The Ruins

September 4, 2006
Four American tourists vacationing in Cancun make friends with a German traveler and join the hunt for his brother, who has mysteriously vanished after following a new flame to an archeological site. But inadequate planning, horrendous conditions and unforeseen dangers quickly turn this jungle adventure into a fight for survival. The novel itself is creepy, compelling and simple in scope, but the audiobook adaptation doesn't quite succeed in relating the feeling of dread the text imparts. Wilson reads in an assured (if somewhat flat) voice in the tenor range, but his tone often seems too light to properly convey the novel's dark and foreboding mood. He also doesn't do much to differentiate between the characters; although Smith has characters who feel very real and distinct, listeners could have used more help from the narrator to distinguish one point-of-view from the next. A book like this one—which presents the story from several different POVs—would have benefited from a team of talented narrators to help bring the narrative to life. Regrettably, Wilson goes it alone, delivering a sufficient but mediocre performance. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Reviews, May 15).

Starred review from May 15, 2006
At long last, Smith follows up his bestselling first novel, A Simple Plan
(1993), the film of which received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, with a stunning horror thriller. Four American friends on vacation in Cancún, Mexico—Jeff, Amy, Eric and Stacy—meet a German tourist, Mathias, who persuades them to join his hunt for his younger brother, Henrich, last seen headed off with a new girlfriend toward some ruins. The four soon regret their impulsive decision after they find themselves lost in the jungle and freaked out by signs that they're headed for danger. Smith builds suspense through the slow accretion of telling details, until a deadly menace starts taking its toll, leaving the survivors increasingly at each other's throats. While admirers of such classic genre writers as John Wyndham or Algernon Blackwood may find the horror less suggestive than they might wish, the eerie atmosphere and compelling plot should appeal to fans of ABC's hit TV series Lost
, who will help propel this page-turner up bestseller lists. Ben Stiller's production company has bought film rights. 100,000 first printing.

The brother of a German tourist fails to return from an archaeological dig. Impulsively, five young, bored travelers decide to join him in his search. The six young men and women head inland from their Cancœn idyll for a day-trip to ancient Mayan ruins. Patrick Wilson narrates this story of a missing man, a hand-drawn map, ancient ruins, na•ve tourists, angst, and evil. At first, Wilson sounds appropriately young and innocent, normal and ordinary, but as the day-trip becomes nightmarish, his performance shivers with intensity. Compelling entertainment awaits the intrepid listener of Smith's adventure, but be warned: This is not for the fainthearted--and you'll never look at your houseplants in quite the same way again. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine