Synopsis:
Todd Curry wants nothing more than to spend Christmas with his son. But when a brutal snowstorm cancels his flight from Chicago to Des Moines, Todd and a few other stranded passengers decide to rent a Jeep and make the trip on their own.
During the drive, they pick up a man wandering through the snow, who claims to be searching for his lost daughter. He is disoriented and his story seems peculiar. Strangest of all are the mysterious slashes cut into the back of the man’s coat, straight down to the flesh…
When they arrive at the nearest town, it appears deserted. Windows dark, cars abandoned, fires burning unattended. But Todd and the rest of the travelers soon learn the remote town of Woodson is far from deserted, and they are being watched…and hunted.
Edition:
Limited edition paperback by Thunderstorm Books exclusively for Night Worms
This was limited to 360 copies, and I think the book is otherwise out of print in a physical format. However, you can find it in e-book easily. It still has a great cover, just not the same beautiful Daniele Serra cover as this version.
My Thoughts:
So, my thoughts on Snow are mixed. I really enjoyed the story – isolated survival horror in a snowy wasteland are extremely my jam. I thought the storytelling was good. But here’s the thing: there were a weird number of typos scattered throughout, which really bummed me out. I mean, this is a really cool, super limited edition of a good story. But those typos were a big let down. It would be one thing if it was just one or two, but there were quite a few. I feel like a super special edition shouldn’t have that. Were they in the original edition, I wonder? And they just weren’t caught?
I dunno about you all, but typos in books drive me fucking b-a-n-a-n-a-s. I mean, I know that I sometimes have typos here, for example, but you know what? There isn’t anybody checking my work before publication. Nobody’s job is Proofread and/or Edit Angie’s Bullshit (maybe I should hire somebody tho).
But, um, now that I’ve complained, let’s get back to my thoughts on the book aside from typos.
So, the story is pretty good – a guy gets stuck at the airport on his way across the country to see his little boy. He hasn’t been super there for him in the recent past, so it’s kind of a big deal. But he finds all flights have been delayed indefinitely due to a massive snow storm. He meets a hot lady at the airport, and they decide to rent a car and attempt to brave the elements together to get to their intended destination. They also meet up with an older couple who wants to tag along. Everything is going relatively smoothly, albeit terrifyingly (have you ever driven in a blizzard? It’s so mf-ing scary). But at one point they encounter a strange man on the road. He claims his daughter has wandered off into the driving snow, and everything goes full scale ‘fuck this’ from there on out.
Malfi does a wonderful job of building tension and trading on the isolation. The whole reading experience is a bit of a white-knuckler.
About the Author:
Ronald Malfi is an award-winning author of many novels and novellas in the horror, mystery, and thriller genres. In 2011, his novel, Floating Staircase, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for best novel by the Horror Writers Association, and also won a gold IPPY award. His most recent novel, Bone White, about a man searching for his lost twin in the wilds of Alaska, is currently in development for a television series.
Ronald Malfi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, the eldest of four children, and eventually relocated to Maryland, where he and his wife, Debra, currently reside along the Chesapeake Bay with their two daughters.
(from the author’s goodreads page)
Rating:
I really wish that more attention had been paid to proofreading this edition. The story I’d say was like 3.5 stars, but I feel like it’s also important to review the edition itself, so…yeah.
Snow Ronald Malfi Thunderstorm Books Originally published by: Leisure Books Published: March 1, 2020 Originally Published: March 1, 2010 Format: limited edition paperback, e-book 298 Pages Author's Website
