First off, what an original novel! I wasn't sold on it at first but there are plenty of chillls and thrills and scary moments. The started off great, kinda dragged a little thereafter until the last third was a rollercoaster ride. I've never read anything like it and look forward to his next novel. Highly recommended.

Thanks for this arc!

Was quite confused for a good majority of the book and felt like midway there wasn't really anything happening. There is a great story somewhere in there, just was hard to find

Also the use of cuz was a bit distracting.

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, 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 Macmillan Tor/Forge for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I had no idea that Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt was a translated novel, and clearly, I missed that at the beginning of the book. Sometimes translation can cause me to struggle with a book, but I don't think that was my issue here. This reminded me a bit of Quietus if only for the fact that it was another rather long book that had some very unique and odd story elements. There are a few pretty gross parts in the story, but I felt like the horror was actually fairly light, and it was a strange journey to get to the end. I was satisfied with the way it ended but I also don't think it had to be so long to get to it. There isn't a ton happening throughout the story although there was enough to keep me interested, and the supernatural elements weren't really quite my cup of tea.

I was a little thrown off when I saw the audiobook was almost 19 hours long because I didn't even think the book was that thick when I first saw it. That my friends is in thanks to the teeny tiny print, so even though it is technically only 400 pages, it would probably be more like 600 if the print were larger. I was really glad I listened to the audio, and I quite enjoyed David Wayman, Greg Lockett & Lauryn Allman as the narrators. They did a great job with their parts and characters, and I may honestly have given up if it weren't for them carrying me through. I definitely would have skimmed if I had been reading it and overall, this wasn't the book for me. That being said, if you enjoy slow burns, some horror, and mountaineering you just might like it!

This book is out my wheelhouse but I could not put it down. Each chapter ended and I needed to see what would happen next. It was a narrative that had me staying up past my bedtime

I’m a Heuvelt fan. I enjoyed Hex and this one as well. This book is intense and will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️. I was confused on the beginning but then it started coming around about a third of the way in. Definitely not as gripping as Hex for me but definitely a good read.

I’m in love with the way Thomas Olde Heuvelt writes! I loved hex, so it’s not surprising I loved this one too!

DNF. I loved Hex so much and I had such high hopes for Echo. But by 70 pages in I somehow felt like a million things had happened while nothing had happened and I didn't know what was real and what wasn't. And not in a good way.

It was hard for me to get into this book. I can’t pinpoint it but something about the writing doesn’t pull me in. It’s the same for his other book as well. Maybe I will try to read it again but for now I couldn’t finish. I did not finish this therefore I will give it a 3 to stay neutral.

Echo is probably one of the strangest books I’ve read this year. By no means do I mean that to have a negative connotation because I genuinely liked my time listening to this audiobook, but wow did it have my head spinning! If I had to describe Echo I would call it mysterious, claustrophobic, and haunting. This is a story that feels like folklore meets modern day with a lot of callbacks to interesting traditions and beliefs. Add in an extremely secluded location and this book becomes the perfect setting for chills while reading.

Heuvelt does a fantastic job of building tension regarding what’s happening to Nick. Throughout the entire book I was committed to understanding what was happening and where things were going to end. One of my biggest struggles with the book was the pacing of the story. There’s a mixture of fast-paced sections with some very slow and repetitive sections mixed between. Despite the pacing concerns, I was in for the long-haul, which you’ll need to be, as this book is fairly chunky. The physical copy might not look like it, but the font inside is very small.

🎧: I loved the narrators for this book! They truly embodied the characters and brought the story to life in an incredibly convincing manner.

A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!

I loved this book. It was a bit of a slow burn but then I was hooked and it was all I could think about in between reading sessions. I'll definitely be recommending this author and searching for more of their work.

I don't know anything about Heuvelt's sexuality but either 1) he has never spoken to a gay man in his life and only knows about them from 2000's sitcoms or 2) he is an insufferable gay man himself. God this dialogue was ROUGH, and in a book as long as this one, it truly was a slog to get through. I was really disappointed because Hex was so incredibly good. I will say the plot was good enough to push me to wade through the bad writing, which is saying something. Also, every single character was more interesting than the main two men, and I'd love to have read this from their perspective instead.

