- The Good: Tight spaces, dark tunnels, and friendship
- The Bad: The least scary of all the Sworn Soldier novellas
- The Literary: Likely the conclusion to this series
Alex Easton does not want to visit America, but an old friend begs them to help find his lost cousin. The thing is, this cousin was lost in an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia known for being haunted, with an unexplainable red light sometimes glowing from deep within. Alex doesn’t think they are claustrophobic, but their limits are tested.
This is the third installment of the Sword Soldier novellas, all featuring the soldier Alex trying to stay out of scary places, but instead finding terrifying mushrooms and a horrifying succubi. What Stalks the Deep has the potential to be very scary, but ends up being more sweet and cozy, with a monster that is cute in a squishy way. Yes, there is a missing person, and someone gets murdered, and a non-human creature wanders the mine, but all the talk about pronouns and trying to understand one another, including the monster, does not equal scary.
I find the previous installments entertaining, but the lack of any real horror in this one renders it easily forgettable. If you’ve enjoyed the previous two novellas, or want to read the novellas nominated for Hugo and Locus awards this year, pick this one up, and see for yourself.