Rating - 3.5 stars

John Avery has spent the last seven years looking for his missing girlfriend, Michelle. (Michelle went on a skiing holiday with some friends and they were never seen again.) Now John is contacted by the police. A ranger has found a videotape machine with a video in it in the wilderness, and on it is a message from Michelle. This prompts the sheriff to form a search party. The party goes into the snowy wilderness in search for some answers. But they discover something more terrifying than they would have imagined…

This was a very eerie and tense read. It had great atmosphere… the snow, the cold, the wind, the isolation, and the characters not knowing what is out there. I didn’t like how the story ended, though. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but it is better to read with the previous one, “Snowblind”, which I enjoyed a bit more. ( )

Another of the great novellas from Darkfuse. They are putting out some of the best dark fiction around. I am a member of their e-book club and consider it the smartest money that I have spent on reading next to my Kindle.

This was my first book by Michael McBride and prompted me to buy more immediately. Snowblind is pretty much a perfect monster romp. Good characters that you root for. Good build up and suspense. Well written. Really, really (yes, really) nasty monsters and great ending. I am not alone in my opinion. This book was one of four works to win a Darkfuse Novella Reader's Choice award for 2012.

After thoroughly enjoying this book I bought the much darker and more serious Innocents Lost (review upcoming) as well as several others. McBride is now on my list of writers to follow and I placed quite a few of his books on my Amazon wish list.

Four and half stars. Highest recommendation. ( )

Really scary and tense read about a group of four men, out on their annual elk hunting trip in the Rocky Mountains. After one of them is injured, and it starts to snow heavily, they find shelter in an abandoned old homestead. Then they start to hear noises in the woods… I don’t want to give anything else away. I thoroughly enjoyed this totally eerie read. It was very descriptive, with the freezing weather, the feeling of being watched, the unfolding horror. A great story, but my only complaint is that I didn’t like how the story ended. ( )

Four friends get together for their annual hunting trip in the mountains. Except this time, there is a blizzard. And something else. Something terrifying.

This was a quick read. The tension constantly builds and builds throughout the story and then WHAM! The ending is like a punch in the gut. I just love stories like this. If you like to have your breath taken away by a story, then I recommend you try this one. ( )

Michael McBride sets the perfect scene for Snowblind. One that is so easy to picture. Four friends that have recently grown apart, but come together out of tradition. Four people with entirely different lives, who let go of all of that to enjoy the weekend away. A weekend packed with camping and hunting. What could go wrong? Apparently a lot. The hunters become the prey in a terror-filled tale of survival.

I found myself completely obsessed with flipping the pages, terrified and yet unable to stop reading. The book unfolds into a nightmarish story that bleeds off the page. McBride does a stellar job of creating a fearsome story that moves at a lightning fast pace. I could picture myself in the shoes of the men: trapped, horrified, hunted. Peering out into the dark night, eyes frozen open, mouth dry, hoping that there is no movement and you survive another night. Do you see what I'm getting at? Snowblind draws you in. It gets in your head.

I'm honestly glad that this was a short story. I'm not sure I could have taken much more of the very raw and vivid writing style that the book presents. The attention to detail is insane, especially with the character's emotions and their deaths. If you have a weak stomach, you've been warned. Just when you are sure you have an idea of what is going on, a twist gets thrown in that will make your mouth gape open. I loved the ending! No spoilers here though. You'll just have to see for yourself.

If you are a fan of horror, this is a book you absolutely need to read. I am so glad that I took the time to read Michael McBride's Snowblind and I can't wait to read more from him! He is definitely a master of his craft. Grab a blanket, turn down the lights, and prepare to be scared. ( )