A memorable, magical journey through the Adirondacks
A seldom-frequented mountain becomes the backdrop of a whole lot of action in Karen Black’s Heritage Mountain. Black brings this beautiful natural environment to life and fills it with magic, romance, and a bit of danger.
When Marco invites Anita, a young witch, on an expedition to the Adirondacks, she’s eager to accept. Along with his friends Chase and Maria, they’ll begin on an archeological project to find artifacts from a previous civilization.
But when they arrive, they quickly find there is a lot more going on in Heritage Mountain than just the possibility of artifacts. Familiar creatures, not-so-familiar ones, and a few gold-seeking bad guys later and you’ve got yourself a Karen Black special.
The last installment of this series hinted at a possible romance between Anita and Marco, and I was dying to see how their relationship would pan out. The background of camping in the Adirondacks gives them the perfect opportunity to get closer while showing Anita a little more into Marco’s passions and work. The little flirtatious moments sprinkled in had me begging for one of them to make a move. These two are working too closely to not pan out, right? As magic inches closer and closer into Marco’s reality, we soon see that there’s no real way for Anita and Marco to be together without magic entering the equation, and his response to it isn’t anything like I expected it to be. I’m a sucker for a good love story, and Black gives her main characters one full of depth and understanding.
There are a handful of other cool things going on outside of the romance too, like the actual dig and research they’re doing. Marco, Chase, and Maria are all on a serious work trip where they are mapping out locations and exploring new portions of the Adirondacks that are far off traditional trails. The work components of the story are some of the most intriguing. Here’s a realistic look into all that goes into the process of uncovering these hidden artifacts. Finding the spots requires miles and miles of hiking and tons of research. The characters have a deep appreciation and passion for discovery. But it wouldn’t be a Karen Black book if there wasn’t a little magic thrown in too.
As the main characters are doing their work, a few magical creatures reveal themselves to the humans. A wall inside a cave appears to have rubies that look like eyes, and what awakens is something none of the characters could have guessed: Elves, stargazers, and goliaths greet their new guests with some concerns of their own.
Preserving their land from excessive human use is one of their top priorities, which includes protecting it from gold hunters and those who would turn Heritage Mountain into a public park. This complication makes us question the ethics of our human characters’ work. How can they complete their work while also understanding these creatures’ concerns? As they learn more about each other, this question guides all their decisions.
Author Karen Black dives deep into the logistics of archeological work and the introduction of a kind of magic we’ve yet to read of in this series, while also keeping the stakes high. I would just as easily read a book of hers where nothing bad happens at all because I love these worlds so much, but thrill-seekers get some of what they came for too. A couple troublesome brothers are afoot. They have gold on their minds, and they will stop at nothing to find it.
As the fate of Heritage Mountain is at stake, it’s up to Anita and her gang to not only prevent gold hunters from taking advantage of the mountain but also ensuring that their work isn’t a part of the problem. It’s a slippery slope, but Black is in full control. It’s a pleasure to return to these beloved characters.
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