The Mountain King [Mass Market Paperback]

Rick Hautala (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even a monster of such legendary stature as Bigfoot isn't big enough to carry Hautala's routine pursuit-and-capture scenario very far. The tale begins promisingly, with a riveting scene atop Mount Agiochook in Maine: Mark Newman watches helplessly as his friend Phil Sawyer is plucked from a ravine by a Sasquatch. Mark can't get any friends back in town to believe what he says he saw; moreover, he becomes the prime suspect in Mark's disappearance and, later, in the bestial murder of his wife's lover. In this marked departure from his usual tales of ghostly terror, Hautala (Beyond the Shroud) shows a deft hand for orchestrating action and suspense, making Mark the object of two manhunts--by the townspeople and by the monster--when he returns to the mountain to search for Phil. After a few close scrapes, though, the potential for Mark to do anything but play hide-and-seek with his pursuers is exhausted, and Hautala resorts to obvious plot stretchers: characters fainting dead away at the end of chapters, sudden nocturnal forays into town by creatures that have kept their distance from humans for centuries and the gruesome demises of victims who exist solely to prolong the story with their death throes. Although designed to deliver the sort of thrills that would make anyone squeamish about being alone in the woods, this novel ultimately settles for the guilty pleasures of its villains' tabloid infamy.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

During a hiking trip high atop Mount Agiochook, Mark Newman watches in horror as a Bigfoot-like creature carries off his injured friend, Phil. While searching the mountain, Mark becomes a suspect in Phil's disappearance and the murder of his wife's lover. Hautala is known mostly for writing paperbacks and adapting role-playing games as novels. Regrettably, his second hardcover novel is simplistic, unimaginative, and poorly written. It reads like the script for a made-for-TV movie, with a completely plot-driven story and little attention to character development. Hautala aspires to terrify through action alone?and fails. Not recommended.?John Noel, Tennessee Technological Univ. Lib., Lebanon
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843948876
• ISBN-13: 978-0843948875
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #509,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Trip Down Horror Lane, February 7, 2002

By 

Sebastien Pharand (Orléans, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mountain King (Mass Market Paperback)

When I first started Hautala's The Mountain King, I have to admit that I felt like this was going to be just another shlock horror book. But the more I read on, the more I got into the story. This one is pure horror; a book that relies on plot and mood more than anything else. And surprsingly enough, it works superbly!

Mark and Phil are hiking across the mountains somewhere in Maine when a horrible accident leaves Phil badly injured. As Mark is about to rescue his friend, he sees a large hairy beast steal Phil's body away. From then on, the book follows Mark's trek as he tries to rescue his friend from this unknown creature.

There is also a subplot about Mark's daughter and wife that I truly enjoyed. The good thing about this book is that you cannot really predict what will come next. The events are truly original and often terrifying. The book is somewaht of a cross between Jack Ketchum's Off Season and John Darton's Neanderthal. If you liked either of these books, or if you're a fan of the horror genre, then you should really enjoy this one.

My only problem with the book was its length. It's very short, not even 300 pages long. At least the writer was good enough to provide us with three additional short stories in order to have the book clock in at a more reasonable 380 pages. These short stories are fun and enjoyable, if only that. So overall, not a bad one at all. It surprised me and I cannot wait to read another book by this author!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leisure reissues a winner!, August 22, 2001

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mountain King (Mass Market Paperback)

Mark Newman and Phil Sawyer are hiking on Mount Agiochook in Maine when tragedy strikes. While trying to negotiate a treacherous stretch of mountain trail, Phil loses his balance and falls into a ravine hundreds of feet below. Attempting to locate his friend, Mark peers over a ledge and sees something that will change his life forever--Phil, being carried away by a hulking, ape-like creature.

Although disoriented, Mark makes his way back to civilization. Unable to convince the authorities to mount a credible search for Phil, and wracked by the guilt of leaving his friend behind, Mark decides he must return to Mount Agiochook and conduct his own search. It is a fateful decision, which leads to a protracted and bloody confrontation with the strange inhabitants of the Mount. Before book's end, Mark loses almost everything he holds dear.

For most of the novel, Hautala tells a straightforward adventure story of man versus monster, with a little chill thrown in here and there. Then, just when you think you've got it all figured out, he throws you a massive, terrifying curveball, penning a scene so horrifying that it still disturbs me to think about it years later. I've been told that this particular scene is what kept the more "mainstream" publishers from buying this book-- until now, that is.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarey horror nove-it is great!, June 9, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mountain King (Mass Market Paperback)

Long before the European reached the North American shore, Mount Agiochook in what is now Maine was considered taboo because demons lived on the mountain. Modern people know that the so-called demons are only legends and myths of a superstitious race. Mark Newman and a friend Phil are on the mountain when a sudden snow squall erupts. They mange to attain shelter.

When the storm ends, they begin their descent, but Phil falls off the edge of a cliff. Mark sees Phil's body and start to climb down towards it praying that his friend still lives. Before he reaches Phil, a creature standing on two legs with a grotesque human-like visage effortlessly carries Phil with him. Mark manages to make it to the nearby town, but the sheriff rejects the story of a creature. Mark returns to the mountain to track down the creature also tracking down Mark.

Anyone interested in the Bigfoot legend will enjoy reading THE MOUNTAIN KING, a fast-paced horror tale loaded with action. Rick Hautala may have written his best work to date in the obsessively heroic Mark who refuses to give up his quest despite impossible odds of succeeding. As an added bonus to Mr. Hautala's fans, the author includes three short stories starring the Untcigahunk from LITTLE BROTHERS.

Harriet Klausner