I was “meh” about this book. There was a lot of it I liked, but there was an equal amount that left me cold, pun intended.
Let’s start with the characters. They were both believable and well developed. I understood their motivations, and I think Malfi did a dynamic job in giving each of them a plausible back story that made us root for them. Who can’t empathize/sympathize with a guy like Todd, whose made mistakes and desperately wants to atone for them, but who gets trapped in the blizzard and all the subsequent madness that ensues. I felt similarly about Kate. Speaking of Todd and Kate, thank you Mr. Malfi for not having these two screw like bunnies in the midst of a life threatening crisis. I can think of a few other horror writers who should’ve take a similar tack in their respective works. Other characters I found equally endearing, even if I didn’t get as invested in their fates.
The story was a good one, well plotted and well paced. The tension built slowly but not too slowly. The conflicts were clear and well defined. The progression of events was logical. As we’ve often discussed in this course, suspension of disbelief is paramount particularly in “monster” horror fiction, and I had no issues with the same as I read this book.
The settings were masterfully detailed. I could easily picture the events that transpired, and I had no difficulty imagining the characters as they were well fleshed out.
At this point, you’re probably wondering what I didn’t like about this book, since thus far all I’ve done is sing its praises. Well, in short, the monsters – in this case the skin suits and what I’d guess you’d call the snow beasts – weren’t scary. In fact, I found the notion of them latching on to human beings and walking them around like puppets to be, well, ludicrous to the point of comic. That’s right, the very idea made me laugh. And while it’s good to laugh when you’re reading horror fiction, it’s probably not ideal if you do so when you’re reading about a monster attack.
I’m not sure exactly what kept the monsters from being at all frightening. There were scary moments in this book, but on the whole they involved humans. The creepiest scenes in the whole book, in my view, were the ones that took place in the church when Todd and Kate encounter Chris and Meg. The image of Chris as a Lord of the Flies-esque dictator dressed in holy vestments was terrifying. The thought of a gigantic snow worm I found far less frightening.
Now, having said that, the idea of a monster emerging from a natural element like snow was both original and intimidating. Really made me think of the snow shoveling I’ll inevitably do this coming winter in a new light.
So, let’s briefly recap: Good plot, well developed and likable characters, a clear conflict, check. Scary monsters that make me want to sleep with the lights on? Not so much.
