The Dorians: The Terrifying New Body Horror Spectacular Set On A Remote Island

by Nick Cutter

The all-new novel of terror from 'one of the hottest horror authors on the planet' (Paste) and writer of the #HorrorBookTok sensation THE TROOP!

Five dying On a remote island in the Canadian wilderness, five elderly volunteers are offering themselves up to an extraordinary secret they'll take a miracle drug, one that promises to stall the human biological clock or even reverse it, to restore lost youth. The chance to put death on pause, perhaps forever.

One miracle By harnessing an ancient and extraordinary biological agent, scientists can turn back time for their five patients. But this real-world fountain of youth is derived from the DNA of something with no heart, no mind and no conscience, something possessed with a single-minded the will to survive, whatever it takes.

What could possibly go And as the experiment takes on a terrifying life of its own, those few who are able to fight back will have to use everything they've got just to stay alive . . . and human.

A terrifying descent into mayhem, murder and madness from the twisted mind behind THE TROOP and THE DEEP.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adult, Canada, Thriller, Halloween

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

Hello Everybody!

I figured this bio was looking a little cobwebby, so here to update it a bit (January 2026). What's changed in the decade since I wrote my initial bio? Mmmm, not a lot. I still enjoy bubblebaths, strong coffee and passionate conversations, moonlit walks on the beach, eldritch horrors and biological horrors run amuck.

Oh, and I have a new book: The Dorians!

I've been politely requested to be on Twitter and Instagram. You may find me here in the internet aether, if it pleases you:

Twitter: @ItsNickCutter
Instagram: nickcutter2026
website: www.craigdavidson.net
signed books website: www.nickcutter.com

Yrs,
Nick Cutter
(but not really)

Reviews

[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Hell! 😱 What did I just read? This book is WILD! What started as a slow burn horror story turned into an unnatural tale of bloody rage! Nick Cutter KILLED IT with The Dorians!

Picture this, you are 80 years old and dying from cancer. You decide you are ready to get help with assisted suicide. In Canada, it’s called MAID.

But then you are approached with an offer to receive a revolutionary treatment which holds the potential to reverse your biological age. Would you do it???

When these five volunteers take the offer on a secluded island, they have no idea what they’re getting into. It’s truly terrifying and I have to say that Cutter developed a pretty unique story. This isn’t some product you use ….. it’s an unnatural creature.

I loved this and hope all you horror fans will too! Add this to your TBR IMMEDIATELY!

BTW, these characters are highly unlikable BUT that’s the point!!! You’d be pissy too if you were 80 years old, miserable and dying. Just saying.

Pub date 5/19

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huge thanks to Gallery Books for the gifted copy.

[bookmarksandbarbells]

Anything this creepy dude writes is an immediate TBR add. No need to read the description, I'm IN.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in the May 2026 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2026/05...

Three Words That Describe This Book: Frankenstein retelling, gripping, immersive. existential terror

When you read this book, there is some pun intended with the

Most horror, is at is core, about coming to terms with the fact that we will all die. Think about it. All of the undead creatures, ghosts, trying to defeat the supernatural monster in order to live and make better choices in your own life.

All of that is here in this novel. This one is on the nose about all of that. The wonder, the fear, the horror of coming to terms with your own death and making the choice to have a chance to live forever instead. All of the horror of not being able to die but also what does that mean if no one can die. And also, we are not meant to live together so what does that do to our bodies and our humanity?

What is even more terrifying here is that our protagonists are choosing to be part of a scientific experiment to reverse their own aging. Literally moneys from doing assisted suicide, they instead take an offer to go to a remote island in far northern Lake Huron (Canada) and be part of an experiment, knowing full well it could go "hinky" but figuring they have nothing to lose.

Dr Marsh-- the prodigy scientist in charge is 19 (Mary Shelley's age when she wrote Frankenstein), she makes more than one mention about reading the Shelley novel and how she will make different choices than Dr. Frankenstein with her monsters. But there is more in this book that makes allusions to the classic.

Readers will be hard pressed not to think about Michael Crichton in general and Jurassic Park in particular here. But also while Dr Marsh and her subjects are undergoing a well described experiment (involving jellyfish-- which was a cool addition to the horror monster world).

The title also refers to The Picture of Dorian Gray-- the subjects call themselves the Dorian Grays. And Algernon (from Flowers for Algernon) is also mentioned.

All of these allusions are on purpose in a good way-- to prepare readers for what is coming, to serve as a short hand to give Cutter the space to tell HIS original and unique take on this type of story. A cautionary tale about playing god, a scientific advancement can go too far, the mad scientist out for power over life itself, etc.... As a reader, Cutter brings you under the umbrella and says-- hey, you've seen this before-- but then he also says-- watch me bring my own take on it. That was fun.

In terms of storytelling, it is all done with an omniscient narrator that gets into the heads of all of the characters at some point. The "subjects"-- our 5 seniors who go through with the experiment-- and the 2 scientists (Marsh and a bio ethicist), 2 indigenous workers, and a few more to come when you read-- all of them are fleshed out well. We get to see how they appear

Cutter is a great storyteller. This is a gripping story. You will want to keep reading. Most reminded me of a mixture of The Troop and The Queen by him, but decidedly less gory than most of his books.

