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The Yeti
A Classic Tale of Adventure and Terror
“You have entered a world of death, but do not want to die. No treasure on earth is worth facing the Yeti.”
In the year 1850, a British caravan crossing the Himalayan Mountains from India into China has vanished, along with its priceless treasure. Now the race is on to reclaim the lost fortune as a pair of intrepid soldiers - a virtuous African private and a daring British corporal - spearhead their own mission to seize the prize by betraying their fellow troops. On this epic adventure, each man’s will, character and fortitude will be challenged to survive the perilous quest as they battle the wrath of the vengeful English army, the fury of the native bandits, the greed of their cutthroat accomplices, and the harsh, frozen hell of the alpine peaks. And the only other obstacle to their success is a savage beast of mythical power.
“You have entered a world of death, but do not want to die. No treasure on earth is worth facing the Yeti.”
In the year 1850, a British caravan crossing the Himalayan Mountains from India into China has vanished, along with its priceless treasure. Now the race is on to reclaim the lost fortune as a pair of intrepid soldiers - a virtuous African private and a daring British corporal - spearhead their own mission to seize the prize by betraying their fellow troops. On this epic adventure, each man’s will, character and fortitude will be challenged to survive the perilous quest as they battle the wrath of the vengeful English army, the fury of the native bandits, the greed of their cutthroat accomplices, and the harsh, frozen hell of the alpine peaks. And the only other obstacle to their success is a savage beast of mythical power.
- GenresHorror
416 pages, ebook
First published September 27, 2013
10 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Mike Miller
23 books6 followersMike Miller lives in L.A. with his daughters and is a graduate of UC Berkeley and WGU. He has written numerous short stories, comics, screenplays and novels in all genres, such as "The Yeti," "Promoted," "Garrison Rex," and the "3VIL" series. He has also overseen the subtitling and translation for hundreds of films, video games and television shows like "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "Seinfeld," "Madden," "Kung Fu Hustle," and "The Simpsons."
His favorite writers include Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, David Mitchell, Matt Groening, the Coen Brothers, Ottessa Moshfegh, Billy Wilder, Dan Simmons and Stanley Kubrick.
His favorite writers include Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, David Mitchell, Matt Groening, the Coen Brothers, Ottessa Moshfegh, Billy Wilder, Dan Simmons and Stanley Kubrick.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 3, 2015
Fantastic action-horror romp, reminiscent of old-fashioned pulp and swashbuckling serials. This book starts slow but once the story explodes, it's nonstop action through the finish. The action and heroics can be a bit preposterous, but that only added to its charms. The titular monster is a classic, and I await the inevitable Hollywood adaptation.
November 10, 2013
Like the mythical snowman, this book is truly abominable. It is self-published, I presume because no self-respecting publisher would accept it. It is not "literature" in any artistic sense, and is not lurid enough to be pulp fiction. It is a potboiler only. Why do I say this? Let's start with editing: there is none. Using a computer's spellcheck program is not editing, although it seems to pass for such even with the commercial publishers. Clearly, that is all that was done for this book. It is replete with incorrect homonyms, missing words, bad punctuation, and nonsensical phrases. When I say replete, I mean virtually every page, sometimes every paragraph. Here are just a few examples:
-- "...soon frightened the lad back to his regimen's commanding officer." How about "regiment"?
-- "...but finally he found his query." Is he looking for prey ("quarry") or did his lose his question?
-- "Behind the animosity swung a long tail." I would have said "monstrosity", but maybe the emotion itself had a long tail.
-- "Recognizing his familiar rifle and coat made delighted him as well." and "The beast was from done." Huh?
-- "Its clean white fur was now like a bruised zebra with a striped covering of black and while." I guess you don't want to repeat the word "white" in the same sentence.
-- "Conrad awoke with numb lips. He rolled them back into his mouth and rubbed them with his tongues and hands..." Conrad, the many-tongued wonder!
In most fiction, including fantasy, an author will try to make the world self-consistent and believable. The author wants the reader to imagine the story is real. This is called verisimilitude. For example, a story set in the Amazon will have bugs and humidity, not sandstorms and kangaroos. The basic physics, geography, and climate of the region in which the story is set will not be compromised, because this jars the reader and destroys verisimilitude. Here is what we find in The Yeti: although set, as the story claims, on one of the highest peaks in a certain portion of the Himalayas, and clearly far above the treeline, it is never difficult to stoke a campfire. Descending from the barren snow-covered summit, one immediately finds densely arboreal forest; no need to pass through any intermediate ecosystems. Up on the summit, there is a lake. Of course the lake has a covering of ice, but it is thin enough to crackle with the weight of a man. Our adventurers, despite having long previously climbed frozen seracs on their ascent, find that the lake is not frozen solid, since the monster can swim underneath the ice blanket. No one ever gets seriously cold nor deprived of oxygen, not even the mule that ascends to the peak. (Little known fact: when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the top of Everest, they found frozen road apples.) When falling from collapsing footbridges over yawning chasms, a person will pause momentarily in the air (like Wile E. Coyote) before plummeting.
