From the author of They Came with the Snow and the new and popular standalone novel, They Came with the Rain, comes The Ghosts of Winter.
When the Corrupted breach the cordon, David Willis and his family flee to a remote lake cabin in Arkansas.
But the safety of the lake is short-lived, and David and his wife must now decide whether to stay and attempt to outlast the danger that surrounds them or believe the rumors that salvation lies beyond the Mississippi, and take to the road where their chances of reaching, and crossing the river, are near impossible.
If you're a fan of horror thrillers that will keep you reading late into the night, do not miss The Ghosts of Winter. Dean Koontz and Stephen King fans are raving about They Came with the Snow, and They Came with the Rain. The Ghosts of Winter will not disappoint.
The Ghosts of Winter can be read as a standalone novel.
Christopher Coleman lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in English Literature. A fan of classic and modern horror and thriller movies, his favorite movies are Rosemary's Baby and The Ring. When he's not writing fiction, you can find him reading, taking his kids to and from various sporting activities or watching horror movies with his wife who shares his affinity for the horror genre. His books will creep you out and leave you scared to turn off the lights and go to sleep.
A completely different arch of the story, a little disturbing at first, since I was expecting the comeback of previous characters, but still excellent. Not a word about a following, though. I hope there will be more!
I normally don’t enjoy post apocalypse stories but this series had me almost mesmerized. There were plot twists that were surprising. You could almost see the white ones coming at you. Absolutely a marvelous series to enjoy.
What a difference 4 years of writing makes. This book was markedly better than the first (and second!) book. And I'll admit it's pretty remarkable (in my reading experience) to witness an author improve from book to book. Everything about this final entry was better. The characters were more fleshed out; many moments in the book demonstrated sincere, emotional impact; and a sophisticated application of tension was present. My chief complaints would be the abrupt deus ex machina-heavy handling of the ending - and the fact that the author was never quite able to write himself out of the confused rules around the biology and behavior of the Crabs. I still don't get how those suckers are supposed to "work." I rounded up from 3.5 because I actually enjoyed this one more than I ever thought I would.
Now the question remains (other than will there be a book 5 to actually wrap it all up), would I be willing to try any of his other contemporary books now that his skills as a author have improved?
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book four of four
They are trying to get to the other side of the Mississippi River. They keep running into the turned but manage to continue the trip. It comes to a happy ending with the help of nature.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of romantic family and friends adventure thriller novels 😊🐱 2024 👒😘
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
This is the fourth book in this series, and as usual, it is exciting and scary. Mr. Coleman is a master at scaring his readers. I have followed this series and have enjoyed each one. The characters are strong and believable as well as the worlds he created. I could picture the wall of White Ones and feel my skin crawl at the fear that sight invoked. Wonderful fun read. If you love being scared!
If you haven’t read this series it would be a good time to grab the books. What else are you going to do in COVID? Why not have some fun?
"I wasn't destined to die in the Sporting Goods section of an Arkansas Wal mart." -- David, or Dad
Overview - ridiculously lucky family becomes stranded after monsters escape their pen and ravage the world.
This book, like the others previous in the series, is a survival horror that Coleman makes stand out wonderfully. I love his writing style, his pace, it's just his ideas that sometimes irk me.
Just a few things that are good:
As I said, Coleman's style is wonderful. He's descriptive and funny and emotional and honest without overdoing things.
The pace is also a plus as I didn't feel the need to omit any chunks or get terribly bored in someone's unnecessary backstory.
The White Ones, or The Corrupted. These monsters are original and interesting and scary. We get bits of detail about them in each book, how they are humans that were injured by a Corrupted and change, during the change their tongue disintegrates, and that they don't like the cold.
A few things that are a bit not good:
Too big of a family. The reality of this large of a family actually surviving this long with no deaths is preposterous, given their unfortunate father, and Coleman should have omitted one child, at least. There are Dad, Mom, three children, and a cat. The little boys barely have any lines and never act out. It's like they don't exist unless the plot calls for something to happen. Hence, they aren't needed. The teenage daughter can easily pick up asthma, take care of the cat, and be the only child, no problem.
The unfortunate father. David, or Dad if you will, is an idiot. During the hullabaloo, he endangers his family multiple times. Twice he forgets his gun. Twice he breaks his word to his wife and lets people near their family. There's a gun to his daughter's head and instead of following directions so she won't die, he hesitates. His own wife reprimands him several times about him being stupid. Yes, he can be endearing, but honestly, David should have died so many times, or his family should have, anyway.
