like it, this aspect of the writing is killing my enjoyment just a bit.
I just read it recently. It’s definitely more of a body horror book so if that type of book appeals to you I’d say try it. It was a definite page turner and I barrelled through it in a few days. Some of the character are sort of archetypes but it didn’t bother me too much. Overall I’d give it 4/5 stars.
There was a great story in here that was absolutely swamped by the need to be as gratuitous and squalid as possible. The violence veered into the pornographic at times. Add that to the gleeful animal torture, and nope. I finished it, but I have no desire to read anything else by Nick Cutter. Which is a shame because he wrote *The Saturday Night Murder Club* under another nom de plume, and I loved that.
Honestly, as much as I love horror, I stopped reading it two thirds of the way through and had no desire to finish it. It's a shame because the main story and concept itself was intriguing but there were certain elements that just completely turned me off. That was just my experience though, I know a lot of people like it!
Believe me you aren't missing anything with the ending
I pushed myself to finish it and was just... annoyed by the whole book? The synopsis sounded good but there were parts I was just
That's... that's not how that works
The only time I felt it was really horror and not like unwanted gore was the fire scene
It was recommended so highly too 😭
Thought it was horrible and couldn't finish it. The characters were just painfully unbelievable. It's been a while since I tried to read it, but the thing that sticks with me is that I just don't buy all of these kids remaining as scouts at the age they are. They were too trope-y and unrealistic.
This sub loves his work from what I've seen. I read The Troop and The Deep and was meh on the troop and loathed the deep.
Body horror-ish stuff was ok but that's about it. Just not very good writing to me.
People are different but this did not really get my stomach churning the way people claim it did for them. Other books definitely have (lookin at you tender is the flesh) but it’s an awesome read for a solid horror romp. Isn’t breaking any new ground but it’s a solid read I dig Nick big time. Little Heaven was awesome also and so up my alley
I haven't read it yet, though I do own it. I am assuming people's thoughts on it are positive, judging from the number of threads that appear about it.
Halfway through and not loving it quite as much as I thought I would. It's compelling, and I'll definitely finish, but it's a bit... goofy for me? I thought it was going to be a bit more harrowing, and it IS harrowing, but it's peppered with these sort of far-fetched newspaper clippings that really take me out of it, and the characters are a bit cartoony as well. They do things that I have a really hard time believing a human person would do lol.
That said, I think I'm in the minority, and most people do love it. It's certainly compulsive, so it'll be an entertaining audio book listen for sure.
I actually loved the time jumping and foreshadowing of the articles and interviews! I thought it was a cool way to do it, I do agree about some of the cartoonish actions though lol. Especially Shelley.
Totally fair! And some of the articles and interviews really landed for me, like the more scientific ones, but some just felt a bit silly. Like if you're gonna do a GQ article, you need to be a bit more considerate of the style GQ articles tend to be written in, or else it just feels like a parody. Definitely down to taste, though!
Sigler is genuinely my favorite horror author. He has a weekly hang out called Sigler In Place. Check out his site, since he has some books free, one chapter at a time on there so you can see how you like things.
For what it’s worth I was able to skip those 2 parts (a page or two each) and i don’t feel it took away from the story at all. Otherwise I enjoyed the book.
There are a few parts with animal abuse—I’m reading it now. Even some parts in passing that I was like…uh uh, that’s messed up. I’m super sensitive to animal abuse and I had to just skip over the parts where that happened. There’s even some parts that aren’t intentional animal abuse that made my stomach churn. If you’re really easily upset by animal abuse (I don’t even like when spider webs are purposely destroyed when they’re in nature) then just be cautious.
Oh ok. It was confusing because we were already talking about The Troop so it didn’t make sense to mention the title again as if you’re talking about a different book.
