Below by Kev Harrison
Below is an occult horror novella by Kev Harrison. It was published on May 27, 2022 by Brigids Gate Press and weighs in at 151 pages. The front cover was designed by Kealan Patrick Burke.
Below takes us on a trek into a collapsed and abandoned gold mine in California. We follow Dr. Nick Jones, a PhD in mining engineering, on an adventure to film a documentary. Decades before, his twenty-eight-year-old grandfather was believed to have perished when the mine collapsed. Jess, a social media vlogger, is hired by Adventure Travel TV to tag along and describe their findings in detail as camera operator Sofia films the sequences. This is Nick’s chance to find out what really happened during the deadly cave-in sixty-one years ago and to glorify his grandfather’s memory in the process. He and his crew are not prepared for the secrets they’ll uncover.
We’re put into conflict and unease right away when we learn that, despite being a PhD in mining engineering, Dr. Nick Jones is horribly claustrophobic. Pair that with him stepping on the skeletal remains of a human hand as they first start exploring, and we quickly learn that he could be a loose cannon.
Once the crew gets past the human remains, Harrison does a fantastic job leading us through the mine tunnels and dropping clues for us to discover about the past victims. There’s a constant underlying hum of danger both from drilling above ground to reopen the gold mine so the crew could go down into the shafts and the bubbling fear of unknown peril that awaits them. Tremors above and strange discoveries below have Nick and his cohorts on edge. For good reason.
Claustrophobic readers might have their own heart palpitations while reading this story. The characters find themselves in tight, dark passages throughout the book. They battle numerous perils, yet they keep going back in for more footage and answers. There are definite horrors waiting for the team as they discover different caverns below, yet the desire to unearth secrets and find answers lures them into danger again and again.
Below is a thrill ride that will have you on the edge of your seat. There are suspenseful scenes throughout that will have readers holding their breath in anticipation. Though it’s a quick read, it’s packed with terror, danger, suspense, and excitement the whole time. Dig in and enjoy Below.
Personal Anecdote: I’d mentioned on social media that I was reading Below. Kev Harrison saw the post and replied to it, warning me not to forget my torch! I told him I had a personal story I’d recount of underground terror in my review, and here it is! Enjoy!
When I was in high school, I went on a handful of spelunking trips with friends. As I think back now, I’m not quite sure what inspired us to be so intrigued by cave exploration, but we were. On one of the trips, we were delving farther and farther into the cave and ended up hanging on and skirting along a small, slick ledge. Below the ledge was a vast view of deep, crystal clear water. Without our flashlights (or torches) it would’ve been pitch black. We took turns traversing the area. When my turn came, my foot slipped. As I slid down the rock face into the water, I reached up and caught myself. The frigid water took my breath away when I sunk chin deep into it. In the process, I almost lost my glasses. Instinctively, I brought my hand to my face to secure them and dropped my flashlight. We all watched in silence as the bright beam of light dropped deeper and deeper in the water, fading into nothingness. I still think about the depth of that icy cold water and what else could have happened.
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Who is Kev Harrison?
Kev Harrison is a writer of dark fiction and English language teacher from the UK, living and working in Lisbon, Portugal where he resides with his partner in crime Ana and their two cat overlords.
His short fiction has been published in a variety of magazines, podcasts and anthologies and he is a staff writer for This is Horror.
- From Kev Harrison’s website
About the Publisher:
Brigids Gate Press, an indie press established in 2021 by Heather, Clyde, and S.D. Ventura-Vassallo, believes in the power of STORY. We seek to be a forge where new and established talents are refined and developed, and their stories shaped and tempered into beautiful, dark, mysterious, and thrilling tales that will delight readers. Above all, we seek to do our utmost to help and encourage writers on their journeys.
- From the Brigids Gate Press website
