I admit I haven't seen the movie yet... and now I'm not sure that I want to! Not because the book sucked- just the opposite- but once you've read the book, the movie would have to be pretty damn good to equal Scott Smith's awesome story-telling.
Smith writes in a clean, no-nonsense style that puts you in the moment and makes it real without over-romanticizing the characters and situations. It's not a bunch of flowery prose or long-winded dialog, yet he's able to hit on the subtleties of the story- the characters, their emotions, their mentality- and does it in a plain spoken manner.
The story itself starts out simple enough. Two young couples on the verge of the rest of their lives decide to take a vacation to Mexico and while there befriend a nice but reserved German and a trio of fun loving Greeks. All is sun and fun until the German confides that his brother has gone sniffing after a pretty archaeologist to some remote dig in the jungle, and feeling responsible for his sibling, tells his new friends he must go and get him. The couples volunteer to go along as well as one of the Greeks, and with nothing but a hastily scribbled note and roughly sketched map to explain their whereabouts, the group sets off on their adventure.
Soon the group finds themselves deep in the heart of the jungle, hiking along a dirt road that eventually leads them to a poor village. Again and again they are warned to turn back, but not understanding the danger, push ahead only to later find themselves virtually trapped at the strangely abandoned ruins, with little food or water to sustain them and no means of escape.
Smith weaves this story of suspense like a true master, keeping the reader on edge while tapping into their basest fears. It's a great read, taut and suspenseful up to the very last page.
Rating ~ 10 skulls on the creep meter.
Cheers~
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