The Devil’s Mountain - A Novella by Jack Harding
The Devil’s Mountain is a horror novella by Jack Harding. It weighs in at 49 pages and was published by DarkLit Press on April 25, 2022.
In this horror short, we follow Dylan and Nikki, a young couple bound for one last adventure during their trip to Berlin. Time is against them as they hike up Devil’s Mountain through Grunewald Forest. The fog is thickening, and their window to explore the ruins of the World War 2 spy station is waning. When they reach the gate, the race is on to explore all there is to offer of the building that was abandoned nearly 30 years earlier with the fall of the Iron Curtain.
This is my fourth exposure to Harding’s writing. I first got a taste in the horror anthology Slice of Paradise: A Beach Vacation Horror Anthology which led me to grab a copy of Driving in the Dark. I was pleasantly surprised to find his work lurking in Terror in the Trench, too! I enjoy his writing voice, and I enjoyed his ability to draw me in and keep me on the edge of my seat throughout The Devil’s Mountain.
I loved the descriptions of the mountain area as well as the facility. With the constant feeling the author has set into motion that you are running out of time, it creates a wonderful sense of urgency and pace in the story. The cold weather and fog add a sense of dread, too. I really felt like I was there, and I could feel the chill in the air.
Readers will follow the point of view of Dylan throughout the story. His claustrophobia and slight paranoia brought the horror to life, even in the more mundane moments. As it grows darker, the dread builds, and we get a chance to see how Dylan reacts when things “get real.” As a reader, it was a lot of fun to watch him work out what was happening and test his mettle when things got tough.
The crux of this story is the fear you experience with Dylan and how it affects him in the end. I also experienced fear and dread on a more personal level as we wandered the dark halls with Dylan and caught glimpses of swastikas and torture devices as his cell phone flashlight brushed past them. The visuals Harding created in my mind brought about real emotions.
The ending was satisfying to me and also gave me pause to think about what had just happened and how I might react in similar situations.
I recommend grabbing a copy of The Devil’s Mountain and other works by Jack Harding. I’ve enjoyed everything I have read of his so far, and I am confident that the other titles of his waiting for me in my TBR stack will be just as enjoyable.
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