Snowblind

By: Christopher Golden

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

In Christopher Golden’s first horror novel in more than a decade - a work reminiscent of early Stephen King - Snowblind updates the ghost story for the modern age. The small New England town of Coventry had weathered 1,000 blizzards...but never one like this, where people wandered into the whiteout and vanished. Families were torn apart, and the town would never be the same.

Now, as a new storm approaches 12 years later, the folks of Coventry are haunted by the memories of that dreadful blizzard and those who were lost in the snow. Photographer Jake Schapiro mourns his little brother, Isaac, even as - tonight - another little boy is missing. Mechanic and part-time thief Doug Manning’s life has been forever scarred by the mysterious death of his wife, Cherie, and now he’s starting over with another woman and more ambitious crimes.

Police detective Joe Keenan has never been the same since that night, when he failed to save the life of a young boy...and the boy’s father vanished in the storm only feet away. And all the way on the other side of the country, Miri Ristani receives a phone call...from a man who died 12 years ago.

As old ghosts trickle back, this new storm will prove to be even more terrifying than the last.

Spellbinding in scope and rooted deeply in classic storytelling, Snowblind is a chilling masterpiece that is both Christopher Golden’s breakout book and a standout supernatural thriller.

©2014 Christopher Golden (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

pleasantly surprised!

tried this on a recommendation from a YouTuber. I never heard of Christopher Golden and just hoped that it would be a good distraction.
I found myself really caring about the characters.
Golden juggles an ensemble cast very well...that can be tricky without creating a much longer story.
it's a fast read...suspenseful and fun.
the narration was spot on too...no distracting vocal inflections... male, female, and child voices were all done very well.

Snowblind

Would you consider the audio edition of Snowblind to be better than the print version?

IDK I haven't read the print edition

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jake,because he believed the kid

What does Peter Berkrot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did a fine job with the story.I liked his voice and he didn't try to do kidsy or ladies voices.Perfect for this book.

Any additional comments?

I really liked this book!It reminded me of a Stephen King book from his early years.I'll be looking for more from this author!

Excellent

A very creepy,, mysterious story. Crafty by combining supernatural, paranormal ghosts and psychological thriller w murder and intrigue..Never wanted to put it download. Highly recommend if u enjoy mystery that is not corny nor futuristic and better than science fiction.. Narrator did a great job.

trying to hard

Boring jump around to much. writer tries way to hard to be cute. I'd skip this crap.

Scary... that I spent that much time on this book!

This book just didn't do it for me. It came off more like a made-for-TV movie you'd see on the Lifetime network or something. I didn't find the story lines or situations to be especially suspenseful or scary. Relationships between the characters were stereotypical and trite. Too much of the book went on with the supernatural occurrences being treated as things that just happened, with no real exploration or back story.

The narration was passable, although some male narrators just don't sound right when they are voicing female characters. I think Peter is one of those narrators. It's probably the combination of the gruffness and the higher pitch he uses with these characters.

Overwrought

What would have made Snowblind better?

While the story itself is interesting, the slang-heavy language just does not work. Characters react to everything that happens as if it is either the most dramatic event in history, or utterly mundane. There is also an unpleasant overuse of phrases like "Queen Bitch" that stick out and seem both unrealistic and somewhat misogynistic.

What could Christopher Golden have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Golden needed to dial back the drama and add some actual character development.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Berkrot?

Berkrot was just a terrible choice for this book, his particular reading style only served to emphasize the overwrought language.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I did find myself caring about the relationship between Ella and TJ, but that was about it.

Snow-done.

Would you try another book from Christopher Golden and/or Peter Berkrot?

Yes, I would try another book by Christopher Golden and most definitely one narrated by Peter Berkrot.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

We have the people that lost family members pretty much filled out as far as the story line. Maybe a little more background on the town? There seems to be something missing (other than the people) from the story that would want me to keep on listening. I would really like to know where these people are but I don't think I can listen to another 6 hours to find out. I think this book has a lot of potential but it just isn't grabbing hold of me.

Which character – as performed by Peter Berkrot – was your favorite?

No favorite. I think he did a good job on all characters.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Not disappointed because as I said this book has potential. I guess I have a "let's get on with it" attitude as far as the story goes.

Any additional comments?

While this book wasn't a good choice for me I'm sure other people will like it. I purchased this book based on the reviews. It may have been a perfect book for them, it just wasn't for me. I will be returning it and choosing another. . Thank goodness for audible and their no questions asked return policy. I love audible.

Nothing to see here

I don't like to just trash a book, because writers almost always put their hearts into it, but this one is the worst I've heard in a long time. The characters are nondescript and flat. There's no tension or mystery at the heart of the story. There are too many point of view characters, so there's no tension built into the story telling. The story doesn't start until Chapter 9; everything before that is exposition and backstory. There's a kernel of a good idea here, which can be found in the story of the two brothers. The book could have been just about that relationship and it might have been more successful. And if all that isn't enough to prove its mediocrity, there's a deus ex machina in the form of a ghost that talks and behaves just like a living person. This book is a bad first draft.

Peter Berkrot is one of the best narrators in the business and he does a fine job here. But without any compelling reason to listen, I had to speed it up just so I could finish it as quickly as possible.

Felt like Groundhog Day

Would you try another book from Christopher Golden and/or Peter Berkrot?

After this book, I'm not too interested in other story lines he has to offer

What was most disappointing about Christopher Golden’s story?

Way to many main characters! I had figured out the plot line fairly early in the book and had to sit through the torturous internal battles of the seven-plus characters. It felt redundant and I found myself wishing someone would just get to the point already! It had a good plot but, it was overshadowed by all the minuscule reflections of all the characters

Did Peter Berkrot do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The narrator did a good enough job differentiating between the characters but when it came to the character of the stereotypical overachieving detective with the self doubt I cringed as soon as I heard the voice. It was very forced and reminiscent of Christian Bale doing Batman; too much and overdone

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Snowblind?

I'd take out all the main actors and only leave three. Less redundant