Thought provoking and heartbreaking. It will make you angry in a bunch of ways, but also it will terrify everyone who reads it because (and I do think Cutter wants readers to make this connection even though it is not there explicitly) your thoughts will go to AI right away. There is no AI here, but the story-- a scientist working on a technology that has a mind of its own that could do a lot of good, but also a lot of harm. I recently finished Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay and there is a lot of similarity here in appeal even though the plots are VERY different on the surface.

Horror that reaches its tendrils out to grab hold of the reader.-- These words are important.

Another great readalike is a title that I think deserves more attention-- Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai. It was a finalist for the 2022 Shirley Jackson Award.

[Cyndi Farfsing]

I am SO fucking pumped for this book! One of my auto buy authors and the ONLY author who can actually creep me out. So thankful to recieve a copy on Netgalley, I can't believe I actually got approved! BRB while I push everything off to the side to go devour this book!

[Steve Stred]

*Huge thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher and the author for a digital ARC of this one!*

Back in 2015, I discovered Nick’s massive novel ‘The Troop’ at the same time I found Andrew Pyper’s ‘The Demonologist.’ The two books are very far apart in terms of content, but both launched each author into another realm of popularity and in the following decade, until Andrew’s passing away, the two developed a great friendship.

Through Andrew, I connected with Nick (and for the few who still don’t know, his real name is Craig Davidson, and yes you should go read his books as Craig, but also his books as Patrick Lestewka if you can find those) and we’ve developed a burgeoning relationship.

When ‘The Dorians’ was announced, I was very excited. The synopsis alluded to a mix between ‘The Troop’ and a little bit like his book ‘The Preserve’ as Lestewka, which was released in 2004.

Knowing Nick’s penchant to start the journey in one direction only to pivot and go in a very different direction, I was keen to see just where this one went.

What I liked: The novel follows a group of senior citizens, all at the end of their lives, all choosing MAID to wrap things up. Only, each of the people are given a life-line at the last minute. A phone call from a young female doctor. One offering them the potential of immortality.

Each accept and each finds themselves heading to a remote compound in the Canadian north, where a research laboratory has been created with a seemingly blank cheque. Here, they meet Astrid, a hyper-driven woman who has figured out not only how to halt death in its tracks, but how to also de-age those who join her program and have something implanted into them.

What could go wrong, right?!

From here, Nick introduces us to two Indigenous jack-of-all-trades who are keeping the facility running smoothly, but also watching what’s happening with the wolves who’ve also been implanted.

As things progress, we see the toll that eternal youth takes on each of the elderly who’ve accepted the implant, but also the physical weight on those around them and those running the program.

Cutter does a wonderful job of asking a lot of very pointed hypothetical questions. Questions that we’ve all asked ourselves at some time and as somebody who is soon turning forty-five, they’re not questions that often stray far from my mind.

This novel felt like a mix between the literary beauty of the writing within the Davidson books and the brutally harsh Splatterpunk writing within the Lestewka and early Cutter novels.

The ending is bleak, harsh, definitive (to a degree) and though it is expected, it still is startling.

What I didn’t like: Oddly, I didn’t feel a single connection to any of the characters. With the setup and the descriptions and the way the book begins, it’s written with the expectation that each reader will connect and hold onto at least one, if not multiple, characters so that when the shit hits the fan, we get that emotional reaction, but in this case, I just didn’t have that. Not sure why, but because of that, I think I missed a lot of the emotional weight and depth Nick was trying to create.

Why you should buy this: While reading this, I got the sense it was a spiritual sequel to ‘The Troop’ and in the afterword, Nick even mentions that writing it, it felt like that. We have similar settings, similar groups with the various dynamics and we get a really gross, ever-evolving parasite wrecking havoc. The difference here is that ‘The Troop’ was teens and ‘The Dorians’ was elderly people. It felt like the time had passed and we were getting a look at how things would’ve played out in ‘The Troop’ in a different scenario.

Nick has really delivered a thoughtful look at aging and what it means to different people with different backgrounds while also giving us a novel that’s full of bleak, awful decisions and moments. Paired together it works perfectly to unnerve and unsettle the reader while also causing you to squirm all over again.

At least this time there’s no turtles.

[Kayda Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
5 elderly patients on the brink of assisted suicide are offered the chance to reverse the clock with a new experimental treatment. But when things start to go terribly wrong, they grapple with the consequences of meddling with mortality.

This was such a unique storyline. I really enjoyed the plot, and getting those inner-thoughts and perspectives from each character as their ages continued to reverse.

I thought the science fiction aspects with the Hydra combined with the body horror was a great addition.

The last quarter of this book was absolutely wild (in the best way). I would definitely say this was a slow burn, but once it picked up…it was a roller coaster of a ride. The pacing of the book was just off for me…I feel like I needed a little something more throughout, instead of all the action being packed into the very end.

Thank you to Gallery Books for sending me an advanced copy ❤️

[Anna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received advanced reader copy from Goodreads giveaway.

