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Snowblind

4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 · rating details · 71 ratings · 28 reviews

They come at night.

Forward.

A stranger staggers out of the wilderness under the cover of a blizzard and stumbles into a diner full of people. He collapses in the entryway, unzips his jacket, and allows the object hidden inside to fall out. Screaming commences.

Down.

Four old college buddies embark upon their annual elk hunting trip into the Rocky Mountains. This promises to b...more

ebook, 212 pages

Published November 27th 2012 by Delirium Books (first published November 1st 2012)

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When We Join Jesus In Hell by Lee Thompson

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Mar 26, 2013 Logan Young rated it 4 of 5 stars

This little gem is a masterful, unique horror novella which is near perfect, and is especially fun to read on a cold winter day. McBride uses a lot of the usual gimmicks to set the story up, but then HOLY SHIT he attacks the reader with incredible scenes of gore and mystery. I also love the way he structured the story, where you see the near-end result at the start then see everything that happened which led up to it. It created a feeling of real dread that I haven't felt from a book in a long t...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Mercedes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I have the hardcopy version of this book. It's a limited number of 150 copies signed and released. The book itself is smaller than most paperbacks making it a bit different. However, the paper and the cover are very nice, they read nice and have a really nice feel to them.

Now for the story. I bought this book because of the description and I like werewolf novels. The tension and suspense the author builds in this book is amazing. From the first page it had me. I read it one sitting. The gore des...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Ginger Nuts rated it 4 of 5 stars

itting here in snowbound Penicuik, this latest offering from Michael McBride, seems like the perfect story to pass a chilly morning. Set in the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, this fast paced killer action based horror is the perfect antidote to the winter blues.

Using a well worn premise of a group of friends, who despite growing apart over the years, still come together out of a sense of duty and sentimentality, it may seem that this novella is going to tread the same well worn tracks of a hu...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Charlene

Shelves: december-2012-reads

Review of Snowblind by Michael McBride
5 stars

Readers who enjoy Blake Crouch’s thrillers are going to love “Snowblind,” as I did. I don’t think there was a single moment of relaxation of tension in this story-it caught me by the throat from the first sentences and never let go, and that ending! In addition, author Michael McBride (who definitely knows his medical terminology and medical care!) proffers an Author’s Note which explains a whole lot more than I think I really wanted to know about som...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Gef rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, e-books, first-reads, horror

I have never been to the Rockies, let alone in the winter. I do, however, recall seeing a home movie from the 60s of my dad in his twenties, as he and his brothers hunted elk in the foothills of the Rockies in Alberta. It was mesmerizing. So, as McBride's novella kicks off with a closeknit foursome of friends hunting elk in the Rockies, I was immediately on board.

The four men, each successful in their professional lives yet unfulfilled in some intangible aspects, reunite annually to hunt the Roc...more I have never been to the Rockies, let alone in the winter. I do, however, recall seeing a home movie from the 60s of my dad in his twenties, as he and his brothers hunted elk in the foothills of the Rockies in Alberta. It was mesmerizing. So, as McBride's novella kicks off with a closeknit foursome of friends hunting elk in the Rockies, I was immediately on board.

The four men, each successful in their professional lives yet unfulfilled in some intangible aspects, reunite annually to hunt the Rocky Mountains, more out of tradition than anything else. They've grown apart since college, but all make the effort to see each other in the isolated wilderness in that kind of bonding experience they just don't get in their private lives. This trip winds up different to a startling degree as a blizzard rolls in, and with it comes a threat they didn't expect and are not prepared for. When one of them is killed, they initially believe they are up against a grizzly bear, but it becomes quickly evident that the predator is much more intelligent, cunning, malicious--and it's not alone.

The story gets right to the action from the outset, and the perilous situation is palpable, particularly when the foursome-turned-trio hunkers down in a derelict barn after the first attack. They have no clue what's outside, because the blizzard has created whiteout conditions and the howling winds mask any noise, except for the faint scratching at the door that winds up being a taunt from whoever (or whatever) is out there. There isn't a whole lot of time to get to know these men, as the tension doesn't let up, but there are tidbits of backstory interspersed to give a fair idea of what drives them, and what hinders them.

There is a bit of a strain of the credulity of the story, in my opinion regarding the threat they face and its seemingly innate ability to anticipate their every move. This is not a paranormal story, but it got to a point that I wondered if there was some supernatural influence going on. The ending worked great, tying things up with just enough explanation to avoid pulling my hair out, but there was one aspect at the very end that was a bit grating. But overall, Snowblind was a thrill ride, one I'd recommend to any horror fan wanting to curl up with a book by the fire this winter.(less)

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Nov 17, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, horror

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 sto...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Grimgirl rated it 4 of 5 stars

The scene is so believable. Friends that have over time grown up and perhaps apart, but bound together by tradition or if by nothing else - the need to escape what they have become to a memory of what they once were. Insert snow, then add 1 life threatening accident and you get… wait, there is something else, but what...is...it?

