Nick Cutter is a Canadian author known for his previous horror novels, The Troop and The Deep. Even though I haven’t read his previous works, I’ve heard very good things about his books, which is why I was so interested in picking up Little Heaven. Additionally, the synopsis for this book was very intriguing, mostly because it involves a lot of my favourite tropes in a novel – three mercenaries, a religious cult, and something dark and mysterious. I was expecting to be really impressed by this book, and while I was in no way let down, it still didn’t live up to my expectations.

It was really hard to get invested in this book. It’s really difficult to understand what’s going on at the beginning. I understand why there’s such a build up and that we need to understand the three main characters a little better, but it’s really hard to want to read a book with such a strange introduction to the world. It took a long time for me to fully understand what was going on and what the story was going to be about.

The story flips back and forth in time, which is an interesting way of telling the story, but it seemed a little unnecessary and took a lot of the suspense out of the novel since we knew what was going to happen to the main characters. Understandably, the book isn’t about the suspense, but about the stomach churning, horrific things that happen at Little Heaven. While this is classified as a horror novel, it’s an old-school type of horror – more Lovecraft than anything else. I’m sure that a lot of people would really enjoy a book like that, but I just didn’t find it scary at all. The writing was incredibly detailed and there was some extremely graphic scenes and a lot of vivid, disturbing imagery, but it was really gory. I prefer slow burning horror books instead of gory ones so it wasn’t very entertaining for me.

There are some great things about this book though. My favourite part of the novel was the chemistry between the three main characters. I loved all three of them deeply and even though they started off together in a really strange way, it was rewarding to see how they ended up trusting each other and looking out for each other.

I don’t think this was the best way for me to be introduced to Nick Cutter’s works, but I’m still interested in his previous novels. While I didn’t love this book, I still think it’s a solid horror novel that has an audience out there. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant for me.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has affected my review in no way.

This is uncharted territory for me. I don't typically review books that I rate less than three starts. Not that I am being dishonest, it's just hard to not be too negative when I really don't like a book for whatever reason.

I went into this book hoping to be scared. I wanted to be afraid to go to bed at night. Unfortunately, that didn't happen with this book. While it's eerily chilling, it wasn't the horror story I had hoped for.

I had a hard time following this story. I am not sure if it is how it was told or the fact that it didn't keep my attention at any point. It drug and was confusing. A little gruesome, which I am okay with, but that was about it for this one.

If you are looking for weird and strange, this might be a book you would read. If you are looking for a book with a Stephen King kind of scary, this definitely is not it.

Little Heaven is my second Nick Cutter book of 2016. I read The Troop this past summer after Stephen King recommended it to me (technically, the recommendation was in a tweet but it felt like he was talking to me personally). As you can see in my full review of The Troop (http://www.knockinbooks.com/reviews/the-troop) I was extremely impressed. After reading Little Heaven with it’s vivid storytelling, expertly managed time jumping and wonderfully odd characters, my admiration has only grown.

One of the things I especially appreciate about Little Heaven is how it effectively cuts against a common convention found in most supernatural horror novels where normal, everyday people are suddenly forced to deal with the shock of confronting events or creatures that simply shouldn’t be real. The three mercenaries at the center of this novel are anything but ordinary. Each is highly unconventional in their own way and while they certainly struggle with the extraordinary circumstances, their unusual backgrounds and personalities provide an additional layer of depth to the already quirky tale.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely but I had a few nitpicks too:

For my taste, the book was about 10-15% too long. I can point to multiple scenes throughout the book that could have easily been cut without substantially taking away from the plot.

Without revealing any details, I thought the backstory motivation for Minerva’s hatred of one of the other mercenaries was unnecessarily farfetched.

The ending seemed odd given everything what had been revealed about the supernatural entity at the heart of the story.

