The Ritual by Adam Nevill

From Goodreads/Back Cover: 
When four old university friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise. With limited experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. 

Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millenia, Luke figures things couldn't possibly get any worse, But then they stumble upon a derelict building. Ancient artifacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. As the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn't come easy among these ancient trees ... 

I loved the synopsis and it looked really interesting and scary. There were some scary, tense, or chilling moments, and the final chapters detailing the final showdown/escape were really well-done and drawn out. The buildup to the reveal of some evil entity living in the forest was really good as well, and overall it was a good almost-slow-burn. While Nevill does take his time in setting up the chaos, it is fairly obvious that some really bad stuff is going to happen, and possibly not everyone is going to make it to the final page alive.

I loved the atmosphere and the tension of the novel, but sometimes (most of the time), the main protagonist was not too likable, and did not become all that likable until about the last hundred pages or so. But I'm assuming that that is a creative thing, to make the audience like the character and root for his survival. It also makes for a more interesting novel. I didn't hate the characters by any means, but I don't think we were supposed to until bad things really started to happen.  The more that I think about this book, the more creepy it is to me, which is always indicative of the author doing his job correctly.  The location of the novel (remote Scandinavia) was a real success. It made the novel a lot more creepier than it would have been had it taken place in the city or a highly populated area without any hindrances to getting help. The author, Adam Nevill, does well in creating tension and tone, as I have already mentioned. By far the best parts of this novel are the build-up scenes where Nevill pulls the rug out from under the reader. Even though I found the main antagonists sort of came out of nowhere and weren't really all that villainous in their villainy, Nevill tackles the ancient occult with flair and ease, making you think "What's going to happen next? Will Luke survive?"

I think I'm going to give this a 4/5 - at first I was going to give it a 3 or a 3.5, but this book surprised me and has stayed with me. I'll probably read it again in the near future as the tension, suspense and mind-trickery were all really well done.

Ulysses by James Joyce

Here it is, guys. My thoughts on James Joyce's tome Ulysses, which I read over the course of about a week or so (vacations are wonderful) at the end of August.

This post will be more informal, using bullet points to make my points, since there has already been so much said on this book, and most of my opinions have already been said in some shape or form.

This is not your typical review, since it's impossible to come up with a cohesive and conclusive review. I love the fact that I read it, and I think it's a book that everyone should read. The reading experience was interesting, which I will touch on a little bit in my points below. I'll provide a very basic summary of Ulysses, as basic as I can get. I will give this book a rating out of five as I always do.

• So for a very basic summary, Ulysses follows a man's (Leopold Bloom) journey over one day, June 16, 1904, sort of in a similar fashion to Homer's Odyssey only told in the span of 24 hours and takes place in "Dear dirty Dublin". Bloom has many odd and bizarre encounters over the course of his day, learns about his family, himself, and the world around him in Dublin, Ireland. 
• This book is filled with so many streams of consciousness. This was not my first encounter with stream of consciousness; there was a form of it in Toni Morrinson's Beloved, but it was less prominent and pronounced, and was only featured in a chapter or two, 
• The reading process for this book was very daunting. I was determined to finish it, and while it was a difficult and sometimes frustrating read, it was really rewarding. I thoroughly enjoyed Ulysses. 
• There were sections of this book that were so bizarre and so outlandish (brothel chapter in particular, which was written in the form of a play and featured some eyebrow-raising and WTF?!-moments; I read that chapter on the way to Montreal, and my dad, who was sitting in the back seat with me, said my expression was priceless.)
• The best way I can describe this book is that it is to books and literature as "Revolution 9" from The White Album is to music and sound: Jarring, bizarre, frightening at times, genius, and seen as being a love letter to their forms. I have no doubt that, much like John Lennon said about "Revolution 9" being "the music of the future" (which, in a way, he was right about), Joyce thought that this form of storytelling would be more common in the future. Which, he is right about. (Yes, I think "Revolution 9" is a work of genius in its bizarre, nightmarish, way.)
• I think ultimately, I like the fact that I have read this book as it's apparently an important book for me to read. (I've had recommendations from two separate English profs and two of my uncles that I read this book posthaste). 
• All in all, Ulysses was confusing, jarring, bizarre, frustrating, and ultimately heartfelt. It's one of a kind, and I appreciate having read it. I have to give it 5/5 for being so original and unique.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

(I was listening to The White Album while reading this book - let me just tell you, Revolution 9 was very fitting for the climactic scene near the end. Eight years after first hearing that track, and it still gives me the willies.)

(Also, yes, the Ulysses discussion post is coming, I still need to figure out my setup and wording for it)

From Goodreads/Back Cover: 
SOMETHING IS OUT THERE . . . 

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. 

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, Malorie has long dreamed of fleeing to a place where her family might be safe. But the journey will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat - blindfolded. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey - a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her, interweaving past and present. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, I was listening to The Beatles' White Album while reading this book. Revolution 9 proved to be the most atmospheric track for reading this book. 

Bird Box reminds me of The Road combined with The Fireman. Apocalyptic horror, unknown cause and a group of people banding together to stay safe. I enjoyed reading Bird Box, finding it to be more apocalyptic in a conventional way unlike The Fireman. There are many similarities to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, another little book that I enjoyed. I found first time writer Josh Malerman's writing to be very tight with a unique writing style. It employs a bit of stream-of-consciousness (for lack of a better word) during more panicky scenes which I always enjoy reading as I find it's close to reality.

As I mentioned in my previous post on The Fireman, I'm going through a horror kick. This is my third horror summer read, and I'm hoping to have Adam Nevill's The Ritual finished relatively soon. I think I'm heading to Chapters either tomorrow or Wednesday, so I might pick up Stephen King's The Stand as well, something that a few people have recommended. This book was the perfect fix for my horror junkie state. It was really chilling. I love books/movies/TV shows that employ the fear of the unknown or the unseen. 

Going off of that, Bird Box really plays into that irrational fear of the unknown. One of my favourite episodes of Doctor Who is Midnight which aired in series four. It featured an unseen monster that infiltrated a sky bus the Doctor was on and began terrorizing the passengers. It was phenomenal and played into the fear of the unknown/unseen perfectly. Bird Box, oddly enough, reminded me of that TV story. The monster is never revealed and I think it is a better story for it. It doesn't fulfill the reader's every wish (but really, it's much better not knowing, making the reader imagine what the monster is, rather than tell the reader what it is and have less tension and suspense as a result).

All in all, a really enjoyable, thrilling read. Bird Box gets a 5/5 from me, and I can't wait to see what Josh Malerman does next.