Paperback, 418 pages
English language
Published May 28, 2011 by Pan Publishing.
Four old university friends reunite for a hiking trip in the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle. No longer young men, they have little left in common, and tensions rise as they struggle to connect. Frustrated and tired, they take a shortcut that turns their hike into a nightmare that could cost them their lives.
Lost, hungry and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, they stumble across an isolated old house. Inside, they find the macabre remains of old rites and pagan sacrifices; ancient artefacts and unidentifiable bones. This place of dark ritual is home to a bestial predator that is still alive in the ancient forest. And now they’re the prey.
As the four friends struggle for salvation, they discover that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees...
Not sure why someone would rate this a 1, other than spite. The writing is incredible, the tension is built up perfectly which only a very skilled writer can do. Then just when you're not expecting it, huge plot twist in the middle. It was made into a very highly rated film in 2015 starring Rafe Spall.
