The Dark Winter

Whiteout #2

by Flint Maxwell

Po sérii neočekávaných letních vánic pomalu ustává sněžení, ale teploty nadále klesají, fouká ledový vítr a s každým dalším dnem je temnota delší a delší.

A temnota svědčí přízrakům, které se hrdinům knihy nepřestávají zjevovat.

Uvězněni v chatě bez možnosti komunikace s vnějším světem žijí Grady a jeho přátelé v neustálém strachu z toho, co přinese budoucnost. Roztaje sníh? Vyjde ještě někdy slunce? Podaří se jim přemoct přízraky?

Dny se mění v týdny a odpovědi na tyto a spoustu dalších otázek nepřichází.

Přeživším začínají docházet zásoby i síly, a ať jsou připraveni, nebo ne, musí se vydat do zasněžené pustiny. Chtějí-li přežít, musí držet pohromadě, bojovat a čelit svým největším strachům.

Vydejte se na cestu s Gradym, Stonem, Eleanor, Mikeym a Helgou ve druhé knize série Bílá tma!

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Dystopia, Fiction, Paranormal, Supernatural, Zombies

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2020

About the author

Flint Maxwell was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and still lives there today with his beautiful wife and daughter, and their four furry best friends.

He primarily writes horror fiction, but has been known to dabble in many different genres.

Reviews

[Jennelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heavy wet blanket of suspense continues in this, book 2 of the series. If Stephen King is a role model (which I’m sure he is due to a very large nod) for the author he certainly learned the craft well.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really short book that doesn’t really advance the story any but does show dome change in whatever lurks in the dark.
Bought all 5 books so, on to number 3

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Godfrey is the narrator for this audiobook.

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

It's a good thing I like B-grade movies because I might not have felt at home with this series, lol.

One thing that puzzles me is all the reviews that say this book doesn't move the story along. While I thought there was a lot of useless character-information provided --padding, padding-- I thought that enough changed that the book wasn't a loss. Things with people happened, and things with the wraiths happened too.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was actually good. However, the dialogue was juvenile and the constant joking and "flipping of the bird" became tiresome.

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Kindle Book 📕

[Clea · Rating 1 out of 5]

i didn’t like the first book that much, but was really intrigued by the concept. it’s a cool idea! i just cannot stand the writing!

some of my thoughts whilst reading this book:

•do these characters not realize that they’re in the middle of the apocalypse? making awfully cheesy jokes in the middle of life and death situations

•can we chill with the foreshadowing? i know it’s a thriller, you don’t have to tell me I’m going to be thrilled

•how have these characters even survived prior to this catastrophic event? choosing to gather copious amounts of reese’s peanut butter cups over literally any other kind of food in a fully stocked grocery store does not seem like the thinking of a survivor/functioning human being

•do people really flip each other off this much?

•is something wrong with me? how do these books have 4 star ratings?

•the moment i gave up: when the MC saw someone with auburn hair, stating, “I’ve only ever seen one person with that color hair, eleanor.”

oh, really? one of the five people alive? good job figuring out who it was. the dialogue and writing was just so unnatural and off. DNF 31%

[Stephani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cliffhanger! There was absolutely zero plot progression. The story is a bit slow, and Grady (the main character) goes off on tangents. But I'm going to keep reading it was interesting enough to make you want more of the story.

[Cujo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part 2 of the White Out series which was just as good as part 1, although I will admit I don't understand why parts 1 and 2 weren't combined into one medium length novel.

This was a bit more depressing then part 1 as we learn more about the fears, likes, and wants of the characters, and actually find ourselves rooting for them to overcome the odds, but deep down know, that is becoming less and less likely.

[Katie T]

Dnf 55%

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very book

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

The follow up to "The Snow" is certainly a drop in quality. It's world chronicling the events of the apocalypse does retain its charm and intrigue but the dialogue takes a huge hit.

The characters are interesting enough and watching them learn about the evil and creatures in the wasteland is authentic and gripping. The problems arrive when they start talking with each other. The "banter" between them can be excruciatingly cringe at times with it sounding like it was written by 20 people in a focus group.
It's not ruinous but it's certainly worth noting.