Despite these relatively minor concerns, Little Heaven is a truly frightening read with evil emanating from both a supernatural source and a scarily realistic character that felt like he was ripped straight from a tragic evening news headline. I strongly recommend this book to both horror and general fiction fans alike.

From electrifying horror author Nick Cutter comes a haunting new novel, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian and Stephen King’s It, in which a trio of mismatched mercenaries is hired by a young woman for a deceptively simple task: check in on her nephew, who may have been taken against his will to a remote New Mexico backwoods settlement called Little Heaven. Shortly after they arrive, things begin to turn ominous. Stirrings in the woods and over the treetops—the brooding shape of a monolith known as the Black Rock casts its terrible pall. Paranoia and distrust grips the settlement. The escape routes are gradually cut off as events spiral towards madness. Hell—or the closest thing to it—invades Little Heaven. The remaining occupants are forced to take a stand and fight back, but whatever has cast its dark eye on Little Heaven is now marshalling its powers…and it wants them all.

It’s weird, I was struck with a couple of different impressions almost immediately I started reading Little Heaven. Firstly, eating a ham sandwich when you’re reading horror was a rookie mistake. Secondly, and more importantly, I felt in some respects I was reading a Western. So much so I had to go back and check the date that is mentioned at the beginning of the text. Nope. It says nineteen eighty rather than eighteen eighty. With a couple of notable exceptions, KC and the Sunshine Band being one, this feels like a western. I suspect my brain is making this connection down to the fact that the main character are all modern day gunslingers.

The trio of Micah Shughrue, Minerva and Eb are perfectly realised. There is a complex dynamic that develops between as the plot unfolds. Micah has that near mystical stoic cowboy outlook. He has been to war and seen the dark side of humanity. It has given him a unique outlook on life and insight into the nature of good and evil. Loyal to a fault, and driven by a need to see any task through to completion, he is beyond dependable. Next is Minerva, she is a troubled soul. Minny is full of rage and has unexpressed anger that is slowly ripping her apart from within. Finally, there is Eb. He is the capitalist of the group. For Eb, the job is never personal, it is all about the payday. Snarky, and always ready with a barbed retort, the acerbic Englishman was as a personal favourite.

After a short preamble, that establishes the trio, the action moves to Little Heaven. You quickly start to spot a growing sense of unease appearing in the tone of narrative. There is something horribly wrong in what should be an idyllic rural settlement. When Micah, Minerva and Eb arrive they pick on the wrongness of the place almost immediately. Each of them recognise the sinister malevolence that permeates this insular community.

The man who leads the congregation at Little Heaven is the ‘good’ Reverend Amos Flesher. Manipulative, cowardly, sleazy and power hungry doesn’t even come close to describing how loathsome this man is. His fire and brimstone sermons have an almost hypnotic effect on his followers. You can tell bringing together this vitriolic individual and a dark, violent presence isn’t going to end well. Cult leaders aren’t well renowned for a firm grip on sanity. You know straight away that Amos is going to snap at some point. It is just a matter of how spectacularly and when. This ticking time bomb of a character adds a nice sense of urgency to proceedings.

The narrative uses the neat trick of switching between two different time periods very effectively. A large chunk of the action takes place in the mid nineteen sixties but this bookended with chapters set in nineteen eighty. It is particularly interesting to view how characters have evolved in the intervening years. The three main protagonists are all fundamentally changed by their experiences during their first visit to Little Heaven. Fifteen years of living with their actions has left a mark.

A word of warning, if you are plagued by a delicate disposition then I would suggest you might want to give Little Heaven a miss. The horrific elements are delightfully visceral and unrelentingly unpleasant. There is an evil in the backwoods and it is infecting everything, especially the local wildlife. Some force is merging together all manner of critters creating nasty new beasts. This army of wretched by-blows are driven by destruction and death. The must eat, they must consume, they must destroy. It is obvious that Cutter relishes detailing their inherent vileness. This is why the ham sandwich was such a bad idea.
There is also some vividly descriptive body horror going on. Characters die in the bloodiest ways imaginable. If I’m honest it might be an idea to avoid eating anything while you read it. Now don’t get me wrong, within the context of the story, this high level ickiness is entirely appropriate, but that doesn’t make it any more palatable. Nick Cutter deserves an award, he has succeeded in grossing out this jaded old soul.

Buried beneath all the horror, there is much more to enjoy. Its impressive when a novel manages to elicit such an emotive response. It might not appear so at first glance but Little Heaven is also a story about loyalty, sacrifice and even redemption. There are a couple of moments that are going to choke up even the most hard-hearted of readers. The ultimate resolution for one of the characters is both heartbreakingly sad yet somehow hopeful in the same breath. Like the kids say – it gave me all the feels.

I’ll be honest, I always feel a certain amount of trepidation when it comes to trying out a new author. Especially when they write in my favourite genre. It took me forever to read any of Adam Nevill’s work and now I consider myself a die-hard fan. I fell into exactly the same trap here. I’ve made a mistake, I’ve missed out on the other novels by Nick Cutter. Based on how much I enjoyed Little Heaven, I need to remedy this situation as soon as possible.

Little Heaven is published by Simon and Schuster and is available now. Highly recommended.

Why did I read Little Heaven?

I'm a fan of Nick Cutter. I enjoyed both The Troop and The Deep so I look forward to reading his new releases.

The Strengths

There were some disturbing moments early on that I appreciated. (Unfortunately, Little Heaven was so consistently disturbing that it suffered from the law of diminishing returns.)

The Weaknesses

There was so much happening at all times and yet I was so bored. I couldn't connect to any of it so I didn't really care what happened to anyone.

This turned out to be a miserable read for me.

Would I recommend Little Heaven to others?

No, I wouldn't. There are great reviews out there you can seek out if you want a different perspective, but this isn't a book I will be passing along to others.

4/10: Not My Thing

Nick Cutter became one of my "authors to watch" after I devoured "THE TROOP," and after Stephen King gave him such high praise.
"LITTLE HEAVEN," was a novel I had been looking forward to reading, after enjoying his other works. Unfortunately, this novel was not as good as his first work, nor as captivating as his sophomore novel, "THE DEEP." Instead, his latest work falls into the same category for me as his lesser known work, (and for good reason) "THE ACOLYTE."
The story feels disjointed, as it follows three characters to a cult-like camp, where they must deal with an ancient evil that they've all dealt with prior to this final showdown.
There are really stunning sentences sprinkled throughout, and I feel like the storyline kept me interested enough to keep turning the pages. At other times, the writing feels a bit overdone, and often I felt as though I were reading a poor man's Stephen King.
It took the story a long time to get to the main point, and there was too much back story.
In classic Nick Cutter fashion, the story felt its most compelling when he cranked up the grisly scenes and the disturbing imagery.
My major complaint with "Little Heaven," was how little I cared about any of the characters.
The plot was unique, and intriguing, and I feel this story had so much potential. I DID love the nostalgic horror feel of the late 80's and early 90's, and I was really wanting to LOVE this book as much as I did his first two releases. This story just didn't work as it was written.
Overall, it was a book I'm glad I read. I hope Nick Cutter can deliver another engrossing read like "THE TROOP," with his next effort, and I look forward to it when it comes.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, and thanks to the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Requested and received an ARC via NetGalley



I tried multiple times over a few months to get into this book because the synopsis sounded right up my alley with the whole cult and evil badness. Sadly I just couldn't get into it and after reading approximately 80 pages and still mired in the histories of the three mercenaries with no end in sight I had to give up. Although the histories were somewhat interesting I felt they could have been a separate book, I wanted to read the book the synopsis described...maybe it would be best if the synopsis were revised to expand what the whole book entailed.