“Few of us want to die. But death provides our lives with structure. As an endpoint, death gives meaning and significance to time. If time becomes insignificant because our lives are endless, our existence surrenders its value. We become adrift in time.”

Part Frankenstein, part The Picture of Dorian Gray, and part slow burn existential dread to hunting horror fest.

The Dorians follows a groundbreaking science experiment to extend human vitality indefinitely, gone terribly (but predictably?) wrong. Wrought by various illnesses and age, five elderly subjects consent to invite an unknown substance into their bodies for the possibility to reverse their biological clock and get a second chance at life. Add in a teenage evil genius, an underprepared bioethicist, cool wolves, and some men with actual common sense but no one listening to them, all trapped on a secluded island. Everything is going great, until it very suddenly goes off the rails in a gory horror movie fashion.

I think the story did a good job of diving into the different characters’ backstory and motivations, although the occasionally irreverent tone didn’t always hit for me. Very interesting exploration into medical ethics and what it means to accept growing old after living your life if you have the opportunity to get there.

[LambchoP]

This sounds amazing, can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm not quite sold on Nick Cutter yet. I LOVED The Troop, disliked the Deep and dnf'd Little Heaven. This new book sounds right up my alley and I'm excited to read it!

[Michael Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: This review was originally published at FanFiAddict.

Stories about mankind’s search for eternal youth and beauty are almost as old as mankind itself, ranging from ancient tales about the Fountain of Youth to present-day cosmetics industries and their promises of wrinkle-vanishing creams and lotions that restore the skin’s lost elasticity. Nowadays, social media influencers peddling nonsensical promises under the guise of attention-grabbing headlines are a dime a dozen. Yet, the allure of such promises refuses to fade despite the mountains of scientific evidence – and worse – that runs contrary to such wish fulfillment.

On the horror fiction front, Nick Cutter’s latest, The Dorians, most certainly runs headlong toward the “and worse” part of the equation. In this book of science gone wrong mayhem, a group of elderly folks at death’s door – quite literally, given their preparations for medically assisted suicide – are offered a last-minute reprieve and a promise to cure what ails them. The offer, or perhaps more so the mystery surrounding this offer, is too tantalizing to ignore. They quickly find themselves secreted off to a remote island that’s home to a scientific compound spearheaded by 19-year-old Dr. Astrid Marsh, a super-genius who graduated from Princeton before reaching her teens. Now funded by corporate benefactors to the tune of billions and billions of dollars, she’s in the process of fine-tuning a procedure to reverse aging via a biological implant genetically engineered from coral, jellyfish, and fungal mold. Marsh has named this specimen the Hydra but, of course, the results are less Cocoon and more Jurassic Park.

Once the Hydra has been implanted in our handful of dying old folks, they soon find themselves feeling better and looking younger. But it wouldn’t be much of a horror story if everything turned out hunky-dory, would it? Oh no, no no no, that simply would not do. The trials and tribulations of Marsh’s astronomically high IQ comes with a cost. Not only is she socially inept, she’s also got severe anger management issues and is crazier than a sack full of rabid cats. And then there’s the test subjects themselves, particularly the tall, broad-bodied Hugo, who lost his daughter at a tender young age to an innocent mishap and who spent much of his own youth doing very bad things, and Claire, whose hunger for youth has turned her into a manipulative minx.

As the experiment progresses, the group can’t get younger fast enough for their liking and begin taking things into their own hands. Much of this initially involves doing a lot of talking, threatening, and cajoling that contrasts their rediscovered youthful appearances with slang from the 50s, so they sound like outdated greasers, minus the leather jackets and finger snapping, until they finally concoct plans to violently expedite their aging reversal. Eventually, Ian Malcolm’s infamous words from Jurassic Park come to haunt all involved as the Hydra exerts its own instinctual controls over their bodies because, you know, “life finds a way.”

Much like the Hydra, The Dorians itself is a mishmash of works that have come before, engineered into a cobbled-together end-product made from pieces of this and bits of that. Rather than trying to shy away from what’s come before, Cutter leans hard into the various influences that constitute The Dorians. You can see the stitchwork binding together Michael Crichton and Stephen King, The Island of Doctor Moreau, dashes of Carpenter and Cronenberg, a smidge of The Substance, Frankenstein, and plenty more. So much of The Dorians reads like an Easter egg hunt to spot all the ideas and constituent components that Cutter’s cribbing from earlier creatives who have done all the work for him. Little of the story is fresh or original, and there’s an almost meta-level commentary to this book’s existence, which lives much like the Hydra itself, as a parasite riding on the backs of others.