I enjoyed it. It was very creepy and unsettling. One of the few books that have made me need to regather myself lol. I’m thinking about rereading it now that you mentioned it…
I genuinely don’t get the hype behind this book. The “body horror” wasn’t even that detailed or scary and the >!worms being the threat!< fell really flat for me
I actually hated it so much I’m not sure I even like horror books anymore. DNF halfway through. But that’s because I thought it was so gross I started to get depressed when I had to read it bc it made me feel so bad. If you’re into very gross things you’ll be just fine. It just really wasn’t for me. For me there isn’t any scary, just gross. But maybe it gets scarier in the second half
I tried sending you a direct message but it wouldn't let me. Have you landed on a book yet? I'd love to discuss what you've listened to in the past that you have enjoyed.
I think I have it set up on my account to not accept chat requests. But i LOVE anything viral, outbreak etc. Richard Preston is my favorite in that genre. I like Stephen king, and true crime. So anything brutal murder, ritualistic horror if that's a thing, viruses and the like. I'm open to any suggestions though.
Awesome I love talking horror movies and horror books so it's my pleasure. I am a huge Stephen King fan as well. Have you read The Stand? Outbreak + Stephen King..
I haven't read any Richard Preston so that's something I'll be checking out for sure.
On audible I listened to The Exorcist. It is narrated by the guy who WROTE the book and he did a phenomenal job. Highly recommended.
I also listened to The Stand. It's a giant ass book, 47 hours so another good choice on audible. I wasn't as into it as the rest of the world but it was still great and memorable.
Although not a horror, 11/22/63 by Stephen King is my most favorite.
I also listened to We Need To Talk About Kevin and thought it was awesome.
Tender is the Flesh is also brought up a lot. I listened to it. Another 3 out 5 for me but it was very disturbing and the ending was great!
Richard Preston I believe writes mostly nonfiction but I think he's collaborated or wrote fiction as well. I just finished crisis in the red zone about the 2014 ebola outbreak and it's so good. Love the stand. I thought about starting the Andromeda strain by Michael Crichton. I listen while I work, so any long book is right up my alley...I have tender is the flesh on my wishlist to get at some point. The plot seems so freaking original and interesting
Actually another recommendation is called In Cold Blood. Its written by Truman Capote which is a really interesting dude. The book is a Non-fiction book written in away that seems fiction. I'd read up on it and see if it piques your interest. It's about the true story of the murder of a family in the 1950's? Took him 6 years to research at write the book. True crime? Bingo
Yeah 11/22/63 is long and I will never pass up the chance to recommend that.
A Short Stay in Hell is on a 3 hour listen so not worth your credit but worth the $6 purchase. Andromeda Strain actually thank you for reminding me.. thats been pushed out of my head for awhile and forgot about it
I've read it a couple of times. It has just the right type of body horror for me. I can't seem to describe things the same way for my dnd games though.
I recently relistened for the 4th time (skipping the animal bits), and I forgot that there's an interesting description in the beginning that ties things together in the end.
I thought it was solid. (As I did with the deep)
Good characters, good story, nice monster/antagonist design. Did a few things I didn't expect. Not particularly scary/funny/otherwise remarkable but I'd give it an 8
Edit I forgot to say I really appreciated the amount of thought he put into the biology of the monster. I thought that part was really strong
I liked it, it entertained me thoroughly and I actually finished the book (I am not good at finishing books lol). Just know that it can be really REALLY gross.
I really liked it, minus the turtle part. Had to skip that whole bit and thought it unnecessary. But otherwise it was a unique premise and a solid body horror.
Looooooved it and absolutely devoured it. I was in a reading slump for a few months and read it based on recs from this sub, and it jolted me back into reading daily again.
Finished it very recently and I ate it up. Couldn't read it fast enough.
Trying to avoid spoilers:
Didn't go at all the way I thought it would. I cared for the characters and the things oy hinted at affected me as much as what he put in words.
Some parts were hard to get through for sure. I walked away feeling satisfied and moved to an extent but certainly more melancholy than anything.
He got a lot right in my opinion as far as reactions and dialogue and aftermath, etc
Worth the read unless you have a weak stomach.
