Title: The Shadow of the Mountain

Author: Nic Gould

Genre: Horror

 

In Nic Gould’s The Shadow of the Mountain, David embarks on a mountain-climbing expedition with his best friend, Mark, after a nasty divorce and losing custody of his kids. David’s reason for undertaking this mission is to prove to himself that he’s a man, but once on the adventure, he may have walked into more than he can handle. Faneel, their Nepali trail guide, leads them on the icy, dangerous trek on Mount Annapurna, along with three others, but it’s much more than the weather that has them slowly losing their minds and lives.

David is a flawed character, highly imperfect and somewhat annoying and whiney, but that is why he may be so relatable. He’s very human. We find ourselves torn. Readers might feel sorry for him. After all, his wife cheated on him and got full custody of their two children, but we also grow frustrated as he complains to Mark that he isn’t as attractive or successful as him. David feels like he’s forever in Mark’s shadow, yet their differences complement each other.

The hikers consist of six people, only one woman, which seems odd. Female readers may want at least another woman added to the group to even the numbers. The young woman, a fiery redhead named Wendy, is with her possessive boyfriend, Larry. David’s growing attraction to Wendy is part of his unraveling, but the scary thing is that not all his interactions with Wendy or the others are what they seem.

Faneel is the more likeable of the characters, a kind man of patience. As the trek unfolds and Wendy and David start to hear strange voices that feel like they are simultaneously in their heads and faraway, Faneel’s revelation about an ancient evil living on the mountain is shocking. This man, who seems so even-headed, believes in, essentially, the bogeyman. This tale gives credence to the odd voices and the moments David experiences one of the others talking to him, only for them to give him a funny look a moment later and remark that they didn’t say anything.

Gould creates chilling atmospheric tension through careful use of subtle descriptions. The fear factor is scarier because the evil isn’t obvious. Faint voices that make the characters question whether they’re actually hearing something, a creeping sensation in the charged air that prickles the skin, and disorientation during a snowstorm on top of wondering if a monster lurks out there all work to great effect. This horror novel is psychological for the most part, although there are parts that become grizzly. Readers who are easily fearful of blood and death will want to proceed with caution.

David spends a lot of time feeling sorry for himself, yet it doesn’t occur to him until near the end of the book that he may never see his children again. It’s a depressing thought, indeed, but more backstory and development of his relationship with his children would have paid higher dividends. Most parents would be distraught not being able to see their children due to the messy divorce, but even worse would be due to possibly never coming off a mountain. His love for his children could have been redeeming. Instead, it feels something short of natural.

The Shadow of the Mountain is a chilling, thrilling page-turner. For readers who enjoy psychological horror, Gould’s novel will satisfy their appetite. The tension builds with compelling momentum in The Shadow of the Mountain, delivering a bold conclusion.

 

 

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