Scan barcode
bbrassfield's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps the novel's subtitle should read the Dunwich Horror Meets Hiking Metal Punks. This is a good thing. The Ritual is a fine piece of modern horror writing. It all begins innocently enough with four old friends 15 years removed from uni hiking an ancient forest in northern Sweden. Two of the four friends are unfit for such a trek and so a shortcut through the dense woodland is attempted but like many a good shortcut things go horribly wrong. The woodland is practically impenetrable and the going slow. With supplies running short our friends discover a very old graveyard and church. Very old, as in pre-Christian. Evidence of human sacrifice and other remains add to the sense of foreboding, but what really sets our hikers off is the discovery of a disemboweled animal hung high in a tree. What creature could do such a thing? Unfortunately our four English travelers discover something living in the forest as old as the earth itself and it picks off (and by picks off I mean gut and hang from a tree) three by the time we reach the two thirds part of the novel. The author's very good at description and the forest is as much of a character as our four friends as we move along. Indeed the forest is quite horrifying. But then something unexpected happens, at least unexpected to this reader. Our lone survivor from the original hiking expedition, Luke, is captured by three hiking metal punks (this references a darkthrone song).
Turns out as part of the research for his novel, Adam Nevill read the non-fiction Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, a fascinating if disturbing look at the rise of Norwegian black metal in the early 1990's and the violence that came along with it. Luke's captors are very much influenced by the violent chaos bringing aspects of black metal music and have formed a band they call Blood Frenzy. They come to the forest and are paired with an old woman who knows how to call the creature from the wood, but she is also quite ancient and not entirely human as she has hooves for feet! She represents a bridge I think between two worlds and her kin are alive and yet not it seems. Her actual connection to Blood Frenzy seems tenuous at best, but they clearly want her to call the creature forth so that it can usher in their version of Ragnarok. Along the way there are some interesting conversations between Luke and the Blood Frenzy trio about the nature of reality. As someone who enjoys pagan/black metal for its connection to pre-Christian/monotheist Nature while eschewing the violence/chaos aspect, the later third of the novel was pretty darn entertaining. Not only that, the combination of elements the author brings together actually works in the overall context of the Ritual to a very satisfying conclusion.
Turns out as part of the research for his novel, Adam Nevill read the non-fiction Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, a fascinating if disturbing look at the rise of Norwegian black metal in the early 1990's and the violence that came along with it. Luke's captors are very much influenced by the violent chaos bringing aspects of black metal music and have formed a band they call Blood Frenzy. They come to the forest and are paired with an old woman who knows how to call the creature from the wood, but she is also quite ancient and not entirely human as she has hooves for feet! She represents a bridge I think between two worlds and her kin are alive and yet not it seems. Her actual connection to Blood Frenzy seems tenuous at best, but they clearly want her to call the creature forth so that it can usher in their version of Ragnarok. Along the way there are some interesting conversations between Luke and the Blood Frenzy trio about the nature of reality. As someone who enjoys pagan/black metal for its connection to pre-Christian/monotheist Nature while eschewing the violence/chaos aspect, the later third of the novel was pretty darn entertaining. Not only that, the combination of elements the author brings together actually works in the overall context of the Ritual to a very satisfying conclusion.
ellamelieblop21's review against another edition
3.75
this is what I love to call a good horror book.
punkyjewster's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
armstrong029's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
asizzlefoshizl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Creeeeepyyyy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, and Murder
ellyj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hauntedashouses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
quijohnjinn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gfmetz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is really two novels smashed together into one. The first novel is excellent and very tense. The second one is not good at all. 5 stars for the first half of the book and 2 stars for the second half.
carmenshea's review against another edition
3.0
Very intriguing novel, the first half was perhaps my favourite, because I felt jarred out of the story come the second half, but overall it was a very good read and the introduction of the mythology was particularly spine-tingling!