Falling Down

The Boy in the Iron Box #1

by Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Fabrizio De Tommaso (illustrator)

A group of mercenaries on an unsanctioned mission survives a plane crash in whiteout conditions in the Tian Shan mountains. The men are accustomed to danger. Now they’re growing accustomed to fear.

Team leader Liev and his band of survivors are stranded in the bitter winds with little hope of rescue—or outlasting the wolves that have scented blood. In the distance is the apparent sanctuary of an abandoned stone fortress. That an ancient bulwark even exists on this forsaken summit is beyond comprehension. So is what lies on the other side of its walls.

From Academy Award–winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Falling Down, part one of The Boy in the Iron Box, a blood-chilling series of short stories about an ancient secret that was never meant to be unleashed, featuring exclusive interior artwork. Each can be read or listened to in one breathless sitting.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Ebooks, Suspense

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2024

About the author

Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican director mostly known for his acclaimed films Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, Crimson Peak and the Hellboy film franchise. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy, horror, and war. In 2009, Del Toro released his debut novel, The Strain, co-authored with Chuck Hogan, as the first part of The Strain Trilogy, an apocalyptic horror series featuring vampires. The series continued with The Fall in 2010 and concluded with The Night Eternal in 2011.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the collaborative work produced in The Hollow Ones, first published in 2020. Del Toro and Chuck Hogan have also worked on The Strain series and these two can get it done.

So when I saw that SIX books dropped on July 1, 2024 I had to check it out. Turns out this is a Kindle original series of short stories and it’s free if you also have Prime.

So yeah, I’m in.

This is a pretty cool setting, a group of mercenaries find themselves trapped and in trouble on a remote mountaintop. Then there may be some paranormal stuff happening.

Only thirty pages, this is a quick read and there are even illustrations. This is fairly standard Merc-porn except for the occult possibilities and one scene in particular. I don’t read a lot of horror but god damn! Yeah, that got my attention.

Let’s download number two and keep this short story train rolling.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars for Falling Down: The Boy in the Iron Box, Book 1 (audiobook) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck hogan read by Ralph Ineson.

A group of mercenaries survive an airplane crash in a snowstorm and then have to fend off a pack of wolves on their way to some kind of shelter.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

An airplane full of mercenaries crashes on a snowy mountain where a pack of hungry wolves is awaiting them. And there’s also a mysterious building that draws their attention.


This is basically the first part of a book that’s been cut into six pieces. And I have to say it is a good start to a good story. It’s a strong first chapter. It’s the kind of story that immediately hooks you and there’s more than enough tension, action, and even some mystery from the start. But it does feel really light and short. It also ends before anything interesting can happen, which is a bit of a shame.

[Helga · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first installment in a 6 part book series.

A plane carrying mercenaries crashes on a snowy mountain somewhere in Central Asia.
After encountering a pack of hungry wolves, the survivors find an abandoned labyrinthine building. They naturally decide to take shelter inside against the bitter winds and the cold, but as they enter the mysterious building, they sense something is amiss.
What is this building doing in the middle of nowhere?
Who built it?
And what is there inside the chained iron box?

[Ceecee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m intrigued enough to keep going …

Amazon Prime First Read June 2024

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed

This is not a short story. It’s the first chapter of a book with the rest of the chapters missing.

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhhh. This was just ok for me.

I’ll give the next book in this series a shot and see where it goes. I’m mildly interested but not fully invested so it’s a slow start for me.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaser for a Series
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (June 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (July 1, 2024)

Out the window, through the swirling grayness of the late-day blizzard, he saw they were low over the rock face of a vast massif - too low and much too close. His jaw tightened as he willed the jet skyward.
"My zakonchili, tovarishchi!"
Avva's voice again: We're done for, comrades!

I'll admit that reading the synopsis for Falling Down, it made it sound a lot like it would be a retread of the old horror thriller F. Paul Wilson's The Keep (1981), which I read back in the day and also saw the movie. Instead of Nazis trapped in a Transylvanian fortress, it would be Russian mercenaries trapped in a Far East fortress. But I have an enormous amount of goodwill towards Guillermo del Toro, for his movies, his other collaborations and that he loves browsing in independent bookstores in my hometown Toronto 😍, so I will definitely give this series a shot.


Guillermo del Toro browsing in Toronto bookstores when on breaks from filming his adaptation of "Frankenstein" during the Winter/Spring of 2024. Image sourced from Twitter.

Falling Down is only the first of six stories in The Boy in the Iron Box series which will be released in full on July 1, 2024 by Amazon Originals. It is the setup story where a group of ex-Spetsnaz mercenaries are headed towards a black-ops mission in the Far East when their Cessna jet crash lands in a snowy icy mountainous landscape. Some sort of man-made structure was spotted during the descent and the survivors head towards it for shelter.

On the way they are beset on by ravenous wolves, but who knows what dangers yet await when they reach their destination? The wolves provide a warning sign when they back off their attack as the men reach the stone walls of the mysterious structure. I'm guessing this is going the way of The Keep (i.e. the soldiers get picked off one by one), but del Toro and Hogan may yet surprise me.

Trivia and Links
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have collaborated several times in the past, especially on The Strain trilogy (2009-11), which was later adapted for a TV series (2014-2017).

Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).

[Emilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting little setup to a story that I’m not sure I’ll continue. I really only picked this up because it was being given away for Amazon First Reads and it was only 30 pages, plus I was a little lured in by Guillermo del Toro’s involvement. I do like the concept and the writing was very well done but I’m not sure if it really hooked me the way it wanted to. I might get around to continuing the story eventually, but as it stands I have way too many books on my tbr and this just didn’t grab my attention enough.

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

اگر گیرمو دل تورو کارگردان شکل آب و پینوکیو رو‌ می‌شناسید، این کتاب که داغ داغه و یک ماهه منتشر شده می‌تونه براتون جالب باشه. این مجموعه از شش کتاب کوتاه حدوداً سی صفحه‌ای تشکیل شده که یک داستان کامل رو می‌سازند. البته جدا کردن داستان‌ها بیشتر حرکت تجاری و کارگردانی به نظر میاد که در نتیجه یک باکس‌ ست جذاب به فروش برسه

داستان از جایی شروع میشه که هواپیمای تعدادی سرباز مزدور که از یک عملیات مخفی برمی‌گردند، بالای کوه سقوط می‌کنه و اون‌ها در یک سازه‌ی سنگی مرموز که معلوم نیست چطور و چرا روی کوه ساخته شده پناه می‌گیرند. اما ساختمان رازهایی در خودش داره. شروع داستان سریعه و انصافاً خوب هم نوشته شده. اما این داستان کوتاه نیست که شروع و پایان داشته باشه. بیشتر انگار این جلد فصل اول کتابه و از این جهت نمیشه خیلی‌ بهش امتیاز مناسبی داد. اما حتماً ادامه‌ش میدم که ببینم داستان به کجا می‌رسه

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۵/۱۳

[Linda Galella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing but a bad idea…

Other reviewers have mentioned they tho’t this tiny tome was an introduction to the actual books to come in July. Actually, this is the LONGEST of the 6 books in this new THE BOY IN THE IRON BOX series, by Guillermo Del Toro. All of the other episodes come in at 20-29 pages. Taking away the publisher’s stuff, some titles will be less than 20 pages and the intended price for each is $1.99; I DON’T THINK SO!

As I mentioned in the opening, the writing is good, genre on target action, good potential for ongoing intrigue and twists, characters to root for and boo for; everything you’d want from this series. However, $12 for less than 150 pages that can be read about 75 minutes for all 6 books?

This project belongs in the Vella format, IMHO📚

[Sportyrod · Rating 2 out of 5]

My oh my. Chapters sold as books. I suspected as much but yes, that’s what’s happened. Not short stories. Nothing is sacred anymore…

What was the chapter about? A plane crash, some menacing wolves, an out of place Stone Henge-like landmark in the middle of a remote mountain range, an iron box, and waiting to see what happens next in the following chapter.

Only I won’t be doing that. A fan of Guillermo del Toro, yes. A sucker for marketing, no.

3 for the chapter, 1 for the marketing.

