As the holiday season approached, I tried to select a few books to read that had Christmas themes or at least set in frigid temperatures. Snow by Ronald Malfi technically fits into both categories, although the snowy climate is more present than Christmas cheer in this atmospheric horror tale.
They come in with the snow. They are the snow…
The blizzard begins pummeling the Midwest on Christmas Eve, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Todd Curry doesn’t need another reason to disappoint his son, so he joins three other people in renting the last four-wheel drive available and they set out into the blinding snow.
Only two hours into the treacherous trip west, Todd swerves to avoid a man in the middle of the highway. The stranger claims his daughter is lost somewhere out in the snow. Though his odd demeanor and ripped clothes make Todd and his group uneasy, they agree to take the man to the nearest town—if the now-damaged car can make it.
What awaits them at the next exit, however, is nothing they could have imagined. Around an empty town square, fires burn, cars are abandoned, storefronts are smashed. And there is no one to be seen—for now…
But soon the shadows lurking on the edges of their vision will step into the light, and Todd and his fellow travelers will find themselves facing a sharp-scythed evil shaped from the snow, tearing its way into human form—and taking the neighborhood by storm.
What is a holiday story? Well, we had this discussion on the Capes and Tights Podcast when talking about Die Hard. The internet describes holiday movies as “a movie is classified as a Christmas movie if it is set during the Christmas season and the holiday is central to the plot, affecting characters’ actions and motivations.” I would say that somewhat categorizes Snow as a Christmas story as our main characters are in the place they are due to the time of year, Christmas Eve, and as the story wraps up we are on Christmas Day. However, the in-between is really where it’s just freaking cold and shit is hitting the fan.
It’s hard for me to stop comparing any post apocalyptic story featuring some sort of zombie or creature to The Walking Dead, as the it’s one of my favorite comic series. However, I keep finding myself doing so. Malfi writes Snow in such a way it gave off super Robert Kirkman vibes, when The Walking Dead was at its best. Groups of people working together to try and make it out of a crappy situation featuring some sort of creature trying to kill them. This made Snow a big win for me.
A desolate, seemingly abandon town where the snow itself is trying to attack. Such a great and unique premise but has the glimpses of stories told before it or around it (ie. The Walking Dead comic series, 2003-2019). What it lacked was the group of people who are just evil making everyone’s life a living hell on top of whatever supernatural was trying to kill you. This was a positive for me. The snow was horrifying enough and not overloading the story with outside problems made the experience so much more enjoyable.
If I had one critique, it would be that Malfi’s decision to write the townspeople in a way that it seems like at times they had been dealing with this horrifying time a bit longer than they had, but also at moments like it just started. This uneven part of the story telling got to me a little. However, it doesn’t take away from the entire story as I felt the rest of the book was well-written with great characters and vivid descriptions.
Snow by Ronald Malfi is a terrifying winter horror with a bit of heart and soul. What plays as a post apocalyptic horror is also a supernatural thriller that had me gripped from start to finish. As my first foray into the catalogue of Malfi’s stories, I am ready for more!
Snow is available at bookstores everywhere from Open Road. The audiobook, narrated by Joe Hempel, is available via Libro.fm!
