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Mountain Sickness: A Zombie Novel
Telluride, Colorado. A winter paradise unlike any other. Nestled into a remote canyon of the Rocky Mountains, the old Western mining town rose from the ashes to become a high society ski retreat catering to the rich and famous. But when a mysterious plague starts turning civilized people into ravaging fiends, the resort’s isolation becomes its curse. Struggling through blizzard and whiteout conditions, a band of scattered survivors, guests and locals alike, are forced to work together to keep their friends and family alive. However, with the decomposing horde of bloodthirsty zombies continuing to grow, those still uninfected by the disease must make a choice: escape or prevent this mountain sickness from reaching the world outside.
- GenresZombies
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2017
20 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 18, 2017
A gory delightful about a terrible condition spreading through a mountainous ski resort. Frank Martin does an amazing job describing the winter paradise of Telluride, Colorado. It's obvious he's been there and the location holds special meaning toward him. He also creates a vast cast of individuals living at the ski resort who will soon become mutated zombie chow.
This is a bloody, hard-R rated book where there's many-many exterminations by zombies. However, that's the selling point to me about the novel and why I think it works so well. Fans of the proper George Romero style of zombies who really do a number on the heroes will enjoy this dark and gory book. It just needed to be set at Christmas to be extra crazy.
Could the book have been better? I think that depends on what you want from your murderfests. For me, it delivered a satisfying series of slaughters.
This is a bloody, hard-R rated book where there's many-many exterminations by zombies. However, that's the selling point to me about the novel and why I think it works so well. Fans of the proper George Romero style of zombies who really do a number on the heroes will enjoy this dark and gory book. It just needed to be set at Christmas to be extra crazy.
Could the book have been better? I think that depends on what you want from your murderfests. For me, it delivered a satisfying series of slaughters.
November 22, 2017
Telluride is a small remote town in the Colorado Rockies and it’s a playground for the rich and famous. People come from all over to ski here and the city’s economy is dependent on tourism. It wasn’t always that way though, it started as a mining town but the mine was considered dangerous and closed down. Since then, Telluride has been a winter paradise until a mysterious plague starts to affect the guests.
Telluride isn’t an easy place to get in and out of, so when disaster strikes there is nowhere to run to. It starts with normal people turning into raving lunatics; it ends with them changing into flesh-eating zombies. To make matters worse, the town is being rocked by a blizzard and the locals and tourists alike will have to work together to survive and keep the zombie virus from spreading. If you ever wanted to know what the zombie apocalypse would be like in a blizzard than Mountain Sickness by Frank Martin is your chance to find out.
My first thought when I saw this book was: “Zombies in a snowstorm, sounds like fun.” I can’t think of any other zombie books or movies that take place in a cold climate so I found this idea appealing. My one complaint about this book is that it takes a long time to get into the action. There are so many characters being introduced in the beginning that it’s hard to keep track of everyone. Once we see the first person sick with the zombie virus the story gets good real quick.
It’s not just the setting that makes this zombie story different, it’s also how the people are before they change. The victims fly into a rage before they become zombies and in the beginning, they start as fast-moving zombies. One of my favorite scenes was when one of the ski resort’s employees named Chris goes to find his girlfriend as the people are turning into zombies. He finds her close to death and her dying wish is for Chris to save a boy named Ryan. Chris starts looking for Ryan and as he does he sees himself as a man who has never committed to the life he truly wanted and now he has to fulfill his girlfriend’s dying wish. This made me fall in love with the character Chris and as we see him try to rescue Ryan, he finds another survivor on the way, a 13-year-old girl named Stephanie.
Stephanie is another character in this story I fell in love with. In the beginning, she is a normal teenage girl but we see her become a different person as she deals with the loss of her family and is forced to become an adult as society collapses around her. One scene I loved has Stephanie walking up to someone changing into the living dead and knocking them out with one punch. Seems unbelievable but the zombie didn’t see it coming. The most interesting part of this book is seeing how all of the characters change as they realize that if the zombies don’t get them then they will probably die in the blizzard. The setting and the characters make Mountain Sickness a must read.
Telluride isn’t an easy place to get in and out of, so when disaster strikes there is nowhere to run to. It starts with normal people turning into raving lunatics; it ends with them changing into flesh-eating zombies. To make matters worse, the town is being rocked by a blizzard and the locals and tourists alike will have to work together to survive and keep the zombie virus from spreading. If you ever wanted to know what the zombie apocalypse would be like in a blizzard than Mountain Sickness by Frank Martin is your chance to find out.
