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The Devil in the White Mountains
"A terrifying horror story without the traditional blood and gore; a story that readers will dream about long after they've finished reading." - Readers' Favorite
In this tale of old-fashioned folk horror set in the Himalayan mountains, a soldier in the British Raj is sent to shoot a man-eating leopard terrorizing a remote village. But after paying a visit to the local monastery, Lt. Col. Grant Morrison learns that all of his experience may not be enough to see him through the night—and the true identity of his foe will shake him to his core.
In this tale of old-fashioned folk horror set in the Himalayan mountains, a soldier in the British Raj is sent to shoot a man-eating leopard terrorizing a remote village. But after paying a visit to the local monastery, Lt. Col. Grant Morrison learns that all of his experience may not be enough to see him through the night—and the true identity of his foe will shake him to his core.
29 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 10, 2026
The Devil in the White Mountains by Mark Smeltz, a short story that takes you out into the Himalayas, where a man-eating beast threatens the peace in a small village. A soldier set to capture this creature discovers that he faces something far darker than some leopard, as his attempts to capture the creature and conversations with the locals seemingly pieces together the mystery of 'the devil in the white mountains'.
From the get go, the reader travels along with the soldier, sweat on their brow and dirt beneath their feet from the long journey. The descriptive quality of Smeltz work really paints a picture of the scenery and happenings of this tale.
I felt as though the sections stopped and started with changed subject, in a sense that affected the flow of the story. It's sometimes difficult to keep a consistent flow within a short story, with so much action packed into very few words. This book is only 29 pages, if perhaps there was a little bit more, the flow between parts could have had some more attention.
Despite this, the overall folk horror story is a quick read that I enjoyed.
I recommend this book if you are looking for: folk horror, a man-eating creature, descriptive writing, dark happenings, male main character, journey in the Himalayas and all within 29 pages.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
From the get go, the reader travels along with the soldier, sweat on their brow and dirt beneath their feet from the long journey. The descriptive quality of Smeltz work really paints a picture of the scenery and happenings of this tale.
I felt as though the sections stopped and started with changed subject, in a sense that affected the flow of the story. It's sometimes difficult to keep a consistent flow within a short story, with so much action packed into very few words. This book is only 29 pages, if perhaps there was a little bit more, the flow between parts could have had some more attention.
Despite this, the overall folk horror story is a quick read that I enjoyed.
I recommend this book if you are looking for: folk horror, a man-eating creature, descriptive writing, dark happenings, male main character, journey in the Himalayas and all within 29 pages.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 21, 2026
High Himalayas. Higher Stakes.
The Devil in the White by Mark Smeltz is a taut, atmospheric folk-horror tale set on the roof of the world. From the opening paragraph, the era, terrain, and mission are clearly defined: a British officer of the Raj dispatched to stop a man-eating predator in a remote Himalayan village steeped in history and belief.
As a reader, I inevitably measure hunting and campfire tales against the high bar set by Hemingway. Smeltz grounds the story in place. The mountain passes feel vast and unforgiving, and the human cost of the threat is made chillingly clear through an early encounter with the grieving mother of the supposed Snow Leopard’s last victim – an infant taken in the dark. Was it raking claws, grasping fingers, or something misunderstood through layers of language and superstition? That ambiguity becomes one of the story’s strengths.
The narrative is immersive and efficient, combining gritty, practical characters with rich world-building and an unnerving paranormal edge. It feels like time travel to a believable bygone age, but one viewed through a lens of ancient dread rather than nostalgia.
Efficient, immersive, and quietly menacing, this is old-school campfire horror with a restrained supernatural edge. Enjoyable, and recommended.
The Devil in the White by Mark Smeltz is a taut, atmospheric folk-horror tale set on the roof of the world. From the opening paragraph, the era, terrain, and mission are clearly defined: a British officer of the Raj dispatched to stop a man-eating predator in a remote Himalayan village steeped in history and belief.
As a reader, I inevitably measure hunting and campfire tales against the high bar set by Hemingway. Smeltz grounds the story in place. The mountain passes feel vast and unforgiving, and the human cost of the threat is made chillingly clear through an early encounter with the grieving mother of the supposed Snow Leopard’s last victim – an infant taken in the dark. Was it raking claws, grasping fingers, or something misunderstood through layers of language and superstition? That ambiguity becomes one of the story’s strengths.
The narrative is immersive and efficient, combining gritty, practical characters with rich world-building and an unnerving paranormal edge. It feels like time travel to a believable bygone age, but one viewed through a lens of ancient dread rather than nostalgia.
