Book Review: Last Days

LAST DAYS | Adam Nevill
05.24.2012 | St. Martin’s Griffin
Rating: 4/5 stars

When guerrilla documentary maker, Kyle Freeman, is asked to shoot a film on the notorious cult known as the Temple of the Last Days, it appears his prayers have been answered. The cult became a worldwide phenomenon in 1975 when there was a massacre including the death of its infamous leader, Sister Katherine. Kyle’s brief is to explore the paranormal myths surrounding an organization that became a testament to paranoia, murderous rage, and occult rituals. The shoot’s locations take him to the cult’s first temple in London, an abandoned farm in France, and a derelict copper mine in the Arizona desert where The Temple of the Last Days met its bloody end. But when he interviews those involved in the case, those who haven’t broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events plague the shoots. Troubling out-of-body experiences, nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artifacts in their room make Kyle question what exactly it is the cult managed to awaken – and what is its interest in him?

I’m absolutely fascinated by cults, so whenever I find a book that involves one, I want to pick it up. The cult in LAST DAYS has a lot of hidden secrets to it and Nevill gives the reader a chance to learn all of the inner workings alongside the main character, Kyle. Each revelation is more and more unsettling, from traditions of the group to strange occurrences. Nevill has an incredible ability to bring the creep factor with his writing. It takes a lot for me to be uncomfortable while reading, but Nevill succeeded in giving me a story that made me want to make sure all the lights were on while I was reading. LAST DAYS is a chunky read and I think there was room to cut parts out to make the story shorter, but that didn’t stop me from genuinely enjoying this read. This is my first book from Nevill and I’m planning to pick up more of his creepy stories!