The Ruins Audiobook By Scott Smith cover art

The Ruins

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The Ruins

By: Scott Smith
Narrated by: Patrick Wilson
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Eerie, terrifying, and unputdownable, The Ruins is Scott Smith's first novel since his acclaimed debut A Simple Plan earned rave reviews and stormed best seller 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.

©2006 Scott Smith. All rights reserved (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. Action & Adventure Horror Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Exciting

Critic reviews

"A stunning horror thriller." (Publishers Weekly
"The book of the summer....Smith intends to scare the bejabbers out of you, and succeeds." (Stephen King)
"If you love ABC's Lost and the novels of King and Thomas Harris, you'll love this book." (USA Today)

Featured Article: The top 100 horror books of all time


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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Listening to this book was a large waste of time, in my opinion. I was intrigued by the description and was wanting to know exactly what horrors these characters would face, but about two hours in, I already knew that I couldn't care less about any of the characters in this novel. I continued to listen simply out of the hope that maybe they would grow more likeable, but when we find out what the horror is, I'm so disappointed by the reveal and the lack of interesting character development that I very nearly stopped listening altogether. I feel like I could have lived with and even enjoyed the slightly disappointing horror element if the characters themselves had simply been likeable.

The female characters, to me, seem to be stereotypical dumb/over emotional women. They are essentially useless, whiny, and shrill. The men aren't much better. One of the male characters doesn't speak English like the others. We don't ever get the chance to care about him because we never get to experience his point of view. One is a typical 'I'm the leader because I know everything' type. At first, I had hope that I would at least like this character, but he just got annoying really fast. Another male character is the typical dumb jock or frat boy stereotype who makes rash, stupid decisions, and I found myself just wanting the dude to die so I wouldn't have to hear anything else about him. The final male character is one who says little and who we know practically nothing about.

What could Scott Smith have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Made me care about the characters' plight in any way. If I'm more focused on how annoying this character is, or how one dimensional that character is, I'm not going to give any amount care towards their situation or what happens to them.

What about Patrick Wilson’s performance did you like?

Patrick Wilson was good overall. He was a little quiet in places, so it was hard for me to hear, but overall, he gave a steady performance.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It is a movie, and no, I would not go see it. The trailer makes the movie look even worse than the book.

Any additional comments?

I got this audiobook because of all the good reviews it has all over the internet. I was seriously disappointed by what turned out to be a dull, boring story about dull, boring people. I think I'm in the minority with my opinion, however.

Dull Characters Combined with a Dull Story

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Good book. Slightly above average rating. I had hoped the author would have pushed more into the actual ruins and there had been something there. An understanding of the vines of some sort. Voice actor did a wonderful job in portraying the characters thoughts and feeling

Creepy book for for those who enjoy gore

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I like to listen to books while driving to and from work which is only an hour each way. This book was so engrossing I couldn't stop listening! Excellent writing, highly recomended. Definitely scared the bejebbers out of me!

Couldn't put it down!

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This horror story that got under my skin more than any other I’ve read. It just lingers.

I read this a decade ago, and have watched the flick once a year ever since then. I’d forgotten how much more depth here was in the novel and am glad I climbed this hill again.

Spookums

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This book is written very well, but it was about 3 hours too long. I understand that the author was trying to instill a sense of despair or the characters, but I was just bored during the middle. The end was Fantastic! Not worth waiting so long though. The narrator was a good fit but didn't help with keeping me awake though the book.

Just not my kind of Horror

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This book's description by reputable reviewers is some what miss leading. I found this book to be a very good story with excellent narration. I am afraid that other reviewers have claimed that it is fast paced and full of action. Well, unless they got an unedited copy, this simply is not true.
The story tends to drag on and repeats frequently when it comes to character relations. I personally got from the begining that in any stressful cituation these characters were not to be trusted. However, that being said, strangly enough you do find yourself cheering for a couple characters as you near the end.
In the end, Minus the repetativeness and whining I would have enjoyed this book much more as it does lead you down a very, "What will happen next", path. I beleive that this is the kind of book where you will be saying out loud, "No don't do that", as if you were watching a television show that is intense yet silly.

Sit Back and Listen

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I loved this book! It kept me interested even through the 2nd time I listened to it. My only complaint is that the characterization is a little overly stereotypical. The action and gore is truly riveting! This is one of my favorite books. I can see why King recommended it.

Captivated!

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I loved this book. very unique and creepy. has all my favorite elements, archeology, survival, travel and mystery. I don't want to ruin it the twist of the book is great makes me think of various Stephen king short stories.

great horror

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This is engaging, and I really like the characters. It's captivating learning their plight and following their attempts to survive. However, this is a very dark book, and I would not recommend it for anyone in a fragile mental state; it could easily lead you into a spiral.

Having said that, it's well-written and well-read, and like I said, I liked the characters. The setting is interesting and the vine is a good nemesis. I wish the characters had a background in biology; I'd have liked to hear some theories about the nature of the vine, how it moves and how it "thinks". Even without this, I recommend the book as long as you are in a good headspace and feel up to weathering a lot of tragedy.

A very dark book

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Great story. Very suspenseful and original. Keeps you attention. I enjoyed listening all day

great story

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