Echo
by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
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"FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING SENSATION THOMAS OLDE HEUVELT-a thrilling descent into madness and obsession as the dangers of the outside world are found within. After a terrible accident high in the Alps, travel journalist Nick Grevers wakes from a coma to find that his climbing buddy, Augustin, is missing and presumed dead. But Nick claims to not remember anything-even whatever horrible event that led to his maimed face and the plastic surgery that leaves him still in bandages and show more feeling like a B-movie monster. Sam, Nick's long-suffering boyfriend, wants to be glad that Nick is alive and coming home. But the accident has stirred up terrible memories-and it's beginning to seem that Sam isn't just being haunted by his own mistakes or Nick's own trauma. Because it turns out that-though Nick was the only body airlifted off that mysterious peak-he didn't come home alone, after all. And now, their uninvited guest is awake"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
The Publisher Says: NATURE IS CALLING—but they shouldn't have answered.
Travel journalist and mountaineer Nick Grevers awakes from a coma to find that his climbing buddy, Augustin, is missing and presumed dead. Nick’s own injuries are as extensive as they are horrifying. His face wrapped in bandages and unable to speak, Nick claims amnesia—but he remembers everything.
He remembers how he and Augustin were mysteriously drawn to the Maudit, a remote and scarcely documented peak in the Swiss Alps.
He remembers how the slopes of Maudit were eerily quiet, and how, when they entered its valley, they got the ominous sense that they were not alone.
He remembers: something was waiting for them...
But it isn’t just the memory of the accident show more that haunts Nick. Something has awakened inside of him, something that endangers the lives of everyone around him…
It’s one thing to lose your life. It’s another to lose your soul.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I can't quite believe this is a translation. Its prose rings like a crystal wineglass.
I can't quite believe I have a son named Sam (he's so much like me it's scary) who lives in a novel. By a Dutch guy. Whom I've never met.
I can't quite write a real review yet...still stunned, too scared to go back and figure out why...but it's a week ago the book came out and honestly I'm still shook that all y'all ain't got it on your nightstands yet.
What is wrong with people?! Go get this terrifying, propulsive, exquisitely personal and depressingly universal horror-adjacent thriller. Go on! March, young scalawag. show less
Travel journalist and mountaineer Nick Grevers awakes from a coma to find that his climbing buddy, Augustin, is missing and presumed dead. Nick’s own injuries are as extensive as they are horrifying. His face wrapped in bandages and unable to speak, Nick claims amnesia—but he remembers everything.
He remembers how he and Augustin were mysteriously drawn to the Maudit, a remote and scarcely documented peak in the Swiss Alps.
He remembers how the slopes of Maudit were eerily quiet, and how, when they entered its valley, they got the ominous sense that they were not alone.
He remembers: something was waiting for them...
But it isn’t just the memory of the accident show more that haunts Nick. Something has awakened inside of him, something that endangers the lives of everyone around him…
It’s one thing to lose your life. It’s another to lose your soul.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I can't quite believe this is a translation. Its prose rings like a crystal wineglass.
Every year, climbers—sometimes entire teams—disappear into deep glacial voids and die in their frozen darkness. If the mountain is merciful, the drop is deep enough to smash them into silence in one go. Most victims, however, are trapped between blue, narrowing walls of ice, and as their body warmth melts the ice, they sink slowly deeper and deeper, until they die very consciously of asphyxiation.
I can't quite believe I have a son named Sam (he's so much like me it's scary) who lives in a novel. By a Dutch guy. Whom I've never met.
There are November mornings when the cold is clear, crackling, and crisp, but this cold was sticky, syrupy, clung to you. Like it was begging you for help. You, the first organism to have crossed its path, and would you please take it with you and protect it from what's about to happen, because that was much, much worse than the cold itself.
Jesus. The Morose hadn't even got started yet and my metaphors were already going haywire.
I can't quite write a real review yet...still stunned, too scared to go back and figure out why...but it's a week ago the book came out and honestly I'm still shook that all y'all ain't got it on your nightstands yet.
You’ve often asked me why I climb mountains. You’ve also often asked me (I wouldn’t say begged, though it’s not far off the mark) to stop. Our worst argument was about this, and it was the only time I was really afraid that I would lose you. I’ve never been able to fully explain it to you. I wonder if it’s at all possible to fully explain to someone who isn’t a climber. There’s an apparently unbridgeable gap between the thought that I risk my life doing something as trifling as climbing a cold lump of rock and ice…and the notion of traveling through a floating landscape, progressing with utmost concentration while having absolute control of the essential balance that keeps me alive and that, therefore, lets me live. Conquering that gap is possibly the most difficult climb in the life of any alpinist who is in a relationship.