My first thought when I saw this book was: “Zombies in a snowstorm, sounds like fun.” I can’t think of any other zombie books or movies that take place in a cold climate so I found this idea appealing. My one complaint about this book is that it takes a long time to get into the action. There are so many characters being introduced in the beginning that it’s hard to keep track of everyone. Once we see the first person sick with the zombie virus the story gets good real quick.
It’s not just the setting that makes this zombie story different, it’s also how the people are before they change. The victims fly into a rage before they become zombies and in the beginning, they start as fast-moving zombies. One of my favorite scenes was when one of the ski resort’s employees named Chris goes to find his girlfriend as the people are turning into zombies. He finds her close to death and her dying wish is for Chris to save a boy named Ryan. Chris starts looking for Ryan and as he does he sees himself as a man who has never committed to the life he truly wanted and now he has to fulfill his girlfriend’s dying wish. This made me fall in love with the character Chris and as we see him try to rescue Ryan, he finds another survivor on the way, a 13-year-old girl named Stephanie.
Stephanie is another character in this story I fell in love with. In the beginning, she is a normal teenage girl but we see her become a different person as she deals with the loss of her family and is forced to become an adult as society collapses around her. One scene I loved has Stephanie walking up to someone changing into the living dead and knocking them out with one punch. Seems unbelievable but the zombie didn’t see it coming. The most interesting part of this book is seeing how all of the characters change as they realize that if the zombies don’t get them then they will probably die in the blizzard. The setting and the characters make Mountain Sickness a must read.
January 25, 2018
Telluride, the setting for Mountain Sickness, is a picturesque ski resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains which has become a destination of choice for the wealthy. The small mountain town is quickly growing from being the best kept secret to a ski resort for the rich and famous. A seemingly normal day becomes anything but, as a few residents start to come down with a mysterious illness.
The author spends the first part of the book introducing us to residents of Telluride. The focus is on giving us the sense of place and the people. It’s a tactic that works well in setting up the inevitable terrible events to come, and gives the reader a reason to care.
We are introduced to a host of characters including Chris with Mountain Rescue, Georgia the radio DJ, and an older couple named Nellie and Bill. For the most part the characters are interesting, although it’s possible that there are too many to keep up with as we progress through the book.
The sickness engulfing the community turns the infected into rabid, violent, frenetically moving zombies, in the 28 Days Later mold. Children are savaged just like adults. There are family members attacking each other. The plague doesn’t spare or play favorites. The book is brutal at times.
The remoteness and weather are a major issue for survival. Heavy snow storms and the lack of visibility adds a layer of fear and danger. You can’t just run away into the wilderness and hope to survive the elements. There is the added jeopardy of the survivors having to protect kids.
The isolated mountain resort and snow is a great setting for zombies and gives a fresh angle on the genre. It’s an exciting read – action packed and with plenty of gore. Personally, I find it hard to get too enthusiastic about zombies anymore, but if that’s your thing, you’ll enjoy it.
The author spends the first part of the book introducing us to residents of Telluride. The focus is on giving us the sense of place and the people. It’s a tactic that works well in setting up the inevitable terrible events to come, and gives the reader a reason to care.
We are introduced to a host of characters including Chris with Mountain Rescue, Georgia the radio DJ, and an older couple named Nellie and Bill. For the most part the characters are interesting, although it’s possible that there are too many to keep up with as we progress through the book.
The sickness engulfing the community turns the infected into rabid, violent, frenetically moving zombies, in the 28 Days Later mold. Children are savaged just like adults. There are family members attacking each other. The plague doesn’t spare or play favorites. The book is brutal at times.
The remoteness and weather are a major issue for survival. Heavy snow storms and the lack of visibility adds a layer of fear and danger. You can’t just run away into the wilderness and hope to survive the elements. There is the added jeopardy of the survivors having to protect kids.
The isolated mountain resort and snow is a great setting for zombies and gives a fresh angle on the genre. It’s an exciting read – action packed and with plenty of gore. Personally, I find it hard to get too enthusiastic about zombies anymore, but if that’s your thing, you’ll enjoy it.
May 21, 2019
A good book is like a first date, go big or go home, and thankfully Frank Martin does just that in
Mountain Sickness. I’m not a stranger to Martin’s work, having previously reviewed his novella Skin Deep/Ordinary Monsters last year.
Two pages into this novel and I knew I was going to like it. A few chapters in, I knew it was going to get a good review. By the time I got halfway through, I suspected a restraining order was in my future because I loved this author so much that I wanted to hang outside his house with a boom box and a Peter Gabriel cassette. That is how much I enjoyed reading this tale.