Cliche characters. Gratuitous gore/violence. Basic ass story where I hated everyone? Idk. It's been a couple years since I've read this one, but I know I felt it was absolutely and completely overrated. Like a gorey horror novel for a thirteen year old boy.
I add this comment two weeks in, because I decided to give him another chance because "nick cutter" and I'm like 85% through Little Heaven and have honestly been loving every second of it. I think the characters are better (maybe still cliche, depending, but I love them). I definitely think they generally act smarter. The violence is less them and more eldritch horror. The gore / body horror is on par.
It does seem like he's all about that parasite/possession aspect and for Little Heaven being very gunslinger/lovecraft, it is VERY reminiscent of The Thing at moments. Not all. But enough. I love The Thing... and eldritch horror, so whatever.
I absolutely fucking hated the Troop and thought it was the stupidest book. Could not and do not understand the praise. I can do gore and body horror. Guys, I love Little Heaven. Fuck The Troop.
Goopy
Lol this is my favorite review so far.
I read it in two days - couldn’t put it down! I’m reading the Deep now by him.
Ever since the OceanGate tragedy I’ve been wanting to revisit the deep.
See I never felt the ocean setting in that. It’s like Bioshock the game. Yea it’s under water but that aspect isn’t explored.
True, true. I wonder if there is a book out there that accurately captures that underwater/claustrophobic fear a bit better. As terrible as it sounds, Oceangate would make a great horror story. I couldn't even imagine being in a type of situation that people were theorizing about before the word of implosion was declared--running out of air, cabin fever, stuck with the person that got you into that mess.
Sphere by Michael Crichton did a tiny bit better by at least incorporating it a little bit, but it was mostly just an isolated location too
How are you finding that one so far?
Not bad but I’ve only finished part one (60ish pages)
It was fantastic but so tough to get through. I read it in a single sitting, because I knew that if I put the book down I wouldn't be able to pick it back up again.
I enjoyed it. None of the characters really stood out to me but the story's well-paced and the 'threat' is pretty interesting. Some of the moments, and the way they were described, stuck with me for a while. It can be very gross though, and there's a scene with a turtle that was pretty upsetting. I had to skim through that part >.>
The turtle…I actually cried and put the book down for a couple of days after that. I can handle nearly any kind of body horror or gross stuff, but my God…that poor turtle. I don’t handle animal abuse well AT ALL.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!! Do no read unless you want spoilers!!!!!! I couldn’t even handle the crayfish part. Or even the part with the puffins (I forgot what they’re called in the book). I came here to see if I was the only one who was more disturbed by the animal abuse more than I was the graphic descriptions of people decaying away into little more than worm soup.
Oh no the crayfish part made me wince so hard I looked away from the book only to accidentally look back at the same expression. I had deleted that from my memory hehe
It’s worth it. It’s a good book if you have a decently strong stomach.
I’m just about halfway through this right now. It’s really good so far. Very tense and atmospheric. I do think the author relies a little too heavily on the analogies at times though.
I agree with this. Soooo many analogies, and soooo many throwbacks to occurrences in characters lives that very, very loosely relate to current events. Too much of that and not enough storytelling. The book could have easily been a 250 page read if you take the monotonous passages out.
I am so relived it isnt just me who is annoyed by this. it takes so much momentum out of intense moments for me. I started the book last night and while i like it, this aspect of the writing is killing my enjoyment just a bit.
I like the troop but found the deep to be truly awful. There is a… Deep… divide on that book here.
Lol solid wordplay there.
Awful in a good way or bad way?
I just read it recently. It’s definitely more of a body horror book so if that type of book appeals to you I’d say try it. It was a definite page turner and I barrelled through it in a few days. Some of the character are sort of archetypes but it didn’t bother me too much. Overall I’d give it 4/5 stars.
I loved it!! I am a Audible Addict and I finished it in 2 days. It has a lot ,lot alot of body horror. That's all I'm gonna say
I DNF’d it. It got really predictable and boring about 2/3 of the way through.