Which brings me to a central mystery of my own making – how to fairly judge The Dorians on its own terms when so much of it exists in relation to works that came before. In liberally taking so many constituent parts from so many other works, Cutter has managed to take much of what works from his forebears and dismiss a lot of what didn’t. While The Dorians is wholly unoriginal, with so much of its plot points virtually cut-and-pasted from a veritable goldmine of sci-fi horror genre definers that ran headlong into the fray so Cutter could stroll his way through decades later, it’s not without its own thoughts and complexities, shallow though they may be. It’s derivative, but so recognizably so one could argue it’s pastiche. It’s premise and execution are so overly familiar in too many crucial ways, but it’s never dull or unreadable. For the most part, I found myself enjoying the read, even as I recognized so many of its combinate parts from so many other previous sources. Could The Dorians exist in its current state without Jurassic Park or Frankenstein or Doctor Moreau before it? I doubt it; the whole book is the literary equivalent of memberberries, albeit in a blessedly less pernicious way than a Ready Player One or some such equivalent. Is a book that’s unoriginal but enjoyable better than a book that’s original but boring? Or is it just six of one, half-dozen of another? I don’t know. I guess at the end of the day, my thinking is that The Dorians is little more than junk food for the brain. It tastes good, but it’s not good for you, and you’ll probably forget all about it in a day or two anyway.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy, horrific, dark, intriguing, and unsettling, The Dorians will get under your skin! If Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray had a baby, it would be [[book:The Dorians|242977939]. This book takes place on a remote island where a scientist has gathered 5 elderly volunteers nearing the end of their lives to take part in an experiment that will reverse their aging and give them back their youth! This reminds me of the saying, be careful what you wish for and if it seems too good to be true. But the five volunteers feel they have nothing to lose. They are, as I mentioned, nearing the end of their lives and decide to take a chance.

This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I was fully invested in learning more about the volunteers and the young scientist who dangles hope out in front of them. I enjoyed the dread that leapt off the pages. This book is flowing with tension and the sense that something isn't quite right. There is an eerie vibe that ebbs and flows throughout the book. Besides being horrific and raising the hair on the back of your neck, this book looks at science, aging, power, decisions, relationships, morality, living, and dying.

I enjoyed the pacing in this book as well as the vivid descriptions. This played out like a horror film in my mind. This book also had a few twists, some tension, and horrific scenes. If you are looking for a horror book mixed with science fiction, The Dorians might be the perfect book for you!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Quercus Books, Arcadia and NetGalley for sending me the ARC of The Dorians in exchange for an honest review.

Nick Cutter is back with another gross body horror that is giving Jurassic Park meets The Thing meets Frankenstein meets Benjamin Button meets The Picture of Dorian Gray.

5 elderly patients who have elected to go through with medically assisted suicide are offered an alternative that’s too good to be true. Come to a remote island in the Canadian wilderness and undergo an experimental treatment that could reverse ageing.

The catch? The lead scientist is, at best, unhinged. They won’t be allowed to leave the island, even if treatment is successful. The patients have skeletons in their closets, but the past is the past right? This is a chance at a fresh start. At least there’s no chance the biological matter their treatment is made from could gain sentience and fight to survive at any cost. RIGHT?!

I’m not too sure what to say about this one! It was about what I expected, though much more Jurassic Park-y in terms of the fantastical science than I had anticipated. Not a bad thing, Jurassic Park is a classic for a reason.

The characters were, for the most part, deeply flawed and largely unlikable. There were a few who I was actually rooting for, but the majority were not enjoyable. This was by design, and not at all a complaint on my part.

Cutter raises some interesting questions/conundrums re: the ethics and morality around experimental treatments, informed medical consent, success at any cost, the hubris of ‘genius’, the ever evolving technologies that humans barely have a grasp on, the pervasive obsession with youth…the list goes on!

It’s hard not to see this as somewhat of an allegory for the ceaseless march of AI and how far reaching this tech is into the lives of laymen. Ayyyyy, good times.

The body horror is VERY Cronenberg, which Cutter cites as inspiration and it’s clear to see. All I could picture was The Thing’s tendrils!

There are also many direct references to Frankenstein throughout, which may be a bit on the nose for some people’s taste but it worked for me!

If you like a horror that makes you think whilst grossing you out, The Dorians is calling your name.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dorians is a story of five old people, all near the end of their lives, who agree to be taken out into the wilderness to become part of an experiment testing whether aging can be reversed. The laboratory is run by a quirky young woman with the help of a second, more ethical, doctor and a couple of hired hands. With unknown financial backers, and after limited animal testing, she is ready to move to the next step. Things go great at first, and then….

I have wanted to circle back to a Nick Cutter book ever since reading The Troop in 2021. I loved that book so much it blows my mind that I failed to read anything else he wrote until The Dorians. I found The Dorians to be a must read. The premise is phenomenal. Who would not want, in the very last years of life, to have a chance to turn the clock back ten, twenty, fifty or more years? This is no fountain of youth story like told in Cocoon. With Nick Cutter at the helm horror is promised and delivered.

The characters are well drawn out and relatable. The five test subjects all have differing backgrounds and personalities. The common trait they share is an openness to consider whether there is a way out of their current hopelessness. The highs they feel when they realize the experiment is starting to work are addictive and their cravings to continue, despite the red flags, make complete sense.

The science is, of course, a stretch. I nonetheless found myself wondering how the planet could sustain a population that continues to grow and never dies. Just because something can be done does that mean it should be? This is a book that can really challenge you to think through how you might (or should) react if in similar circumstances.