The author attempts to write in a pseudo-Victorian manner, but mostly abandons this style in the middle of the book, except for the use of "British" spellings, like "colour". It doesn't work. The word "blackguard" was archaic even in the nineteenth century. What we get is stilted and wooden prose with laughable dialogue.
Government warning: travel to the land of The Yeti is not recommended.
-- "...soon frightened the lad back to his regimen's commanding officer." How about "regiment"?
-- "...but finally he found his query." Is he looking for prey ("quarry") or did his lose his question?
-- "Behind the animosity swung a long tail." I would have said "monstrosity", but maybe the emotion itself had a long tail.
-- "Recognizing his familiar rifle and coat made delighted him as well." and "The beast was from done." Huh?
-- "Its clean white fur was now like a bruised zebra with a striped covering of black and while." I guess you don't want to repeat the word "white" in the same sentence.
-- "Conrad awoke with numb lips. He rolled them back into his mouth and rubbed them with his tongues and hands..." Conrad, the many-tongued wonder!
In most fiction, including fantasy, an author will try to make the world self-consistent and believable. The author wants the reader to imagine the story is real. This is called verisimilitude. For example, a story set in the Amazon will have bugs and humidity, not sandstorms and kangaroos. The basic physics, geography, and climate of the region in which the story is set will not be compromised, because this jars the reader and destroys verisimilitude. Here is what we find in The Yeti: although set, as the story claims, on one of the highest peaks in a certain portion of the Himalayas, and clearly far above the treeline, it is never difficult to stoke a campfire. Descending from the barren snow-covered summit, one immediately finds densely arboreal forest; no need to pass through any intermediate ecosystems. Up on the summit, there is a lake. Of course the lake has a covering of ice, but it is thin enough to crackle with the weight of a man. Our adventurers, despite having long previously climbed frozen seracs on their ascent, find that the lake is not frozen solid, since the monster can swim underneath the ice blanket. No one ever gets seriously cold nor deprived of oxygen, not even the mule that ascends to the peak. (Little known fact: when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the top of Everest, they found frozen road apples.) When falling from collapsing footbridges over yawning chasms, a person will pause momentarily in the air (like Wile E. Coyote) before plummeting.
The author attempts to write in a pseudo-Victorian manner, but mostly abandons this style in the middle of the book, except for the use of "British" spellings, like "colour". It doesn't work. The word "blackguard" was archaic even in the nineteenth century. What we get is stilted and wooden prose with laughable dialogue.
Government warning: travel to the land of The Yeti is not recommended.
April 18, 2016
The quick Hollywood pitch is "Indiana Jones vs. the Predator in the snow." The more literary take is H.P. Lovecraft meets H. Rider Haggard. But in either event, this novel was far more fun and way more interesting than I could have ever expected, a true triumph and a must for enthusiasts of hi/low literature.
The action was ample and superb: thrilling swordfights, mystical martial arts, giant avalanches, horse chases, precarious rope bridges, vicious blizzards, hellish hallucinations, insane mountain-climbing... not to mention the hulking snow demon who gruesomely destroys men a dozen at a time. The author does a great job of creating the most treacherous environments possible, where grave danger threatens everyone at all times. There were so many scenes where the cast of heroes and villains are performing near superhuman feats of athleticism and courage which ratcheted up the excitement to the highest degree. I often found myself smiling widely at the vivid language I read.
The characters were all terrifically rendered. A pair of swashbuckling protagonists are the heart of the story, surrounded by a wide cast of dastardly enemies. But while the heroes' roles are familiar ones for old-fashioned pulp adventures, the story eventually creates a beautiful and modern depth to each man, showing that they are flawed but noble humans struggling on the inside as well against the outside world.
Anybody should be quite happy with the relentless "thrills and chills" of the book, the splashes of roguish humor and various crosses and turns of what's ultimately a caper plot wrapped in a monster movie. However, the book goes beyond the call of duty with its intelligent themes and poetic imagery. A variety of deep thoughts are constantly running under the narrative, where the writing subtly but profoundly explores issues like race, honor, class, ambition, fear, faith and purpose. There's even an extensive allegorical examination of religion built into the book that many might not even notice. Despite so many nods to a traditional style of 19th-century writing and structure, the book is loaded with a variety of contemporary touches like complex antiheroes, intelligent examinations of society and culture, and a slew of surprise twists.