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this 6-part mini-series! It kicks off with a dead boy found in a box—a chilling start. But as the team tries to figure out what's going on, things take a dark and dangerous turn. Each short book is full of action and suspense, keeping you hooked and eager to find out what happens next!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part one of a serialized novel. Unfortunately, though it appears there will be some horror content and maybe even a bit of the supernatural, I don’t think this will be the second coming of THE GREEN MILE (it was so fun to read that the way King intended, parceled out piece by piece for six months.)

Here are group of mercenaries crash lands in the Chinese mountains. One of their group has a horrible injury and they are stalked by wolves. They manage to find some type of mysterious maze-like fortress that allows them to shelter from the cold and snow.

So, we’ll see. This section was only thirty pages, so you don’t have to devote much time to see whether you might be interested. Available on Amazon.

[The Cookster · Rating 1 out of 5]

A taster for a forthcoming series rather than a true short story.

Rating: 1.4/5

I admire any writer who successfully tackles the short story format. There is a real skill in drafting a fully rounded story with properly drawn characters within the confines of a mere 100 or so pages, which is one of the things that draws me to them.

"Falling Down" is nowhere near that length even, as it only has about 30 pages. That said, I have read other very short stories (micro stories) that have still somehow accomplished the feat of presenting a properly rounded story.

Sadly, that is not the case here. This isn't really a true short story. It reads like an extract from a longer book - which essentially is what it is. This is planned to be the first in a series called "The Boy in the Iron Box" and it may well be that by the time you have read all six in the series, you will indeed have a fully rounded story. This instalment is merely a taster for the series, which I wouldn't have any issue with, providing it was being given away as a free sampler - but to expect people to pay for something that is not a self-contained story is wrong, in my opinion.

[Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoah!

Spooky, edge of your seat, can't wait to see what's going to happen next, there always has to be that one idiot, OMG!!!

This had me hooked.....I didn't expect to get invested in this at all, yet here I am thoroughly wondering who makes it out alive.

Should I have expected ANYTHING else from del Toro?

Kudos to Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan!

On to book 2

[Dollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of six parts of a story by Del Toro & Hogan. I loved The Strain series, so I will read anything they ever write together. This was only 29 pages long, so it was a quick read. It was an exciting and mysterious introduction to a group of mercenaries on a secret mission in the mountains of China. I don’t want to reveal anything else about the story, but will say that I’m completely hooked already. I’ll be looking forward to reading the next chapter.

[Ed Davis]

This is free with kindle unlimited, but I only lasted half way. I just couldn’t stomach reading the wolves killing and eating a man. I loved The Strain by this same author. It didn’t bother me when it was monster vampires, but wolves were too real. So, it’s definitely me and not the book.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 3 out of 5]

This popped up in my Kindle first reads today & I initially thought it was a short story but it appears to be the opening chapter of a new novel or story series ?
The story tells of a planeload of mercenaries crashing high in the mountains of China and discovering an ancient structure which contains some sort of tomb.There’s not really much to say as it’s such a short read and I’ve no idea what the actual premise of the larger work will be but after this small taster I will follow it up when published.

[Mike M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that this was a 6-part short story series until after I'd finished reading. I really liked the premise, and it set up for a very good possibly supernatural thriller (at least the way the narrative seemed to be leaning). However, as a stand-alone book, it feels very incomplete. Obviously because there are five more short stories in the series, but the spot where this story ends felt less like a short story and more like the end of a chapter in a novel. I think I would enjoyed this much more if it felt like an actual self-contained story versus what is essentially a fraction of a full book.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start, introducing the characters and setting the scene for some carnage to come.

I enjoyed the writing immensely, and the fear it invoked. I found it really easy to sink into this story, so when it ended as abruptly as it did I needed the next one immediately!

This first 'book' is essentially a chapter to a bigger story, and the whole lot is currently free on Kindle Unlimited. Perfect for the horror season!

[ᛚᚨᚱᚲᚨ × ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ (Semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's a labyrinth," said Liev. "Maybe they were trying to slow down a charging enemy. Defend the core while the attackers negotiated their way in. Trying to keep them out."
Yuri leaned against the wall and recoiled fast. The others turned. Barely visible against the dark stone, rows of spikes hammered out of dark iron jutted from the stone, pointing inward toward the center.
"Or maybe," said Daniil, "they were trying to keep something in."