The author teased in the acknowledgements that there is an easter egg in the story connecting The Dorians to The Troop. Here is hoping that someone figures it out and shares with the rest of us!

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read The Dorians. I am going to hold out hope for a follow-up book! The above opinions are my own.

[Stephanie Cooke]

As a relatively new appreciator of the horror genre, I’m still (slowly because I’m a wimp at heart) building my must-read authors list. However, one of the very first that I started following many years ago was Nick Cutter, after reading The Deep and discovering his other titles from there. Since then, I’ve excitedly awaited every new book of his and was over-the-moon to be given the chance to read an advanced copy of The Dorians.

First off, it is SO refreshing for an author to use Canada as a setting for their book. I don’t know why this is off-putting for people who aren’t in Canada (truly wild), but the way that Cutter unabashedly uses this country for all of his books is something that I greatly admire. Perhaps a weird start to this review, but it is always a thing that I love to see.

With this book and his last (The Queen), Cutter has really been delving into the horrors of human experimentation. In The Dorians, elderly volunteers are given the opportunity to potentially restore their youth with the help of a doctor who is harnessing something that they should perhaps not be messing with. But when given the chance to go back in time, is the cost worth it? (cue up the “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.” line from Jurassic Park here.)

I don’t know that this is one of my favourite of Cutter’s works but I deeply enjoyed the different terrifying aspects of this story from the body horror to psychological terror, and all of the literary homages sown throughout here, with the most prominent one being The Portrait of Dorian Gray. But beyond that and what you can possibly deduce with that comparison, this also has strong elements of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The book itself, like Frankenstein’s monster, cobbles together bits and pieces of these literary greats that have come before and offers up something new and fresh with Cutter’s incredible storytelling skills at the helm. And ultimately, this is well worth the read.

[Ryan Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Doyle, suffering from a terminal case of lung cancer, is about to receive a life-ending euthanasia cocktail, when the doors of clinic fly open and he is offered a mysterious opportunity. Frank takes it, as he and five others anguishing with deadly diseases end up on a high-tech island filled with top of the line medical equipment and a teenage genetics researcher with ideas about reversing biological aging so wild, they might just be brilliant. A “procedure” is tried on human subjects, all aged 75-85, and to spice the story up, also a few incredibly dangerous animals and a 19-year-old girl in a three-year long coma. Enough said about the plot. Dive into this prickly, spindly tale (you can guess plenty from the title), without knowing much more. It’s a hyper-violent, highly sexual, horror/sci-fi blended novel about second chances that entertains and forces reflection.

The opening chapters are exceedingly inviting as we become acquainted with the charismatic main characters and learn of the science behind the dazzling premise of the project. But the true strength of the novel are the middle sections, for once the thrust of this story starts moving, it continually gains velocity. Much like the ‘subjects’, one can’t help but consider the possibilities that unfold with each chapter. The finale is serviceable, but I preferred the journey over the destination in The Dorians. It’s is a creative work and the author supports the innovative premise with a Jurassic Park amount of science – technical enough to be believable but not to the point of getting lost in unnecessary detail.

While not explicitly mentioned, Cutter must have been considering how out-of-control AI might behave. Recommended to fans of horror and science fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a review copy.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Five elderly people all share one thing in common-they are at the end of their lives and have elected to receive medical aid to end their lives. Yet, in those last hours, a young, brilliant scientist reaches out to extend an offer none of them can refuse: the chance to reverse their aging and possibly give them a whole new chance at life.

This novel has so many layers and shines a spotlight what it means to be human. I absolutely loved the perspective of all of the characters, they are extremely well written and force us to contemplate our own mortality. I found myself thinking about what it means to have a "new lease on life" and what it truly means to be human.

Between exploring the ethical nature of screwing around with our own biology, leaving such an unknown and terrifying experiment in the hands of a teenager with only three other people overseeing it, and the horrors that ensue from these decisions, I found myself truly captivated by this story.

The five elderly people are written really well, they sound like the era they are from and all are multi faceted. I would find myself not liking one character, only to have them grow on me as they progressed through the story and are faced with a multitude of choices. There are some great twists that don't seem contrived, and ultimately I enjoyed the journey.

One drawback for me would be that the science isn't explored as much as I would have liked (though I understand why it wasn't, it would likely interrupt the plot and that's just a personal want of mine!). I also had trouble with visualizing the horrors of their evolution, though that also is likely because it's beyond comprehension.

The ending was satisfying and I truly enjoyed that I had the chance to read an arc of this. Thank you Nick Cutter!

[Jason Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you could drink from the Fountain of Youth, would you? What if this Fountain of Youth was genetically modified? That’s the question posed to a group of septuagenarians and octogenarians by 19-year-old genius Dr. Astrid Marsh.

We follow the journey of Frank, Teddy, Maddy, Claire, Hugo and Davey as they knock, knock, knock on heaven’s door. And by knock, they all signed up for and were approved for MAID before the good doctor came calling with an eleventh-hour offer.

Old people and toddlers have one entertaining thing in common: No filter! These old people have no filter and it was hilarious...until it was sad and tragic. The young, socially-awkward Dr. Marsh didn’t have much of a filter either.