Overall a decent follow up. Onto book 3.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor dialogue

It's ok. Its just doesn't flow well. All the dialogue just feels off. It feels unnatural and chunky .
The story is interesting just very told. Not shown.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Exciting Read!!

So I read the entire book in one sitting. Yeah, I should be up and doing things but I was reading this instead - luckily it's Sunday. But this was non-stop action and loads of scary fun. Tons of creatures in here (but to be honest the creatures in the story didn't really scare me, especially the ones they encounter in the store as I used to have them for pets) - but I just enjoyed the story as it slowly unfolded. There were a few unexpected moments too, things I never saw coming.

I am wondering what will happen next? I will definitely think about it while I am up and about doing things during the day. And will this situation have an answer? Is the military out? Is some official person investigating this stuff somewhere, even if our main characters are just ordinary people? They are doing the best they can to survive...

I think I did notice a little plot hole towards the end - or maybe it was on purpose - but it makes me wonder how the main character survived the extreme low temperature without proper clothing. Yes, here in winter I do go out to the garbage can without a coat but that is just a few minutes at most. Hmmm....

I wonder how their nutrition is holding up eating what they are? That could become a serious problem in the future. Looking forward to reading more!

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as great as the first one, however it was a fun and very different horror summer tale. Beware of a Summer, yes, SUMMER Snow Storm! There is dark demons inside the snow.

Well, it picked up right at the end of the first book; 'The Snow' but as the story went on and we find out more about our characters this messed up blizzard that brings what scares them the most, gets heavier and deeper! But be ready because what is alive and out in the storm, is the last thing you could ever imagine!
WARNING: A very sad scene of euthanasia of a family cat that tore me up!!!

Would recommend of horror fans about the end of the world.
3.5 🩸🕷️🤡

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great! New characters are all good and interesting. My complaint here is Grady is a fireman and Eleanor is going to school to be a RN, both have little to no first aid skills or medical knowledge. Eleanor constantly states she has no idea what to do and Grady also seems baffled by any injury or health precautions. Grady talks about being a firefighter like he rode in the truck to the emergency and saved (blanket statement) or did not and that was his job. It's just something that has come up that has bugged me, Eleanor is the girlfriend / a sister and that's it, there was an opportunity there for her to take charge like every nurse I have ever met EVER, get organized and be prepared, instead she is the pretty girl who needs protecting and sometimes say stupid shit.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two books so wonderful and vivid. I've felt the froze and cold, darkness, desperation, and fear. This was amazing adventure, not so much further with the real world. I wish we all get through the darkness and hopelessness.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!!! Caught myself hyperventilating a couple of times - always a good sign for a horror story!

[Yaredi Pizano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Brianna Smedley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sequel

I love this series so far. This guy writes like Stephen King, except shorter books and with a little more humor. Looking forward to the next installment.

[K ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too bad

The story moves right along. Quick read. Mostly entertaining. Not very scary. Overall I enjoyed this and the first one. I’ll continue reading to see what happens!

[Apple · Rating 2 out of 5]

these are not books. they don't stand on their own. they are not even novellas or short stories, they have no natural semi conclusion. these are chapters of one book. selling them as full books is absurd. Also they killed my favourite character, boo.

[Milan Raška · Rating 3 out of 5]

Druhy dil, velice kratke. Kniha sestava ze tri udalosti nasi party, ktera zustala v lete osamocena u jezera oblopena mrazivou zimou. Neni to zadny zazrak, ale cteni bavi a rozsahem to nijak nevadi. Takze jedeme dal...

[Cade Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really torn with this. After reading the first one, I decided to give this a go because the first one had its problems but the bones of a good story.

I want to like the series so badly, but I think I’m finished with two of five.

Like I said, the story is good. There’s something there. What loses me is the dialogue (not all of it) but specifically when a character named “Stone” starts talking.

If the books were just told narratively without having the characters fill in, like a journal almost, I think this could be a great series.

[Ruth Fabiano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, had some of the same problems as the first book. Overexplaining and underexplaining. I didnt need to know why the local store had bug spray. We get it.