Efficient, immersive, and quietly menacing, this is old-school campfire horror with a restrained supernatural edge. Enjoyable, and recommended.
February 21, 2026
Set high in the Himalayas during the British Raj, the novel trades overt violence for a creeping dread. The terror is not in blood but in suggestion, ritual, and how history and belief can warp a man’s mind.
The story follows Lt. Col. Grant Morrison, a veteran soldier summoned to a remote village to hunt a man-eating leopard. On the surface it’s a familiar premise—colonial officer, wild landscape, a beast to be slain—augmented by adding in the mountain’s ancient rhythms and a monastery whose quiet holds more power than a gun. Morrison’s military certainty gradually unravels under the monks’ inscrutable calm and the village’s older language of fear. It turns out that the leopard is less an animal than an echo: of guilt and ancestral stories.
Morrison is well-drawn: a competent, proud man whose competence is weak in the face of an ancient logic. Secondary characters—the monks, the villagers, the silent elders—are sketchy and ambiguous to keep the reader guessing whether they are allies, victims, or part of something less human.
The reveal is understated but powerful and reorients what you thought you knew about the protagonist and the landscape he assumes he can master.
This is a good book if you like horror, but dislike blood and gore.
The story follows Lt. Col. Grant Morrison, a veteran soldier summoned to a remote village to hunt a man-eating leopard. On the surface it’s a familiar premise—colonial officer, wild landscape, a beast to be slain—augmented by adding in the mountain’s ancient rhythms and a monastery whose quiet holds more power than a gun. Morrison’s military certainty gradually unravels under the monks’ inscrutable calm and the village’s older language of fear. It turns out that the leopard is less an animal than an echo: of guilt and ancestral stories.
Morrison is well-drawn: a competent, proud man whose competence is weak in the face of an ancient logic. Secondary characters—the monks, the villagers, the silent elders—are sketchy and ambiguous to keep the reader guessing whether they are allies, victims, or part of something less human.
The reveal is understated but powerful and reorients what you thought you knew about the protagonist and the landscape he assumes he can master.
This is a good book if you like horror, but dislike blood and gore.
January 17, 2026
The Devil in the White Mountains by Mark Smeltz is a well-crafted story. It is a short story, and I certainly hope there will be more. It is a brisk 7,000 words that will take less than 30 minutes to read. Mark's sense of timing and place stands out and it was a joy to read his prose as his vocabulary is refreshingly detailed. The four chapters of this story describing Lt. Col Grant Morrison, a great hunter, moved briskly, but had a strong sense of character. For those who like adventure stories, this one will be for you. Taking place in Ladakh, I especially liked the description of the village and its customs. At first the Lt. Col thinks he is tracking a snow leopard or another big cat, but he is soon to realize that this beast is something else entirely. I look forward to reading more of Mark's stories in the future. I'm giving it 4 stars only because this story left me wanting more of it.
February 4, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Devil in the White Mountains has a really strong sense of place — you can practically feel the cold and thin air of the Himalayas seeping through the pages. Smeltz clearly knows this world, and that authenticity does a lot of heavy lifting.
I loved the old-school adventure vibe (very colonial-expedition energy), but with a creeping, quiet unease layered beneath. It starts off feeling like a classic man-versus-beast tale, then slowly slides into something more ambiguous and unsettling. The spiritual elements and local beliefs were probably my favourite part — they gave the story a depth that made it feel more than just a hunting narrative.
My only real gripe is that I wanted… more. More time with the creature, more buildup around the final confrontation, more space for the dread to really stretch its legs — though I admit it works beautifully as a short story as well.
Thoughtful, eerie, and quietly haunting — absolutely worth the read.
The Devil in the White Mountains has a really strong sense of place — you can practically feel the cold and thin air of the Himalayas seeping through the pages. Smeltz clearly knows this world, and that authenticity does a lot of heavy lifting.
I loved the old-school adventure vibe (very colonial-expedition energy), but with a creeping, quiet unease layered beneath. It starts off feeling like a classic man-versus-beast tale, then slowly slides into something more ambiguous and unsettling. The spiritual elements and local beliefs were probably my favourite part — they gave the story a depth that made it feel more than just a hunting narrative.
My only real gripe is that I wanted… more. More time with the creature, more buildup around the final confrontation, more space for the dread to really stretch its legs — though I admit it works beautifully as a short story as well.