This story is carried by its characters. Not just the elderly subjects or the unhinged genius doctor but also the other minor characters. Those being Dr. Veronica Strauss and the two indigenous gophers, John Salters and Moses Squires. There are multiple layers to these characters that do get developed steadily.

If you have read any of Nick Cutter’s books, you know what a fun ride this will be. There is a particular MO that he uses in his book and it’s not much different here. You see those similarities in the story’s construction as you did with the Troop.

For me, Nick Cutter is an auto-buy. There is a large variety of works that has influenced this story and if you read those works or watched those movies, it could affect how you feel about this one. I haven't so for me, this was a fresh piece of work. Enjoyed it thoroughly and I was happy how it concluded.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Gallery Books for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Nick Cutter’s The Dorians. This novel will be published on May 19, 2026.

[Tera Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and wanted to like it more than I ultimately did. Perhaps I’m simply not the intended audience for this particular meditation on death and humanity’s desire to alter the natural cycle of things. The novel wrestles with the question of what it means to escape, or attempt to escape, our inevitable end. For readers who carry a deep fear of death or are fascinated by the idea of defying it, this story may strike a more personal chord.

For my part, I’ve never been especially troubled by the inevitability of death. The philosophical tension that drives the story and this anxiety about mortality and the lengths people will go to avoid it didn’t resonate with me in the same way it might for others. Because of that, some of the emotional stakes felt a bit distant.

That said, I did appreciate how the characters were written. Nick Cutter gives us a cast of people who feel distinctly human in all the messy ways that entails. Their ambitions, flaws, rationalizations, and moral compromises all reflect the many foibles that come with being human. In that sense, the characters feel authentic, even if I didn’t find most of them particularly relatable. Frank was the exception for me. He was the one character whose perspective and reactions grounded the story.

But perhaps that distance was intentional? The characters’ inability to confront mortality in a healthy way may be the very thing the book is trying to highlight. Their choices, their obsessions, and their blind spots all circle back to the same uncomfortable question: what happens when humanity refuses to accept the limits of being human?

[Paley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dorians is a well paced creeping horror that combines the darkest corners of a desperate human mind with the implications of science pushed too far. It starts with a fascinating premise: a group of elderly volunteers (each previously having signed up for MAiD - Medical Assistance in Death) are brought to an isolated island and promised not only immortality, but rejuvenation to their younger bodies.

The experiment is overseen by a 19 year old prodigy, Dr. Astrid Marsh. Through Dr. Marsh, Cutter examines both the danger of unchecked power as well as the capitalistic system that allowed someone with clear warning signs to head such a dangerous experiment in the first place. I really enjoyed Dr. Marsh at first, but by the end, she became stale and cartoonish.

The Dorians is told through a rotating cast of POVs, primarily the eyes of each elderly test subject. Cutter did a great job making each POV feel unique and I thoroughly enjoyed watching as each individual changed over the course of the book. I loved the eerie way we were able to see the Hydra subtly influence a character's thoughts, playing on their very real human fears until the human and Hydra are inextricably combined.

The slow descent in the middle of this book was definitely the strongest part, but the ending was still a fun blast into haunted island, monster movie thrill. I enjoyed the small easter eggs to other Cutter books and overall, this was a fast, creepy science horror book about human imperfection.

3.5/5
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Gallery Books for giving me an ARC of The Dorians to read and review.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dorians is a sci-fi horror novel about a strange experiment that goes wrong, as five elderly patients are offered the chance to reverse the effects of ageing and put a pause on death. When a group of elderly people about to use an assisted dying programme are offered the chance to try a miracle option, they find themselves on a remote Canadian island with a young prodigy who offers them the chance to be test subjects for her experiment. As tensions rise, it is clear that they might not be staying human.

I've not read anything by Nick Cutter before, but I was interested by the premise. The book starts off being quite intriguing as the characters come together on the island, but I found that it started to drag after that. There's a lot of references to Frankenstein and the book is generally very situated within the world of other fiction about power over life, death, and ageing, but this does mean that nothing is particularly exciting or novel. The story plays out exactly as you'd expect, without really any horror elements despite that being part of its marketing, and I would say that it is more dystopian sci-fi than horror. The characters also felt quite generic and not really like people with real identities, just a couple of character stereotypes each (and the two Indigenous characters were really not given separate characterisation at all).

I was hoping for a lot more from this book, but sadly it just didn't really engage me and I found myself trying to race to the end.

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now I also am fascinated by the hydra jellyfish!

BUT was hoping for a little bit more out this one actually. I thought all the characters were all a$$holes and I was rooting for their demise fairly early in.

Some of the gross and disturbing scenes particularly in the character’s dreams, are well written and unsettling but with the cheesy annoying horny racist old people, I just found myself laughing at them , rolling my eyes and waiting for the next thing to happen to move the plot along. Honestly the casual racism ( how Canadian) was completely unnecessary. If it was supposed to be showing how the characters were changing the way they think I get it I guess, but it seems a little out of touch despite the futuristic premise. We really don’t need that narrative. I think the ending was really well done but I had kind of stopped caring by then.