What is wrong with people?! Go get this terrifying, propulsive, exquisitely personal and depressingly universal horror-adjacent thriller. Go on! March, young scalawag. show less
Nature was calling...but they shouldn't have answered.
Nick Grevers, an experienced mountaineer, is lucky to be alive following an accident which saw the death of his climbing buddy, Augustin. Nick is not in a good way, he's lucky to be alive; wrapped in bandages, unable to communicate verbally and horribly disfigured. Nick’s boyfriend, Sam, is horrified by the news and despite his love for Nick, feels unsure about their future together. But when a terrorist attack is carried out on the hospital Nick is in, Sam realizes that his life is and will always be with Nick. Nick’s experience on the mountain went beyond the horror to his face, his near death and the loss of his climbing partner.
I am a huge fan of believable horror and there show more is no better place to set the stories than in a beautiful but totally inhospitable environment...in this case...a mountain range. These are stories of people having to fight for survival against nature and everything that nature can throw at them. That is what made Echo the perfect read. It's a vivid tale of love, of loss, with a dose of supernatural horror. Chilling, creepy and everything that a horror fan wants in a spooky read. The reader will be drawn in from the incredibly eerie beginning to the devastating ending. I have to say that this was an experience that I will remember for a long time.
I didn't especially care for Sam at first. It took a while but by the third or so chapter I began to develop more affection for him. By the end of the book, I was sad to say goodbye. I wanted to know what happened to him and Augustin on Maudit, and why. Nick’s take on things is provided via his manuscript which he sends to Sam while he’s away in the states. Throughout the story sections of the manuscript are provided to the reader so the gaps can be filled in and the truth of what happened is slowly and gradually revealed. The love between Nick and Sam, despite the horror and devastation caused by the accident, is what shone through the strongest and it is almost devastating.
Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. Especially if you are a big fan of horror stories. It is a beautifully written, eerie tale of all-consuming love and heart wrenching loss. A slow burn novel which the reader can savored over the course of however much time it takes you to read it. It’s not a quick read but so worth every single moment you spend in the pages. The author builds up the suspense and increases the tension as the story moves along. Olde Heuvelt has once again created a novel that will work its way under your skin...as well as one that will stay with you for a long, long time to come. show less
Nick Grevers, an experienced mountaineer, is lucky to be alive following an accident which saw the death of his climbing buddy, Augustin. Nick is not in a good way, he's lucky to be alive; wrapped in bandages, unable to communicate verbally and horribly disfigured. Nick’s boyfriend, Sam, is horrified by the news and despite his love for Nick, feels unsure about their future together. But when a terrorist attack is carried out on the hospital Nick is in, Sam realizes that his life is and will always be with Nick. Nick’s experience on the mountain went beyond the horror to his face, his near death and the loss of his climbing partner.
I am a huge fan of believable horror and there show more is no better place to set the stories than in a beautiful but totally inhospitable environment...in this case...a mountain range. These are stories of people having to fight for survival against nature and everything that nature can throw at them. That is what made Echo the perfect read. It's a vivid tale of love, of loss, with a dose of supernatural horror. Chilling, creepy and everything that a horror fan wants in a spooky read. The reader will be drawn in from the incredibly eerie beginning to the devastating ending. I have to say that this was an experience that I will remember for a long time.
I didn't especially care for Sam at first. It took a while but by the third or so chapter I began to develop more affection for him. By the end of the book, I was sad to say goodbye. I wanted to know what happened to him and Augustin on Maudit, and why. Nick’s take on things is provided via his manuscript which he sends to Sam while he’s away in the states. Throughout the story sections of the manuscript are provided to the reader so the gaps can be filled in and the truth of what happened is slowly and gradually revealed. The love between Nick and Sam, despite the horror and devastation caused by the accident, is what shone through the strongest and it is almost devastating.
Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. Especially if you are a big fan of horror stories. It is a beautifully written, eerie tale of all-consuming love and heart wrenching loss. A slow burn novel which the reader can savored over the course of however much time it takes you to read it. It’s not a quick read but so worth every single moment you spend in the pages. The author builds up the suspense and increases the tension as the story moves along. Olde Heuvelt has once again created a novel that will work its way under your skin...as well as one that will stay with you for a long, long time to come. show less
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt is a haunting and unsettling novel that blends horror and fantasy to create a chilling and immersive reading experience.
