Stand by Me crossed with Deliverance meets The Twilight Zone. Wilderness Reform is an intriguing and entertaining blend of the mysterious and psychological combined with a dash of horror that keeps you guessing and makes you take a second, more curious look at those you pass on hiking trails through the woods and mountains. Matt and Harrison Query have crafted an engaging story with compelling young characters pitted against an older malevolent force.
After being arrested for robbing a local store in Louisiana, Ben Thibodaux is sentenced by the juvenile court judge to attend a reform program for troubled teens in Montana. The experience is intended to teach him life skills and instill discipline that will help him turn his life around. Except Ben’s exceptional intelligence and powers of observation are screaming that something isn’t right about the camp, it’s counsellors or it’s leader. As he learns about the other boys in his cabin and grows to trust them, he confides in them about the menacing danger he senses lurking in the shadows, and they determine making a run for it is their best option. As they get closer to the truth and execute their escape plan, an unholy evil reveals itself and attempts to thwart them. Which leaves the boys at a crossroads. Do they continue to run and save themselves? Or should they stay and fight to save others who might fall victim to this long-running wickedness?
Wilderness Reform has a little bit of everything. Mysterious occurrences sprinkled within a setting of self-improvement and boys coming of age in a journey of self-discovery. Alpha Individuals who are more than meets the eye and are engaged in high-level mind games with those of lesser intellect. Patient storytelling that methodically sets the scene before unleashing surprising reveals and bursts of explosive violence. Navigation of the natural world melded with the invasion of the supernatural. All expertly interwoven into a well-executed tale that will have you muttering WTF to yourself on multiple occasions while simultaneously rooting for these young boys to prevail.
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