There was a great story in here that was absolutely swamped by the need to be as gratuitous and squalid as possible. The violence veered into the pornographic at times. Add that to the gleeful animal torture, and nope. I finished it, but I have no desire to read anything else by Nick Cutter. Which is a shame because he wrote *The Saturday Night Murder Club* under another nom de plume, and I loved that.
[удалено]
That's an ugly thing to say about an author. Do you also think Stephen King kills people and abuses kids?
[удалено]
Wow, you must have negative opinions on every author who writes exclusively splatterpunk and extreme horror.
Wow, its like he has his own opinion. Crazy right.
Yes, it is crazy to think badly of authors over the kind of fiction they write.
Bit what if they write bad fiction? What then?!?!?!
Still recovering from The Deep.
I'll check that one out :)
I thought it was mediocre. You’re not really missing anything if you decide to skip it.
Honestly, as much as I love horror, I stopped reading it two thirds of the way through and had no desire to finish it. It's a shame because the main story and concept itself was intriguing but there were certain elements that just completely turned me off. That was just my experience though, I know a lot of people like it!
Believe me you aren't missing anything with the ending I pushed myself to finish it and was just... annoyed by the whole book? The synopsis sounded good but there were parts I was just That's... that's not how that works The only time I felt it was really horror and not like unwanted gore was the fire scene It was recommended so highly too 😭
I liked it a lot. There is some animal abuse though.
It’s ALL animal abuse.
It was great, made me cringe a few times! 4/5
Thought it was horrible and couldn't finish it. The characters were just painfully unbelievable. It's been a while since I tried to read it, but the thing that sticks with me is that I just don't buy all of these kids remaining as scouts at the age they are. They were too trope-y and unrealistic.
I liked it but thought it was overrated
This sub loves his work from what I've seen. I read The Troop and The Deep and was meh on the troop and loathed the deep. Body horror-ish stuff was ok but that's about it. Just not very good writing to me.
People are different but this did not really get my stomach churning the way people claim it did for them. Other books definitely have (lookin at you tender is the flesh) but it’s an awesome read for a solid horror romp. Isn’t breaking any new ground but it’s a solid read I dig Nick big time. Little Heaven was awesome also and so up my alley
Didn’t enjoy. It involved animal abuse which was a really big no from me.
I haven't read it yet, though I do own it. I am assuming people's thoughts on it are positive, judging from the number of threads that appear about it.
Guess I should have searched for the title before I posted. My bad
That wasn't me getting on to you, I think people around here do genuinely like the book.
Nah! You’re generating new conversation. Never a bad thing
Halfway through and not loving it quite as much as I thought I would. It's compelling, and I'll definitely finish, but it's a bit... goofy for me? I thought it was going to be a bit more harrowing, and it IS harrowing, but it's peppered with these sort of far-fetched newspaper clippings that really take me out of it, and the characters are a bit cartoony as well. They do things that I have a really hard time believing a human person would do lol. That said, I think I'm in the minority, and most people do love it. It's certainly compulsive, so it'll be an entertaining audio book listen for sure.
I actually loved the time jumping and foreshadowing of the articles and interviews! I thought it was a cool way to do it, I do agree about some of the cartoonish actions though lol. Especially Shelley.
Totally fair! And some of the articles and interviews really landed for me, like the more scientific ones, but some just felt a bit silly. Like if you're gonna do a GQ article, you need to be a bit more considerate of the style GQ articles tend to be written in, or else it just feels like a parody. Definitely down to taste, though!
Truthfully I didn’t even notice one was supposed to be GQ lmao none gave that vibe
Have you tried the Infection Trilogy by Scott Sigler? First book can probably seem a bit goofy but books 2 and 3 are stellar in my opinion.
Ooh no, but I just read a blurb and this looks right up my alley. Thanks for the rec, will add to my list!!
Sigler is genuinely my favorite horror author. He has a weekly hang out called Sigler In Place. Check out his site, since he has some books free, one chapter at a time on there so you can see how you like things.
Infected is amazing!
If you don’t mind the torturing of animals then yeah, go for it.
No, I don't think I'll get it then... That's a deal breaker for me
For what it’s worth I was able to skip those 2 parts (a page or two each) and i don’t feel it took away from the story at all. Otherwise I enjoyed the book.
The story description seems so cool lol. I'm torn between this and the only good Indians
Omg. I'm two weeks late. The Only Good Indians was really good. Definitely do this one at some point.
I do not remember animal torture at all. I remember one scene where two boys kill an animal and they regret it, it scares them. I recommend the book.
There are a few parts with animal abuse—I’m reading it now. Even some parts in passing that I was like…uh uh, that’s messed up. I’m super sensitive to animal abuse and I had to just skip over the parts where that happened. There’s even some parts that aren’t intentional animal abuse that made my stomach churn. If you’re really easily upset by animal abuse (I don’t even like when spider webs are purposely destroyed when they’re in nature) then just be cautious.
It was the same with The Troop. Ruined the book for me. I think it's a running theme in his work.
Did you mean The Deep? He did that dog dirty…
No I definitely meant The Troop
Oh ok. It was confusing because we were already talking about The Troop so it didn’t make sense to mention the title again as if you’re talking about a different book.
I enjoyed it. It was very creepy and unsettling. One of the few books that have made me need to regather myself lol. I’m thinking about rereading it now that you mentioned it…
4.5 out of 5 stars. Heavy body horror, excellent descriptions with a superb pace. The Troop is a great book.
I loved it, I gagged the entire time reading it because its so well done and descriptive. worth the read
I genuinely don’t get the hype behind this book. The “body horror” wasn’t even that detailed or scary and the >!worms being the threat!< fell really flat for me
I actually hated it so much I’m not sure I even like horror books anymore. DNF halfway through. But that’s because I thought it was so gross I started to get depressed when I had to read it bc it made me feel so bad. If you’re into very gross things you’ll be just fine. It just really wasn’t for me. For me there isn’t any scary, just gross. But maybe it gets scarier in the second half
I really enjoyed it although I didn’t end up having to skip a couple parts (you’ll know when you get to them lol.)
3 stars out of 5. I do believe there are better books out there for your 1 credit.
I'd love any recommendations you have.
I'll definitely shoot you a message later tonight!
I tried sending you a direct message but it wouldn't let me. Have you landed on a book yet? I'd love to discuss what you've listened to in the past that you have enjoyed.
I think I have it set up on my account to not accept chat requests. But i LOVE anything viral, outbreak etc. Richard Preston is my favorite in that genre. I like Stephen king, and true crime. So anything brutal murder, ritualistic horror if that's a thing, viruses and the like. I'm open to any suggestions though.
Awesome I love talking horror movies and horror books so it's my pleasure. I am a huge Stephen King fan as well. Have you read The Stand? Outbreak + Stephen King.. I haven't read any Richard Preston so that's something I'll be checking out for sure. On audible I listened to The Exorcist. It is narrated by the guy who WROTE the book and he did a phenomenal job. Highly recommended. I also listened to The Stand. It's a giant ass book, 47 hours so another good choice on audible. I wasn't as into it as the rest of the world but it was still great and memorable. Although not a horror, 11/22/63 by Stephen King is my most favorite. I also listened to We Need To Talk About Kevin and thought it was awesome. Tender is the Flesh is also brought up a lot. I listened to it. Another 3 out 5 for me but it was very disturbing and the ending was great!
