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The Boy in the Iron Box #1
Falling Down
A group of mercenaries on an unsanctioned mission survives a plane crash in whiteout conditions in the Tian Shan mountains. The men are accustomed to danger. Now they’re growing accustomed to fear.
Team leader Liev and his band of survivors are stranded in the bitter winds with little hope of rescue—or outlasting the wolves that have scented blood. In the distance is the apparent sanctuary of an abandoned stone fortress. That an ancient bulwark even exists on this forsaken summit is beyond comprehension. So is what lies on the other side of its walls.
From Academy Award–winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Falling Down, part one of The Boy in the Iron Box, a blood-chilling series of short stories about an ancient secret that was never meant to be unleashed, featuring exclusive interior artwork. Each can be read or listened to in one breathless sitting.
Team leader Liev and his band of survivors are stranded in the bitter winds with little hope of rescue—or outlasting the wolves that have scented blood. In the distance is the apparent sanctuary of an abandoned stone fortress. That an ancient bulwark even exists on this forsaken summit is beyond comprehension. So is what lies on the other side of its walls.
From Academy Award–winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Falling Down, part one of The Boy in the Iron Box, a blood-chilling series of short stories about an ancient secret that was never meant to be unleashed, featuring exclusive interior artwork. Each can be read or listened to in one breathless sitting.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2024
About the author
Guillermo del Toro
134 books4,700 followersGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director mostly known for his acclaimed films Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, Crimson Peak and the Hellboy film franchise. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy, horror, and war. In 2009, Del Toro released his debut novel, The Strain, co-authored with Chuck Hogan, as the first part of The Strain Trilogy, an apocalyptic horror series featuring vampires. The series continued with The Fall in 2010 and concluded with The Night Eternal in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews
June 9, 2024
This is the first installment in a 6 part book series.
A plane carrying mercenaries crashes on a snowy mountain somewhere in Central Asia.
After encountering a pack of hungry wolves, the survivors find an abandoned labyrinthine building. They naturally decide to take shelter inside against the bitter winds and the cold, but as they enter the mysterious building, they sense something is amiss.
What is this building doing in the middle of nowhere?
Who built it?
And what is there inside the chained iron box?
A plane carrying mercenaries crashes on a snowy mountain somewhere in Central Asia.
After encountering a pack of hungry wolves, the survivors find an abandoned labyrinthine building. They naturally decide to take shelter inside against the bitter winds and the cold, but as they enter the mysterious building, they sense something is amiss.
What is this building doing in the middle of nowhere?
Who built it?
And what is there inside the chained iron box?
June 14, 2024
I’m intrigued enough to keep going …
Amazon Prime First Read June 2024
Amazon Prime First Read June 2024
July 14, 2024
3.5 Stars for Falling Down: The Boy in the Iron Box, Book 1 (audiobook) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck hogan read by Ralph Ineson.
A group of mercenaries survive an airplane crash in a snowstorm and then have to fend off a pack of wolves on their way to some kind of shelter.
A group of mercenaries survive an airplane crash in a snowstorm and then have to fend off a pack of wolves on their way to some kind of shelter.
July 4, 2024
I very much enjoyed the collaborative work produced in The Hollow Ones, first published in 2020. Del Toro and Chuck Hogan have also worked on The Strain series and these two can get it done.
So when I saw that SIX books dropped on July 1, 2024 I had to check it out. Turns out this is a Kindle original series of short stories and it’s free if you also have Prime.
So yeah, I’m in.
This is a pretty cool setting, a group of mercenaries find themselves trapped and in trouble on a remote mountaintop. Then there may be some paranormal stuff happening.
Only thirty pages, this is a quick read and there are even illustrations. This is fairly standard Merc-porn except for the occult possibilities and one scene in particular. I don’t read a lot of horror but god damn! Yeah, that got my attention.
Let’s download number two and keep this short story train rolling.
So when I saw that SIX books dropped on July 1, 2024 I had to check it out. Turns out this is a Kindle original series of short stories and it’s free if you also have Prime.
So yeah, I’m in.
This is a pretty cool setting, a group of mercenaries find themselves trapped and in trouble on a remote mountaintop. Then there may be some paranormal stuff happening.
Only thirty pages, this is a quick read and there are even illustrations. This is fairly standard Merc-porn except for the occult possibilities and one scene in particular. I don’t read a lot of horror but god damn! Yeah, that got my attention.
Let’s download number two and keep this short story train rolling.
June 2, 2024
Disappointed
This is not a short story. It’s the first chapter of a book with the rest of the chapters missing.
This is not a short story. It’s the first chapter of a book with the rest of the chapters missing.