When I read the description of Nick Cutter's Little Heaven, I knew I wanted to read it right away. Before reading the novel, I had never heard of Cutter and was surprised by the fabulous reviews he'd received from big-name authors like Stephen King. Little Heaven is the first book I've ever read electronically, so while that took a little getting adjusted to, I got through the book fairly quickly. I was immediately intrigued in the book from page one, and the reason I wasn't able to read it faster than I did is because the book had me pretty terrified throughout.
The novel is set in two time periods - the mid-60s, and 1980- and is divided into eight parts, plus an epilogue. Since the novel is divided into parts, it makes it easier to jump between the time periods. The book begins with Petty Shughrue being abducted by a monster of a sort in 1980. Her father, Micah, goes on a mission to get her back, along with the help from his friends (acquaintances?) Minny and Eb. Monny, Eb, and Micah had come across a religious compound, Little Heaven, in 1965, where terrible things happened while they were there. Micah's sure this is where the monster has taken Petty, so the three of them journey out to find her.
Most of the novel took place in the 1960s, with only short sections for the 1980 portions of the book. I was a little surprised by that. I thought there would be more focus on the 1980 journey, but I suppose it made sense because the 1980 segment takes place over a few days or weeks, while the 1960s portion is over a few years.
There were a few things within the book that bothered me, but nothing major. In fact, the only thing I can remember really sticking out is that within a chapter, there would be some jumping around from a scenario to a couple hours or so before, and that was a little confusing. I would have to go back and re-read a few pages thinking I missed something. But the story really makes up for any confusing details.
I was impressed with Cutter's detail, and this book seriously had me jumping at the tiniest noises or thinking I was seeing things out of the corner of my eye. Reminiscent of Stephen King, Cutter's Little Heaven was a great read, and I really enjoyed it.

1`qLITTLE HEAVEN, by Nick Cutter, had all the elements I love in a good horror story. We have the mission (to get back a boy who may be in a cult), the supernatural element, the characterization, atmospheric tension, and gore aplenty. Overall, there were many "parts" of this book that I loved, but as a whole, I feel that it sometimes veered into topics/scenes that we could have done without. The problem with that is that is slowed the tension practically to a halt in parts, and this type of book is one that I really wanted to "love" all the way through.

While this is certainly a book I'd recommend, I hope that in the future Cutter can take out some of the "excess" scenes and give a more rapid, consistent pacing.

Best horror book I've read in years. Nick Cutter truly is the new horror master.

I enjoy Nick Cutter's other books. He's been the only modern author that has scared me. Usually, I end up listening to the audiobook versions.

I liked this, but it wasn't as scary as his previous works. It took me a hot second to get into it. I read about 20% before I put it away for a couple months. It hadn't quite grabbed me.

I was more into the background stories of the 3 gunslingers than the goings on of the Jonestown-esq Little Heaven cult. I felt that this jumped around, was disjointed and the ending felt rushed and deflated.

Little Heaven is the first Nick Cutter book I have read and it won't be my last. I was pleasantly surprised at how Little Heaven brought be back to my youth and 80's horror fiction and how much I miss those old familiar books. There were a few places that I found my attention wandering but overall I quite I enjoyed the story and the path it took.

After three novels, it is safe to say that Nick Cutter writes terrifying stories. He knows just what will raise your heart rate and keep you awake at night. Moreover, he never eases off the tension to allow you to catch your breath. Little Heaven, like each of his other novels, involves a barrage of disturbing imagery, a cast of multi-faceted characters, a vicious villain, and plenty of gray area that makes you question the existence of good and evil.

The use of three mercenaries as well as a cult leader as his narrators and main characters is a wonderful example of his ability to blur the lines between good and evil. Micah, Minerva, and Ebenezer are by no means innocents. They kill others for money after all, without mercy and without questioning whether their target deserves to be killed. Yet when we first meet them, they are mere shells, haunted by their past deeds and adventures. Their obvious pain and suffering immediately triggers your sympathy and downplays any disgust you might feel for their occupations. Mr. Cutter then switches the story to the past to test that sympathy by allowing you to see them in their prime. Their callousness is disturbing, but there is a lightheartedness to their banter that overshadows that. They are competitors after all, while their profession does not lend itself to collaboration. This leads to some of the few moments of humor that exist within the novel.