Rock climber Nick Grevers tackles the imposing peak that is the Maudit, and fails. A serious accident leaves Nick horribly disfigured, and haunted. Nick's lover, Sam Avery, witnesses his descent into madness. But is it the madness of trauma, grief, and loss, or is it something more? Is the Maudit calling its own back, is Nick losing his mind? Or is it Sam who is?
Heuvelt's writing is taut and atmospheric, with complex characters. He expertly builds tension and suspense, and the horror elements of the story are genuinely terrifying. But what sets Echo apart is its underlying themes of fear, show more paranoia, and the danger of mob mentality. The novel is a commentary on the human psyche and the ways in which we can be driven to unspeakable acts of cruelty. In addition, the look at Dutch culture and folklore is fascinating.
Overall, Huevelt's Echo is a masterful work of horror fiction guaranteed to leave readers on edge long after they're done reading. A definite must-read for fans of Stephen King, Peter Straub, and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as anyone who enjoys a good scare.
*******Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less
Rock climber Nick Grevers tackles the imposing peak that is the Maudit, and fails. A serious accident leaves Nick horribly disfigured, and haunted. Nick's lover, Sam Avery, witnesses his descent into madness. But is it the madness of trauma, grief, and loss, or is it something more? Is the Maudit calling its own back, is Nick losing his mind? Or is it Sam who is?
Heuvelt's writing is taut and atmospheric, with complex characters. He expertly builds tension and suspense, and the horror elements of the story are genuinely terrifying. But what sets Echo apart is its underlying themes of fear, show more paranoia, and the danger of mob mentality. The novel is a commentary on the human psyche and the ways in which we can be driven to unspeakable acts of cruelty. In addition, the look at Dutch culture and folklore is fascinating.
Overall, Huevelt's Echo is a masterful work of horror fiction guaranteed to leave readers on edge long after they're done reading. A definite must-read for fans of Stephen King, Peter Straub, and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as anyone who enjoys a good scare.
*******Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less
The first chapter of this book had me hooked, but unfortunately, that magic never returned. There was so much about this book to love, but it dragged so much that it overall was difficult to get through. Thomas knows how to write and the imagery was beautiful and the story was fantastic, but it just took too long to get through. It would have benefited from a lot more editing.
I tried so hard. I did, I tried. But this one is just not for me.
There are two main MC's - Nick and Sam. There's been a climbing accident and Nick is in the hospital and Sam goes to the foreign country to visit him. Then there are hundred or so pages of Sam trying to decide if he can still be with someone who's face isn't pretty anymore. It was painful and really set me up to not really like Sam. Nick's chapters were confession chapters, detailing the oddities that were happening to him and all that he was keeping from Sam and his family. They were clipped, odd and short sentences. And Nick talked in circles, barely ever giving anything away in his chapters. There were hundreds of pages where I didn't really quite understand what all show more was going on - it was hard to imagine a whole mountain side existing on someone's face. And of anyone crawling out of it. I really wanted to understand the first chapter - the filled room and her terror of not looking away. I found that first chapter compelling and well written. Later, when it wraps it up, again is the easy writing style that holds so much tension. All the other stuff, it was maybe just a bit too odd for me.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less
There are two main MC's - Nick and Sam. There's been a climbing accident and Nick is in the hospital and Sam goes to the foreign country to visit him. Then there are hundred or so pages of Sam trying to decide if he can still be with someone who's face isn't pretty anymore. It was painful and really set me up to not really like Sam. Nick's chapters were confession chapters, detailing the oddities that were happening to him and all that he was keeping from Sam and his family. They were clipped, odd and short sentences. And Nick talked in circles, barely ever giving anything away in his chapters. There were hundreds of pages where I didn't really quite understand what all show more was going on - it was hard to imagine a whole mountain side existing on someone's face. And of anyone crawling out of it. I really wanted to understand the first chapter - the filled room and her terror of not looking away. I found that first chapter compelling and well written. Later, when it wraps it up, again is the easy writing style that holds so much tension. All the other stuff, it was maybe just a bit too odd for me.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
So, I had an up and down experience with the last book I read by Heuvelt. That book, Hex, started off well and then just descended into confusion for me. And then I hated how some things were portrayed. I was hesitant with this book, but thought it was a very solid horror book that reminded me a lot of several other works by Lovecraft, James, Jackson, and other horror aficionados. Once you get into the book though, you realize that was by design. Even though this book is horror, in the end, I found it to be a love story at it's core. There are not a lot of gross out terrible moments, but the feeling of dread creeps through the book, goes away, show more and creeps back again. The main reason why I gave this 4 stars and not 5 stars is that parts of the book just get bogged down and are hard to push through. The flow was up and down (probably due to the different narrators and style).
