Review: "Crevasse", by Clay Vermulm

"Crevasse" follows the misadventures of a series of mountaineers who find they have more to worry about than falling off a glacier. Quite like "The Descent", but with mountains instead of caves.

This novella has a great sense of atmosphere; apart from a few moments of respite, the narrative unfolds almost entirely on the snow-covered mountains. I also particularly liked the character Ellie, a mountain rescuer and the aunt of the more impulsive Greg, who has dragged his girlfriend up the mountain for an expedition.

Although there are a number of scenes of people reflecting on the dangers of climbing, the climbing scenes themselves (particularly the earlier ones) could have wrung a bit more tension out of the danger of mountaineering. After one character talks another into climbing over a glacier she doesn't feel comfortable about climbing, they get over the glacier with little or no incident. However, when the antagonist appears, the tension ratchets up nicely. Sometimes the prose could lose a little flab, although this latter point is nitpicking.

If you enjoyed "The descent", this book will likely appeal to you. Probably not one to read for any mountaineering novices though!