🧊 Book Review: Encounter by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan (Kindle Edition, The Boy in the Iron Box Book 6)
The chilling conclusion to a blood-soaked saga—Encounter delivers a final confrontation steeped in dread, myth, and the monstrous unknown, as del Toro and Hogan bring their serialized horror-thriller to a haunting close.
🧠 Overview
Published in July 2024, Encounter is the sixth and final installment in The Boy in the Iron Box, a serialized horror novella series by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The story picks up in the aftermath of escalating terror: a mercenary team, once confident and well-armed, has been whittled down to one survivor—Liev, the team leader. He now faces the Boy, a mysterious figure released from an ancient iron box, whose calm demeanor belies a terrifying power.
Set in a stone chamber deep in the Tian Shan mountains, the final showdown explores themes of sacrifice, obsession, and the cost of awakening forces that were never meant to be disturbed.
✨ Key Themes & Highlights
- 🧟 Final reckoning: Liev must confront the Boy, whose question—“Do you want to stop me?”—sets the tone for a psychological and physical battle
- 🧬 Mythic horror: The Boy is no ordinary antagonist; he’s a symbol of ancient secrets, greed, and the consequences of human hubris
- 🩸 Survivor’s guilt: Liev’s journey is marked by loss, regret, and the weight of leadership in the face of supernatural annihilation
- 🎨 Exclusive artwork: The Kindle edition includes interior illustrations that heighten the eerie, cinematic atmosphere
“Dawn breaks, but the nightmare only intensifies… In a final confrontation, the true nature of the Boy is coming to light.” — Goodreads summary
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 4.02/5 from over 3,800 ratings
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s atmosphere, creepy tone, and mythic scale
- 🧾 Some felt the ending was abrupt or ambiguous, but most found it a fitting close to the series’ escalating dread
- 💬 “Absolutely crazy that he got to do that… The last book will have you like… wait, what?!” — LibraryThing reviewer
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 25 pages, it’s a compact finale—best read as part of the full six-part series
- 📚 Serialized structure: Works best with prior context from earlier entries like Falling Down and The Pit and the Box
- 🔞 Dark tone: Includes violence, psychological horror, and supernatural elements—intended for mature readers
🏁 Final Verdict
Encounter is a moody and mythic conclusion to The Boy in the Iron Box, delivering a final chapter that’s equal parts eerie and enigmatic. Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan lean into their strengths—atmospheric dread, ancient secrets, and morally complex characters—to craft a finale that lingers like a whisper in the dark. For fans of serialized horror and cinematic storytelling, this Kindle edition is a must-read.
