NATURE IS CALLING—but they shouldn’t have answered.
Travel journalist and mountaineer Nick Grevers awakes from a coma to find that his climbing buddy, Augustin, is missing and presumed dead. Nick’s own injuries are as extensive as they are horrifying. His face wrapped in bandages and unable to speak, Nick claims amnesia—but he remembers everything.
He remembers how he and Augustin were mysteriously drawn to the Maudit, a remote and scarcely documented peak in the Swiss Alps.
He remembers how the slopes of Maudit were eerily quiet, and how, when they entered its valley, they got the ominous sense that they were not alone.
He remembers: something was waiting for them…
But it isn’t just the memory of the accident that haunts Nick. Something has awakened inside of him, something that endangers the lives of everyone around him…
It’s one thing to lose your life. It’s another to lose your soul.
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING SENSATION THOMAS OLDE HEUVELT comes a thrilling descent into madness and obsession as one man confronts nature—and something even more ancient and evil answers back.
😱 scary/ terrifying scenes/ violence/ eerie/ suspenseful
🏳️🌈 queer couple, well written, authentic
🏔 mountain climbing
👻 supernatural elements
I’m new to books by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. I was intrigued by the description of Echo and lucky enough to get a review copy. I am certain that I will be reading more by this author. This book is eerie, frightening and packed full of tension.
Sam and Nick are a loving couple. Like many, they find that they are a bit different when it comes to their passions. Nick is an accomplished climber. Sam is afraid of heights. But they make it work.
On a fateful trip, Nick is injured… he’s injured badly. His face is terribly disfigured, and his climber partner is deceased. While initially he flees from the devastating injuries his partner is facing, Sam returns ready to reclaim his love. The problem is that Nick won’t talk about what happened to him on the mountain, nor will he let Sam see what’s beneath the bandages covering his face.
Finally, Sam and Nick return to the mountain to try and uncover what’s going on. Let me say that this story is disturbing in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel begins with a tense and frightening scene and continues that way for quite a while.
I really enjoyed the way that the author wrote the main characters. The fact that Sam and Nick are gay is simply a piece of the story. The relationship felt authentic, and it was remarkably realistic. These are not two perfect characters. The ups and downs of relationships are clearly illustrated throughout: fear, obsession, mistakes, regret…. Everything.
As I approached the middle of the story, I was feeling a little like it was dragging a bit. I can’t speak to how the translation of this writing is, but I do generally prefer to read fiction in the original language. This book does end up on the long end of the spectrum and I think that there’s some parts in the middle that could have been trimmed up a bit.
This is a solid supernatural horror. The mountaineering feels accurate to me. I have an interest myself in mountaineering and I appreciated the way the author described the obsession that folks can have for climbing. I found the plot quite unexpected, and I enjoyed that greatly. I’ll pick up further titles by this author if they become available.
Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) mountaineering accident, facial disfigurement, violence, terrifying scenes, nausea, a cat is injured in a leg-hold trap, birds are killed.
Goodreads || Author || Publisher
I received an ARC of Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt from Nightfire Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 