The Ruins

By: Scott Smith

Narrated by: Patrick Wilson

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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)

Bummer.

So depressing and everyone sort of sucks so you don't know who to root for! it also really bothered me that Patrick Wilson didn't know how to pronounce the name Matthias properly and I corrected it in my head every time he said it. For those negatives, overall I thought the story was great and well-written and I read it basically in one sitting. recommended!!

One of the most chilling stories I've ever heard

So, a bit of a precursor here, but when I was much younger I watched the film adaptation of this book that came out in 2008. I was always mixed on it because I found the premise to be very interesting, but I felt that the film really just didn't do enough with it, not enough to stand out when it easily could have. A few years ago I found out that the film The Ruins (2008) was based on this book, at the time I didn't know that it was an adaptation. Regardless I was immediately curious, and made a personal promise to myself to get through this book, one way or another. Well, I finally sat down and gave it a listen, and honestly? This has got to be one of the most chilling books that I have ever listened to, hands down. I physically couldn't stop listening. If you're looking for a good horror story you owe it to yourself to pick this book up, I really can't recommend it enough. 10/10.

Survival horror at its finest

This was a great book, and the narration was enjoyable. I have seen some reviews describing the characters as intentionally unlikable, and while they occasionally made some frustrating decisions they were well written with their positive and negative attributes. I was never rooting for one character specifically, nor did I hate any character, and I could understand why they were making the decisions that they were.
The villain of this book is probably one of my favorites. They are cunning, smart, manipulative, and cruel (not saying who/what the “villain” is just incase someone knows nothing about this book/hasn’t seen the movie- even though I doubt it’s really a spoiler).
I’m pretty picky when it comes to horror and have yet to come across a genuinely scary novel, I will say that this story was very suspenseful and included multiple instances of body horror.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

Truly horrifying, truly brilliant

I just finished listening to this book for the third time and I am once again blown away. Smith crafts a reality so grueling, desperate, and genuinely terrifying, I find myself gritting my teeth, my stomach clenched, throughout. Not for the feint of heart. I cannot recommend this book enough. Wilson does a great job, too. I sure wish Smith would write more horror.

Not as bad as I expected

I must admit that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to this book, considering some of the other reviews. Although the characters were kind of flat and the dialogue stilted, I was still found myself engaged in the story, wondering what was going to happen next. I honestly looked forward to getting back to it each day.

Worth listing to!

Interesting story if you're looking for something to keep you entertained. I enjoyed listening and was surprised with the ending.

Great - until the end

It was exciting, very well written and descriptive. It had me listening to the story non-stop. But I was so disappointed by the ending, I felt like there was no explanation for all the exciting events that had happened.

Worth a listen even after seeing the movie

It's a bleak, well-written and well-narrated horror story. I saw the movie first and heard the book was better, and there are definitely enough differences to make it a somewhat new experience. I don't read or listen to enough books to feel confident elaborating on it any further. I will say: I really liked Patrick Wilson's voice performance here and I'll give any audiobook a second look if I see his name attached to it

As Expected

The narrator is decent but the book does drag on in sections. Good read overall I say go for it if you're on the fence and after looking for a while like I was

my first story on Audible.

fascinating and eerie premise! solid execution! The cycle continues. part two would be a welcome read. I especially loved the vine and would love to learn more about its origins. Or maybe the mystery is better? I would like to know more about how the Mayans made a "truce" with the vine and their relationship. I was really impressed overall.