You can read Jennifer's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Mountain Sickness. I’m not a stranger to Martin’s work, having previously reviewed his novella Skin Deep/Ordinary Monsters last year.
Two pages into this novel and I knew I was going to like it. A few chapters in, I knew it was going to get a good review. By the time I got halfway through, I suspected a restraining order was in my future because I loved this author so much that I wanted to hang outside his house with a boom box and a Peter Gabriel cassette. That is how much I enjoyed reading this tale.
You can read Jennifer's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
March 20, 2019
A very captive read, I couldn't put it down, even through the beginning where the 15 odd people are all introduced. Therefore I was surprised that at the 50% mark not a lot of them seem to have survived.
I also liked the fact that we get insight into a human who turns into a zombie. Another interesting twist is the fact that the zombies “mutated” or went through phases. I don't think the story was too gory, and the end was fitting.
The characters were all very real and the scenario believable. A solid zombie novella!
I also liked the fact that we get insight into a human who turns into a zombie. Another interesting twist is the fact that the zombies “mutated” or went through phases. I don't think the story was too gory, and the end was fitting.
The characters were all very real and the scenario believable. A solid zombie novella!
March 3, 2018
Just Wow!! This is not one of my favourite genres, but this book certainly has made an impression on me. I will definitely be looking for more!! With a whole cast of great characters, action everywhere you turn, motives questioned, friend v friend, and zombies running around an isolated community in the snow. This book will keep you turning pages, hoping beyond hope that help arrives in time to save someone.
November 25, 2018
I love zombie stories & this fitted the bill! Well worth the time!
February 4, 2025
nice story
It was a very comfortable read, it was an enjoyable read that was relatively believable. No sex and the language was very accessible.
It was a very comfortable read, it was an enjoyable read that was relatively believable. No sex and the language was very accessible.
December 20, 2018
Mountain Sickness by Frank Martin is by far the scariest horror novel I’ve read in a long time. I grew up reading King and Koontz. I remember being scared out of my mind yet not able to put the book down. Those were the books that stayed with you, keeping you awake until exhaustion took over and you had to sleep with the lights on for a week straight. Martin absolutely has written something that rivals the best horror books from that era. As an avid reader of horror, paranormal, supernatural, it’s rare finding a book that can scare me to that extreme, yet this one did.
Martin writes about a secluded and beautiful town in the Colorado Rockies where skiing and snowboarding are the main tourist attractions, bringing in the rich and famous. When a huge storm rolls in, it’s not surprising that there are a bunch of people wanting to take advantage of the fresh powder. With only one road leading in and out of town, getting snowed in is not all that shocking.
With every old town comes old rumors, and only the people who’ve had generations of family in the area know what’s fake and what really happened. The mine that helped build the small community, now completely shut down, should have been sealed off. Bureaucrats, for whatever greedy reason, decided to leave it unsealed and run tours to the abandoned mine. Well, I’ll just leave the rest to your imagination, fellow bibliophiles.
Martin’s world building and cast of characters, whom we get to know in detail, help to make this zombie apocalypse an adventure you just cannot put down. Gruesome horror and adrenaline fueled action keep the pages turning, the reader needing to know what happens next and hoping that by finishing the book, they will somehow get some restful sleep. I highly recommend this novel, especially to those of us that grew up with King, Koontz, Freddie, and Jason. For so long, I’ve waited to find something that is actually scary, the horror movies of the here and now downright disappointing. Well done, Martin!
Martin writes about a secluded and beautiful town in the Colorado Rockies where skiing and snowboarding are the main tourist attractions, bringing in the rich and famous. When a huge storm rolls in, it’s not surprising that there are a bunch of people wanting to take advantage of the fresh powder. With only one road leading in and out of town, getting snowed in is not all that shocking.
With every old town comes old rumors, and only the people who’ve had generations of family in the area know what’s fake and what really happened. The mine that helped build the small community, now completely shut down, should have been sealed off. Bureaucrats, for whatever greedy reason, decided to leave it unsealed and run tours to the abandoned mine. Well, I’ll just leave the rest to your imagination, fellow bibliophiles.
Martin’s world building and cast of characters, whom we get to know in detail, help to make this zombie apocalypse an adventure you just cannot put down. Gruesome horror and adrenaline fueled action keep the pages turning, the reader needing to know what happens next and hoping that by finishing the book, they will somehow get some restful sleep. I highly recommend this novel, especially to those of us that grew up with King, Koontz, Freddie, and Jason. For so long, I’ve waited to find something that is actually scary, the horror movies of the here and now downright disappointing. Well done, Martin!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews