Into the Woods

A Novel of Suspense and Terror

By: Matt Shaw

Narrated by: Julian Seager

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

It was supposed to be a nice family vacation. Their first time out camping. Quality time with the family - more about communicating with each other as opposed to whatever electronic devices got them online. But from the moment they got lost and gave up looking for the camp site, opting to stay in a pretty-looking field deep in the country, things start to go from bad to worse, and soon they find themselves running for their lives.

Who dares go into the woods? More to the point - who will survive?

From Matt Shaw - the twisted mind behind Sick B*stards and Porn - comes a new psychological thriller that is bound to get your adrenaline pumping. Are you ready for it?

Includes bonus short story "The Tube".

©2015 Matt Shaw Publications (P)2016 Matt Shaw Publications

This family has the worst vacation ever!

Would you consider the audio edition of Into the Woods to be better than the print version?

I don't have the print version. I like to listen to the audible version while driving. Narration was excellent.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the father. He wanted to give his family a nice vacation even though he couldn't afford a fancy hotel or travel abroad.

Have you listened to any of Julian Seager’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first, but it won't be my last. Jules does an excellent job!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were some funny parts early on. Some of the language was a bit strong, The last few chapters were disturbing, but that makes for a good thriller.

Any additional comments?

I kept thinking why don't they just ask for directions when their GPS wasn't working and they didn't have a map. But that would have made for a very different story.

Simple, brutal and very well read story!

Where does Into the Woods rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks somewhere in the middle. I got what I signed up for, really! A dark and brutal tale. What stood out was the narration, which was top notch! Julian Seager does a fantastic job to really create the terror needed. The characters came to life and I felt I was really there in the woods with them. I'm really glad he narrates Shaw's other books, and I hope he narrates many others as well!

What did you like best about this story?

Just how wrong a family holiday can go!

Have you listened to any of Julian Seager’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't, but I'm sure do it again soon, as it was really good.

If you could take any character from Into the Woods out to dinner, who would it be and why?

A very difficult question... Most of the "nice" people in the book seem quite annoying to be around in real life, and the bad guys are waaay to terrifying. I think I'd prefer to eat by myself!

Any additional comments?

Again: Really well read! The father came across as properly desperate and the villains sounded as twisted as they should. I listen mostly to American English audio books, but having lived a few years in the UK, it was really refreshing to listen well read to UK English.

Chilling, ghastly & yet has humorous moments.

First time reading Shaw's work. slightly predictable in the hunting scenarios, but still chilling. Especially the victim ”roll call". Ghastly, comes to mind.
I had to laugh at the family banter. Four brothers and two sons all too easily helped me to imagine the discourse. Enjoyed it in audio more than I expected I would. Mr. Seager, well done, Sir.

LOVED IT!! AWESOME!

Great story! It gotta little wild in all the right places, very scary with lots of gore mixed in, although IMO it's not too much/over the top. Thought the narrator did a great job, and I'm definitely and quickly becoming a fan of Matt Shaw's work.

NOW THIS IS HORROR!

Excellent, enjoyed it!

yuck

Stay far away unless you LOVE gore. I don't. I adore horror, this isn't it. Just vile.

Extreme horror that has personality

It's nothing cerebral, but if you are looking for entertaining extreme horror that goes quick and easy, then Matt Shaw is for you. This isn't my favorite of his, but it's decent. Even though the subjects of his novels are nothing totally original, Shaw adds his own flavor bringing personality to a cliche synopsis.

The narration is very difficult to follow.

Just including the minimum here so I could warn others that the narration was very hard to follow for this particular book.

Over the top without enough substance

I enjoyed the narrator. The story took a bit to get off the ground and I didn't feel like there was an actual conclusion. It's also a bit too graphic for me. I like true crime and murder mysteries, but sections in this just seemed over the top. I won't be listening to it again nor recommending it to friends.

Very interesting

it took a while for the main problem to come up other than that this was a great book 👍

Stopped listening and deleted from my computer....

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I had to stop listening at 2:06:22 because that was when a graphic rape scene started, and I nearly threw up.

I enjoy a good horror as much as the next person, and it was fine up until that point.

But for it to be so graphic was just too much for me to stomach as a woman, and it would be the same if the person being raped was a man.

It was just horrible and obscene.

Any additional comments?

I wish I could get my money back.

Ridiculous story with some "bolt on" gruesome bits

The story is non-existent and poorly written. The last chapter is very weird - where it seems a number of gruesome tales are "bolted on" - for extra affect. Just doesn't work - feels very amateurish!

In addition the narration is rather stilted. Really disappointed.