For 15 years Canadians have been entertained by Rick Mercer as he's brought all that is good and not so great about our country into our homes with his own unique style and a very solid dose of humor.

I'm normally a fan of read it or listen to the audio whichever makes you happy but I have to admit int this instance if you want the full experience of a Rick Mercer rant you need to listen to the audio book. It's narrated by the one and only Rick Mercer and if you've ever watched his show than you'll know that listening to this audio book is like listening to his show or at least his Graffiti Alley Rants.

Sometimes his rants were brutally honest and while politics garnered a fair amount of their focus no subject was off limits and all of them were subject to Mr. Mercer's unique brand of humor. From the beauty that is this country and it's people to the troubles that we face as a nation his Graffiti Alley Rants have given us all something to think about and brought issues to our attention that we otherwise may not have stopped to think about engendering at best a sense of national pride and at other times as a nation and at other times as a nation we were humbled by our failings but frequently it was laced with humor.

I'm not a big fan of shows that are politically focused but I was absolutely a fan of 'The Mercer Report' because for me it wasn't just about politics but about awareness and accountability for the our politicians and for all of us who call this country home and often times he did it all while making us laugh.

Nearly every chapter in 'The Final Report' contains a rant from the past 15 years some we've heard, some we've never heard and surrounding these are glimpses behind the scenes sharing the challenges and experiences faced by a team of 4 men as they traveled this country creating a show that few others would have persevered long enough to produce for 5 years much less 15.

If you've wondered about Canada and what it's like as a country, what our people are like get your hands on this audio book or watch 'The Mercer Report' I'm sure it's available in reruns or on DVD but what you'll find is a country that's beautiful, proud and no we're not perfect not even close but we're trying and we know how to laugh at our imperfections and hopefully you'll come away with a better understanding of this country and its people as a nation, but at the very least you'll have a laugh or two...who knows maybe even more.

As I listened to the last part of 'The Final Report' on audio hearing as Rick Mercer spoke about some of Canada's most iconic people I was struck by the thought that while some of those icons are no longer with us there is a new icon in our country and his name is Rick Mercer.

For 15 years he came into our homes and made us look at ourselves and question who we are and where we're heading as a nation using unvarnished truth and humor all while leaving us with something to think about and a smile on our faces.

What appears to be a routine camping trip for five teenage Scouts and their leader becomes a nightmare in the style of a classic Stephen King horror book.

Let's step back a moment. I'm a mom. I do have a son in Scouts and he's about the same age as those boys. I literally had to think twice about sending him on his next Scout overnight trip. Yes, this book had that kind of effect on me. Thankfully, his Scout overnights are nowhere near a remote island off the coast of Prince Edward Island.

I think that what appealed to me about this book was that the boys were portrayed as normal kids from a cross section of their little town. There's Newton - a fat, sensitive kid with a very popular alter ego on the internet. Kent is a jock and the son of the local police chief. Ephraim has had a difficult childhood. His father is absent and in jail. Max has self control issues but he is the coolest in all the crazy situations the boys find themselves in. Then there's Shelley who likes to play mind games with his friends. I think that Shelley was the scariest character just because he had sociopathic tendencies.

Let's get to the scary part. Whoa, I think I probably should not have read this book so close to Parasite by Mira Grant. I don't need to be afraid of monsters - it's the parasites that really freak me out. So when a hungry stranger crashes their camping trip, things quickly go downhill. Tim the Scout leader is the town's doctor so he tries to treat the man who was eating literally everything in sight including non-edible things. The man dies and Tim cuts the man open (in the name of science, no less) and a thing comes out of the man's stomach! Gross! Yuck! You can guess what happens next. More infection, more craziness. Of course, the radio is busted, so no one can call for help. This was an electronics free camping trip - no cell phones were allowed. And the kids actually listened, so no calls for help. Oh, and how did the stranger reach the island? A boat that is conveniently not operational. And then there's a big storm brewing.

I enjoyed the writing style. At the beginning of each chapter the author included some part of the investigation, the inquiry transcripts, lab reports, and even an advertisement. The writing style did remind me of Stephen King a little bit and the author does thank Mr. King for inspiring him at the end of the book. This book has a major ick factor. If you get queasy, you may not enjoy this book. Parasites are icky.

The Troop will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's a fast paced character driven survival story. It'll make you think twice before you set off on a camping trip on a remote island....

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for a review copy of this book.

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.