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A review by vengefuldime
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
4.0
This book was not what I expected twice over. The first half I struggled to get through, and I thought about quitting a few times- but then the second half really connected with me. Most of my initial reaction came from a combination of two aspects. Firstly, Sam is one of the most annoying protagonists I have read about in a while. Not ever, but certainly for a good amount of time, and if I hadn’t already been determined to finish the book I would have bailed early on. His internal monologue really wants the reader to know how quirky he is, and while he admits to it being a coping mechanism he is still nearly insufferable. Unfortunately, he makes stupid references or utterances in inappropriate times as well. What made this probably feel much worse is the fact that the plot takes a long time to actually get started, even though the prologue starts off decidedly creepy yet fast. I feel that being basically left alone with Sam without a faster plot to distract made the first half of the book drag on, but I still think it would be possible to pare it down a bit.
After that halfway point (about once Sam and Nick travel to the chalet), having something more tangible to experience moved the writing in a captivating direction. Nick’s account has this slow but inevitable dread that fluctuates but grows deeper, especially as he starts to lose his self-control and identity. The horror is creative, with a thinking thing that cannot be understood but is almost unimaginably powerful. The danger is completely inhuman, unstoppable, new… The characters are practically played with, but have no real escape to attempt. The altitude sickness being threaded into the more common cold horror aspects was very interesting, allowing fresh avenues of fear and violence. There are events that really cement the alienness and helplessness of individual humans against nature.
I will say that CinemaSins is an unwelcome presence here. Oh no, there are horror tropes in my horror book, better point out how silly and cringe it is- no! Either don’t put them in or do appreciate them if they are included. Still, I would personally hope to keep the passion clearly evident rather than being singled out and turned into a joke. Nick, when his perspective is highlighted, does a little of “If only I knew then what I know now” but is still intriguing. Other characters are hit or miss here, but overall work well. Cécile, for example, feels complicatingly real and established while Julia comes across as more of a mouthpiece to say the correct things to Sam. It may seem like this would result in a mediocre book, but I feel strangely about it. Yes, almost half of it was irritating and slow, but the other section so completely made up for lost time that I found myself completely enjoying it. The writing was beautiful, unsettling, and thrilling, describing scenes exactly as clearly or as hazily as they needed to be. The moments of connection between Sam and Nick illustrated the deadly stakes and potential torment, making both feel so real. The horror felt like it was spreading, contagion-like, and crystallized into a really wonderful thing by the end.
After that halfway point (about once Sam and Nick travel to the chalet), having something more tangible to experience moved the writing in a captivating direction. Nick’s account has this slow but inevitable dread that fluctuates but grows deeper, especially as he starts to lose his self-control and identity. The horror is creative, with a thinking thing that cannot be understood but is almost unimaginably powerful. The danger is completely inhuman, unstoppable, new… The characters are practically played with, but have no real escape to attempt. The altitude sickness being threaded into the more common cold horror aspects was very interesting, allowing fresh avenues of fear and violence. There are events that really cement the alienness and helplessness of individual humans against nature.
I will say that CinemaSins is an unwelcome presence here. Oh no, there are horror tropes in my horror book, better point out how silly and cringe it is- no! Either don’t put them in or do appreciate them if they are included. Still, I would personally hope to keep the passion clearly evident rather than being singled out and turned into a joke. Nick, when his perspective is highlighted, does a little of “If only I knew then what I know now” but is still intriguing. Other characters are hit or miss here, but overall work well. Cécile, for example, feels complicatingly real and established while Julia comes across as more of a mouthpiece to say the correct things to Sam. It may seem like this would result in a mediocre book, but I feel strangely about it. Yes, almost half of it was irritating and slow, but the other section so completely made up for lost time that I found myself completely enjoying it. The writing was beautiful, unsettling, and thrilling, describing scenes exactly as clearly or as hazily as they needed to be. The moments of connection between Sam and Nick illustrated the deadly stakes and potential torment, making both feel so real. The horror felt like it was spreading, contagion-like, and crystallized into a really wonderful thing by the end.