History Literature / TheTroop

* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:The novel closes with Max, who went through several months of testing for infection riding out to the bombed-out remains of the island, with "a nameless hunger building inside him" as he gets closer to the it, that "gnawed at his guts with teeth that knew his name". Whether this means an evolved strain of the worms managed to lie dormant inside him despite the testing, or if it's meant to be metaphorical of the loneliness he feels now that he's treated like a social leper and how much he misses his friends is unclear.]]

* CruelTwistEnding: A twofer. [[spoiler: Max and Newt escape. Newt is promptly shot upon uttering the phrase "I'm very, very hungry". Max is given a clean bill of health after several months of testing, goes to look at the now burnt and chemically sterilized island and gets infested by a strain of tapeworm that adapted to the PollutedWasteland conditions.]]

* AdmiringTheAbomination: During an interview, [[spoiler:Dr. Edgerton]] is almost maniacally exultant when describing [[spoiler:how resilient the worms are and how determined they and worms in general are to evolve and survive.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:as the worms eat away at Shelley, he begins to see them as his offspring, proclaiming that he'll be a wonderful father to them and make sure they eat well.]] This is especially notable since said characters are [[LackOfEmpathy entirely indifferent to the suffering of other living things]] and in [[Shelley's]] case, [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals thrilled by inflicting suffering on them]].

* BeneathSuspicion: Kinda played with in regards to Shelley. It's implied that Shelley's mother might at least suspect him of being disturbed, if not outright convinced. At one point she thinks to herself if he could have harmed the family's pet kitten. [[spoiler: Yes, yes he could]].

* AdmiringTheAbomination: During an interview, [[spoiler:Dr. Edgerton]] is almost maniacally exultant when describing [[spoiler:how resilient the worms are and how determined they and worms in general are to evolve and survive.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:as the worms eat away at Shelley, he begins to see them as his offspring, proclaiming that he'll be a wonderful father to them and make sure they eat well.]] This is especially notable since said characters are [[LackOfEmpathy entirely indifferent to the suffering of other living things]] and [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals thrilled by inflicting suffering on them]], respectively.

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: The tapeworms' effect on their hosts' bodies]] is both horrifying and nauseating. This includes, among other things, losing weight EXTREMELY rapidly until they're downright skeletal, their teeth and hair falling out, and developing clusters of weeping cysts. Dr. Nathan Erikson, who worked alongside [[MadScientist Dr. Edgerton]], was reduced to sobbing in horror when observing a chimpanzee [[spoiler: infected with the tapeworms]].

--> '''Dr. Erikson''': Subject… suh-suh-subject is… Jesus. Jesus Christ… subject… subject is *not* a subject anymore. I mean, holy God, *is* she? How could she be? Subject is more bone than anything. Subject… Jesus, you poor thing. You poor fucking thing, you… I just… Clive, you bastard... this is… oh, Jesus.

* AdmiringTheAbomination: During an interview, [[spoiler:Dr. Edgerton]] is almost maniacally exultant when describing [[spoiler:how resilient the worms are and how determined they and worms in general are to evolve and survive.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:as the worms eat away at Shelley, he begins to see them as his offspring, proclaiming that he'll be a wonderful father to them and make sure they eat well.]] This is especially notable since said characters are either [[LackOfEmpathy entirely indifferent to the suffering of other living things]] [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals or are thrilled by inflicting suffering on them]], including other human beings.

* AdmiringTheAbomination: During an interview, [[spoiler:Dr. Edgerton]] is almost maniacally exultant when describing [[spoiler:how resilient the worms are and how determined they and worms in general are to evolve and survive.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:as the worms eat away at Shelley, he begins to see them as his offspring, proclaiming that he'll be a wonderful father to them and make sure they eat well.]] This is especially notable since said characters are either [[LackOfEmpathy entirely indifferent to]] [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals or thrilled by enacting suffering upon other living creatures]], including other human beings.

** [[InvertedTrope Inversely]], at the beginning Scoutmaster Tim, [[TheNoseKnows who has a sense of pseudo-smell that gives vague impressions of what individual people are like]], notes that [[TheSociopath Shelley]] doesn't smell like anything at all, with the closest approximation being [[EvilIsSterile a sterilized room in a house long-bereft of human life]].

** [[InvertedTrope Inversely]], at the beginning Scoutmaster Tim, [[TheNoseKnows whose sense of smell is sharp enough to give vague impressions of what individual people are like]], notes that [[TheSociopath Shelley]] doesn't smell like anything at all, with the closest approximation being [[EvilIsSterile a sterilized hospital room]].

** [[InvertedTrope Inversely]], at the beginning Scoutmaster Tim, [[TheNoseKnows who is able to detect scents on other human beings that give vague impressions of what they're like]], notes that [[TheSociopath Shelley]] doesn't smell like anything at all, with the closest approximation being [[EvilIsSterile a sterilized hospital room]].

