Dyatlov Pass

by Alan K. Baker

Зимой 1959 года в горах Северного Урала при загадочных обстоятельствах погибают девять молодых людей. Начавшееся расследование через несколько месяцев закрыто, материалы дела засекречены в архивах КГБ.

Это происшествие так и осталось загадкой, объяснить которую пытались действием природных, мистических и сверхъестественных сил.

Американский писатель Алан Бейкер предлагает свою версию случившегося.

Герой истории, журналист Виктор Стругацкий, спустя пятьдесят лет после трагедии волею судьбы оказывается на перевале Дятлова и идет по следам погибшей группы со своей экспедицией.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Science Fiction, Russia, Thriller, Historical

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read about the Dyatlov Pass incident several years ago and it fascinated me based on the "supernatural" feel of what had happened or what the authorities "thought" had probably happened, so when I found this book I thought it would be interesting to explore perhaps another point of view, after all it had been 63 years without any real answers, just speculation. The author did a great job of presenting all the facts that have been put out there over all those years. Eventually the pace and suspense picks up leading to a compelling explanation that literally borders on cosmic horror. The book kept me reading hoping to understand what was going on but at the end I am still puzzled. Some of the explanations I have read before, some are the stuff of "Science Fiction Theater", but as the quote goes..."There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” I am not going to hash out the plot because basically it was a bunch of interviews with the key players and was very vague until the end. Even at the end there is the smell of mystery and the truth is, that what they found was in itself simply inexplicable. I respected the author for telling the story without adding embellishments that would have boosted book sales but would have been no closer to the truth. If you are interested in the real life mystery of Dyatlov Pass, I’d suggest this would be a good, honest start.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Svarog is what?

This was very complex. I am not even sure I know what I just read. No do know what happened to those people but it was very underwhelming to me. I was expecting something surreal and perhaps a man-made aberration but actually it was just sad. I am still not sure what Svarog was but it was an interesting journey getting there. The book kept me reading hoping to understand what was going on but at the end I am still puzzled. I am not going to hash out the plot because basically it was a bunch of interviews with the key players and was very vague until the end. I think it is a good book and the writing was well done but it just wasn't what I was expecting. Even at the end there is that error of mystery and I guess the truth is, what they found was in itself inexplicable.

[Reeda Booke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The incident that happened back in 1959 to a group of 9 hikers continues to fascinate me. The author took this story and put a sci-fi spin to it that I thought was interesting. If you like stuff about alien civilizations, time, and inter-dimensional ideas that is. I thought it was a cool spin on an otherwise already, weird event.
Recommended. 4 stars.

[Mark Gubarenko · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is awful.

[Данило Судин · Rating 3 out of 5]

Реально "2,5 ★", бо обіцяли лавкрафтіанський жах, а вийшов якийсь пострадянський сюрреалізм, який навіть не страшний. Точніше, я очікував страшного більше, а йогг було мало. А далі пішли розмірковування про всесвіт, життя та все інше. Та й деколи автор наскільки починав сипати різними "фактами", що це нагадувало теорію змови. Але початок доволі атмосферний )
Тому цей роман в першій половині найкраще описати словами "ось так виглядав би хоррор, якби його писали в СРСР". Загалом текст неоднорідний: хоррор переходить в виклад теорії великого вибуху, а далі якийсь кримінальний сюжет, де влада проти простих громадян...

[Jüri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan K. Baker (s 1964) on mitte eriti tuntud inglise autor, kes elab hoopis USAs. Oma esimese ulmejutu avaldas ta küll 1994. aastal, aga põhjalikumalt sisenes kirjandusilma alles sajandivahetusel. Autori loomingu iseloomustamiseks võib kasutada märksõnu: aurupunk, krimi, õudus ja parateemad. Mehelt on eesti keeles ilmunud kolm raamatut, kaks neist – «Vaimud ja hinged» (Ghosts and Spirits; 1999, ek 2000) ja «Ajaloo saladused» (The Enigmas of History; 2008, ek 2010) –, on pigem pseudoteaduslik mumbo-jumbo. Romaani «Djatlovi kuru» (Dyatlov Pass) iseloomustamiseks sobivad aga kõik ülalmainitud žanrid, aurupunk väljaarvatud.