I was really anticipating this book after reading the author's first American release, HEX. That story set the standard really high. The book was innovating, fresh, gothic, scary, and original.
ECHO was a bit disappointing. I was really excited that the main characters were LGBTQIA+. The story itself was not as enthralling or atmospheric, and unfortunately it was a labor to read through at certain points.
There are definitely spine-tingling moments, and certain parts of the book are really exciting. But there is not a sustained enjoyment, and the writing wasn't as evocative.
I will definitely pick up the next Huevelt book, as I think there is still hopes of getting a massive payoff. Even ECHO was completely original. It is a rarity to find fresh stories like this in horror anymore.

I just wanted to start out by saying I absolutely loved Hex by Heuvelt, and was super excited to get my hands on Echo. Unfortunately, that excitement went away and I ended up not finishing Echo. While the premise was interesting, the plot was not well executed. I started off confused (which isn’t always a bad thing – confusing starts can help build a great unreliable narrator trope that I love, or the slow reveal can keep someone interested) and then ended up just bored. I wonder if this book would be heavily edited to be significantly shorter, the impact would be improved.

I was a huge fan of Thomas Olde Heuvelt's HEX when I read it a few years ago, and I have waited patiently for his follow up to be released. Echo does not disappoint! The novel follows Sam and Nick, following a climbing expedition where Nick is injured. Nick is badly injured from the accident, but there's something else that has changed with Nick. I don't want to get into too much of the plot, but the novel is a wild ride from start to finish. I also really loved the structure of the novel, it really adds to the sense of unease. I highly recommend it for fans of horror!

A long story with two point of views. Nick the mountain climber that is hurt, and his American boyfriend Sam. Scary/creepy story. Those give me nightmares! The setting for Nicks chapters on the mountain. Can you imagine being in that situation? Beautiful scenery, hurt, being scared.

Nick Greeves wakes in the hospital bandaged and with no memory of what occurred to his climbing partner, Augustin on the Maudit in the Swiss Alps. Broken both physically and mentally, Nick's Adonis face is now craggy and sharp. Nick's boyfriend, Sam, is also trying to come to grips with knowing that Nick will never be the same in spite of surgeries to fix the defect. He's attempting to be grateful that Nick is still alive, but it's challenging with Nick's continued silence about what happened on that mountain. With Nick's face wrapped like a mummy from a tomb, Sam is desperately trying to get Nick to let his guards down.

Our story doesn't start that way though. It starts with a terrifying encounter with Sam's sister, Julia, as she wakes in the middle of the night seeing shadow people standing at the bottom of the stairs. Every time she takes her eyes off them, even to blink, they get closer...and closer. Whoo. Easily one of the most terrifying intros I've read.

There's no denying that Echo is dark and unsettling. The first chapter only solidifies that fact with its shades on the stairs waking nightmare. It can't possibly continue that momentum so what Thomas Olde Heuvelt presents instead is a character-driven narrative. He gets us completely invested in Sam and Nick's strained relationship as we attempt to empathize with both sides. It's difficult at first to like Nick as a character. He's reserved and withdrawn, even from Sam who despondently loves him. Echo toys with our emotions in the relationship between the two. It's romantic and heartbreaking and we can only watch as it plays out.

Told in bits and pieces from diary passages, manuscripts, and notes, we eventually get the story of what happened on the mountain and thus to Augustin. Echo is a lengthy novel with an excess of technical climbing information. While that lends credence to the story, I think it could have benefited from a good editing chop. The pacing also falters at times. We get that great opening, some creepy moments, and then not a whole lot of anything in the middle. The ending, however, sees it all crashing down around us.

Having been less than impressed with the follow-through of Hex, I was reluctant to pick up Echo but I don't regret it. It's not an in-your-face fright but a steady, steep (if you'll excuse the pun) climb to the peak. A complex building of pressure with imagery both brutal and beautiful. There's a fantastic tie-in of folklore and small village superstition, especially with the birds. I don't want to give anything away as this is one that needs experiencing but sometimes the abyss stares back.

After reading and loving Hex, I was more than thrilled to learn that Thomas was coming out with another novel. This book is INTENSE and will leave you holding your breath until the end. Absolutely stunning!

Life is too short to read about characters and stories I do not care about. The premise sounded so so interesting and yet the actual meat of the story is so boring. It started off so so promising with the first chapter and just tapered off into boring.