‘Were we wrong to attempt the conquest of Kangchenjunga? Some would say that we were, and that it is a sin to lay siege to the highest mountains on earth.

Moreover, of the three mightiest peaks – Mount Everest, K2 and Kangchenjunga – seasoned alpinists regard Kangchenjunga as the most lethal.

It stands apart from the rest of the Himalaya, its avalanches are legendary, and its rarefied air induces a degree of nervous sensibility – one might almost say abhorrence – which tests the mettle of the doughtiest man.’

1935. Five Englishmen set off from Darjeeling with one goal in mind: to climb Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak on earth. But the mountain is not their only foe.

They face avalanches, mountain sickness, and whatever walks in the dark at the sacred summit.

Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter is one of my favourite books so when I heard she had another coming out I was more than a little excited. I do love a good ghost story, particularly at this time of year. When the nights are drawing in and the air has a bite to it, you know it's the perfect time to settle down with a book and a hot drink and scare yourself senseless. Thin Air is the perfect book to do that with.

If you didn’t think it was possible for a book to be scary, just you wait. Paver is adept at lulling readers into a false sense of security, while making sure the reader never forgets the dread lurking at the edge of things.

The book does take a little while to get started, and some might find themselves getting impatient with the amount of time it takes the characters to reach the mountain, but the atmospheric descriptions and the subtle hints of what is to come are guaranteed to keep you reading. With each page Paver tightens the screw, until you find you cannot bring yourself to put the book down.

The isolation of the men as they begin their climb, the sheer size of the mountain they desire to conquer and the creeping psychological influence of mountain sickness combine in a dangerous and all too believable situation. We never know how much of what happens is down to supernatural causes and how much it is just a product of the characters’ imaginations. That, to me, is a sign of an excellent ghost story.

Another important element of a ghost story that cannot be neglected is the motivation for the ghost. If the ghost is angry just because, or haunts a place for no more reason than the fact that that’s where it died, you’re bound to be disappointed. Without giving too much away, Paver has given her ghost enough backstory to make it a truly chilling read.

Paver maintains a sense of dread admirably and the choice of setting is superb. The physical challenges and the weight of isolation on the characters’ psyches combine to create a fraught situation that leads to an inexorable end.

The characters are sympathetic and realistically drawn, and the mountain is a character in itself: brooding just at the edge of sight, choosing the right moment to reveal itself. If you don’t care about the characters you’re not going care about the fact that they are haunted. Fortunately, this is never a problem with Paver.

I can see this being one of those books I’ll enjoy reading year after year, without it losing any of its impact. It’s a powerful and genuinely chilling book.

Thin Air is more than just a ghost story, however. Paver can be a little heavy-handed with the themes but she nevertheless has some interesting things to say about British colonialism and man’s desire to triumph over nature.

Grab this book and snuggle up tight under the covers – and resist the urge to pull back the curtains and look out the window; you never know what might be staring back at you.

Many thanks to Orion for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.