The Watchers (The Watchers, #1)

Title: The Watchers (The Watchers, #1)

Author: A.M. Shine

Published in: 2021

Date read: 25th March 2024

Score: 4/5

Genre: Horror, Science fiction, Psychological, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Watchers" by A.M. Shine, published in 2023, is a chilling and atmospheric horror novel that draws heavily on Irish folklore and explores primal fears of the unknown, isolation, and constant surveillance.

The story centers on Mina, a twenty-eight-year-old artist living a somewhat aimless life in Galway, Ireland. Her routine is disrupted when she's tasked with delivering a precious, custom-made parrot to a client deep in the countryside. Her journey takes an unexpected and terrifying turn when her car breaks down, leaving her stranded in a vast, ancient, and eerily silent forest in the west of Ireland, a place maps simply mark as "The Minor Sector."

As night falls, Mina stumbles upon a strange, isolated, and seemingly abandoned glass house. She is quickly met by three strangers: Ciara, Daniel, and Madeline, who inform her that she has entered a place from which there is no escape. They explain that every night, after sunset, mysterious, unseen entities known only as "The Watchers" emerge from the forest. These beings cannot tolerate direct observation but will relentlessly stalk and eventually kill anyone who is outside the safe confines of the glass house after dark.

The house itself is designed with one-way glass, allowing the inhabitants to see out but preventing the Watchers from seeing in. Each night, the small group must gather in the central observation room, watching the surrounding forest for signs of the creatures, knowing that if they fail to watch, the Watchers will find a way in. They live in a perpetual state of fear and tension, trapped in this bizarre, unchanging routine.

Mina, skeptical at first, quickly learns the horrifying truth as she witnesses the terrifying consequences of defying the rules. She becomes embroiled in the group's desperate daily existence, learning their individual stories and the reasons they ended up in this terrifying predicament. The novel delves into the psychological toll of constant fear and isolation, and the strained dynamics among the trapped inhabitants.

The mystery deepens as Mina tries to understand who or what the Watchers are, why they are there, and if there is any true way to escape this living nightmare. As she uncovers fragmented clues about the forest's history and the previous occupants of the house, the true, ancient horror behind the Watchers begins to reveal itself, linking to deep-seated folklore.

The climax involves Mina's desperate attempt to find a way out of the forest, challenging the established rules of survival and confronting the horrifying nature of the Watchers in a terrifying bid for freedom. "The Watchers" is a suspenseful and claustrophobic tale that preys on the fear of being seen by unseen eyes.

Comments:
I bought this book from a charity shop as I sounded good and I wanted to try another author. I really enjoyed it and I even managed to get a year student to read it and they also loved it. There is a film adaptation out and although I have not seen it, that same student has told me not to bother. I hate it when film makers let a book down, I will judge for myself though one day.

Books that we've read by A.M. Shine (1):
The Watchers (The Watchers, #1) (2021)