"Echo" follows Sam Avery and Nick Grevers. The two men are in a happy relationship, with just one sticking point. Sam is not happy with Nick and his constant need to go mountain climbing. He's afraid that something out there may happen to him. His fears are proven right though when he's informed that Nick has been hurt climbing and his climbing partner, Augustin has gone missing while they were climbing Maudit in the Swiss Alps.
Sam becomes afraid of how Nick is going to look and react after he and Nick's family realize that his face will never be the same. But Sam realizes that it's not just Nick's face that has changed, something seems to have gotten a hold of him.
The book then switches back and forth between Sam's (manuscript), Nick's emails/letters to Sam and then Nick's journal (I guess?) as the two men work out what is happening to Nick and why.
I loved Sam's backstory and the love between him and his sister. And honestly, Sam's love of Nick too. Readers will catch on pretty quickly what is going on with Nick, but Sam refuses to believe it even when evidence is at one point left behind for him. I also love the parts of the book that delved into why Nick loved the outdoors so much, and what about the mountains grabbed him. I love hiking and being outdoors does make you think and feel primitive things.
But it also makes you feel close to something. I don't know how to describe it. Hiking always centers me and that's why I hate it when I can't go at least once a week.
The writing was very well done I thought. Each of the chapters includes an excerpt from a horror themed book which plays upon what readers are going to read next. We get "The Turn of the Screw", "The Great God Pan," and others. As I said earlier, the flow though was the main problem I had with this one. Sometimes certain chapters felt too full of information. And other times it felt like the chapter just flew by too fast and left me with more questions.
The setting of the book for the most part is the Swiss Alps. And apparently I was incorrect in thinking that place is like Christmas year round. There be some darkness in those mountains. I loved a lot of the callbacks to myths and other things in this one.
The ending I thought was true to the book, but also once again it reminds you. At its heart, this book is a love story. show less
So, I had an up and down experience with the last book I read by Heuvelt. That book, Hex, started off well and then just descended into confusion for me. And then I hated how some things were portrayed. I was hesitant with this book, but thought it was a very solid horror book that reminded me a lot of several other works by Lovecraft, James, Jackson, and other horror aficionados. Once you get into the book though, you realize that was by design. Even though this book is horror, in the end, I found it to be a love story at it's core. There are not a lot of gross out terrible moments, but the feeling of dread creeps through the book, goes away, show more and creeps back again. The main reason why I gave this 4 stars and not 5 stars is that parts of the book just get bogged down and are hard to push through. The flow was up and down (probably due to the different narrators and style).
"Echo" follows Sam Avery and Nick Grevers. The two men are in a happy relationship, with just one sticking point. Sam is not happy with Nick and his constant need to go mountain climbing. He's afraid that something out there may happen to him. His fears are proven right though when he's informed that Nick has been hurt climbing and his climbing partner, Augustin has gone missing while they were climbing Maudit in the Swiss Alps.
Sam becomes afraid of how Nick is going to look and react after he and Nick's family realize that his face will never be the same. But Sam realizes that it's not just Nick's face that has changed, something seems to have gotten a hold of him.
The book then switches back and forth between Sam's (manuscript), Nick's emails/letters to Sam and then Nick's journal (I guess?) as the two men work out what is happening to Nick and why.
I loved Sam's backstory and the love between him and his sister. And honestly, Sam's love of Nick too. Readers will catch on pretty quickly what is going on with Nick, but Sam refuses to believe it even when evidence is at one point left behind for him. I also love the parts of the book that delved into why Nick loved the outdoors so much, and what about the mountains grabbed him. I love hiking and being outdoors does make you think and feel primitive things.
But it also makes you feel close to something. I don't know how to describe it. Hiking always centers me and that's why I hate it when I can't go at least once a week.
The writing was very well done I thought. Each of the chapters includes an excerpt from a horror themed book which plays upon what readers are going to read next. We get "The Turn of the Screw", "The Great God Pan," and others. As I said earlier, the flow though was the main problem I had with this one. Sometimes certain chapters felt too full of information. And other times it felt like the chapter just flew by too fast and left me with more questions.
