The Ruins (Scott Smith)

Book review. I've heard a saying, though i don't remember whence or whom, but it goes something like this, "Writing a story is easy. Create a character, put him/her through hell, and you've got yourself a story". The Ruins basically follows this simple rule. Create characters, put them through hell. For all it's worth, The Ruins provides a light and quick read that even if it's 500 pages long and no chapters, it could easily take eight hours of your time to read this book in one sitting.

Jeff, Amy, Erik and Stacy were friends. They spent their vacation time, leisurely and lazily in Cancun. They befriended Mathias, a German tourist, and three Greek tourists who identified themselves as Pablo, Don, and Juan. Mathias was waiting for his brother, Heinrich whom adventuring to some archeological Ruins deep in the jungle. When one day Mathias receives a note from Heinrich, the four friends, Mathias and Pablo seeks out an adventure to look for Heinrich. Little does they know that they were about to put through hell by Scott Smith.

It felt like an episode of Survivor where people were put in a confined space, isolated from the outside world. The only catch is, that the game was death-threatening, and pain was the very least of their problem. I don't care about the origin of the Ruins or some scientific or mystic explanation about it. This book is about surviving, how the men and women depicted in the book forced to adapt with harsh environment away from comfort they used to know. The book was horrifying at times, and depressing most of the times, it must be noted that ones who read it should've been familiar with, or at some point, love horror stories that its sole purpose was to made you flinch and look away. Even so, with a comment from Stephen King on its jacket, the horror-nature of this book should be recognized right away.

It's been quite a while since "The Stand" that i read a book not just for a killing time activity, and couldn't really put it down unread. I was up until 3 a.m on a working day reading this book. And even if, in my opinion, the ending might seem a bit turn-off for most people out there, for me, it is the most appropriate way to end a horror story like this.

The Ruins has been adapted to a film, and it actually one of the main reason i bought this book in the first place. Wonder how's the film would end.