June 1, 2024
Teaser for a Series
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (June 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (July 1, 2024)
I'll admit that reading the synopsis for Falling Down, it made it sound a lot like it would be a retread of the old horror thriller F. Paul Wilson's The Keep (1981), which I read back in the day and also saw the movie. Instead of Nazis trapped in a Transylvanian fortress, it would be Russian mercenaries trapped in a Far East fortress. But I have an enormous amount of goodwill towards Guillermo del Toro, for his movies, his other collaborations and that he loves browsing in independent bookstores in my hometown Toronto 😍, so I will definitely give this series a shot.
Guillermo del Toro browsing in Toronto bookstores when on breaks from filming his adaptation of "Frankenstein" during the Winter/Spring of 2024. Image sourced from Twitter.
Falling Down is only the first of six stories in The Boy in the Iron Box series which will be released in full on July 1, 2024 by Amazon Originals. It is the setup story where a group of ex-Spetsnaz mercenaries are headed towards a black-ops mission in the Far East when their Cessna jet crash lands in a snowy icy mountainous landscape. Some sort of man-made structure was spotted during the descent and the survivors head towards it for shelter.
On the way they are beset on by ravenous wolves, but who knows what dangers yet await when they reach their destination? The wolves provide a warning sign when they back off their attack as the men reach the stone walls of the mysterious structure. I'm guessing this is going the way of The Keep (i.e. the soldiers get picked off one by one), but del Toro and Hogan may yet surprise me.
Trivia and Links
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have collaborated several times in the past, especially on The Strain trilogy (2009-11), which was later adapted for a TV series (2014-2017).
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (June 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (July 1, 2024)
Out the window, through the swirling grayness of the late-day blizzard, he saw they were low over the rock face of a vast massif - too low and much too close. His jaw tightened as he willed the jet skyward.
"My zakonchili, tovarishchi!"
Avva's voice again: We're done for, comrades!
I'll admit that reading the synopsis for Falling Down, it made it sound a lot like it would be a retread of the old horror thriller F. Paul Wilson's The Keep (1981), which I read back in the day and also saw the movie. Instead of Nazis trapped in a Transylvanian fortress, it would be Russian mercenaries trapped in a Far East fortress. But I have an enormous amount of goodwill towards Guillermo del Toro, for his movies, his other collaborations and that he loves browsing in independent bookstores in my hometown Toronto 😍, so I will definitely give this series a shot.
Guillermo del Toro browsing in Toronto bookstores when on breaks from filming his adaptation of "Frankenstein" during the Winter/Spring of 2024. Image sourced from Twitter.
Falling Down is only the first of six stories in The Boy in the Iron Box series which will be released in full on July 1, 2024 by Amazon Originals. It is the setup story where a group of ex-Spetsnaz mercenaries are headed towards a black-ops mission in the Far East when their Cessna jet crash lands in a snowy icy mountainous landscape. Some sort of man-made structure was spotted during the descent and the survivors head towards it for shelter.
On the way they are beset on by ravenous wolves, but who knows what dangers yet await when they reach their destination? The wolves provide a warning sign when they back off their attack as the men reach the stone walls of the mysterious structure. I'm guessing this is going the way of The Keep (i.e. the soldiers get picked off one by one), but del Toro and Hogan may yet surprise me.
Trivia and Links
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have collaborated several times in the past, especially on The Strain trilogy (2009-11), which was later adapted for a TV series (2014-2017).
