Book Review: The Troop | Nick Cutter

Hook & Context

Hello, Beautiful People! Today I’m reviewing The Troop by Nick Cutter. From the first chapter, it reminded me of an adult science fiction version of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Both books are not the same, but the spooky feeling and group survival theme are similar. Back in high school, Lord of the Flies was assigned reading and gave me the same eerie feeling. I finished that book in one day, so it makes sense that The Troop had the same effect on me.

Before we go deeper, I want to give a clear warning. The Troop has heavy tension, scary moments, and strong scenes of kid-against-kid violence. If you are sensitive to such content, be prepared.

Characters of Troop — The Troop

In The Troop, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs works as a doctor in town. He wants to help the boys and also prove something to himself. Tim cares about them, yet he does not always understand how to connect with them. This makes him a strong leader but also a weak one at the same time.

Kent is the alpha of the group. He is big, strong, and popular. He takes charge, but he often makes bad choices. His father, the sheriff, gives him a sense of power that he uses without thinking.

Shelly is the strange kid of the troop. The boys stay away from him because something about him feels wrong. His parents do not notice his dark behavior, but the reader sees it clearly.

Ephraim is full of anger. He is the son of a convict and has many emotional wounds. He reacts with his fists before his thoughts, which makes him unpredictable.

Max is small but smart. He watches everything and thinks before acting. He brings balance to Ephraim and keeps him from losing control.

Newton is the brainy kid. He has many ideas, but the others tease him for being a know-it-all. Even after bullying, he shows courage and becomes important to the group’s survival.

Narrative Style & Atmosphere — The Troop

Nick Cutter builds fear in The Troop by showing how people react to danger. Some run. Others freeze. A few decide to fight. But this horror goes even deeper. The enemy is sometimes tiny, invisible, and impossible to escape.

The story takes place on Falstaff Island. At first, the troop goes camping to enjoy nature without phones and video games. Everything changes when a starving and sick stranger arrives. Something moves under his skin, and he carries a hungry parasite that spreads across the island.

Cutter writes The Troop using interviews, news clippings, and personal thoughts from each boy. This structure feels similar to Stephen King’s storytelling in IT, because every extra detail increases the fear. The slow build, the dread, and the shocking visuals make every scene more frightening.

As the parasite spreads, bodies suffer and minds break. The story shows how trauma changes people. It does not hide from fear, blood, or madness. Every detail is written to make the reader feel uncomfortable in the best possible horror way.

Themes

One big theme in The Troop is trust between kids and adults. The boys look to Tim for safety. They want strong guidance and reassurance. However, sometimes adults fail, and that failure hurts deeply.

Another major theme is the tapeworm parasite created by an unethical scientist. What began as a weight-loss idea turns into a biological weapon. It shows that greed and power can lead to devastating outcomes.

Bullying is also explored in the troop’s hierarchy. Kent tries to rule because he is strong. Newton becomes the target because he is different. When the power shifts, Kent cannot handle losing control.

The themes of fear, leadership, and survival reminded me of The Way of Kings. Both stories show how people are tested, and how courage must come from inside.

Craft & Writing

The Troop works like Lord of the Flies in horror form. The boys must face danger without adult protection. I rate it 8.5/10 because it has a strong pace, although a few parts feel slow.

The woods feel real, the weather feels sharp, and every noise in the dark makes the reader anxious. When the sick man appears, science fiction mixes with horror. The parasite forces its host to eat nonstop. The stranger decays in front of the troop, and the nightmare begins.

This story is gory and vivid. The parasite scenes feel so real that I got goosebumps. Every chapter flows smoothly, and once the action begins it is almost impossible to stop reading. We watch each boy battle hope, despair, fear, and the instinct to survive in order to stay alive.

Discussion of Body Horror

Body horror is my favorite horror category. It works best when the characters feel real and lovable. In The Fly by David Cronenberg, the story hurts because we love the characters. Their pain becomes our pain.

In The Troop, most boys are unpleasant or difficult to like. This seems intentional. They are flawed, mean, scared, or selfish. Because of this, it becomes hard to root for anyone. Even annoying kids do not deserve what happens to them, which makes the horror even more cruel.

The story sometimes feels like Stephen King in style, but the characters are not as deep or layered as King’s creations. The gore is extreme and the violence never slows down. When the big exciting scenes finally hit, some readers might feel emotionally tired because the terror has been nonstop from the beginning.

Storytelling Mechanics — The Troop

Cutter mixes interviews, psychological reports, and journal entries with the live story. These short pieces add mystery and fear. Some clips hint at the future. Others reveal shocking information the boys do not know yet.

One science journal section describes a chimpanzee infected with the parasite. It is written minute by minute, and every moment increases panic. It prepares the reader for what the troop will soon face.

Tim feels doomed from the start, and the story needs him gone. Without an adult, the boys fall apart quickly. Power fights, fear, hunger, and disease form the true story.

Readers who like psychological tension might also enjoy The Silent Patient. It digs into the human mind, just like The Troop explores how fear and guilt destroy judgment.

Final Reflection — The Troop

This story works because it mixes fast action with strong character focus. The boys are 14, right between childhood and adulthood. They want to be brave, but they are still innocent. The Troop destroys innocence in terrifying ways.

It also became one of my favorite horror reads of the year. Moments like the turtle scene and Max’s thoughts about failed adults stayed in my mind long after finishing. Beyond the gore, the story is also about trust broken, fear that spreads, and the darkness inside all of us.