The Ruins
Scott Smith scored big with a novel called A Simple Plan more than a decade ago. It was an effective white-knuckler with a very simple premise. He's followed that up with his second novel, also a thriller, also with a very simple premise, called The Ruins. While not as good as A Simple Plan, it has its merits.
The story concerns a quartet of young American tourists in Cancun. They become friendly with a German tourist, who wants some help finding his brother, who has run off to a ruin with an archaeologist girlfriend. Together with a Greek friend they head into the jungle. Although they are discouraged by local Mayan villagers, they proceed to the ruins, only to be blocked from leaving by the Mayans. They soon find out why--there are killer vines that live on the hill, and the Mayans will do anything to keep the vine from spreading.
Once you find out that the whole plot concerns killer, sentient plants (these things can do just about everything) there's a little letdown, a "is that all there is?" Also, the writing is so simple at times that it bordered on childish. The characters are rather simply drawn, and even though Smith gives them some contemplative moments, thinking back to their pasts, I never really got a good handle on them. One girl is a priss, the other loose, one guy is an eagle scout, another a joker. I don't think Smith even gives us a physical description.
What Smith does do well is convey the terror of their predicament. Reading this you can almost feel the heat, the thirst, the panic of the people. One of them has a rather nasty fall, and some crude surgery has to take place, which should give anyone the willies.
This is a good beach read, but I wouldn't bring it on a vacation to Mexico.
The story concerns a quartet of young American tourists in Cancun. They become friendly with a German tourist, who wants some help finding his brother, who has run off to a ruin with an archaeologist girlfriend. Together with a Greek friend they head into the jungle. Although they are discouraged by local Mayan villagers, they proceed to the ruins, only to be blocked from leaving by the Mayans. They soon find out why--there are killer vines that live on the hill, and the Mayans will do anything to keep the vine from spreading.
Once you find out that the whole plot concerns killer, sentient plants (these things can do just about everything) there's a little letdown, a "is that all there is?" Also, the writing is so simple at times that it bordered on childish. The characters are rather simply drawn, and even though Smith gives them some contemplative moments, thinking back to their pasts, I never really got a good handle on them. One girl is a priss, the other loose, one guy is an eagle scout, another a joker. I don't think Smith even gives us a physical description.
What Smith does do well is convey the terror of their predicament. Reading this you can almost feel the heat, the thirst, the panic of the people. One of them has a rather nasty fall, and some crude surgery has to take place, which should give anyone the willies.
This is a good beach read, but I wouldn't bring it on a vacation to Mexico.
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