4 Stars

I think the title of this book should have had a question mark following the title. “Among the Living?”

This book is a new twist on horror for me. The setting appears to be in the near (?) future. Two groups of people travel to an isolated village in the North. One group searches for finds of rare minerals. They then sell the location of the find to the highest bidder. They seem very mercenary to me. They are equipped with the latest technology and winter wear.

The other are people who are very concerned about the environment. It is rapidly deteriorating. The permafrost in the North is thawing. What damage will occur due to the warming?

Bethan and Dean were once very close. Following a terrible accident, they became estranged. They are set to meet once again. How will that work out? Dean works for the miners. Bethan is one of the ecological supporters.

Things go badly awry when the miners see things that simply can’t be. They flee from the cave, but all is not well.

An unheard of disease has been released! There are - creatures - being released from the mud of geysers and melted permafrost. They seem to have a purpose. They are very infectious.

Will Dean, Bethan and the others get away? Will the little settlement on the coast survive? What is the purpose of these creatures? Will they reach the mainland?

My only disappointment in this book is that I didn’t get a good sense of who the people were, especially the group of miners. The ecological group was better fleshed out, but the miners were not. The various personalities of the ecological team were interesting and I would have loved to learn more about the others.

I want to thank NetGalley and Titan Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Absolutely terrifying! Dean is part of a group that mines illegally for rare minerals used in popular goods such as cell phones. He and his team is kitted out in the best money can buy and they drop in, find the minerals and sell the coordinated. When Dean's team unearths a truly life-threatening danger in the Artic he is luckily found by his ex-friend Bethan and her team of do-gooders. The groups are quick to fight but there is no denying that something that threatens all of man kind is lose and only they can stop it.

Completely credible and absolutely haunting, I hope this becomes a movie! My only complaint is I would have liked a bit more drama in the journey and even more about the characters. This could have easily been a longer book and better for it. All and all though - absolutely perfect for something to keep you up all night and nights after as you worry about the very real possibilities. I am off to read some more Tim Lebbon!
Grab this book, you won't be sorry! #amongtheliving #timlebbon
#Titanbooks

It’s been years since Bethan and Dean have seen each other, but the old friends meet again on an island in the Arctic. Bethan and her friends are environmental, activists, trying to preserve the natural beauty of the island. Dean, however is working with a consortium that wants access to the minerals inside the caves on the island. And that’s when they unwittingly unleash a contagion that has been waiting in the darkness. The former friends will have to come together to make their way overland to escape a certain and gruesome death