It only took me a few days to consume this book, and it would've been quicker if not for the day job and family obligations. The book only gains momentum as it goes along where the final hundred pages are especially riveting with its relentless intensity. Even the very few negative reviews here all confess to reading the entire book, a still backhanded compliment if ever there was one.
This book is a modern cousin to traditional Victorian genre classics like the writings of Dumas, HG Wells, Doyle or Jules Verne. Built upon so many levels of style and substance, "The Yeti" will be enjoyed by all avid fans of fantasy, sci-fi, action/adventure and horror.
The action was ample and superb: thrilling swordfights, mystical martial arts, giant avalanches, horse chases, precarious rope bridges, vicious blizzards, hellish hallucinations, insane mountain-climbing... not to mention the hulking snow demon who gruesomely destroys men a dozen at a time. The author does a great job of creating the most treacherous environments possible, where grave danger threatens everyone at all times. There were so many scenes where the cast of heroes and villains are performing near superhuman feats of athleticism and courage which ratcheted up the excitement to the highest degree. I often found myself smiling widely at the vivid language I read.
The characters were all terrifically rendered. A pair of swashbuckling protagonists are the heart of the story, surrounded by a wide cast of dastardly enemies. But while the heroes' roles are familiar ones for old-fashioned pulp adventures, the story eventually creates a beautiful and modern depth to each man, showing that they are flawed but noble humans struggling on the inside as well against the outside world.
Anybody should be quite happy with the relentless "thrills and chills" of the book, the splashes of roguish humor and various crosses and turns of what's ultimately a caper plot wrapped in a monster movie. However, the book goes beyond the call of duty with its intelligent themes and poetic imagery. A variety of deep thoughts are constantly running under the narrative, where the writing subtly but profoundly explores issues like race, honor, class, ambition, fear, faith and purpose. There's even an extensive allegorical examination of religion built into the book that many might not even notice. Despite so many nods to a traditional style of 19th-century writing and structure, the book is loaded with a variety of contemporary touches like complex antiheroes, intelligent examinations of society and culture, and a slew of surprise twists.
It only took me a few days to consume this book, and it would've been quicker if not for the day job and family obligations. The book only gains momentum as it goes along where the final hundred pages are especially riveting with its relentless intensity. Even the very few negative reviews here all confess to reading the entire book, a still backhanded compliment if ever there was one.
This book is a modern cousin to traditional Victorian genre classics like the writings of Dumas, HG Wells, Doyle or Jules Verne. Built upon so many levels of style and substance, "The Yeti" will be enjoyed by all avid fans of fantasy, sci-fi, action/adventure and horror.
December 18, 2016
I had a great time reading this book. It was a great Raj-era adventure in the Himalayas that had a cinematic quality to it and lots of fun twists in the plot. I came to the book wanting a throwback to the pulpy books from the 1920s-1950s that I used to read from my father's collection of sci-fi and fantasy, and was not disappointed. The action sequences were a highlight. For a hefty tome, I ripped through it in one sitting.
July 11, 2016
A wonderful adventure, thrilling and scary with a beautiful redemptive story too. All the characters are amazingly drawn, and the plot is crafty and winding. Love it!
February 18, 2020
3.5 Stars
Even though this book had it's flaws, I truly wish there were more books like it. This novel offers something that is sorely missing from the drudgery and grime of modern life, it gives us ADVENTURE. Sure it could really use a steady hand in the editing department. There are missing letters and missing words, plus a handful of sentences that don't make sense. At times this tale is too wordy, which slows down the action. The four pages it took Conrad to use his pickax and rope to cross the small chasm is an example.
The lack of editing I won't remember in a couple of years. I'll reflect that this story was full of action and adventure in a far away place and time. The beginning was a little slow, but the second half made up for it. There are a few surprises. The most amazing twist, without adding a spoiler alert, is the last time we see Colonel Snider and the only female in the novel. That one blew my mind. If you're not too picky and like to read books about expeditions full of the unknown, I recommend this one.
Even though this book had it's flaws, I truly wish there were more books like it. This novel offers something that is sorely missing from the drudgery and grime of modern life, it gives us ADVENTURE. Sure it could really use a steady hand in the editing department. There are missing letters and missing words, plus a handful of sentences that don't make sense. At times this tale is too wordy, which slows down the action. The four pages it took Conrad to use his pickax and rope to cross the small chasm is an example.
The lack of editing I won't remember in a couple of years. I'll reflect that this story was full of action and adventure in a far away place and time. The beginning was a little slow, but the second half made up for it. There are a few surprises. The most amazing twist, without adding a spoiler alert, is the last time we see Colonel Snider and the only female in the novel. That one blew my mind. If you're not too picky and like to read books about expeditions full of the unknown, I recommend this one.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews