This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 17, 2019.

The Ritual

By Adam Nevill – Pan Publishing – May 28, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

The Ritual tells the story of four friends from college who have attempted to revive their camaraderie via a camping trip in the Swedish wilderness. They overestimate their stamina, however, and when two of their number are hobbled by injuries, they elect to take a “shortcut” back towards town through an ancient forest. They soon encounter strange noises and disturbing relics, and realize they are being stalked by something powerful and stealthy, capable of eviscerating a grown man and flinging him up into the tree branches.

I greatly enjoyed the 2017 movie adaptation of The Ritual, but wished that more had been revealed, and that the finale had been less rushed. I picked up the novel hoping for more of what I enjoyed in the movie, and this book certainly delivered.

Despite the surprisingly fast pace of the book, a great deal of attention is paid to establishing an oppressive, ominous atmosphere. The reader is made to feel a great deal of empathy for the exhausted and injured hikers lost in the primeval Nordic wood. Tempers flare and nerves fray as the gravity of their situation becomes clear.

While much of the film is a close adaptation of the book, the two works diverge considerably when the protagonist encounters the local residents of the wilderness. The movie plays it safe with a fairly conventional evil cult, while the book heads in a much more interesting and original direction. (To me, anyway; apparently it's somewhat controversial to some other readers.)

Despite its bleakness, I was unable to put this book down. It was a horror novel of a grueling kind not often seen. The protagonist is pushed to extremes, suffering a laundry list of injuries coupled with incredible mental strain. His struggle and slipping sanity are incredibly effectively rendered on the page, resulting in the most engaging horror novel I've read in a number of years.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 20, 2022.

John the Balladeer

By Manly Wade Wellman – Baen Books – July, 1988

Review by Robin Marx

John roams the mountains of Appalachia carrying little more than his silver-stringed guitar and a rucksack with some provisions. Motivated by curiosity, he seeks out folklore and new songs to add to his repertoire. Along the way he encounters simple folk in need, sinister magicians, and supernatural horrors. John lives by his wits, the magic-defeating silver of his guitar strings, and his knowledge of folklore and biblical lore.

There’s a wandering outsider hero, black magic, and otherworldly menaces. These stories aren’t precisely sword & sorcery, but if you like that sort of thing, you’ll like THIS sort of thing.

★★★★☆

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