Every time it snows, the town of Coventry becomes a tense and fearful place since the big snow storm twelve years previous. In that storm many were killed or just disappeared, leaving a traumatised population. Some bodies were never recovered and for Jake, particularly, the loss of his brother to ice demons continues to haunt him. Now, twelve years on from that night, a great storm approaches and the secret of what really happened will be revealed...

Snowblind (309 pages) is a horror novel by Christopher Golden. If you have not read any of Golden’s previous work then the new book should come as something of a pleasant surprise, especially if you are a fan of Stephen King. That is not to say that Golden feels the need to imitate King’s style; but they have a number of factors in common, not least the exploration of multiple characters in a small town, just prior to something scary happening.

The book has a somewhat strange structure, we are so used to novelists revealing the past in snippets as the narrative progresses, that it’s disconcerting to open the book and begin the story with the first storm, this covers the first fifty pages. Here we witness death and horror, before we have even got to know the characters or care about their fates; it’s a bit like stepping into the middle of a story... but then all becomes clear. This is not the story of the dead and lost, but of those who survived the night.

The story of those who survived and the effects it had on their lives takes up the bulk of the novel, so much so that the ending can seem a little rushed, but this is really a tale of loss, desire and redemption. We are presented with multiple characters, many of whom hold the nascent possibility of a happy life before personal tragedy struck. We then meet the same set twelve years later, many still struggling with what happened that night and most have a longing to see their loved ones again, but you should be careful what you wish for.

Overall, the book is very well written, Golden’s being able to effectively evoke the feeling of cold and claustrophobia which the storm brings. If you’re a fan of King’s novels then you may revel in the large cast, but I did occasionally find myself getting lost with which character was which.

Oddly enough there is nothing wrong with Golden’s focus down on this large group of people, each of which have a lot of interest to offer, so it never felt like it had been unnecessarily elongated, however it means that the threat and peril which they experience only cover the last sixty or so pages and here I feel that Golden should have either restricted the cast to a smaller number or extend the ending.

7

Charles Packer