«The Ritual» Adam Neville’s Ritual: when ancient horrors awaken. Review by ITC.ua

English writer Adam Neville is widely known in the West for his horror novels. Finally, his works have begun to be published in Ukraine. Thus, the publishing house «NK-Bogdan» has released his probably most popular horror book «The Ritual», and another work by the author is planned for this year. The novel has an atmospheric Netflix adaptation of the same name, which is also worth watching. But read the book first, especially if you like horror, the supernatural, and survival novels.

«Ритуал»

Pluses:

good quality of the publication and atmospheric cover, appropriate to the novel; high-quality tense plot about people, the Ancient Evil, paganism and rituals; the author raises complex issues of friendship and self-sacrifice, survival and death; the writer knows how to build tension, describe wildlife, people and the problems between them perfectly

Minuses:

at the beginning, the author does not reveal the characters and immediately throws them into the whirlwind of events, so the reader does not create empathy with them

9/10

Rating
ITC.ua

«The Ritual» 

Author Adam Neville
Publisher NK-Bogdan
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 352
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2024
Size 145×215 mm
Website bohdan-books.com

Four old friends from university are going on a hike in the wilds of Sweden. The men are in their forties, many have families, responsibilities and jobs, and some are overweight and have health problems. And the former friends have little in common in terms of interests, so the tension is growing as they try to find their friendship again, but it’s not going well. Disappointed and tired of the difficult transition, the characters choose a shortcut through the old forest. But this decision turns their journey into a nightmare that could cost them their lives.

Hungry and surrounded by an ancient millennial forest, the men come across a lonely old house. Inside, they find the eerie remains of old pagan rituals and sacrifices, as well as bones and various unexplained things. The friends realize that something lives in this forest — Ancient Evil, a forgotten God or Creation to whom the locals once offered sacrifices, but everyone left, leaving it hungry. But now it has something to eat, and the hunt for people begins.

I am one of those who are afraid of horror movies, but that was a long time ago. Unfortunately, such things are happening outside the window of every Ukrainian now that I personally have not been scared to watch any horror movie since February 2022. But even before the full-scale invasion, when I was still scared of various «The Blair Witch», «Paranormal Activity» and other similar movies, I was never scared of books in the same genre. I read enough of them, but they didn’t have the same effect. But it was Adam Neville’s «The Ritual» that brought my feelings closer to those of watching a quality horror movie: your heart is pounding, your mouth is dry, your eyes are bulging, your breathing is rapid, and you want to know what happens next.

However, there is already a serious flaw at the beginning of the novel. The fact is that the writer immediately plunges the main characters into a whirlwind of events, which does not allow the reader to get to know them at least a little. For example, Stephen King creates prologues long enough to describe in detail not only the setting and circumstances, but also to introduce the reader to the characters so that they can develop empathy.

But Neville doesn’t do this, so you don’t care about the characters at all, at least at first. But the novel draws you in not by this, but by the event itself, by the future disaster that is about to happen to the characters. That’s why the writer hooks you first with other things, such as tense dialogues, tough prose, and a penetrating, literally sharp look at the environment, at the nature and essence of man. The writer has a talent not only for creating suspense and tension, but also for describing the forest and its peculiarities, cold and humidity, exhaustion of people, etc.

The book is divided into two parts. In the first, the characters confront the wilderness and the Ancient Evil that lives here. In the second part, the opponents are other people, so between the parts, when it seems that salvation is on the horizon, the reader and the characters will face a second, no less terrifying and horrifying confrontation.

This novel is another reminder that man is the worst enemy not only to himself but also to others. We are also the most dangerous creatures on this planet.

The edition of «The Ritual» is both high-quality and simple at the same time. We have a stylish and atmospheric cover, which some people also call scary. The paper is yellow, and the font is easy to read. It’s great that the publishing house replaced the font they had before with another one. It’s a matter of taste, but it makes it much easier for me to read. Also, special thanks for the available lasso.

Conclusion:

«The Ritual» by Adam Neville is a chilling novel that shows life and death in an ancient forest in slow motion. It is an exhaustive study of how certain small decisions of people, their small mistakes and random events tend to accumulate, especially in the harsh conditions of the wild, and create a deadly danger. «The Ritual» skillfully combines an analysis of old friendships under threat with themes of paganism, ancient rituals and pagan customs.

If you like thrillers, horror, and suspense, you should definitely check out «The Ritual». However, be aware that at the beginning there will be no empathy with the characters because the author immediately plunges into the whirlwind of events with them. They are the reason why it is very difficult to tear yourself away from the book.