The basic storyline, being trapped under an unforgiving blanket of white that whips your cheeks and burns your skin and traps you wherever you are. Being trapped anywhere...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Dianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, netgalley, horror

SNOWBLIND, by Michael McBride is a nightmarish story about 4 longtime friends who get together annually to hunt, be guys, renew friendships, except this year is different! The hunters become the prey in a terror-filled tale of survival against the unknown. Four go out, only one returns after escaping the impossible creatures that hunt in the dark, cold woods.

I'm almost thankful the story was not a long one! The attention to detail in both the setting and the characters' emotions was amazing! At...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I recently signed up for the DarkFuse Fiction book club for Kindle. They have a great selection of authors and titles, with new books delivered each month. As a new member, I had the pleasure of choosing my first five books from their catalog of titles. What joy! Horror book nerd’s delight! Anyway, expect lots of reviews of DarkFuse titles coming up on the blog. The first title I decided to read was Snowblind by Michael McBride. It was voted the best novella of the last quarter of 2012, so I eag...more I recently signed up for the DarkFuse Fiction book club for Kindle. They have a great selection of authors and titles, with new books delivered each month. As a new member, I had the pleasure of choosing my first five books from their catalog of titles. What joy! Horror book nerd’s delight! Anyway, expect lots of reviews of DarkFuse titles coming up on the blog. The first title I decided to read was Snowblind by Michael McBride. It was voted the best novella of the last quarter of 2012, so I eagerly dove in.

An annual hunting trip for four best friends quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival. Someone or something is stalking them. After one of the four gets injured, they seek refuge in a decrepit cabin, where things go from bad to worse. That’s essentially the setup, and the story throws us immediately into the action.

The first thing to note is that the setting is wonderful. The cold is palpable in the author’s descriptive prose. The intense blizzard adds to the isolation of the characters, disorienting them, immediately covering tracks and making navigation both slow, and, due to the amount of snow to walk through, energy sapping. They are lost, trapped with no cell phones, and nobody is coming to help.

One by one, they are picked off by an unseen enemy who is always watching. The story pulls no punches when it comes to gore. There is some brutal action, with lots of gristle and viscera. The violence is realistic and graphic, which really gives it an extra punch. The author effectively conveys the feeling of panic the men suffer. The hunters of the men are slowly revealed, but you don’t get a full description until the closing stages of the book. The enemy turns out not to be human. While it was an interesting direction, I think I would have preferred them to be mountain people cannibal types. That would have made the previous toying with the men more sadistic and the story darker. You can’t really fault creatures, however fantastical, for their nature. So, where the realism had been jarring and incredibly effective earlier, it’s a little lost at the end. This is a small quibble though. I really enjoyed Snowblind and I’m looking forward to reading more by Michael McBride.

9/10(less)

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Nov 22, 2012 ABookVacation rated it 5 of 5 stars

To see my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

This is a great novel! I was drawn to it by the bloody cover, and then the synopsis had me so curious that I just couldn’t pass it up, and I’m so glad I didn’t! This is a horrific gem that I recommend all to read… it’s that good!

If you haven’t figured out what it’s about yet, you will fairly quickly as you being to read the fast-paced novel. I was sucked into the pages from the very beginning, and my heart nearly beat out of my chest...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Kim (Wistfulskimmies Book Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of four friends who go on an elk hunting trip in the woods. What should be a bonding trip starts off badly when one of the four falls and breaks his leg. The seek shelter in an abandoned cabin and that's when their problems really start. It begins to snow, and the storm quickly turns into a blizzard and it soon becomes clear that there is someone or something out their that has them in their sights. Will anyone survive to tell the authorities?

I loved this, it was a nailbiting,...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Stefani rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Horror fans

Shelves: net-galley

This is a short story (only 69 pages on my e-reader, I know it made me giggle too) but it is a creepy one in that short amount of time. I had never read anything by this author prior to this story but I must say that I am going to check out his other work now. The basic premise is that four long time friends go out elk hunting once a year to bond, get drunk, and just have a good time. This year, however, they run into the middle of a blizzard. They retreat to the safety of an abandoned cabin for...more This is a short story (only 69 pages on my e-reader, I know it made me giggle too) but it is a creepy one in that short amount of time. I had never read anything by this author prior to this story but I must say that I am going to check out his other work now. The basic premise is that four long time friends go out elk hunting once a year to bond, get drunk, and just have a good time. This year, however, they run into the middle of a blizzard. They retreat to the safety of an abandoned cabin for shelter when one of them is gravely injured but soon find that they are not the only ones doing some hunting, but now they are the prey.

