Where to begin - this amazing read starts with the escape of a medical patient but what is wrong with him? The authorities are hunting him down; they must find him or he could start the end of the world as we know it. The man is hungry, oh so hungry. No matter how much he eats he needs more. When food runs out he’ll eat anything, literally anything - animals, wood, plastic, himself.
Now with an opener like that what horror enthusiast wouldn’t want more - I ate this up - that’s right, I just said that.
The story refocuses on a scout troop (hence the title) and their troop master going on a wilderness adventure for the weekend on a deserted island (queue a throwback to my schooldays and a reading of Lord of the Flies - how wizard is that; see what I did there 😁)
On night one a stranger arrives in a boat, on his own and looking emaciated - he is hungry, very hungry. The gang, being the good scout troop that they are, are more than willing to help. Of course the proverbial hits the fan and the troop are forced to run for their lives. But something is wrong with them, very wrong. They are hungry and nothing seems to quell their appetite. Spread across the island the boys must work together to survive the next few days until help arrives. Will they all make it, you’ll have to wait and see.
The author moves the story along at a hundred miles an hour. The reader doesn’t get chance to digest (I know, another pun I’m sorry) before being dragged into the next gross out. His description of what the characters do to one another is so vivid - there is one scene with a sea turtle where…I’ll leave that open for you to read and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
When reading I remember thinking this would make an awesome movie or TV show. After finishing it I googled the author to see what else he had done and I was rewarded with the knowledge that the master of horror himself, James Wan, who brought us Insidious, The Conjuring, and the Saw franchise to name but a few has optioned this so it will be coming to life on the big screen.
I can’t recommend this enough to horror enthusiasts but if you are a bit squeamish perhaps give this a miss.
Quite simply one of the best horror books I have had the pleasure of reading I can only give it 5 out of 5 stars.