With so much genre fi ction
currently exploring the aftermath
of the end of the world, the
pitch for Paul Tremblay’s latest
feels like a nifty idea. What if
strangers presented you with the
opportunity to stop the end of the
world with a terrible sacrifi ce?
And what if they’re lying?
Much as he did with A
Head Full Of Ghosts, Tremblay
grabs you and then opens up a
succession of moral dilemmas,
shocks and grim realities.
The story begins with young
Wen being approached outsideher holiday cabin by a man
named Leonard while her parents
Andrew and Eric are inside. He
seems friendly but his genial
chatter becomes unsettling and
he tells us that he needs her and
her dads’ help to save the world.
Before long, this family has
been tied to chairs by four
strangers who tell them that they
have a terrible choice to make:
one of them must be sacrifi ced,
but they have to decide who and
do the deed. If they don’t, it’s the
end of the world.
By starting from Wen’s point ofBlaze
Stephen King
A crook bonds with a kidnapped baby while remembering his past
in this tragic Bachman book.IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY...THE CABIN AT THE
END OF THE WORLD
Ritual sacrifi ce
DetailsAuthor: Paul Tremblay Publisher: Titan Books Price: £8.99 Released: Out now
view, Tremblay introduces a real
sense of uncertainty as we try
to fi gure out the motives of this
seemingly friendly new arrival,
and that unsettling feeling
does not go anywhere. Those
expecting a straightforward
home invasion will be wrong-
footed. It quickly becomes
apparent that they sincerely
believe that this is the only way
to avert a global apocalypse
and their (almost) unwavering
belief that they are doing the
right thing is a brick wall which
Andrew and Eric can’t hope to
talk their way around.
Taking place over roughly 24
hours and almost entirely in a
single room, Tremblay doesn’t
allow the reader any room to
breathe. Things progress with
an awful steadiness as the sense
of doom builds and builds. It’s
fantastically constructed and
totally compelling.
And while it’s worth
applauding Tremblay for his
impressive ability to shock
with well-timed and horrifying
moments of gore, that sense of
ambiguity that was beautifully
used in A Head Full Of Ghosts
is just as expertly deployed here
as the Catholic Eric begins to
wonder: what if they’re right?
There’s clever commentary on
the disastrous consequences of
failed communication and our
own fascination with the end of
the world, but there’s real heart
and humanity at the story’s core.
Every horror hurts, every loss
wounds and it all comes down
to desperately wanting this
family to make it through. This is
another superb novel from one of
the genre’s most exciting authors.
Jonathan Hatfull- Meddling
Kids
“Meddling
Kids by Edgar
Cantero just
about qualifi es
as horror – Tim
is by far and
away the best
character!!! I need to get out
more... #BookClub”
@SilverFoxLlew
TELL US YOUR FAVOURITES
@SCIFINOW ON TWITTERYour 5 Best
recent horror
discoveries★★★★★- The
Shining
“I liked King’s
The Shining
because the
horror was
all in hushed
tones. No
overboard
gory. And I LOVED the topiary
animals scene! #BookClub”
@vlarouchewrites - The
Handmaid’s
Tale
“Not sure if it’s
considered a
horror novel
but I’m in the
middle of The
Handmaid’s
Tale and it might just cause
me to have a few nightmares.
#BookClub” @farscape08 - We Have
Always
Lived At
The Castle
“Not that
recent, but
Shirley
Jackson’s
We Have Always Lived At The
Castle probably ranks among
my top horror novels of all time.
#BookClub” @Siegel_Jan
BOOK CLUB
The Cabin At The End Of The World086 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
Must
read
now!- The
Silence
“The Silence
by @timlebbon
was fantastic.
Really chilled
me AND it was
before A Quiet
Place so gets
all the originality points. Just loved
it. #BookClub” @GaryRenton2