The aura of this book is super creepy. I could feel the tension from the very first page when we have a man who is halfway dead stagger into a diner and throw open his coat and everyone starts screaming. I admit that I had a moment where I giggled inappropriately imagining him as a flasher, but that passed quickly into uneasiness and major creep factor. Right away I sensed that this mystery man was one of the four friends but I was anxious to find out which one, and what he had in his coat. He referred to it as “proof”. I spent the whole story contemplating what kind of proof and proof of what exactly.

One of the more remarkable things about this story is that I was terrified of this monster, whatever it was, that was stalking these men but didn’t actually see it for the majority. Not until the very end did we actually see the monster. Most of the time whatever was hunting them was hiding in the shadows and using the blizzard as cover. This made it incredibly scary and every time one of the men turned a corner I wanted to shout, “No! What if it’s hiding around the corner!!”

I was highly anticipating the ending of the story and that is where it falls off the five star train for me and runs to the four star track. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I will say that it was one of those moments where I celebrated and then sat there and thought “Wait, what?! What just happened?!” It was jarring, which is a good thing. But it also didn’t make much logical sense to me. I think anyone with an ounce of common sense would not have done that. Unless of course they did it on purpose. Actually, now that I think about it that would make it ultra sinister. Hmmm, I am not sure if it was a flop ending or magnificently creepy. Maybe you should read this and decide for yourself.

I received an ARC copy of this story from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation or promises were made. Thank you Delirium Books for this great read!

This and other great reviews at my blog Stefani's World of Words (less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Todd Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: darkfuse-publisher, horror, novellas, monsters, lendable-kindle

Great setting and terrifying atmosphere in this dynamite what-creatures-are-out-there novella. Four hunters encounter some horrific things in the wild. It's the hunters becoming the hunted story unfolding like watching a UFC fight on Red Bull. It starts in the present and then goes back in time three days to tell the story of the disturbing encounters outside. I didn't see the ending coming either. I don't want to say any more and ruin an excellent read for horror fans. What a great story! Highl...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, 2012-reads

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...more

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Feb 10, 2013 David Bernstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one. It takes place in a remote, snow-covered land and deals with a small group of friends fighting for their lives against some nasty creatures. The pacing is excellent and the writing is crisp and smooth, as I've come to expect from Mr. McBride. This is truly a snow-lovers monster tale of high anxiety and bloodshed. I thought the reveal was surprising, read the book and see if you agree.

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Nov 24, 2012 Charlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: loanable-kindle-books

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.

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Mar 27, 2013 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chills and thrills

I enjoyed this novella by Michael McBride. Main reasons:

1. I love monster stories. 2. I especially like well-written monster tales.

Four best friends go on their annual elk hunting trip in the Colorado Rockies and end up running into the "impossible."

Be prepared for blood, guts and darn good writing. I enjoyed this a lot

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Feb 07, 2013 Toby Tate rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always been fascinated by Bigfoot, and this story brings it to life in a very visceral, terrifying way via four friends camping in the woods a-la DREAMCATCHER. Except the monsters aren't aliens. They're part animal, part human, highly intelligent and deadly. You've been warned!

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Nov 20, 2012 Marilou Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

loved this book! So well told, I felt like I was there living the horror these men went through. I felt their fear. Very well told story. Creepy!

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Jan 10, 2013 Roger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall a well written book. I didn't really like the ending but definitely enjoyed the book.

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Feb 17, 2013 Only1pbj rated it 4 of 5 stars

A GREAT READ!! I read the 1st half of this book in one night. Well written.

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Jan 07, 2013 Shannon Sporleder rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

This one will make you feel the cold and the anxiety of being hunted. It's a great book!!

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Jan 20, 2013 Sheila K rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a real page turner, I devoured it in a single afternoon. Wonderfully creepy, and keeps you from looking out the window after dark.

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Oct 01, 2012 Jensequel rated it 5 of 5 stars

very fast paced...action never stopped. fun read :-)

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Apr 12, 2013 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pretty good and a fast read. Too wordy for me and repetition was overdone

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Apr 20, 2013 Sheri White rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this was great. Review to come at Horror Drive-In in the next day or so.

Read about it here:

Snowblind

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Feb 27, 2013 Scot rated it 4 of 5 stars

A quick read. Fantastic settings and eerie sensations kept this book highly entertaining. A cleverly written creature novella that absolutely makes me want to check out more from the author.

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Sep 28, 2012 Peter Schwotzer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another action packed full frontal assault of a story by Mr. McBride. Full review to come.

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May 09, 2013 Robin Graves marked it as wish-list

May 07, 2013 Justin marked it as to-read

Shelves: lendable

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About Michael McBride

Michael McBride is the author of more than twenty novels and novellas. His short fiction has been featured in Cemetery Dance, Dark Wisdom, Dark Discoveries, and various anthologies. He lives in Westminster, Colorado with his wife and children.

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