Thoughtful, eerie, and quietly haunting — absolutely worth the read.
January 11, 2026
Mark Smeltz’s “The Devil in the White Mountains” opens as a familiar imperial adventure – a British officer sent into the Himalayas to deal with a man-eating predator – before steadily revealing a darker, more uncanny design. Drawing on the tradition of Kipling and H. Rider Haggard, Smeltz wastes no time putting his own distinctive stamp on this short piece. From the opening paragraph, he shows a confident command of place and period, grounding the supernatural in textured local detail and mysticism. The story is tightly constructed, compressing history, atmosphere, and rising dread into a lean 7,000 words without strain. Seasoned readers of the form will probably anticipate the destination, but the precision of the pacing and the accumulating sense of menace make the journey engrossing to the end.
February 15, 2026
The narrator is tasked to kill a snow leopard that has been terrorising a small village in the Himalayas. With the help of the latest victim's mother he sets a trap for the beast, but he soon realises they are dealing with something darker than a mere animal.
The writing style and language invoke the style of Swift or Stevenson - the old adventure tales of yore that present the story as a transcription of a first-hand account of events.
I highly enjoyed this deeply atmospheric horror story and will be looking out for more from this author.
** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. **
The writing style and language invoke the style of Swift or Stevenson - the old adventure tales of yore that present the story as a transcription of a first-hand account of events.
I highly enjoyed this deeply atmospheric horror story and will be looking out for more from this author.
** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. **
January 7, 2026
The story has a very strong sense of local identity, which is immediately immersive. You can taste the drinks and 'feel' the place through the descriptions, the decor, the dialog. You can easily tell that the author is building the story based on his personal experiences in the Himalayas, which always adds value to a piece. It's written in a style reminiscent of the late 19th centuries, which is Smeltz's stylistic choice, to match the timeline of the story, which again adds to immersion. If you want a slow burn, atmospheric piece to go with your cup of green tea, you have to try this one out.
January 13, 2026
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I really enjoyed this short story. I did wish that the lama gave more details about spirits that hadn’t been stopped for more of the folklore aspect and a hint of suspense but also liked that all the reader got was invisible armor of prayers and blessings.
The ending was satisfactory and not unheard of but it would have been interesting to have more story of what happened to the traveler and what “did that to him”.
The author claims to have more stories and id love to read them.
I really enjoyed this short story. I did wish that the lama gave more details about spirits that hadn’t been stopped for more of the folklore aspect and a hint of suspense but also liked that all the reader got was invisible armor of prayers and blessings.
The ending was satisfactory and not unheard of but it would have been interesting to have more story of what happened to the traveler and what “did that to him”.
The author claims to have more stories and id love to read them.
February 5, 2026
I was not expecting this to be so short!
It’s not even long enough to be a novella, maybe a novelette or possibly a chapbook.
It’s a nice exercise in place and time period. Not a lot of exposition. Short and to the point. I came, I saw, I conquered (sorta) the problem and got the heck outta Dodge. Lots of room left to maybe go back and expand it out to an actual novel.
There are a lot of mysterious hints and asides leading one to wonder just exactly what kind of work our mysterious protagonist has done in the past for the Raj?
Interesting read.
It’s not even long enough to be a novella, maybe a novelette or possibly a chapbook.
It’s a nice exercise in place and time period. Not a lot of exposition. Short and to the point. I came, I saw, I conquered (sorta) the problem and got the heck outta Dodge. Lots of room left to maybe go back and expand it out to an actual novel.
There are a lot of mysterious hints and asides leading one to wonder just exactly what kind of work our mysterious protagonist has done in the past for the Raj?
Interesting read.
January 10, 2026
I really enjoyed this short story about a mysterious creature stalking a small town in the Himalayas. It really gave me vibes of “the historian” by Elizabeth Kostova but in a very different setting. The author’s knowledge of the culture in the region of northern India and Nepal is on full display here. Highly recommend!
January 20, 2026
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I didn't realize that it was going to be a short story.
It held my interest enough that I was hoping for some of my questions to be answered in following chapters. I hope that there will be more stories with this character.
I didn't realize that it was going to be a short story.
It held my interest enough that I was hoping for some of my questions to be answered in following chapters. I hope that there will be more stories with this character.
January 28, 2026
I found it vividly captured Ladakh's stark beauty and menace. The dense descriptions tested my patience, but the unsettling payoff made the journey worthwhile. It lingered with me as a meditation on arrogance and the danger of mistaking understanding for control.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews