The Land Below by William Meikle (book review)
Daniel Garland is a crusty ex-soldier with a fondness for alcohol and tobacco who is up for almost anything. So when Thomas and Ed Ellington offer to pay him a guinea a day for a treasure hunt, he goes along. Thomas, the elder brother, is rather brash and full of himself but Danny can put up with that. The expedition begins in the mountains of Austria and here they meet a reliable local shepherd named Stefan and his loyal dog, Elsa, who join them for the adventure. Ed has a map to guide them to the treasure, supposedly lost in mediaeval times by Teutonic knights. But when they explore caves inside the mountain, they tumble into a strange underworld lit by luminous roots that dangle from the ceiling and populated with deadly creatures. Can they survive? Can they get out and back to the surface world and can they find the treasure?
The third-person point of view switches between Daniel Garland and Ed Ellington. Mostly, they are together so it’s not to tell separate stories but rather to give two different opinions on Thomas Ellington. Danny doesn’t care for him too much but his brother is more sympathetic. He’s also a gentler character than the ex-soldier, not as heroic and may be easier for readers to identify with.
The setting is either the late 19th or early 20th century, which is the time when lost world tales were in vogue. Author William Meikle is revisiting the action-adventure stories of a bygone era, as he often does. Usually, in this kind of yarn, there is a female on the expedition for the men to fight over and the hero to win at the end, but that element is missing here. No doubt Hollywood will add one if they ever option the book and why wouldn’t they? ‘The Land Below’ is a solid piece of pulp fiction with some likeable characters, inventive ecosystems and thrilling moments that will let you escape the horrible real world for a few hours. That’s all it tries to be and that’s all it is, but that’s quite enough for some of us sometimes. Good fun and worth a look.
Eamonn Murphy
March 2024
(pub: Severed Press, 2020. 153 page ebook. Price: £ 2.99 (UK), $ 3.99 (US). ASIN: B08GYFQFYT. Paperback Price: £ 7.99 (UK), $ 9.99 (US). ISBN: 978-1-92232-377-4)
check out website: https://severedpress.com/the-land-below/
