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The Ruins

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The Ruins

By: Scott Smith
Narrated by: Patrick Wilson
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About this listen

 HE EAGERLY AWAITED NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF A SIMPLE PLAN

Eerie, terrifying, and unputdownable, The Ruins is Scott Smith's first novel since his acclaimed debut A Simple Plan earned rave reviews and stormed bestseller lists.

The Ruins follows two American couples enjoying a pleasant, lazy beach holiday together in Mexico. On an impulse, they go off with newfound friends in search of one of their group -- the young German, who, in pursuit of a girl, has headed for the remote Mayan ruins, site of a fabled archeological dig.

This is what happens from the moment the searchers -- moving into the wild interior -- begin to suspect that there is an insidious, horrific "other" among them....©2006 Scott Smith. All rights reserved; (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. Action & Adventure Horror Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Exciting
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It took a while for me to get in to, but this is an entertaining enough listen, the best thing about it is the well written characters, like in all the best horror you start to feel like you know them and therefore it raises the stakes when danger happens. It was well read by actor Patrick Wilson. I don't want to give anything away but there's one aspect of the book I found unsatisfying, but it would be a spoiler to get into that. Basically it's a decent enough horror that'll keep you entertained, but that you'll probably forget about not long after you've finished it, that said, I wasn't sorry I listened to it.

Entertaining if a little unsatisfying (no spoiler)

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This was a decent horror novel - it was gross, I felt sweaty and disgusting just reading it and I could feel the pain the characters were going through. However, I just felt it wasn't totally my kind of book as it was a bit boring and repetitive as it went on. Just not for me. Loved Patrick Wilson doing the narrating and happy I used Audible to be able to listen.

Decent horror novel

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Really enjoyed this book. It starts off a little slow, setting up the setting and the characters but it's still an interesting read. Then when the action starts it had me hooked. Can be quite gory and can be a difficult listen if you're squeamish! Excellent story and a fantastic ending, highly recommended. Competently read but you can tell it takes him a bit of time to get into it.

Slow to start but becomes a very gripping book

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💛 It’s no surprise this was made into a film. Beautiful teens, holiday horror, it’s made for the screen. It works well in the book too, but this is definitely more movie.

🖤 Overall I really enjoyed this. It’s scary, I thought the characters had some really interesting thoughts and traits. Yes, they were a bit generic, but that helped in simplifying detail for plot. They also worked well as a group. And the story always kept me interested. So far so good.

💙 Things got a bit slow at times as well as repetitive. It could have been an hour shorter and, had it been, it would have been a 4 star for me.

💚 I was sooo unhappy about the ending. Boo.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 This was a very easy listen. Patrick Wilson has a smooth voice with just an edge of gruffness. It reminded me of James Franco.

🎧 I would have preferred a female voice for the female roles. I could picture the male characters much more clearly than the female.

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SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO…

Like a cross between Scream and Brokedown Palace.

Teen Scream Ideal for Big Screens

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‘Wo ist Eric. Eric ist gestorben.’

Brilliant. Lean prose, incredible story, immersive environment. This is horror at its best. And the narration is nothing shy of perfect. A brilliant listen. If you aren’t afraid of plants, you will be.

Superb

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