Because our three heroes are not necessarily good people, Mr. Cutter ups the ante on his Big Bad to make sure that there is no doubt about the evilness of the story's villain. Everything about the Big Bad, from his sentries to his Pied Piper to his residence near the Black Rock are the things of nightmares. The Black Rock oozes malevolence, while his familiars are the monsters that hide under your bed and in your closet. To compound the horror, Mr. Cutter does not shy away from gore and creates scenes guaranteed to turn your stomach.

The result is a novel that is frightening enough for even the most hardened of horror fans. Little Heaven takes you to the deepest, darkest recesses of evil and presents such scenes of terror and gore that make you question your own sanity. One can easily overlook the few weaknesses that exist within the story - its tendency to feel rushed, its lack of definitive answers - because the tension and fear are so palpable. With Little Heaven, Mr. Cutter proves that he is a worthy addition to the horror novel kings.

Super creepy and extremely well written. Well-developed characters and intricately plotted. This was a great read and I will recommend it to others.

I was so looking forward to the book but it did not live up to my expectations. I had to put this down and read two other books before going back to it as it bored the hell out of me. So back I went to reading and what happened, after 60% through the book it got so so GOOD that I could not put it down! Really all that nonsense that lost my interest in the beginning then we get to the good parts. Should of just wrote more on Little Heaven and the hidden nightmares in that forest and then this book would of been five stars!

Took a while to understand what was happening at the beginning until you realise that you are read characters back storylines, was I got my head around this I loved the book dark and gritty would recommend

Little Heaven by Nick Cutter is an AMAZING horror book and I will tell you right now, if you want to be creeped out and chilled to the bone, go buy the book immediately. It is amazingly written with tremendous characters and descriptions of horror that burn in your brain for hours after reading so that you're afraid to close your eyes and see these creatures again.

While the pacing might be slow at the start, this slow start is necessary because it lays the character work down for the rest of the novel. We see how these characters tick and then we get to travel back to see what caused these abrupt transformations. Once we go back in time to the original incident, the pacing steadily increases, as does the horror.

Cutter does a tremendous job of evoking unease and fear through every word choice. The descriptions he gives are so vivid that you can picture clearly these horrific creatures and acts, and then have those images cemented with the accompanying drawings included. It is nightmare fuel. Then, just when you think things can't get any scarier, they do in such a twisted way that simply makes sense and yet, is so profoundly disturbing, you don't know how to move on. The ending is the most terrifying part of the book.

This is such a hard review to write because there's so much I want to say, yet so much I can't because readers deserve to feel the horror and unease firsthand without anyone spoiling them. I hope I've made it clear enough that Little Heaven by Nick Cutter is a phenomenal horror story full of suspense, a bit of gore, and genuinely frightening. Calling it as one of my favorite books already for 2017.

Little Heaven is an extraordinary story! That doesn't mean it was a perfect story, but it was fun.

I'll refrain from going too deeply into the plot, but I will give a brief summary so I can talk about the few things that bothered me. Three bounty hunters meet up in the 60's, (and again some years later), and agree to help a woman check on her nephew, who had been taken by her brother-in-law to an isolated spot in the mountains. This spot being where the cult known as Little Heaven is located. Together, they all discover there is a LOT more going on in this settlement than just a warped, cruel "religion".

What I liked most about this story was its creativity. Yes, I saw similarities to Stephen King's work, (a lot of them, really), but I didn't find this tale to be derivative-I took it as an homage to the King instead. In fact, I think some of the scenes with the leader, (read: insane cult leader), the baby, (oh, that baby: SHUDDER), and the "Long Walker" (you'll see), would have made Stephen King himself jealous.

