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....
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"I just finished reading 'The Ruins' by Scott Smith. Umm Stephen King called it as one of the 'thriIIing' horror books of the new century or whatever. After reading it the onIy thing l can think is that as much as l Iove King's books, I don't reaIIy think I'm that much crazy about his personal taste in this novel lol. It's a pretty quick read but it kind of reminded me of movies where a bunch of friends go to an overseas holiday && get stuck in a serious mutilation-danger probIIem or whatever.. && the part that sort of bothered me was when they didn't explore the mine further.. umm maybe there iis a tunnel that leads out..? l would say it was an okay book though."
— Aishma (4 out of 5 stars)
“The best horror novel of the new century.”
— Stephen King“A smart, clean-burning horror machine.”
— New York Times Book Review“The most disturbing novel of the year.”
— Time“Smith’s nail-biting tension is a pleasure all its own…This stuff isn’t for the faint of heart.”
— New York Post“The Ruins does for Mexican vacations what Jaws did for New England beaches.”
— Entertainment Weekly“A story so scary you may never want to go on vacation, or dig around in your garden, again.”
— USA Today" It started out kind of slow, but by the end it was totally worth it. If you're trying to decide between the book and movie, DEFINITELY choose the book! "
— Cari, 2/10/2014" This was a fast paced page-turner. But way too gorey for me. "
— Marta, 2/6/2014" 3.5 stars. Really good horror story, but the author seems to be hung up on bodily functions... "
— Stephanie, 1/21/2014" This is for book club otherwise I would not picked it up. Very intense writing & situation. Did not finish it. I'm glad I stopped when I did. "
— Jaime, 1/16/2014" Good for a quick summer read buy not that thrilling or full of tension to me. Perfect for a horror flick although the titular "ruins" would have to actually be ruins, not just an old mining site. "
— Brigid, 1/12/2014" Very creepy and it gets darn bloody as well. You'll never venture off the beaten path again! "
— David, 1/11/2014" I must be the only person on the planet who thought that this novel wasn't worth the time it took to read it. I admit that I don't read many horror novels so maybe it's just the genre that I'm not cut out for - but I found the plot to be so long and drawn out and the ending completely empty. "
— Desiree, 1/11/2014" Entertaining and creepy. "
— Kara, 1/5/2014" It made my skin crawl thinking of the killer vines. Great vacation read - definitely a must-buy because you'll read it again and again and again. "
— Nadirah, 12/28/2013" I loved this book .... that got completely ruined by making it into a movie. Smith has an amazing gift for creating creepy. A Simple Plan is a perfect example. If you don't watch the movie versions, you'll know what I mean. "
— Kristi, 12/6/2013" I know this book is a pulpy horror novel -- KILLER PLANT AIYEEE -- but the characters were well-developed, the pacing was expert, and images are still haunting me. As a low-brow read, it does not get better than this. "
— Sarah, 12/5/2013Scott Smith attended both Dartmouth and Columbia. Asides from being an author, he also works as a screenwriter, earning an Academy Award nomination for the adaptation of his novel A Simple Plan and winning him a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and National Board of Review Award. His noel, The Ruins was named “the best horror novel of the new century” by Stephen King. He lives in New York City.