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A review by pandasbookshelf
Below by Kev Harrison
3.0
Below | Kev Harrison
Genre: dark fiction, horror
Below is a standalone horror novel by author, Kev Harrison. It is my first read by this author. I selected it based on the mystery horror premise.
The story follows a team headed up by Dr Nick Jones as they investigate an old mine for a travel documentary where Nick’s grandfather was buried alive some 50 years prior. What starts as an adventure quickly turns into something much more chilling, sinister and terrifying.
I’ll start with what I liked. The claustrophobic mine setting is a great location and not one I’ve seen done a ton of times. The dark themes and questioning narrative sets a disturbing tone which permeates through the story. There are trigger warnings at the end of the book for those who want to check before diving in.
Despite this, I didn’t feel very connected to the characters, other than Dr Nick Jones. I appreciate that the story jumps straight into the events, but I’d have enjoyed getting to know more backstory for each of the main characters either at the start or along the way. I didn’t really feel a sense of danger or really fear for the characters. I also found the pacing a bit slow for my liking, very little happens for most of the story, until around 70% in. It’s a slow burn kind of dark fiction that asks deep questions about human nature and survival.
Overall, this was quick and easy to read novella. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
Genre: dark fiction, horror
Below is a standalone horror novel by author, Kev Harrison. It is my first read by this author. I selected it based on the mystery horror premise.
The story follows a team headed up by Dr Nick Jones as they investigate an old mine for a travel documentary where Nick’s grandfather was buried alive some 50 years prior. What starts as an adventure quickly turns into something much more chilling, sinister and terrifying.
I’ll start with what I liked. The claustrophobic mine setting is a great location and not one I’ve seen done a ton of times. The dark themes and questioning narrative sets a disturbing tone which permeates through the story. There are trigger warnings at the end of the book for those who want to check before diving in.
Despite this, I didn’t feel very connected to the characters, other than Dr Nick Jones. I appreciate that the story jumps straight into the events, but I’d have enjoyed getting to know more backstory for each of the main characters either at the start or along the way. I didn’t really feel a sense of danger or really fear for the characters. I also found the pacing a bit slow for my liking, very little happens for most of the story, until around 70% in. It’s a slow burn kind of dark fiction that asks deep questions about human nature and survival.
Overall, this was quick and easy to read novella. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.