I was not so sure about this short novella as the disaster unfolded, but now I'm sold. Mr. del Toro, you can't write anything that I wouldn't read (or watch).

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arctic Survival

Russian Spetsnaz (Special Forces) on a black op without identification for deniability, crash in the arctic mountains wounding one and killing another of their team. They have a radio, but among the mountains it is unlikely to work.

One team member saw a black, man made fortress just before the crash. Would they find shelter there?

This is the five star beginning of a story done in segments. Short easy read.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle first reads short story for June 2024. Quick and entertaining.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uuuggghhhh....this was an Amazon prime first reads, and i thought it was a short story! Instead, it's part one of something akin to The Green Mile. There are at least 6 from what I glimpsed at the end of the book.

So. Really compelling beginning. Do I buy a bunch of them one at a time, or wait for the inevitable compilation?!

[SpookySoto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: I didn't liked it 😞
Format: audio


I didn't care about anyone.



I don't recommend it

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to this 6-book series. I’m quite intrigued by what may be lurking in the tunnels. I’m definitely in for the rest of this series!

[Soph ♡ (elfmumma) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that felt like a waste of time..

[Amir eezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

پسری در تابوت آهنی

✍ نویسنده: گی‌یرمو دل تورو
📖 ژانر: وحشت، بقا، معمایی
📪 ناشر: پرتقال
📆 تعداد صفحات:  ۱۲۰ صفحه
⭐ امتیاز من: ۴ از ۵


خب بریم سراغ یه داستان که ترکیب ترس، معما و بقاست. این کتاب توی شش بخش منتشر شده است. ماجرای یه گروه مزدوره که هواپیماشون توی کوه‌های تیان شان سقوط می‌کنه و برای زنده موندن، میرن تو یه قلعه قدیمی. ولی خب، همیشه یه "ولی" توی این مدل داستان‌ها هست...
قلعه فقط یه سرپناه ساده نیست، بلکه یه راز تاریک رو تو خودش مخفی کرده. هرچی بیشتر اونجا می‌مونن، حس می‌کنن یه چیزی از تو سایه‌ها داره نگاشون می‌کنه. فضای کتاب یه جورایی مثل فیلم The Thing (جان کارپنتر)  می‌مونه، پر از دلهره و حس "یه چیزی درست نیست!"

✅ چرا باید بخونی؟

✔ فضاسازیش محشره! یخ، تاریکی، دیوارای سنگی... یه ترس خاموش که قشنگ میتونی حسش کنی.
✔ ریتم داستان تنده، از همون صفحه اول گیرت می‌ندازه و ولت نمی‌کنه.
✔ شخصیت‌ها قوی‌ان، مزدورن ولی فقط آدم‌کش‌های کلیشه‌ای نیستن، هرکدوم یه داستانی دارن ولی خب با این حال کتاب ۱۲۰ صفحست!!

❌ چرا ممکنه دوست نداشته باشی؟

✖ کوتاهه! تو یک نشست خونده میشه!
✖ پایانش یه‌کم مبهمه. یعنی یجورایی پایان بازه. به شخصه خودم پسندم شد و دوسش داشتم.

جمع‌بندی:

اگه وحشت بقایی دوست داری و دنبال یه داستان پرتنش و سریع می‌گردی، اینو از دست نده. ولی اگه دوست داری آخرش همه‌چیز برات توضیح داده بشه، ممکنه تو ذوقت بخوره. با این حال، من لذت بردم و بهش ۴ از ۵ میدم!

می‌کشتم چون توی این کار مهارت داشتم. چون بعضی‌ها رو هیچ کار دیگه‌شون نمی‌شه کرد‌. من قبلا به وطن و افتخار باور داشتم. ولی الان دیگه نه. هیچ افتخاری، هیچ هدفی ندیدم جز حرص و طمع.

#ریویو ۳ فروردین #۱۴۰۴

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It can all end in a moment. Take for yourself now what tomorrow might not give you."

Well I guess I'll have to read the next one to see what happens to these bone heads, but one thing I know for sure, if you bump into some old ruins guarded by two mummified corpses don't go in, also if you find a weird looking box don't open it! 😫