Within the horror fiction community, Nick Cutter is an oft-recommend and much talked about author, due to his books The Troop and The Deep. Although I own both of those, I’ve yet to get to them, which is a regret. However, I did read and review two of his other novels, with those being The Handyman Method and The Saturday Night Ghost Club, the latter of which was published under his real name: Craig Davidson. I loved both.
I tried to read his last release, The Queen, but couldn’t get into it and put it down without meaning to. I was unwell at the time, though, and was in a reading funk. As such, I don’t blame the book. I’ll return to it.
This spring, the Canadian master of body horror has returned with a vengeance, with a new novel called The Dorians. It’s a return to form that I read as soon as I could, and quite enjoyed. Maybe not as much as the other two mentioned above, but it’s a good one.
The Dorians begins in a Toronto area hospital room as an elderly man whose body is failing is about to receive MAID — Canada’s medically assisted death option. As the doctor is preparing to inject his veins with the peaceful death dealing agent, someone enters the room with a phone and a cryptic offer. They tell this man (Frank) that he could have more time on this earth, if he travels to a remote location and agrees to take part in a new science venture. Details are left out, though. Plus, he doesn’t have to do it if he changes his mind after hearing the pitch.
Frank takes the chance, and is driven (with his needed oxygen tanks) to a remote pier in Northern Ontario. There, he meets another man with failing health, who’s dealing with Parkinson’s and had elected for MAID as well. The two are ferried to an island in the middle of nowhere, where a large building housing a million or billion dollar laboratory and lodging quarters exists. Soon after, they meet the four other subjects who have agreed to hear the pitch from the mysterious young scientist who appeared on that phone.
The pitch involves injecting a newly created creature called a Hydra into the subjects. Formed from jellyfish, moss and another ingredient, it’s promised to reverse age those it inhabits. The creature itself, is supposed to be unfeeling and helpful, providing the host with the option to live forever at an ideal age. Most subjects agree to undergo the procedure, and the stem cell baths that are required.
Of course, things don’t work out as planned, and there are consequences from this reverse aging experiment. I’ll leave it at that, though, to avoid spoilers.
The Dorians is a return to unsettling body horror, which Nick Cutter is known for and good at. It features interesting characters with good depth, some of whom are trying to better their lives after dealing with bad illnesses like Parkinson’s, heart failure and Lyme disease. However, other characters play important roles, including two native men who help out on the island, wolves kept in captivity nearby and the scientists performing the procedure, one of which is a young genius with a questionable moral code, or lack thereof.
The story is interesting, and kept me wanting to read more. I got into it easily, and couldn’t put it down much. It helped me get through a tough time, and occupied my attention quite well. There’s a good deal of intrigue, an interesting premise and unique main characters to be found within. Plus, the horror is disturbing and on point. It’s not as disturbing as in some other books, so that will make it more appealing to some, but it can be a bit of a slow burn.
As per usual, the writing found within this novel is really good. This author is talented, both creatively and with the English language.
If you’re a fan of horror, and are okay with some body horror and disturbing imagery, then it behooves you to check out The Dorians by Nick Cutter. It’s another hit from one of Canada’s best authors, and one of this genre’s as well. I just wish it had ended differently.
This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided with.