At times though, it seemed like Little Heaven didn't know what it wanted to be-between the main cult story, the interactions of the bounty hunters, the current and past time lines, the things in the woods and in the rock-there was a lot going on. I'm not exactly sure why, but at times I found my mind wandering. Maybe if the story were a little more tight and focused that would have helped? As I said, I'm not quite sure.

Whenever I found that happening, some piece of writing or creative incident would set me right back on the path. I found this particular quote to be beautiful:

"It’s all so goddamn fragile. Your life and the thread you carry it on. And the more love you carry, the more stress you put on that thread, the better chance it will snap. But what choice do any of us have? You take on that love because to live without it is to exist as half a person. You give that love away because it is in you to give, not out of a desire for recompense. And you keep loving even when the world cracks open and reveals a black hole where all that love can get swallowed."

Overall though, this tale's creativity and imagination beckoned to me like a bright star moving across the sky, and I willingly followed it-right down into the dark below the big, black rock. What's hiding down there? You'll have to read this book to find out! I recommend that you do.

Available January 10th here: Little Heaven: A Novel

*Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

Nick Cutter is an author whose books adorn my bookshelf. I devoured The Troop and The Deep and was anxious to begin Little Heaven. While it wasn't without flaw's fans of old school horror will find themselves entertained.

Caffeinated Aspects:

"Shall we begin?"

-The PREMISE!! In the 1960s, three bounty hunter crosshairs during their jobs. Things get crazy when one actively tries to kill another, but they band together when things get tough and end up forming an odd partnership. They end up taking a case to infiltrate a religious cult known as Little Heaven in a remote jungle location in New Mexico. This is when some weird supernatural shit goes down; that will have you squirming, thinking of the Slim Man and calling for your mommy in the middle of the night. Cutter is the king of gore, and this tale includes bugs, animal torture, and religious fanatics. I recommend reading on an empty stomach.

-The trio of characters Minny, Shug, and Eb, were fascinating themselves. They are a rough bunch as one would expect from bounty hunters, but Cutter does a splendid job of showcasing their strengths and weaknesses. While I wouldn't want to hang with the lot, I respected them.

-The tale is told both in the present (1980's) and past (1960's) as we learn about what happened in Little Heaven and why this group is returning there. It is a well-spun tale that keeps you guessing and your palms sweating. The past stories were skillfully woven taking us to the Korean War, Minny's childhood and more. Three-fourths of the tale is spent in the past before we come to our climatic present.

-Little Heaven is a settlement established by religious cult leader ‘Prophet’ Reverend Amos Flesher. He and his followers have set up a utopia away from the sins of sixties society. The attention to detail surround the camp, jungle and the strange happens within this camp were brilliantly told.

-Fans of Lovecraft and old school horror like King's earlier works will love the edge of your seat fear that Cutter presents. Cutter delivers on the gore, and his tales are not meant for the squeamish.

-The "Big Bad" evil provided a pied piper horror with religious undertones.

-Secondary characters from Ellen, Fisher and some children offered insight into twisted events and the main characters.

-Black and white illustrations in this book added to the horror.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

-Unlike the Troop and the Deep, I didn't slip into the story as easily. I finally slipped in at around 40% and as usual, Cutter had me glued to my eReader and panting in horror.

-The "Big Bad" was hard to formulate and apparently it was for Cutter too. He used language that forced the reader to fill in the blanks. Generally, I like these classic horror tactics, but in his attempts to articulate the sheer unspeakable horror that was witnessed the story suffered from a feeling of repetitiveness.

-As much as I loved time spent in the past, I would have liked thing shortened up in Little Heaven to allow for more time in the present (the 1980's) and the climatic ending. The present day story suffered because of this, and while the ending was good I believe it could have been more.

Little Heaven will send chills down your spine. I recommend Nick Cutter to fans of Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clive Barker.