The snow. To follow what I believe is a straight line -- the creatures were fine in the snow in the first book and got better with the melting. Now, several books later, the snow kills them. It's not exactly elaborated upon but I'm left to assume that this incident was a one-off and now, after the snow, what's left of the world will go back to some sense of normality. I half expect a Mira Grant style broadcast or two, "Corrupted die in snow, survivors come out of hiding," and "Possible government experiment now being covered up?"
Overall, it's a good book. Coleman doesn't do gore, at least not in this book, which is too bad as that factor would take this to another level, and so this novel is more of a feel-good survival horror.
If you enjoy fast-moving books that compel you to turn the next page until the sun rises, "The Ghosts of Winter" fits the bill. Told in first person, the main character, a father races against time, distance, the elements, and The Corrupted, to save his family (and the family cat!) I did feel a little overwhelmed at times, imagining the scenarios described, but I could easily see it in my mind, like a movie. I love books like that. Some moments felt a little familiar, both from television and the real world, and one could argue some parallels to the Pandemic. The story did end a little too easily, but after this harrowing read, I welcomed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoyed this fourth installment of They Came With The Snow. Although I was hoping it would be about the original characters, this new group was ok. A family that is forced to be on the run once the breach happened, this is their tale of survival against the crabs. I still don't understand a few things, like what was the deal with Joel? And the old lady that "rescues" them, what happens to her? And seriously, the ending? Come on!! I don't want to say why I was a bit disappointed cause it will give too much away. Just read the book. If nothing else, you'll enjoy the journey.
First 3 books were cohesive as far as characters and story line. #3 had a rather open ending that I mistakenly thought would be picked up by #4 but I was sorely disappointed and unimpressed. Instead the last book was completely left of center. An entirely new cast of characters with no mention whatsoever of the people in books #1-3, new location and circumstances. Also a less than satisfying ending. I’m sorry to say that if there is a book #5 I’m going to pass.
I enjoyed this series even though there were lots of inconsistencies and unanswered questions. This installment has a good storyline but leaves you wondering what became of the characters from 1-3. I hope this series continues because it feels like I've watched most of the movie but the ending got cut off. Please continue the story....
What a story! What a whirlwind of feelings…confusion, anger, disbelief, hunger, fear, terror. And what a family we have. The twist near the end. David and Charlotte finally caught a break…but noooo, not happening. The final push to the Mississippi…surprise! Great book and I look forward to more!
Book 3 was time to end this story. I mean this was good and the ending was ironic to say the least. But just should've added a couple of chapters to book 3 and been done.
Christopher Coleman has added another stellar accomplishment to his snow series. His characters persevere when it doesn't seem like they have a chance, the type of people you would like to know. Wonderful book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was really looking forward to the characters from the previous books to wrap up the story but fell in love with the Willis family.
The best walking dead book I have read. The characters are so real the story reaches out and grabs you . Can't wait to read book 4. One of the best reads of the year.
I liked the idea of these books but they felt a bit separate in the telling. And David seemed quite the ditz. A wonder they survived at all. At least the cat was sensible.
As with all the entries in this series, I simply could not put this book down. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment of this awesome apocalyptic series. Keep up the excellent work, Mr. Coleman!
This book, the fourth in the series, is a great read. There are all new characters and new situations. It also end the series, at least from this viewpoint. I couldn't put it down once I started!
This series got better with each succeeding book. I like the concept of moving to a family that was totally unaware what was happening before getting caught up in the disaster. It was very realistic and compelling. Good story!
This book was good, but, it had just a few too many coincidences . Even with so many coincidences I still enjoyed reading this book. The author kept me interested and wanting to see what would happen next.
I’ve read every book this author has written. He just gets better with every book. A family trapped inside, the barriers to keep in the corrupted ones fall. A family’s tale of an apocalyptic nature.
I read the other books in the series. 5he series started out great but starting with the third slowly deteriorated. This one was the worse. Too much stupidity on the part of the main character (David).
A family of five find that dozens and dozens of the "crabs" or fallen or the corrupted, whatever they were between them and safety. How can the family get through them and to the safety and to the rest of their lives? Only a miracle.
Ok, so the series did improve a bit over time, but it ended with a dull thud. On the plus side, only infrequent spots that failed to be successfully proofread. Not mad at reading the series, but I really hoped for more.
Book 4 is as amazing as the rest of the others. Kept me furnished as it was so hard to put down. I suggest reading the other 3 first to completely understand what has happened.