It was an interesting read as it does touch some prevalent ethical topics (which I love in Sci-fi horror), and I’m curious to hear what other readers take away from it.

Hard to rate - probably one I would think about a little longer if I did not receive an advanced copy from the publisher/netgalley/author in exchange for review although I am very grateful to have gotten the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated horrors of the year early.

[Elyrria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dorians is a sci-fi/horror book that explores what might happen if fountain-of-youth technology were discovered. Readers follow five seniors who go to an island for experimental treatments to reverse their aging processes, but the catch is that they can never leave. The main characters quickly realize that there is more to the island than the scientists in charge of the project have revealed, and the participants must face horrors beyond what they ever imagined.

Nick Cutter cites Jurassic Park and The Island of Doctor Moreau as two of his influences for this book, and I have to agree! It has creature feature elements alongside medical (body) horror, and is what I would call a good "popcorn" horror book.

I loved the beginning the most, because Cutter described a lot of the scientific background behind the participants' treatments. Things slowed down in the middle, and the ending felt rushed. The pacing was a little weird after the halfway point, but I still found it to be enjoyable and reminiscent of old sci-fi horrors I have loved and appreciated throughout the years.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at Gallery Books for sending me an e-ARC! This book was not perfect, but horror fans who like medical experimentation tropes will enjoy the fun, nostalgic ride.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a strange one for sure, touted as a sci-fi horror version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but really felt more like a modern day Frankenstein with the jellyfish horror (is this a genre now??) of Mona Awad's Rouge to me.

A group of terminally ill geriatrics are given a second lease on life, when at they are offered a chance to receive a new, revolutionary treatment that will turn back their biological clock. In return, they have to sign away their rights to become the experimental playthings of a teenage prodigy with no moral compass. What could possibly go wrong? 😅

Lately I've been loving books with more elderly characters, but I have to say, the ones in this book were unlikeable to the extreme. Some were despicable in life, and some only when they got a taste of eternal youth. The single narrator did a great job of giving each subject their unique voice, so it was never unclear who's point of view it was, despite the third person telling. But all those factors combined did leave me feel like I was hovering over the surface of the narration and I wasn't fully engaged.

Hard to tell if this was one I would have liked better reading rather than listening, but it did feel a bit on the longer side with the pacing dragging a bit in the middle.

🪼 Thank you @simon.audio for the ALC and @gallerybooks #GalleryPartner for the advanced copy

[Stacey Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Cutter delivers another sharp, unsettling ride with The Dorians, an intelligent thriller that digs into the societal cost of living your “best life” at any price. At its core, this is a story about excess, consequence, and the apex of what one is willing to sacrifice for longevity, beauty, and status—and Cutter doesn’t shy away from exploring that morally grey terrain.
The writing is, at times, very Cutter—tense, edgy, and laced with an undercurrent of dread that creeps in slowly before tightening its grip. There’s also a noticeable Michael Crichton-like influence here, especially in the way the story blends speculative science with real-world implications, giving it that “this could almost happen” unease.

What really makes The Dorians stand out is its focus on the ethical line—how easily it blurs, and how far people will go once they’ve crossed it. The tension isn’t just in the plot, but in the choices the characters make, which keeps the story feeling grounded even when the premise stretches into high-concept territory.

Is it The Troop? No—but that’s not a knock. It’s a different kind of horror, more cerebral than visceral, trading some of the shock for a deeper, more thought-provoking unease.

Not his most brutal work, but absolutely well worth the read—especially if you like your thrillers smart, unsettling, and just a little too close to reality.

[Reading Xennial · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by Nick Cutter. I’ve always been interested in his books, but I’ve been too chicken to try. This was quite unsettling and scary, but the writing made up for the heebeejeebees it gave me. It was easy to get into and get connected to the many characters. Cutter gave backstory and depth to all of the main characters so it was easy to get attached and invested in them.

Five older adults who have various illnesses and really have nothing to lose are asked to go to a mysterious island and be part of an experiment that could pause aging or possibly, reverse it. But at what cost should someone go through such a test?

This book had me on the edge of my seat and sometimes reading by peeking through my fingers. It was creepy and gross, and heartbreaking all in one. The pacing is pretty good, but there are some lulls that I found myself less interested in, but I do appreciate the slower points because they make the exciting bits even more exciting. The ending fell a little flat for me, but I don’t know what would’ve improved it for me. I would recommend this book to horror and scifi fans.

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

[Dani G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5

Full disclosure: I loved The Troop and The Deep because they were some of the first books I read early in my horror journey. Nick Cutter has slowly become my trashy horror popcorn read because I feel like he’s kind of fallen off since the viral success of The Troop and The Deep.

I was again hoping to a return to form like I did with The Queen, and I was again disappointed. I thought the setup was interesting but the execution really fell flat. The dialogue and writing made me cringe. (I cannot believe we are using “Skibidi Toilet” in books now. And I thought Chuck Wendig using “unalive” and “rawdog” in Staircase in the Woods was bad enough. 😭)

Character-wise, I thought everyone was unlikeable. I was rooting for all of them to die. It also doesn’t sit well with me that the only two Indigenous characters get killed off first.