The setting of the book for the most part is the Swiss Alps. And apparently I was incorrect in thinking that place is like Christmas year round. There be some darkness in those mountains. I loved a lot of the callbacks to myths and other things in this one.
The ending I thought was true to the book, but also once again it reminds you. At its heart, this book is a love story. show less
I’m new to books by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. I was intrigued by the description of Echo and lucky enough to get a review copy. I am certain that I will be reading more by this author. This book is eerie, frightening and packed full of tension.
Sam and Nick are a loving couple. Like many, they find that they are a bit different when it comes to their passions. Nick is an accomplished climber. Sam is afraid of heights. But they make it work.
On a fateful trip, Nick is injured… he’s injured badly. His face is terribly disfigured, and his climber partner is deceased. While initially he flees from the devastating injuries his partner is facing, Sam returns ready to reclaim his love. The problem is that Nick won’t talk about what happened show more to him on the mountain, nor will he let Sam see what’s beneath the bandages covering his face.
Finally, Sam and Nick return to the mountain to try and uncover what’s going on. Let me say that this story is disturbing in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel begins with a tense and frightening scene and continues that way for quite a while.
I really enjoyed the way that the author wrote the main characters. The fact that Sam and Nick are gay is simply a piece of the story. The relationship felt authentic, and it was remarkably realistic. These are not two perfect characters. The ups and downs of relationships are clearly illustrated throughout: fear, obsession, mistakes, regret…. Everything.
As I approached the middle of the story, I was feeling a little like it was dragging a bit. I can’t speak to how the translation of this writing is, but I do generally prefer to read fiction in the original language. This book does end up on the long end of the spectrum and I think that there’s some parts in the middle that could have been trimmed up a bit.
This is a solid supernatural horror. The mountaineering feels accurate to me. I have an interest myself in mountaineering and I appreciated the way the author described the obsession that folks can have for climbing. I found the plot quite unexpected, and I enjoyed that greatly. I’ll pick up further titles by this author if they become available. show less
Sam and Nick are a loving couple. Like many, they find that they are a bit different when it comes to their passions. Nick is an accomplished climber. Sam is afraid of heights. But they make it work.
On a fateful trip, Nick is injured… he’s injured badly. His face is terribly disfigured, and his climber partner is deceased. While initially he flees from the devastating injuries his partner is facing, Sam returns ready to reclaim his love. The problem is that Nick won’t talk about what happened show more to him on the mountain, nor will he let Sam see what’s beneath the bandages covering his face.
Finally, Sam and Nick return to the mountain to try and uncover what’s going on. Let me say that this story is disturbing in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel begins with a tense and frightening scene and continues that way for quite a while.
I really enjoyed the way that the author wrote the main characters. The fact that Sam and Nick are gay is simply a piece of the story. The relationship felt authentic, and it was remarkably realistic. These are not two perfect characters. The ups and downs of relationships are clearly illustrated throughout: fear, obsession, mistakes, regret…. Everything.
As I approached the middle of the story, I was feeling a little like it was dragging a bit. I can’t speak to how the translation of this writing is, but I do generally prefer to read fiction in the original language. This book does end up on the long end of the spectrum and I think that there’s some parts in the middle that could have been trimmed up a bit.
This is a solid supernatural horror. The mountaineering feels accurate to me. I have an interest myself in mountaineering and I appreciated the way the author described the obsession that folks can have for climbing. I found the plot quite unexpected, and I enjoyed that greatly. I’ll pick up further titles by this author if they become available. show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Echo
- Original title
- Echo
- Original publication date
- 2022-02-08
- Epigraph*
- "Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehen, daß er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein."
Friedrich Nietzsche - Dedication*
- Für Pieter, wegen der Berge.
Und für David, wegen der Liebe. - First words*
- Julia sieht die Menschen unten an der Stiege, als sie nachts pinkeln muss.
- Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Und wie du auch schobst, wie du auch rütteltest, sie kamen nie mehr voneinander los.
- Original language
- Dutch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Horror, Fantasy
- DDC/MDS
- 839.313 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Netherlandish literatures Dutch Dutch fiction
- LCC
- PT5882.25 .L38 .E2413 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures Dutch literature 2001-
- BISAC
Statistics
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- 413
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- 74,595
- Reviews
- 23
- Rating
- (3.22)
- Languages
- 5 — Dutch, English, German, Polish, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 7
