Book Review: Mountain Fast by S.J. Shank
Title: Mountain Fast
Author: S.J. Shank
Release date: June 24th, 2024
Honestly, I thought this book was released last year, so it kind of stumped me when I saw it actually only came out in June of this year. I think part of it was maybe I’d seen the cover reveal earlier and just kind of assumed it was a book out? Who knows. Or, it could very well be that I’ve lost some semblance of how time operates. Either way, I snagged this book back in July and when I saw Tim McGregor raving about it, I knew I needed to bump it up the TBR and get on it. Even better – I saw Shank was Canadian and voila, Steve is all over this one.
From the vibe/atmosphere of the cover, the synopsis and the fact Tim was raving about it, I knew I was in for a historical type piece of fiction that would be dread-filled and eerie. Double that up with this being Shanks debut novel and I knew he’d be swinging for the fences.
What I liked: The story follows András, a messenger, who has a letter to deliver to a commander. It is Hungary, late 1400’s, and Religion plays a large role in everyone’s lives, but also the fear of death, sin and the unknown.
He accompanies a group of soldiers heading to Kuszkol, a remote mountain fortress that was abandoned sixty years prior, but has been used by soldiers recently, as a lookout for foreign troops marching towards them. But, mysteriously, the fortress has gone silent and so, a group sets out to make contact. At first, András is there to say goodbye to his deceased wife’s younger brother, Pal, who is joining the group. But he is then told to go along, deliver his letter and continue with his job.
It’s here that Shank really ramps things up. First at the approach, and then upon arrival. Throughout, we get growing tension between the men, a darkening of light around the edges of the prose and as we arrive and we discover the horses, Shank dims the light a bit more, drops the temperature and prepares to deliver his worst.
This feels exactly what a lot of the older storylines within Hellboy/BPRD was like. Remote settings, seclusion, horrible weather, and the always lingering notion that something sinister lurks around every corner.
But Shank doesn’t just deliver us a haunted, abandoned mountain fortress. No, we get a personal haunting story, a look at PTSD in the so-called ‘dark ages’ and what happens when something imagined just very well might be real.
What I didn’t like: I will say, based on setting and narrative necessity, there are a lot of slower, glacial-paced parts. It works to ramp up the grit and dirt that Shank is conjuring, but these moments do pause the flow and reduce some of the unnerving moments a touch. I found, when these moments hit, to just keep pushing onwards and they past soon enough, but if you require non-stop action, this one might be a miss for you.
As well, this is prime historical-horror fiction, so if that’s not usually your jam, I can’t see this one changing that.
Why you should buy this: If you like your horror to be the kind that makes you feel unwashed, frostbitten and starving to death with the hunger growing after each and every chapter, look no further. Shank’s delivered a dark, unforgiving story about remoteness, soullessness and the ache of losing a loved one, no matter how complicated that relationship ultimately was. And for a debut novel, this was really well done.
4/5