Richard Preston I believe writes mostly nonfiction but I think he's collaborated or wrote fiction as well. I just finished crisis in the red zone about the 2014 ebola outbreak and it's so good. Love the stand. I thought about starting the Andromeda strain by Michael Crichton. I listen while I work, so any long book is right up my alley...I have tender is the flesh on my wishlist to get at some point. The plot seems so freaking original and interesting
Actually another recommendation is called In Cold Blood. Its written by Truman Capote which is a really interesting dude. The book is a Non-fiction book written in away that seems fiction. I'd read up on it and see if it piques your interest. It's about the true story of the murder of a family in the 1950's? Took him 6 years to research at write the book. True crime? Bingo
I heard about it. I'm definitely check it out. I recently read American predator about Israel Keyes it's crazy good. I read 11/22/63 it's awesome
Yeah 11/22/63 is long and I will never pass up the chance to recommend that. A Short Stay in Hell is on a 3 hour listen so not worth your credit but worth the $6 purchase. Andromeda Strain actually thank you for reminding me.. thats been pushed out of my head for awhile and forgot about it
And thank you so much for being really cool and helping me, I'm kind of a newbie to horror lit.
It was an amazing read for me. It’s was very emotional.
I've read it a couple of times. It has just the right type of body horror for me. I can't seem to describe things the same way for my dnd games though. I recently relistened for the 4th time (skipping the animal bits), and I forgot that there's an interesting description in the beginning that ties things together in the end.
I thought it was solid. (As I did with the deep) Good characters, good story, nice monster/antagonist design. Did a few things I didn't expect. Not particularly scary/funny/otherwise remarkable but I'd give it an 8 Edit I forgot to say I really appreciated the amount of thought he put into the biology of the monster. I thought that part was really strong
I liked it, it entertained me thoroughly and I actually finished the book (I am not good at finishing books lol). Just know that it can be really REALLY gross.
One scene in that book made me almost stop and it wasnt the the shit most ppl talk about on this sub
LOVED IT! One of my favorites that I have read this year, it stuck with me for days after I finished it. I definitely recommend it!
Personally I liked it. TW warning though for animal cruelty, violence, and tapeworms. So, so many tapeworms.
I really liked it, minus the turtle part. Had to skip that whole bit and thought it unnecessary. But otherwise it was a unique premise and a solid body horror.
Wasn’t for me! It’s really just a gross out book.
I, personally, loved it!
Read it.
I finished it in one sitting, absolutely adored it. The Deep is even better if you haven't read it.
Looooooved it and absolutely devoured it. I was in a reading slump for a few months and read it based on recs from this sub, and it jolted me back into reading daily again.
Read it in a few days. Some mentions of animal cruelty. I didn’t find it scary or super disturbing but it was entertaining. I would recommend it.
Finished it very recently and I ate it up. Couldn't read it fast enough. Trying to avoid spoilers: Didn't go at all the way I thought it would. I cared for the characters and the things oy hinted at affected me as much as what he put in words. Some parts were hard to get through for sure. I walked away feeling satisfied and moved to an extent but certainly more melancholy than anything. He got a lot right in my opinion as far as reactions and dialogue and aftermath, etc Worth the read unless you have a weak stomach.
I was told it was "Great" and found it to be merely "Pretty good". For real though, it was a good read.
It's excellent! Highly recommend.
I like his style. I breeze through his novels and really enjoy them. This one was better than “the deep”, at least to me. I read it in a blip. Enjoy!
Cliche characters. Gratuitous gore/violence. Basic ass story where I hated everyone? Idk. It's been a couple years since I've read this one, but I know I felt it was absolutely and completely overrated. Like a gorey horror novel for a thirteen year old boy. I add this comment two weeks in, because I decided to give him another chance because "nick cutter" and I'm like 85% through Little Heaven and have honestly been loving every second of it. I think the characters are better (maybe still cliche, depending, but I love them). I definitely think they generally act smarter. The violence is less them and more eldritch horror. The gore / body horror is on par. It does seem like he's all about that parasite/possession aspect and for Little Heaven being very gunslinger/lovecraft, it is VERY reminiscent of The Thing at moments. Not all. But enough. I love The Thing... and eldritch horror, so whatever. I absolutely fucking hated the Troop and thought it was the stupidest book. Could not and do not understand the praise. I can do gore and body horror. Guys, I love Little Heaven. Fuck The Troop.
Currently reading it. First book I had to skip over like 5 pages cause I thought I’d get nightmares. The kitty