A review by ashtheviking
Dark Mountain by Richard Kelly
2.0
Pulpy trash horror. Like a low-budget horror movie where you're yelling at the characters for being idiots and questioning why the women are always at least partially nude. Nipples and breasts must have been top in the most frequently used word count- but if you know anything about Laymon then you have to expect the cringe-y descriptions of female bodies and rape. Who gets naked to practice their headstands? (also who was Tanya? it seems like it was a random character just added in part 2 for seemingly no reason).
The beginning was a rather slow set-up as the characters embark on a backwoods camping trip. I love camping and it's looking like I won't be able to get out on a trip this year so I'm sad. He really captures the process of a hike and the slight misery that somehow we always hate in the moment but always want to come back to. The telling of scary stories around the campfire and being spooked later was such a hallmark of childhood trips. I loved the camping bits which is why I was disappointed that a large chunk of the book is set when they return from the woods. I hoped it would be a survival story in the woods.
I think the biggest fault of this story, and I can't believe I'm saying this, is that it's too character focused. There is so much mundane day-to-day shit here and relationship building with the two new couples. The two dads are both Vietnam veterans and poised as tough guys but it has zero relevance to the story. I wish we had had a bit more of the old hag.
Overall I thought it was too long or at least the pages were allotted unevenly. While a budget horror movie is a fun way to pass an hour and a half a novel takes longer and got tiresome.
The beginning was a rather slow set-up as the characters embark on a backwoods camping trip. I love camping and it's looking like I won't be able to get out on a trip this year so I'm sad. He really captures the process of a hike and the slight misery that somehow we always hate in the moment but always want to come back to. The telling of scary stories around the campfire and being spooked later was such a hallmark of childhood trips. I loved the camping bits which is why I was disappointed that a large chunk of the book is set when they return from the woods. I hoped it would be a survival story in the woods.
I think the biggest fault of this story, and I can't believe I'm saying this, is that it's too character focused. There is so much mundane day-to-day shit here and relationship building with the two new couples. The two dads are both Vietnam veterans and poised as tough guys but it has zero relevance to the story. I wish we had had a bit more of the old hag.
Overall I thought it was too long or at least the pages were allotted unevenly. While a budget horror movie is a fun way to pass an hour and a half a novel takes longer and got tiresome.