IAN DOWNUNDER VS. DEAD MOUNTAIN

Ian packs his winter gear and ventures into monster-infested mountains with Brad Ricks’ Dead Mountain.

TITLE: Dead Mountain

AUTHOR: Brad Ricks

GENRE: Horror

PAGES: 383

FORMAT: eBook

PRICE: eBook $4.99, Paperback $11.84

G’day all, it’s your ARC reader here from down under, and boy, has it been a monster of a week. You know those weeks that seem packed with stuff to do and don’t give you a chance to sit down? Yeah, it’s been one of those. Though I did manage to sit down long enough to tackle Brad Ricks’ Dead Mountain. It’s a monster book, so hopefully you see what I did there. Monster of a week? Monster book? Ummm… yeah, anyway, onto the book!

Ever since reading Brad Ricks’ The Night Crew series, I’ve been hooked on his writing and eagerly await each new release. When I saw he had a book coming out with Wicked House, one of my favorite horror publishers, I was fairly shaking with excitement. I knew I had to get my hands on it, and, well, here we are.

Dead Mountain is set at Dyatlov Pass, a renowned setting for many horror scenarios due to the mysterious deaths of nine experienced hikers back in 1959. It starts off strong with a prologue detailing their journey and an encounter with things that shouldn’t exist, leading to their disappearance. Cut to the present day, and we’re introduced to Caleb Forester, a former extreme thrill seeker who is contacted out of the blue by an old college buddy, Damian, and asked to attend a meeting at a successful television production company. Wary and confused by the urgency of the request, Caleb accepts and soon discovers that his sister, Christy, along with a production crew, has gone missing at the pass where they were preparing for the shoot of a reality TV series.

He is invited to join a rescue operation with a handful of others including Damian, and together, they journey there only to find the production trailers damaged and abandoned, bearing obvious signs of an attack. After reviewing the final footage captured by Christy and surviving an encounter with the same creatures responsible for the devastation, Caleb and the rescue team decide to venture deeper into the mountains with hopes that they will, against all odds, find Christy alive.

This book is dripping with atmosphere. Every word brings the daunting setting alive, almost to the point where I got the shivers from the descriptions. The creatures the team encounter are terrifying, and you really get the feeling they are almost unstoppable. You can feel the team’s hopelessness as they battle both the elements and the horrors stalking them through the mountains. The relationships and dynamics between the characters are another major highlight, particularly between those between Caleb and Christy, which unfold gradually throughout the story in flashbacks and past events. You really get to know the characters and care about them, making the events of the book hit that much harder.

This is far more than a straightforward creature feature. The mystery of the creatures is revealed in a way that is genuinely horrifying, and the way the story wraps up is simply chef’s kiss.

If you’re into creature features, this is one you definitely don’t want to miss. Packed with fantastic writing, strong pacing, and an engaging storyline, this book is not one I’ll soon forget.

I give it 4.9 creatures with claws that rend and tear out of 5.

Ian Gielen is a writer of all things spooky and a horror fanatic. Ian embraces his inner geek with pride, his dedication on display in the intimidating collection of horror novels and video games that threaten to take over his living space. He is mad for all things Alien, Star Wars, and cats; his furry companions are always there to keep him company as he scribbles down his latest ideas. With the sheer number of furry and human companions in his life, it’s a wonder he isn’t a little crazier than he already is.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.