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
August 4, 2024
اگر گیرمو دل تورو کارگردان شکل آب و پینوکیو رو میشناسید، این کتاب که داغ داغه و یک ماهه منتشر شده میتونه براتون جالب باشه. این مجموعه از شش کتاب کوتاه حدوداً سی صفحهای تشکیل شده که یک داستان کامل رو میسازند. البته جدا کردن داستانها بیشتر حرکت تجاری و کارگردانی به نظر میاد که در نتیجه یک باکس ست جذاب به فروش برسه
داستان از جایی شروع میشه که هواپیمای تعدادی سرباز مزدور که از یک عملیات مخفی برمیگردند، بالای کوه سقوط میکنه و اونها در یک سازهی سنگی مرموز که معلوم نیست چطور و چرا روی کوه ساخته شده پناه میگیرند. اما ساختمان رازهایی در خودش داره. شروع داستان سریعه و انصافاً خوب هم نوشته شده. اما این داستان کوتاه نیست که شروع و پایان داشته باشه. بیشتر انگار این جلد فصل اول کتابه و از این جهت نمیشه خیلی بهش امتیاز مناسبی داد. اما حتماً ادامهش میدم که ببینم داستان به کجا میرسه
کتاب رو میتونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books
۱۴۰۳/۵/۱۳
داستان از جایی شروع میشه که هواپیمای تعدادی سرباز مزدور که از یک عملیات مخفی برمیگردند، بالای کوه سقوط میکنه و اونها در یک سازهی سنگی مرموز که معلوم نیست چطور و چرا روی کوه ساخته شده پناه میگیرند. اما ساختمان رازهایی در خودش داره. شروع داستان سریعه و انصافاً خوب هم نوشته شده. اما این داستان کوتاه نیست که شروع و پایان داشته باشه. بیشتر انگار این جلد فصل اول کتابه و از این جهت نمیشه خیلی بهش امتیاز مناسبی داد. اما حتماً ادامهش میدم که ببینم داستان به کجا میرسه
کتاب رو میتونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books
۱۴۰۳/۵/۱۳
June 8, 2024
This was an interesting little setup to a story that I’m not sure I’ll continue. I really only picked this up because it was being given away for Amazon First Reads and it was only 30 pages, plus I was a little lured in by Guillermo del Toro’s involvement. I do like the concept and the writing was very well done but I’m not sure if it really hooked me the way it wanted to. I might get around to continuing the story eventually, but as it stands I have way too many books on my tbr and this just didn’t grab my attention enough.
June 1, 2024
Good writing but a bad idea…
Other reviewers have mentioned they tho’t this tiny tome was an introduction to the actual books to come in July. Actually, this is the LONGEST of the 6 books in this new THE BOY IN THE IRON BOX series, by Guillermo Del Toro. All of the other episodes come in at 20-29 pages. Taking away the publisher’s stuff, some titles will be less than 20 pages and the intended price for each is $1.99; I DON’T THINK SO!
As I mentioned in the opening, the writing is good, genre on target action, good potential for ongoing intrigue and twists, characters to root for and boo for; everything you’d want from this series. However, $12 for less than 150 pages that can be read about 75 minutes for all 6 books?
This project belongs in the Vella format, IMHO📚
Other reviewers have mentioned they tho’t this tiny tome was an introduction to the actual books to come in July. Actually, this is the LONGEST of the 6 books in this new THE BOY IN THE IRON BOX series, by Guillermo Del Toro. All of the other episodes come in at 20-29 pages. Taking away the publisher’s stuff, some titles will be less than 20 pages and the intended price for each is $1.99; I DON’T THINK SO!
As I mentioned in the opening, the writing is good, genre on target action, good potential for ongoing intrigue and twists, characters to root for and boo for; everything you’d want from this series. However, $12 for less than 150 pages that can be read about 75 minutes for all 6 books?
This project belongs in the Vella format, IMHO📚
August 13, 2024
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this 6-part mini-series! It kicks off with a dead boy found in a box—a chilling start. But as the team tries to figure out what's going on, things take a dark and dangerous turn. Each short book is full of action and suspense, keeping you hooked and eager to find out what happens next!
August 12, 2024
My oh my. Chapters sold as books. I suspected as much but yes, that’s what’s happened. Not short stories. Nothing is sacred anymore…
What was the chapter about? A plane crash, some menacing wolves, an out of place Stone Henge-like landmark in the middle of a remote mountain range, an iron box, and waiting to see what happens next in the following chapter.
Only I won’t be doing that. A fan of Guillermo del Toro, yes. A sucker for marketing, no.
3 for the chapter, 1 for the marketing.
What was the chapter about? A plane crash, some menacing wolves, an out of place Stone Henge-like landmark in the middle of a remote mountain range, an iron box, and waiting to see what happens next in the following chapter.
Only I won’t be doing that. A fan of Guillermo del Toro, yes. A sucker for marketing, no.
3 for the chapter, 1 for the marketing.
July 28, 2024
Part one of a serialized novel. Unfortunately, though it appears there will be some horror content and maybe even a bit of the supernatural, I don’t think this will be the second coming of THE GREEN MILE (it was so fun to read that the way King intended, parceled out piece by piece for six months.)
Here are group of mercenaries crash lands in the Chinese mountains. One of their group has a horrible injury and they are stalked by wolves. They manage to find some type of mysterious maze-like fortress that allows them to shelter from the cold and snow.
So, we’ll see. This section was only thirty pages, so you don’t have to devote much time to see whether you might be interested. Available on Amazon.
Here are group of mercenaries crash lands in the Chinese mountains. One of their group has a horrible injury and they are stalked by wolves. They manage to find some type of mysterious maze-like fortress that allows them to shelter from the cold and snow.
So, we’ll see. This section was only thirty pages, so you don’t have to devote much time to see whether you might be interested. Available on Amazon.