Romaani ilmumislugu on üsna segadusttekitav. Siit-sealt kokkunopituna sain ma kokku järgmise rea: 2011. aasta kevadel oli uudis, et Alan K. Bakeri ilmumata romaani «Dyatlov Pass» põhjal hakatakse filmi tegema, 2012. aasta oktoobris ilmus romaan pealkirjaga «Перевал Дятлова» vene keeles kirjastuses Gonzo, 2013. aasta juulis ilmus romaan inglise keeles kirjastuses Thistle ja 2013. aasta novembris eesti keeles kirjastuses Ersen. Kommentaariks vast niipalju, et filmist ei saanudki asja. Ka peaks mainima, et esmatrükk vene keeles tekitas sealmaistes ulmelugejates omajagu kahtlusi, kas tegu pole hoopis vene autoriga, sest tundmatu kirjanik, tundmatu kirjastus, tundmatu tõlkija, inglise keeles ilmunud pole ja Venemaa asjadest kah veel. Vene- ja eestikeelse raamatu kaanel on autor ilma K-initsiaalita, samamoodi on ta ka oma agendi kodulehel.

Eks romaani pealkiri annab enam kui selge vihje, et juttu tuleb nn Djatlovi kuru juhtumist ehk siis sellest kuidas 1959. aasta veebruaris hukkus mainitud kurus rühm suusamatkajaid. Päris selget vastust pole tänaseni, küll aga on toimunu kohta hulk (fantastilisi) teooriaid. Romaani tegevus toimubki kahes ajaliinis: 1959. aasta retk ja kaasajal, mil juhtunu taas aktuaalseks saab. Retke osa on päris ränk õuduslugu, kaasajal toimuv aga pigem paranoidne põnevik. Tuleb tunnistada, et mulle meeldis see õudusosa kõvasti rohkem. Romaan on lobedalt loetav, kuigi vahepeal kisub see kõik ikka rämedalt võikaks kätte ära.

Romaani hindamine on märksa keerulisem, eriti, kui veel pisut analüüsida. Angloautori puhul tuleb kohe kiita vägagi veenvat Venemaa kujutamist. Kuigi jah, arvan, et mitte ükski vene autor poleks pannud uurijale nimeks Strugatski. Samas, kõik see ekspeditsiooni puutuv oli ju dokumentide ja mitmete raamatute näol varem olemas – loe, uuri, mõtesta ja kirjuta oma lugu. Võib öelda, et anglokirjanik Baker kirjutas kokku loo, mis veerandi jagu on tema oma ja ulmeline ning siis kolmveerandi osas põhineb reaalsetel sündmustel. Pean silmas ekspeditsiooni osa, kaasajas toimunu on juba täielikult autori fantaasia. Kahjuks on kaasajas toimuv ülejäänud romaanist omajagu nõrgem.

Mind pisut häiris küll Maia Planhofi tõlge, aga samas ei saa ma tõlkijat süüdistada. Püüan selgitada-seletada. Romaani tegevus toimub Venemaal, tegelased on venelased, autor aga inglane ja tõlgitud on inglise keelest. Tõlge on täpne ja pädev, aga vene materjali asjus kuidagi võõrik. Mina oleks seda tõlget kuidagi venepärasemaks toimetanud, sest kuigi autor on head tööd teinud, ei kõla mingid asjad üldse õigesti, inglise keelest tõlkiv inimene seda aga ei märka. Märkab see, kes on palju vene keeles lugenud. Kordan veelkord: tõlge on korralik, aga isiklikult mind mitmed kohad häirisid.

Kõike eelnevat arvesse võttes võiks kirjastuse Ersen nimetu ulmesarja esimesele raamatule nelja anda küll. Imelik valik tõlkimiseks, aga üldiselt loetav ja ajuti suisa ihukarvu püstiajav. Kui väga aus olla, siis võiks neljale ehk isegi miinuse sappa panna, aga kolme ei saaks küll kuidagi anda – see poleks romaani suhtes üldse aus.

Rohkemate kaanepiltide ja linkidega tekst mu ulmeblogis: https://ulmeseosed.blogspot.com/2024/...

[Kevin Aston Hoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good yet somewhat uneven book. When I first bought it (Amazon kindle $0.99, bargain) I assumed it would be a fictional telling of an actual event that occurred back in 1959, To wit: The Dyatlov Pass incident, where in 1959, nine experienced Russian hikers were found dead under somewhat unusual circumstances at a mountain pass in the Urals, Siberia. There is plenty of info about this incident on the internet, and besides this book there was a movie "Devil's Pass" 2013 made by Renny Harlin. From the movie synopsis I don't think this book and movie are related.

This book has a relatively slow and kind of clumsy first half where the protagonist Viktor a failing journalist is taken off a story he's not coping with to write a 50 year anniversary of the incident. In the course of doing interviews, he meets a Professor who was to have been a member of the original hiking group but who had become ill has stayed back. This professor has spent 50 years researching the incident (of course). Viktor then comes into possession of classified KGB documents about the soviet investigation of the incident, This leads to Viktor, the professor, Viktor's photographer ex-girlfriend (again; of course), and a skeptical physicist to head back to the site of the 1959 incident (of course, of course).

On arrival to the incident site, this is where the book takes off plot wise and improves quite a bit. I feel that the second half of the book was the initial and more considered idea that the author had, he just had to devise a way for a number of protagonists to get to that point. That way seems fairly routine and unoriginal. However I'm glad I put that all aside as the second half more than makes up for the first half.

[Mothlight · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Not nearly enough horror for me, and I'm not super into stories that aren't interesting until the last 10% of the book. I would recommend this to someone looking more for a mystery with some creepy sci-fi elements than straight up sci-fi or horror.

It's biggest failing is that half the characters are unlikable assholes, primarily Viktor, who we spend the most time with and suffers from not only being an asshole but from being a boring idiot too. Lishin is the second worse offender even though I hated him way more because, at least, he spent most of the novel being mysterious. Viktor I wanted to go away; Lishin I wanted to die. At least Lishin inspired some kind of emotional response beyond "oh god shut up".

The explanation the novel offers about the Dyatlov Pass incident is interesting, and there's some great potential for cosmic horror. The end is pretty good, but the journey to get there is eh.

[Megan Ketchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a mysterious horror about what really happened to the Dyatlov Pass victims and instead got a weird blend of Russian history and sci-fi. It was very slow at stages and I almost put it down a couple of times but I did want to see how they wrapped it up so I stuck around.

It’s such a weird and interesting real-life event and I really liked the concept of this novel but I think it just wasn’t executed as well as it could have been and the result was more like a boring history lesson rather than a 50-year mystery being solved.

2.5 rounded up ⭐️

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually rather enjoyed this book despite the slow burn style and largely unlikable characters as the mystery of the 1959 incident and what happened to the investigating team that followed 50 years later was intriguing. Baker builds the layers of mystery bit by bit as it's pieced together from recollections and recounted by Viktor. I also rather liked the ending as it fit with the events of the late 50s and political one up manship of the time as Baker based his story on the known facts of the time, not mention that the legend of Soviet secrecy is still alive and well today. Over all this was a pretty enjoyable read, not really a horror in my view but a good story none the less.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was very interesting. I liked how the author took a real life story and added a new spin to it. I would recommend this book to people who like suspense books. It left me wondering what really happened and what is really out there.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

K: 2.5 stars rounded down. I nearly gave up multiple times but managed to drag my way through it. For such a short book, it took me a long time to get through it! Disappointing

[Taksya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ennesimo libro sull'incidente del Passo Dyatlov ma non un testo solo divulgativo sui fatti accaduti nel 1959
Basandosi su quanto accaduto ai nove escursionisti a cavallo tra gennaio e febbraio 1959, Alan K. Baker crea una storia dal sapore lovercraftiano, ambientata in tempi moderni e volta a trovare una spiegazione altra dei fatti.
Mescolando alcune delle teorie tradizionali (esperimenti governativi, insabbiamento militare, oggetti non identificati), sfrutta leggende Yakut, fenomeni inspiegabili sparsi sul pianeta (dal classico triangolo delle Bermude a Tunguska, dal brusio di Taos alla teoria M) per creare una ambientazione che, per molti versi, ricorda Picnic sul ciglio della strada (non credo sia un caso che il protagonista faccia Strugatsky di cognome) o la più recente trilogia dell'Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy.
Zone interessate da misteriosi effetti, collegati a strutture di origine aliena. Un Progetto misterioso, da proteggere con la morte di chi ne viene a conoscenza. Luoghi dove la fisica terrestre non ha più alcun senso... nel complesso il risultato non è pessimo e i riferimenti a fatti reali si incastrano bene con l'ambientazione da incubo lovercraftiano o le atmosfere rarefatte dei fratelli Strugatsky.