Plot-wise, I was just left underwhelmed because it was derivative of other media I’ve already seen. I was expecting something different, and there were some details that were mentioned that I thought were going to be important but aren’t brought up again. I kinda feel like this was just a rehash of The Troop except this time the horror is being old and disgusting, I guess.

Thanks to the publisher for the digital ARC!

[Gatorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me get this complaint out of the way first: Cutter has no clue how Lyme disease works. You don't die from it, and it does not ravage your body and send you on a death spiral if you don't get medical treatment for it within a week. Utter rubbish. I should know, I've been living with it for sixteen years. It's way more complicated than that. Do some basic research, for crying out loud.

Putting that rant aside, this is a solid thriller/horror story about the morality (and overall wisdom) of designing a system that allows the body to regenerate and de-age, permitting the sick and elderly to relive their youth. The system here is a "Hydra", a jellyfish-based organism inside the bodies of five elderly people and one teenager. Or course, things do not go as planned. Interesting scientific discussions and considerations are coupled with some pretty intense and gruesome scenes to create an enjoyable book. Well-written and gripping, it moves to a strong ending and teasing epilogue. Nice job by Cutter, even though he does need a class on Lyme disease. Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankenstein meets The Picture of Dorian Gray? Sign me up! 🙋‍♂️⁣
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Nick Cutter and me have an interesting relationship. I try his books and usually fail at enjoying them (besides The Queen), and he…doesn’t know I exist. 😝 Thank you @gallerybooks for my gifted copy of his newest, THE DORIANS! This book immediately intrigued me with its cover and the feel of Mona Awad’s Rouge. ⁣
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A gripping and immersive horror novel, THE DORIANS reimagines Frankenstein through an existential lens, exploring aging, mortality, and the terrifying consequences of trying to outwit death. Set on a remote island, a young prodigy scientist recruits elderly volunteers for an experimental procedure to reverse aging, blending eerie atmosphere, moral dilemmas, and classic literary allusions into a tense and thought-provoking narrative. ⁣
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Dark, unsettling, and emotionally resonant, the story examines power, humanity, and the cost of playing god while delivering a suspenseful, character-driven read that lingers long after the final page. A near perfect read (the pacing is my big complaint here) for those who enjoy light horror with some thrills and shrills! STARS: 4, PUB: 5/19

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC

I'd like to thank Gallery Books and Edelweiss+ for the chance to give Nick Cutter's "The Dorians" an early read in return for an honest review.

What a blast this read was! There's a solid balance between body horror and characterization, which makes you feel like you're getting close to this cast of characters, which makes the last act hit even harder. You can tell Cutter was having a ton of fun with this one, as there's an electricity in it that I haven't read in any of his novels yet. The pacing worked great, not being too slow, but not being overbearing in speed, which allows you to spend the perfect amount of time in this universe. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the end, which is the novel's biggest shortcoming, as it feels a bit rushed compared to the amount of time that was put in for the setup, I still found this to be a really fun and entertaining read. Reading this just reminds me exactly why I enjoy Cutter, and just how much I need to finish out the couple of novels I haven't read from him so far.

Please be sure to give this a read when it is published on May 19, 2026!

[Kyle Lemmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pretty much hooked on Nick Cutter books now. I tend to read them in very few sittings since the characters are so well drawn and the mounting (and squishy) violence is just addictive. I’ve been watching a ton of the ‘90s Twilight Zone while reading this book The Dorians strikes that correct mix of sexy thriller, sci-fi, comedy, and horror. I also love that it is set on a snowy island and is a spiritual successor of sorts to The Troop.

As usual with Cutter books, he slowly builds up tensions early on with crazy dream sequences. Let’s just say you won’t look at a blue gum ball and machine ever again in the same way. I love the depictions of the blue monster scenarios in this story, especially towards the end when shit goes sideways in the Spindrift lab. The wolves 🐺 and hydras/jellyfish 🪼 are also damn terrifying.

The ending (no spoilers!) is also somewhat happy and yet so deeply disturbing. I love Cutter’s heightened usage of all fives senses with his prose. Looking forward to the next time I get to chat with Craig/Nick about this book and others in the future.

[Marie Aitchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're familiar with the classic Oscar Wilde novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, then you know the concept of an unaging muse. Well, the Dorians incorporates this horror element in a new and much more sci-fi centered way when a group of elderly individuals at the end of their lives are recruited for a science experiment that will turn back the clock and reverse their aging bodies. What a miraculous advancement that would be for humans, right? Of course, it will all come at a cost...to be human is to one day die, so if one aims to all reverse aging and avoid death, what becomes of them?

Read if you like:
🪼Scary Science-Fiction
🪼 Body horror
🪼 Multiple POV shifts
🪼 Isolated island location
🪼 An unhinged volatile scientist
🪼 Fun elderly character friendships
🪼 The destruction of unchecked human greed & arrogance

This book really had me entranced and the writing was fun and engaging with the perfect balance of science, horror, and humor. There were some super great unsettling scenes, as well as some which made me stop and reflect. I enjoyed it! 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