A review by feainnewedd
The Ruins by Scott Smith

dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I usually end up liking the books that my favorite author Stephen King praises, but not this one. I felt that it dragged on for too long; might have worked better as a short story or a novella.

Also, I can't get over how there were no signs or sentry posts or something warning people not to go near the vine-covered hill since at least one entire village and one driver knows exactly how dangerous it is. I've seen reviews saying the Mayan villagers don't care, but that doesn't seem to be true given how much they attempted to stop Jeff's group from going up the hill.

I simply don't understand. It's clearly inconvenient and disruptive for the Mayans because when strangers unknowingly decide to climb to their deaths, the Mayans have to mobilize a lot of their fellow villagers to surround the base of the hill and stand guard 24 hours a day for at least a few days to make sure no one escapes. Surely they're not having fun doing that?

Another thing — did nobody really think of trying to set fire to the vines and seeing what happens? Jeff saw how the tendrils retreated from the flames of his makeshift torch when he and Amy were looking for the "cellphone" down the shaft, so I find it odd that it didn't cross his mind again.
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