The Ruins - Scott Smith

The Ruins

By Scott Smith

  • Release Date: 2006-07-18
  • Genre: Horror
4 Score: 4 (From 256 Ratings)

Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine in "the best horror novel of the new century" (Stephen King). Also a major motion picture!

Two young couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation—sun-drenched days, drunken nights, making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an ancient ruins site ... and the terrifying presence that lurks there.

"The Ruins does for Mexican vacations what Jaws did for New England beaches.” —Entertainment Weekly
 
“Smith’s nail-biting tension is a pleasure all its own.... This stuff isn’t for the faint of heart.” —New York Post
 
“A story so scary you may never want to go on vacation, or dig around in your garden, again.” —USA Today

Reviews

  • Then who’s the villain?

    5
    By Mars R Jr
    Really fun read. Horror wise, it’s scary to read what a plant that eats anything anything organic can do. It made me think of how cucumber vines wrap themselves tight around anything around them. I definitely won’t view my vine plants the same anymore! Thankfully, none of them sprout red flowers. I liked how the story progresses through the four main characters’s perspectives. It allowed me to see every character’s reasoning for how they acted in this fight or flight scenario. So when the characters are discussing who would play the villain in their movie, I realized that none of them are the villains. There is no villain. They all did what they hoped and thought would be the best for their survival. Not even the plant is the villain. It is a plant that acts out of its nature, out of survival. And that’s exactly how the characters act. They act out of survival. No one did anything out of vindication or evilness. I personally liked the ending too. Hope was a factor for the survival of a few of them, and in the end, hope is lost. I read this because I liked the film. The book and the movie are not the same, and I’m glad they weren’t. Out of the book, we get more information and story from the characters. From the movie, we get the visuals. Maybe some things are lost in the movie, like character background, but it was still a fun watch. Just as this book was a great and horrifying read.
  • The author is great

    5
    By Lilmigi
    I liked the way the author wrote the book. I just don’t like how it ended. But it’s a good book nonetheless.
  • Disappointing

    2
    By Emmet Aloysius
    After A Simple Plan, I thought this book would be so much better but it was disappointing. His first book was an intriguing caper but The Ruins was a bit of a mess- maybe better as a movie than a book but not sure if a movie was ever made. 2 stars!...EAF
  • :O

    5
    By BrandonSherlock
    Who ever made the movie needs to be shot. The book is way better and makes you want more with every page. The drama was cut right out of the movie. The book had everything you could look for in a horror story and some. Suspense, drama, ect.. The book is worth every penny. Don't waist your money on the movie.
  • Fun read

    5
    By colorwheel
    Enjoyed reading this.
  • Great thrilling read

    5
    By Kaybaybee1
    Better than the movie which was good. Once the book was over I still wanted more
  • Great

    5
    By Danamichelle05
    I thought this book was awesome, a real page turner, movie was a little disappointing, but the book def deserves 5 stars!
  • Well written but ultimately disappointing

    3
    By Zerkaa is da bomb
    I haven't seen this movie (or even heard of it) but there's no question in my mind that this book is well written. It's a phenomenal page turner. You find yourself identifying with and rooting for the characters every step of the way. And, like the characters, you know what the outcome will be but hope all the way until the end that it will be different.
  • Great Book!

    5
    By sc1996
    I read this in 8th grade and I loved it (though it was a little inappropriate because of the language and other content). And it's not completely like the movie. If you love a good horror/thriller, I highly recommend this.

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