* AdmiringTheAbomination: During an interview, [[spoiler:Dr. Edgerton]] is almost maniacally exultant when describing [[spoiler:how resilient the worms are and how determined they and worms in general are to evolve and survive.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:as the worms eat away at Shelley, he begins to see them as his offspring, proclaiming that he'll be a wonderful father to them and make sure they eat well.]] This is especially notable since [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals both characters are entirely indifferent to or thrilled by enacting suffering upon other living creatures]], including other human beings.

* [[AloneWithThePsycho Alone With A Sociopath]]: Kent and Ephraim.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Most of the boys defer to Kent since he's the biggest and the strongest ([[JerkJock and the meanest]]).

* BodyHorror: The tapeworms' effect on their hosts' bodies is both horrifying and nauseating. This includes, among other things, losing weight EXTREMELY rapidly until they're downright skeletal, their teeth and hair falling out, and developing clusters of weeping cysts. Dr. Nathan Erikson, who worked alongside [[MadScientist Dr. Edgerton]], was reduced to sobbing in horror when observing a chimpanzee [[spoiler: infected with the tapeworms]].
--> '''Dr. Erikson''': Subject… suh-suh-subject is… Jesus. Jesus Christ… subject… subject is not a subject anymore. I mean, holy God, is she? How could she be? Subject is more bone than anything. Subject… Jesus, you poor thing. You poor fucking thing, you… I just… Clive, you bastard.. this is… oh, Jesus.

* BodyHorror: The tapeworms' effect on their hosts' bodies is both horrifying and nauseating. This includes, among other things, losing weight EXTREMELY rapidly until they're downright skeletal, their teeth and hair falling out, and developing clusters of weeping cysts. Dr. Nathan Erikson, who worked alongside [[MadScientist Dr. Edgerton]], was reduced to sobbing in horror when observing a chimpanzee infected with the tapeworms.

* BodyHorror: The tapeworms' effect on their hosts' bodies is both horrifying and nauseating. This includes, among other things, losing weight EXTREMELY rapidly until they're downright skeletal, their teeth and hair falling out, and developing clusters of weeping cysts. [[spoiler: By the time Shelley dies, he looks like an undead nightmare, [[EyeScream with one of his eyes deflated after being sucked dry by the worms]].]]

* UncannyValley: InUniverse, Shelley (the resident [[TheSociopath Closeted Sociopath]]). He's often described as "insectile" or "greasy". Ephraim even thinks of him as "something" rather than "someone" at one point.

* ParasiticHorror: The book involves a parasite-based bioweapon created as a side-gig to a genetically engineered tapeworm diet aid. While the diet aid was meant to become TheSymbiote, the bioweapon took all the bad things about them and cranked them UpToEleven, and added a few more besides.

Scout Master Tim Riggs has led a troop of boyscouts-Ephraim, Maxwell, Kent, Newton (usually shortened to Newt), and Shelly-to a secluded island off PEI for a camping trip. However, the sudden appearance of a rail-thin stranger throws those plans into ruin...

* BeneathSuspicion: Kinda played with in regards to Shelly. It's implied that Shelly's mother might at least suspect him of being disturbed, if not outright convinced. At one point she thinks to herself if he could have harmed the family's pet kitten. [[spoiler: Yes, yes he could]].

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Shelly tearing a crayfish apart.

* EvilFeelsGood: Shelly actually ''gets off'' on killing things (the day he drowned a kitten was the most erotic instance in his life). [[spoiler:He reacts to his infestation as if he were pregnant]].

* LaserGuidedKarma: Shelly gets infested while [[spoiler: murdering Kent, who is also infested. Kent's infestation may also count depending on your views about JerkJock and SchoolBullyingIsHarmless.]]

* TheSociopath: Shelly displays classic signs of being one-LackOfEmpathy and torturing small animals [[spoiler: and later Kent and Ephraim]] for no other reason than [[ForTheEvulz Teh Lolz]].

* UncannyValley: InUniverse, Shelly (the resident [[TheSociopath Closeted Sociopath]]). He's often described as "insectile" or "greasy". Ephraim even thinks of him as "something" rather than "someone" at one point.

* NightmareSequence: Kent has one where his dad turns into a worm-raddled zombie and tries to eat him.

* BeneathSuspicion: Kinda played with in regards to Shelly. It's implied that Shelly's mother might at least suspect him of being disturbed, if not outright convinced. At one point she thinks to herself could he have harmed the family's pet kitten. [[spoiler: yes, yes he could]].

* AdultsAreUseless: Averted. The boys believe that it's totally OK to pass things off to the adults, since when a grown-up handles things, it gets done Right The First Time. [[spoiler: it doesn't last]]

* BeneathSuspicion: Kinda played with in regards to shelly. It's implied that Shelly's mother might at least suspect him of being disturbed, if not outright convinced. At one point she thinks to herself could he have harmed the family's pet kitten. [[spoiler: yes, yes he could]].

* ExplosiveBreeder: [[spoiler: the tapeworms are basically a MixAndMatchCreature of a tapeworm and a [[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles Tribble]] (or [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury Parasprite,]] if that's your thing).]]

* VirusVictimSymptoms: [[BigEater Ravenous]] [[ExtremeOmnivore hunger]] and [[EvilSmellsBad a smell like bad fruit]], rapid weight loss, and cysts on the skin.