And pardon if I dont believe "Eleanor had become a woman you dont f*ck with" when in the previous scene she freaked out over seeing a single, small, regular rat. The same with Mikey- you cant say "he doesnt seem to like us very much" after the only thing we saw was him helping pull you in out of the snow and nothing else.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've listened to this series again, so I'm amending my original review to 'Holy Crap! That was exciting!'

[Lisa Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading books set in winter during winter, so I was stoked when I found Flint Maxwell's The Snow on Hoopla. I downloaded all three books that were available to me thinking it was the entire series. I was wrong.

I've now listened to the first 3 novellas of Flint Maxwell's Whiteout series: The Snow, The Dark Winter, and The Numbing. There are 2 more novellas in the series, and I have no way to read them without purchasing them. Even though these books were fine, I found them to also be a bit unremarkable and I have no desire to spend any money to finish the series. Oh well.

I'm going to write this as a general review for all 3 books because, as usual, I'm behind on reviews, and I want these to be over with as quickly as possible.

Tbh, the story here in Flint Maxwell's Whiteout series isn't terrible. However, I'm NOT a fan of these short, episodic horror novella series. None of these books felt like complete narratives. All of them end on cliffhangers with little resolution and there just isn't enough forward progression in any of them for me to really have a good time.

So these books are about a guy named Grady who is hanging out with his friends on the 4th of July when a devastating, apocalyptic blizzard shows up to ruin the world. Grady and his friends need to survive and, along the way, team up with some other people trying to do the same thing.

As far as apocalyptic fiction goes, there is nothing new here. And yes, this story is done well enough for me not to hate it, but it was so full of tropes that, even though they were also done well, I still steadily lost interest the more I continued to read.

I mean, Maxwell is obviously a huge Stephen King fan as he not only directly references King and his works throughout the part of this series that I read, but there is also a store named "Pennywisers" (a la Pennywise the Dancing Clown), a black guy with crutches (a la Susannah Dean), a pregnant lady (a la Frannie Goldsmith), and a dog (a la Oy). And while I fully support being a King superfan, the references and similarities to King's work here just felt a bit too much like fanfiction.

The most unique thing in these little novellas is that the apocalypse that comes is not one of fire and brimstone, but one of snow and ice. And honestly, the survival scenes where they are battling the problems that come along with snow are the best part of these books. But weather is not the only thing they have to fight with.

The monsters in these books are silly tropes. Also, not particularly scary or well explained. They are monsters we've seen a million times in horror: "wraiths" that kind of hypnotize people by manipulating them with their worst fears. I mean, the author already blatantly used the name Pennywise in this book, but to also make the monsters here weak, knock-off replicas of King's classic villain is a bit to... ON THE clown NOSE for my tastes.

But again, none of these books were bad they just weren't that special.

The 3rd entry into the series was where I really started to lose interest in the narrative. I mean, I wasn't particularly fond of the characters anyway and the tropes were really starting to annoy me. One that I haven't mentioned being a romance between Grady and the lead female protagonist that just irritated me because ALL romance irritates me, especially when it's telegraphed a thousand miles away and when it's in a horror book that doesn't need any damn romance.

When I started listening to The Numbing I made a prediction. Taking all the tropes and the Stephen King fanfiction nods into consideration, I predicted that one of the main characters would die. I just knew that was the next step in the formula. I then predicted who I thought would die and whether or not it would be at the hands of the monsters, the cold, or some humans they meet along the way because we all know in post-apocalyptic stories that humans are always the "real" monsters.

And I won't spoil it, but I GOT IT RIGHT. I predicted exactly who would die and who/what would do the deed. It was so formulaic! I'm not even happy about being right in this case. I wanted to be wrong because being wrong would mean that that this series was going to steer away from King and tropes and find its own path. But it didn't and I would bet $50 that the only path from here is downhill.

And that's why I'm not going to go out of my way to finish this series. If the other two books pop up on Hoopla, I will probably give them a listen. Like I said, these novellas weren't terrible... but they also weren't anything remarkable. They are short reads and I just HATE leaving things unfinished.