June 1, 2024
A taster for a forthcoming series rather than a true short story.
Rating: 1.4/5
I admire any writer who successfully tackles the short story format. There is a real skill in drafting a fully rounded story with properly drawn characters within the confines of a mere 100 or so pages, which is one of the things that draws me to them.
"Falling Down" is nowhere near that length even, as it only has about 30 pages. That said, I have read other very short stories (micro stories) that have still somehow accomplished the feat of presenting a properly rounded story.
Sadly, that is not the case here. This isn't really a true short story. It reads like an extract from a longer book - which essentially is what it is. This is planned to be the first in a series called "The Boy in the Iron Box" and it may well be that by the time you have read all six in the series, you will indeed have a fully rounded story. This instalment is merely a taster for the series, which I wouldn't have any issue with, providing it was being given away as a free sampler - but to expect people to pay for something that is not a self-contained story is wrong, in my opinion.
Rating: 1.4/5
I admire any writer who successfully tackles the short story format. There is a real skill in drafting a fully rounded story with properly drawn characters within the confines of a mere 100 or so pages, which is one of the things that draws me to them.
"Falling Down" is nowhere near that length even, as it only has about 30 pages. That said, I have read other very short stories (micro stories) that have still somehow accomplished the feat of presenting a properly rounded story.
Sadly, that is not the case here. This isn't really a true short story. It reads like an extract from a longer book - which essentially is what it is. This is planned to be the first in a series called "The Boy in the Iron Box" and it may well be that by the time you have read all six in the series, you will indeed have a fully rounded story. This instalment is merely a taster for the series, which I wouldn't have any issue with, providing it was being given away as a free sampler - but to expect people to pay for something that is not a self-contained story is wrong, in my opinion.
July 5, 2024
This is the first of six parts of a story by Del Toro & Hogan. I loved The Strain series, so I will read anything they ever write together. This was only 29 pages long, so it was a quick read. It was an exciting and mysterious introduction to a group of mercenaries on a secret mission in the mountains of China. I don’t want to reveal anything else about the story, but will say that I’m completely hooked already. I’ll be looking forward to reading the next chapter.
Read
July 8, 2024This is free with kindle unlimited, but I only lasted half way. I just couldn’t stomach reading the wolves killing and eating a man. I loved The Strain by this same author. It didn’t bother me when it was monster vampires, but wolves were too real. So, it’s definitely me and not the book.
June 4, 2024
Whoah!
Spooky, edge of your seat, can't wait to see what's going to happen next, there always has to be that one idiot, OMG!!!
This had me hooked.....I didn't expect to get invested in this at all, yet here I am thoroughly wondering who makes it out alive.
Should I have expected ANYTHING else from del Toro?
Kudos to Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan!
On to book 2
Spooky, edge of your seat, can't wait to see what's going to happen next, there always has to be that one idiot, OMG!!!
This had me hooked.....I didn't expect to get invested in this at all, yet here I am thoroughly wondering who makes it out alive.
Should I have expected ANYTHING else from del Toro?
Kudos to Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan!
On to book 2
June 3, 2024
This popped up in my Kindle first reads today & I initially thought it was a short story but it appears to be the opening chapter of a new novel or story series ?
The story tells of a planeload of mercenaries crashing high in the mountains of China and discovering an ancient structure which contains some sort of tomb.There’s not really much to say as it’s such a short read and I’ve no idea what the actual premise of the larger work will be but after this small taster I will follow it up when published.
The story tells of a planeload of mercenaries crashing high in the mountains of China and discovering an ancient structure which contains some sort of tomb.There’s not really much to say as it’s such a short read and I’ve no idea what the actual premise of the larger work will be but after this small taster I will follow it up when published.
June 3, 2024
I didn't realize that this was a 6-part short story series until after I'd finished reading. I really liked the premise, and it set up for a very good possibly supernatural thriller (at least the way the narrative seemed to be leaning). However, as a stand-alone book, it feels very incomplete. Obviously because there are five more short stories in the series, but the spot where this story ends felt less like a short story and more like the end of a chapter in a novel. I think I would enjoyed this much more if it felt like an actual self-contained story versus what is essentially a fraction of a full book.
June 24, 2024
Kindle first reads short story for June 2024. Quick and entertaining.
June 22, 2024
Uuuggghhhh....this was an Amazon prime first reads, and i thought it was a short story! Instead, it's part one of something akin to The Green Mile. There are at least 6 from what I glimpsed at the end of the book.
So. Really compelling beginning. Do I buy a bunch of them one at a time, or wait for the inevitable compilation?!
