🧨 Book Review: Siege by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan (Kindle Edition, The Boy in the Iron Box Book 5)
An explosive penultimate chapter in a mythic horror saga—Siege ratchets up the tension with betrayal, bloodshed, and a final stand that tests the limits of loyalty and fear.
🧠 Overview
Published in July 2024, Siege is the fifth installment in the serialized horror-thriller The Boy in the Iron Box by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The story continues the descent into madness and myth as the mercenary team, now fractured and desperate, sets a plan in motion to destroy the ancient evil they’ve unwittingly unleashed. But as the title suggests, this is no clean escape—it’s a last stand.
Liev, the team’s hardened leader, vows not to leave anyone behind. But the deeper they go into the stone labyrinth, the more reality bends, and the more the Boy’s influence spreads. What lies in wait is not just a monster—but a reckoning.
✨ Key Themes & Highlights
- 💣 Desperation and defiance: The mercenaries attempt to blow the nightmare to pieces, but their plan backfires spectacularly
- 🧠 Psychological unraveling: Morale crumbles as fear and guilt take hold, especially for Liev, who faces his darkest hour
- 🧛 The Boy’s growing power: The mysterious figure in the iron box becomes more than a threat—he’s a force of nature
- 🎨 Exclusive artwork: The Kindle edition includes haunting illustrations that enhance the cinematic dread
“Liev makes a vow. He’s not going to leave anyone behind until the last stand is seen through to its cold and bitter end. On this night, it’s Liev who lies in wait to face everything he’s feared. It’s nothing like he expected.” — Goodreads summary
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 4.04/5 from over 3,300 ratings
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s atmosphere, tight pacing, and emotional stakes
- 🧾 Some note that it sets the stage perfectly for the final installment (Encounter), while others highlight the psychological depth of Liev’s character
- 💬 “The tension is unbearable in the best way. You feel the weight of every decision, every step deeper into the dark.” — Goodreads reviewer
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 30 pages, it’s a fast read—best experienced 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 dread—intended for mature readers
🏁 Final Verdict
Siege is a tense and emotionally charged chapter in The Boy in the Iron Box, pushing its characters to the brink and setting up a haunting finale. Del Toro and Hogan blend mythic horror with cinematic suspense, making this Kindle edition a must-read for fans of serialized thrillers and psychological dread.