Here are my ratings for the novellas individually:

The Snow: 3.5 stars
The Dark Winter: 3.25 stars
The Numbing: 3 stars

You might like these books if you like: winter apocalypses, survival stories, and narratives that follow already-forged paths.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

In book 2, the survivors, who include Helga, the old lady whose house they escaped to at the end of the first instalment, are now holed up at Helga's which is a lot more comfortable to begin with, having a generator and more supplies. However, Helga doesn't tell them - for unconvincing reasons - that the food is running out. Finally she confides in Grady who decides to go to the nearest village store and stock up, without telling anyone to save her embarrassment. Needless to say, something awful awaits him there and he needs rescue. Later, the minds of certain characters are affected by the insidious powers of the creatures that lurk outside in the darkness and their actions make staying at Helga's house non-viable though by the time the group is forced to leave it is too late for one member at least.

I found this segment less believable. Characters did things to advance a not very convincing plot - would you really keep quiet about the food situation in an apocalypse to save face and to help someone else do so? When sheltering in a house midway between the store and Helga's, would someone really throw tinned food on the floor saying it has expired - in that situation, I think you would eat anything, and, in any case, studies have shown tinned food to be safe for years after its date providing the can is intact and no bacteria can get in to spoil it. The eating quality will suffer, that's all, so that it isn't as palatable. It just seemed ridiculous, as was the scene of Grady piling himself up with loads of bags of supplies including sweets - before his friends turned up with a sleigh, how on earth was he planning to carry it back? Especially as he had only got there with the aid of snow shoes and ski poles.

Without wishing to introduce spoilers, the way a certain character is treated does seem rather an ageist attitude especially when the replacement is taken into account. The style of the book did descend into rather a lot of unnecessary explanation - the reader will accept that a local store carries bug spray so it isn't necessary to have a big exposition about it in the middle of what is supposed to be a tense scene. There were a few odd continuity errors - at one point, Grady says he named the monsters 'wraiths' a few days ago when he actually called them that before they arrived at Helga's and at least two weeks have passed since.

On the plus side, I quite liked the dog - which again reminded me of Dean Koontz who now has a lot of dogs in his fiction. The books do seem to be a tribute to Stephen King's work however, with various references to him along the way and specifically to his character Pennywise, the clown in 'It'. This may be a bad idea, inviting as it does comparisons to King's work, in which case these novellas can only suffer. The references to covid were odd, as the pandemic wasn't over in six months; far from it.

All in all, I found this weaker than the opening part and can rate it only 2 stars. I will probably try number 3 but after one or two other books in between.

[Edie Kennard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flint Maxwell's The Dark Winter delivers a truly visceral and unnerving continuation of the Whiteout series, cementing its place as one of the most terrifying entries in the post-apocalyptic horror genre. This book is a gut punch from start to finish. If the first installment made you check your locks, this one will make you question the walls around you.

The core of the terror here lies in the author’s brilliant use of psychological horror. The note that struck me hardest was just how terrifyingly effective the Wraiths are at getting into the characters' heads. The constant threat of infiltration, combined with the utterly claustrophobia-inducing setting—where every shadow feels like a trap—creates a constant state of fear and chaos. It makes the reader feel as paranoid as the survivors. I can honestly say there is one particular part that will literally make your skin crawl; it’s a masterful piece of dread-filled writing.

Beyond the action, Maxwell excels at capturing the raw human toll of this new world. The book highlights so much grief, even after you have lost all of civilization, lending a heavy emotional weight that elevates the story beyond simple monster horror. It’s a compelling look at how trauma endures, even when survival is the only priority.

If I learned anything from reading this book, it's that I wouldn't survive the apocalypse. The escalating danger is palpable, as it truly seems like the Wraiths are getting stronger and more insidious as time goes on, forcing the characters to desperate limits. A practical piece of advice for future readers: always have a flashlight handy, because you'll want to read this late into the night, but those shadows the Wraiths love to lurk in will feel very, very real.

A phenomenal, harrowing read. I absolutely can't wait to read Book 3 to see how the survivors cope with this increasingly hopeless battle. Highly recommended for fans of horror and intense survival stories.