So. Really compelling beginning. Do I buy a bunch of them one at a time, or wait for the inevitable compilation?!
July 17, 2024
o conto mais mal escrito que já li, com os piores diálogos da história da literatura
que porra foi essa, Guillermo?? dívida de jogo, só pode
que porra foi essa, Guillermo?? dívida de jogo, só pode
June 1, 2024
Good start to this 6-book series. I’m quite intrigued by what may be lurking in the tunnels. I’m definitely in for the rest of this series!
August 10, 2024
Rating: I didn't liked it 😞
Format: audio
I didn't care about anyone.
I don't recommend it
June 9, 2024
An exciting short read that definitely has me interested in reading more of the series when it comes out.
Reminds me of Reilly's "Scarecrow" series, with more morally grey MCs.
Reminds me of Reilly's "Scarecrow" series, with more morally grey MCs.
June 8, 2024
I couldn't sleep so I decided to read this short story. This was one of the amazon first reads for this month & you could get this book as well as a full length book. I thought it was also a completed short story but turns out that it is in parts & i don't have any interest in reading the other parts because other than someone getting eaten alive by wolves literally nothing happened. It was very anticlimactic.
If you also got this book on amazon first reads because it was free I would just not bother reading it UNLESS you are trying to up this years reading goal and then in that case it is only 30 pages so you can read it in one sitting.
If you also got this book on amazon first reads because it was free I would just not bother reading it UNLESS you are trying to up this years reading goal and then in that case it is only 30 pages so you can read it in one sitting.
June 3, 2024
Well that felt like a waste of time..
June 11, 2024
3.5 stars
In the first short from director Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s new “Boy in the Iron Box” series from Amazon, a crew of Spetsnaz mercenaries crash lands somewhere in the mountains and comes across the ruins of something old, and quite possibly malevolent.
There isn’t a ton to the story…so far, but I was immediately hooked from the opening page. As proven in their previous collaborations like The Strain, Hogan’s skill as a crime/thriller author, as well as del Toro’s vivid imagination are most likely going to combine to make this a compelling series.
Just a bummer we have to wait till July 1st for the rest of the series to drop.
In the first short from director Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s new “Boy in the Iron Box” series from Amazon, a crew of Spetsnaz mercenaries crash lands somewhere in the mountains and comes across the ruins of something old, and quite possibly malevolent.
There isn’t a ton to the story…so far, but I was immediately hooked from the opening page. As proven in their previous collaborations like The Strain, Hogan’s skill as a crime/thriller author, as well as del Toro’s vivid imagination are most likely going to combine to make this a compelling series.
Just a bummer we have to wait till July 1st for the rest of the series to drop.
July 4, 2024
The marketing blurb sets this out as 'part one of a blood-chilling series of short stories'. I'm afraid I take issue with much of that statement; while there is some mild gore my blood remains resolutely unchilled and I'm afraid there's not much story to speak of. The characters are paper-thin, the action brief and unrealistic, and the ending abrupt and unfulfiling. It is, as advertised, short, but perhaps a few more pages might have made the whole thing a little more compelling.
Had this been presented as chapter one of a longer book I probably would have pressed on, but as things stand I very much doubt I will seek our or spend money on part two.
Had this been presented as chapter one of a longer book I probably would have pressed on, but as things stand I very much doubt I will seek our or spend money on part two.
June 9, 2024
I gave 5 stars because in my opinion there’s nothing the book is lacking! I actually really like that this is a series of 6 shorter books which can be quickly read.
The storytelling itself is just the right amount of suspenseful, and is descriptive enough to visualize what it would look like if it were a movie. I’m glad I chose it as an add on for the “Amazon prime first reads” for June, and I’m anxious to read the rest come July!
The storytelling itself is just the right amount of suspenseful, and is descriptive enough to visualize what it would look like if it were a movie. I’m glad I chose it as an add on for the “Amazon prime first reads” for June, and I’m anxious to read the rest come July!
August 17, 2024
The beginning
Short story 2.5 rounded up
Would have been better if it were a longer book
Some soldiers are on a mission, but their plane crashes. The survivors make it to a strange mountain where it seems to be made out of granite. One of the soldiers finds a box within the deeper part of the mountain. He can't wait to see what's in the box
And considering this is where the story ends, I guess we will never know what's in the box either
Short story 2.5 rounded up
Would have been better if it were a longer book
Some soldiers are on a mission, but their plane crashes. The survivors make it to a strange mountain where it seems to be made out of granite. One of the soldiers finds a box within the deeper part of the mountain. He can't wait to see what's in the box
And considering this is where the story ends, I guess we will never know what's in the box either
Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews