The Devil Came Down the Mountain – Christopher Bond

4/5 stars

I always forget how claustrophobic anything underground makes me until I read something set in tunnels, like ‘The Devil Came Down the Mountain.’ This was a fast-paced Until Dawn-esque anxiety ride, and I loved every minute of it!

I’m really curious about the All-Mother Trees and what exactly the cavern was. Josh explained a little, but I wish he would’ve delved more into what was down there. I feel like I’m missing a couple pieces to have the full picture of the plot of the book. I loved the kind of full circle moment at the end, though, and thought it wrapped things up nicely despite my slight confusion on the lore.

Bond did something different with the “creature” here, and it made for a unique experience. I was glad to see something I hadn’t read before as opposed to the tried and true in cave/underground horror. There were a few things here and there that could’ve used one more pass through editing, but it was a very enjoyable story overall! I’d definitely read more by this author, and I’d love to see another book set in this world!

Many thanks to Horrorsmith Publishing for gifting me a copy!