Synopses & Reviews
Two young American couples--Jeff and Amy, Eric and Stacy--are vacationing in Cancun. They befriend a German tourist named Mathias, and three Greeks who don't speak any English. Mathias has been traveling with his brother, Henrich, who's gone into the interior with a young woman he's met on the beach who's at work on an archeological dig. Mathias goes in search of his brother using a map he has drawn. Jeff and the others join him in his adventure. One of the Greeks copies the map, writes a note--telling his two companions, who are off fishing, to come after them.
The six take a bus from Cancun to a neighboring town, then a taxi farther into the country. From there they must hike through the jungle. Their map says that if they reach a Mayan village, they've gone too far. They come to the village, and receive a chilly reception from its inhabitants. They turn around, despairing of ever finding the ruins, but then come across a trail, which appears to have been deliberately camouflaged. They follow the trail and come to a hillside, covered in bright red flowers. As they pause at the base of this hill, transfixed by the beauty of the vision, a horseman approaches behind them. It's one of the Mayans; he's got a gun and, in his own language, is ordering them away from the hill. In the midst of the confrontation, Amy steps backward, into the flowering vine. The Mayans fall silent. Then start to shout again, ordering all six up the hill.
As the six follow the trail across the hilltop and down the slope they see yet another group of Mayans waiting for them, weapons out--and a mound, covered with the flowering vine. They examine it and find Henrich's corpse, shot full of arrows. They are completely mystified.
The Mayans won't let them leave.
They try to figure out a way to survive until someone comes to find them. They imagine they have been made irrational by thirst and hunger.
But as they move through their first twenty-four hours, another, far more terrifying foe reveals itself . . .
Review
"The best horror novel of the new century."- Stephen King
Review
"Like having a rope tied firmly round your middle, as you're pulled on protesting tip-toes towards a door marked DOOM." -- Entertainment Weekly
Review
"An exercise in unremitting tension." -- The Baltimore Sun
Synopsis
TERROR HAS EVOLVED
In the wild interior of the Yucatan, far from the lazy beaches of Cancun, two young couples and some newfound friends venture to the site of an ancient Mayan temple, in pursuit of another in their group. What started out as a day trip spirals into a nightmare when they reach the ruins...and discover the terrifying presence that lurks there.
About the Author
Scott Smith was educated at Dartmouth College and Columbia University. He lives in New York City.Patrick Wilson has starred on Broadway in Barefoot in the Park, Oklahoma! (Tony Award nominated), and The Full Monty (Tony nomination, Drama League Award). His film credits include Little Children, Phantom of the Opera, Hard Candy, and the HBO Mini series Angels in America (Golden Globe and Emmy nominations).