In a way, it reminded me a lot of Lord of the Flies. Their relationships and inner thoughts so well expressed, that in spite of being a horror novel, this can be appreciated as a true character piece. Just a wee bit of advice, I wouldn't recommend eating anything just prior to picking this up. When a very ill stranger stumbles into their cabin, a horror is unleashed that is beyond anything the troop could have prepared for.

The Troop follows a group of boys who are taken on a weekend camping trip by their Scoutmaster, Tim Riggs, to an island off the coast of Eastern Canada.

The Troop was my first experience with the work of Nick Cutter and I was so impressed.Ĭutter can write some splendid Horror and this book easily placed him towards the top of my favorite authors list.Įvery page was a splendid discovery, evoking feelings of nostalgia for the Horror of my youth. If you have any questions or want to know more, please shoot me a question. so, yeah, the pen name is a little bit of an honorific for my son, too we'll see, in time, if he thinks that was such a hot idea! I live in Toronto with my fiancee and our baby boy, Nick. It's a lean living sometimes, but it's by and large an enjoyable one. I cobble together a living with my pen, is what I'm trying to say-by hook or by crook. I've written for magazines and newspapers, too. One of them even got turned into a movie. Do you like horror books? Do you like Boy Scouts (not in a weird, Canteen-Boyish way, but in a nostalgic way)? Do you like seeing said Boy Scouts confront a vicious enemy on an isolated Island off the coast of Prince Edward Island? If you said yes to one or more of these questions, you may enjoy this book.Īs for me: I've written a few other books under another name (the one my parents gave me). Personally, I wanted to be known as Lemondrop Pennyfeather, but that suggested nom de plume was cruelly stricken down.Īaaanywhoo, I've written this book, The Troop.

Not that I'm putting myself in their league, no way no how, but I'm just saying that was the idea behind the name. Horror writers should have crisp, punchy names. A cool, tough pen name! Your mileage will vary on whether you agree, but that was the thinking. I've been asked to set this up by The Powers That Be, and I'm more than happy to, although I can't really say much about myself seeing as Nick Cutter doesn't exactly exist-he's a pen name.

The troop cutter