The Mine: A Subterranean Horror

by Michael Yowell

When a group of cross-country skiers find themselves trapped by a freak snowstorm on a desolate mountain, they seek refuge in an old mining cabin. But what starts as a harrowing blizzard soon descends into a nightmare. Within the cabin's confines, they discover a hidden trapdoor leading to a sinister network of tunnels.Their desperate exploration takes them through hazardous passageways, revealing the secrets of the mountain's past. As they delve deeper into the abyss, they stumble upon a colossal cavern inhabited by horrifying, ravenous creatures with an insatiable appetite for their flesh.But that's not the end of their terrors, for something even larger, more sinister, and infinitely more dangerous lurks in the shadows. In this heart-pounding tale of survival and terror, the cross-country skiers must battle the elements, their own fears, and unimaginable foes in a terrifying battle for their lives. Do you dare to venture into the depths of 'The Mine'?

Genres: Horror

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2023

About the author

Michael Yowell (1969 - ) was born in Denver, Colorado, and lived in Colorado for 46 years before relocating to his current home in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a horror fiction author. Michael has loved the horror genre since childhood, whether it be in the form of comics, novels, or movies.

His short stories have been published in e-zines and print anthologies (Writing Shift, Sanitarium, Thirteen, and Blood, Brains & Bullets). His books include the haunted house tale DEVILHOUSE, the werewolf-hunter novels THE DOGCATCHER, THE DOGCATCHER II: CHUPACABRAS, and THE DOGCATCHER III: WEREWOLF QUEEN, his short-horror-story collections FRAGMENTS AND SHARDS and FRAGMENTS AND SHARDS II, his terrifying killer-vs-reporter novel THE CAMERA EYE, his sea-monsters trilogy SLIGGERS, SLIGGER ISLAND, and SLIGGER INVASION, the spine-chilling GHOSTFIELD, the creepy PIRANTULAS, and his Western (yes, Western) novel RED PINES.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story brought me back to a time…get ready for third person…when Peter Topside first started in his field…he was forced to go meet a girl in upstate New York by his superiors at work, who claimed she was destined to be his wife. And his boss went with him, too. Talk about the most awkward experience of his young life. And, no, things didn’t end well there. So, to start out, I felt for John and Ellen’s, our leads, predicament with her boss, Nick, who is clearly smitten with her. So uncomfortable and relatable. And Nick also brought his wife, too. An epic nightmare! Oh, and there were mine monsters running amuck as all four people were stuck in a cabin during a blizzard, too. Your skin got goose pimples, yet? So it’s a fun, standard sort of creature feature that worked on all levels. The writing and plot were kept very simple but both felt just right for the content. Scares, plenty of action, and, surprisingly, a limited amount of violence. Kudos to the author for not taking the easy route and turning this into an unnecessary bloodbath. Just a nice way for any horror fan to spend an hour.

[John (JC) · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a tasty morsel of horror. It was not a bad read yet it was not a remarkable read either. Good action. Believable characters to a point. Ending? If you want a quick read with some horror this is for you.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real talk, I picked up this book because every time I saw it on my Kindle's recommended for you tab I went "ah yes what the children yearn for, THE MINE" and it was becoming something of a problem.

The story is pretty simple and there isn't much "fluff", fillers; we don't know em. The characters aren't super developed but I thought there was enough about them considering the format. The settings were nicely utilized. All things considered, it was a pretty solid quick read.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 skiers caught in a remote cabin on a mountain. They can't leave because of a terrible storm. Under the cabin there tunnels leading into a long forgotten mine. What hides inside those shafts? Can anybody get out alive? Nice creature feature with some terrifying scenes. Got a bit slow from middle to end. The beginning was great and thrilling a read though. The cover is outstanding in the good old tradition of monster horrors from the past. Recommended!

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels like an outline

I liked the general gist of the story, and I do appreciate not having a "bad end", but it does feel like this was a first or second draft.
A little more editing and polishing would have done wonders for the story.

[BookzBookzBookz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Yowell novel and I have to admit, it started like a bang. I liked the idea of a hubby stuck with a guy he really hated, just to make his wife happy. I also liked that they started off already making mistakes. But seriously, some of the things they did was really stupid.

The Mine is a tale of monsters. Kinda cool monsters, because they were subterranean and minding their own business, when some uppity city folks decide to rummage through a dead man's home. They kinda got what they deserved. But the book was kicker, once it got going. It just took a necessary bit to get going.

Cheers

[Kathy Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first by this author. It was a fun, quick read. It was a trifle predictable but fun none-the-less. The “monster” was creepy sounding. If I ever considered going spelunking again (never in a million years), this book would make me think twice.

[Joshua Bates · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started good, ended lame

It started interestingly enough but just fell into a pattern of people making very dumb choices. I know you cannot have these sort of stories without people being dumb but just wow

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a horror novella. It is written very simple but creepy. The book follows two couples as they go out for a day of skiing. They get caught up in a snowstorm and find refuge in an isolated cabin with a terrifying history. No Spoilers! I definitely recommend it for a short read.

[Tyronia · Rating 5 out of 5]

the mine

I read this book very quickly and was pleased with it although Nick and Nancy were killed I felt sorry for them Mr Yowell is now on my must read list

[joshua penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short story. Not a ton to it.

Pros:
+ monster was fun

Cons:
- characters were a little flat but it’s a short story so it is what it is

[Gen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. Had great potential but was lacking in substance. Charactrs lacked enough depth to make them interesting.

[douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting read.

The author did a masterful job of quickly getting to what we horror fans came for. I can't wait to read more of this author's work.

[Wendy ( ͡°❥ ͡°) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Yowell’s The Mine: A Subterranean Horror is a thrilling homage to classic creature features. It skillfully embraces familiar tropes with fresh enthusiasm, offering horrific creatures, tense atmosphere, and both likeable and unlikeable characters. Poor Nancy and Nick, that is all I can say without going into it too much!

[Jas Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to enjoy this quick read as much as I did. I liked the dynamic and relationships between the characters and the author did a great job considering the short length of the story.

[Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it was longer. But a very nice short read

[Irene Hollimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was goo