Under the Mountains

by James Agee Jr.

Jonas dreams of a life outside of the coal town in West Virginia where he was born. He soon discovers that there is more mystery and adventure in his home state than he ever could have imagined. Living with the knowledge that dark creatures and folklore are alive and among the living changes his life forever. Venture to iconic West Virginia locations such as Bramwell and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum as his adventure takes him to some very unexpected locations.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

James Agee Jr. writes fictional stories that border on the unknown. When he isn’t reading a book, he is writing one. Stories surround him and he cannot help but write a few of them down. Occasionally, some of those stories turn into books. He firmly believes that words have power and that if you are reading then you are doing yourself a wonderful favor.

Reviews

[Daniel Rouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I finished this really early. I must've listened to this last minute and I'm proud of how quickly I actually finished it in! I liked the storyline and the ending BUT my favourite is still Bontrix. Thanks James for letting me listen to the audiobooks (in no way a biased review just the author was kind enough to give me his books for free!!)

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
This is a review for the Audiobook read by Charles Hayward

Story: 3.5
Performance: 3.5

"He was on his way to rescue a ghost but... the ghost of his past was already there"

The plot is not what I expected it to be.
Let me explain myself: I read the summary and I thought this was going to be a horror thriller meant for adults, but I think it's more like a dark/urban fantasy for young people.
Is that bad? No. Neil Gaiman has been doing it for ages and people love him!

So, the idea behind the story is really cool (fantasy and magic, interesting characters and world), but the development of the story was pretty average.

The narrative is very good, and you can tell the author has the imagination and the writing skills to create an outstanding plot, but somehow the book is inconsistent: it goes from fantastic to average and vice versa.

Characters are okay, at first. But they have no development and it feels they are only standing there, without actually taking an active role in the story.
Also, the book lacks of character interactions. There are some conversations but they fail on developing a proper connection between Jonas and his support characters.


Finally, I had some trouble with the performance. I think it's good, Hayward's narrator voice is accurate (although he reads too fast in some specific moments) and his overall performance is good enough to capture the story's colour.

But it has some random weird pauses and I don't know if the narrator is doing those pauses or they are some Audible's technical issue (?) They are annoying, no matter what.
It's something like: Jonas (pause) was (pause) confused

The Best: The whole idea is extraordinary and the story is very promising in the beginning.

The Worst: The evolution of the story is somehow insipid, specially Jonas' lack of growth.


I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review

[Kassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really could have used a good editor. The idea was sort of interesting, but the prose was really not tight.

[Vivi · Rating 2 out of 5]

**2.5 stars**
Great ideas (at least from what I could tell with this book), but subpar execution.

The good:

**Tight plotline
**Intriguing characters e.g. a strange family of three, a duchess, a high school graduate
**Appalachian setting w/ folklore/fantasy elements & historical intrigues? Count me in!

Could be improved on:

**Needs some editing - there are some unnecessary explanations that could just be trimmed off. One I remember: "It was an eerie place." We already know that the main character feels that way from the context of the scene and the build up in the story. It feels out of place. The author may have tried hard to "show and not tell", but sentences like the previous one leaked in from time to time.

**A disconnect from emotive descriptions and character development - relationships between characters are sudden -

Jonas's sudden willingness to risk his life for the Winfields? could be explained somewhat by his thirst for adventure muffled for so long under his mundane life. Yet his conflict with the value of his own life and the people he spent time with for a few days could be explored further. People don't make huge decisions easily. Additionally, his friendship with West and Grimbly makes little sense logically and emotionally and seems contrived for the sake of the plot. There was little communication (I mean I get Grimbly but West?), clashing of values, contradictions/flaws, and little interaction in general. Characters may not need a backstory but they are aware of their past.

In short, more needs to be dedicated to character development & character relationships.

I genuinely think that this story has potential. I'd just prefer it to be polished a bit more. I'd recommend this to younger readers who enjoy a balanced mix of horror/fantastical/magical elements.

[James Agee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional, Best tale of Appalachian folklore I have ever read.