So finally got the chance to read Cutter's recent novel, and it is his 2024 publication "The Queen"!
Margaret Carpenter wakes up one morning in June to find a new iPhone right on her doorstep. When she turns it on, she is greeted by text from here friend Charity Atwater. But there is one problem; she has been missing well over a month. And most of the town, even including the police, believe that she is dead.
The two have been friends for a very long time. Sharing everything, and knowing the most intimate details about each other. But never the more destructive secret that is hidden from both of them. Something that will unleash a chain of events that will result in tragedy, bloodshed and death. And now Charity wants her friend to know the real story.
"The Queen" kinda goes in similar route as "The Troop", which is of science going completely wrong. But "The Troop" was heavily inspired by "The Lord of the Flies", with "The Queen" Nick takes inspiration from another book, "13 Reasons Why". And of course both of them also are still very much inspired by Stephen King's "Carrie".
There is still a lot of gory body horror to go around in this one. And everything, just like in "The Troop", it all picks up very quickly and is just non stop! But is it comparable to "The Troop"? Well not really, but it is still pretty good anyways! And it's also good to be reading another novel by him. And now he's got another one that's set to be released in a few months! Just read an excerpt of it that's included in "The Queen". I know I'll be getting my hands on that one as soon as it starts hitting the shelves!
by i-the-muso-1968
3 Comments
Nice writeup! I’ve been curious about this one since I loved The Troop so much back when it came out. The whole concept of mixing 13 Reasons Why with Cutter’s usual body horror sounds pretty wild – definitely not something you see every day. I’m a bit disappointed to hear it doesn’t quite match up to The Troop but honestly that book set the bar pretty high for horror novels in general
The iPhone setup reminds me a bit of those classic “message from beyond” type stories but with a modern twist which could work really well. Did you find the friendship dynamic between Margaret and Charity believable or did it feel forced to drive the plot forward? Sometimes these mysterious friend situations can go either way. Also curious what you thought of that excerpt for the upcoming book – worth getting hyped about or just standard teaser material
I was getting more vibes from “The Fly” – science gone horribly wrong. Chaos ensues. Relationships ruined. Kinda heartbreaking.
I really enjoyed it the body horror was on point