[J.j. Metsavana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teate ju küll neid filme ja raamatuid kus alguses "based on true events" ja siis tuleb mingi umbluu ja need "eventsid" on ka üsna kahtlase mekiga. Kokkuvõtteks on sellised teosed enamasti ilgelt sitad ja seetõttu oli lahe lugeda vastukaaluks sellist raamatut mis baseerub üheaegselt tõestisündinud juhtumil, ning on ka tekstikvaliteedilt tugev ja põnev.

Tsekkasin netis just reaalse 1959a sündmuse fotosid ja kurat, kõhe hakkas, tõsiselt! Juhtus siis mis juhtus aga need mustvalged pildid naeratavatest suusatajatest ning hiljem külmund laipadest ning lössis ja lõhkisest telgist....võehh...see pole teil mingi Bleeri nõid. Mulle meeldis ka tõik, et tekst ei jää mingiks ebamääraseks hämarulmeks ning Lovecraftlike arusaamatu, mõistetamatu ja koletu õuduse kirjelduste juurde tuuakse ka loogilisi ning füüsikast tulenevaid seletusi.

Ainuke mis tõmbab hindelt punni maha on lõpp - see väärastunud laborant maa-aluses laboris meenutas mulle kangesti Paradoks B nimelisest ajakirjast loetud 90nendate ulmejuttu Merivälja objektist ning see võttis kõvasti nii põnevust kui lahedust maha. Stseen sõjaväelastega lõpus oli ka autoril kuidagi kunstlikult imetud, justkui ideedepuuduse tõttu. Muidu aga meeldis väga.

[Richard Mendenhall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out slow, remained slow, sped up slightly before slowing down again.

Some books are hard to put once you start them. Daylong Pass was difficult to pick up once I put it down. I found it very tedious reading and only forged ahead because I was interested in the actual event. I kind of liked the author's presentation of a fictional what could have happened but by the time it was revealed I really didn't care. I just wanted to finish. Unfortunately, the ending was so unsatisfying that I felt I wasted a lot of time building up to almost a non-ending. Sometimes I had a difficult time remembering which characters were doing what in a particular chapter, and there were no characters that I cared anything about. I so much wanted to enjoy this book. Perhaps that is why I did not like it as much as I should have. The story had a good basis, interesting take and a cool sci-fi explanation that may have made my expectations too high. The bottom line: 3 stars because I was able to finish it and it had a good story, just too slow. It dragged and dragged until it got to a point where I thought we were finally getting somewhere as it picked up when it ran out of gas. Never was there any feeling of suspense, victory or defeat.

[Sheare Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting and enjoyable

Others might not give this such a high rating, but I have done a fair amount of reading on the actual Dyatlov tragedy. This is a very clever—and science fiction element aside—somewhat plausible ‘explanation’ for the tragedy. I grew up in the Cold War, and am familiar with the paranoia of the superpowers, the power of indoctrination—even the post war focus on the survival of the Russian state after the Nazi invasion—and this resonates very well with the reality. Kudos for a clever resolution to the mystery.

[Persy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am OBSESSED with the Dyatlov Pass incident and read pretty much anything I can find on it (fiction or non). Unfortunately, this was at the bottom of the barrel for content. Overall, just pretty boring and tried way too hard to sound intelligent.

[Mark King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. The ending got really heavy a little quicker than I like, but I would recommend this story to all who love scifi and fiction.

[Matīss Mintāls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a trash it's actually funny entertaining B-movie kind of story.

[Christopher Carrolli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan K. Baker is the best at combining non-fictional events with fiction. I discovered this after reading his book, “The Lighthouse Keeper.” Then, I went back to one of his earlier works, “Dyatlov Pass,” which is based off of a 1959 incident in which nine hikers met a brutal demise atop an Ural Mountain in Russia. No surprise—another masterpiece. Throughout the ensuing decades many speculated as to what could have caused such tragedy to the team of hikers. Everything from a Yeti attack, to an explosion, and to an escaped mental patient as the culprit was theorized. Baker allows us to imagine way more.

“Dyatlov Pass” begins as a man in police custody is referred to a psychiatrist. The man, Viktor Strugatsky, was held after his hiking party went up to the same mountain to investigate the 1959 Dyatlov Pass incident, and they all died of gunshot wounds. Viktor was the only survivor. He tells the doctor his story and the doctor relates it to the reader in a fictional format. Viktor was a reporter for a local newspaper when he was assigned a story on the 1959 incident. At issue was the fact that none of the government’s findings about the cause of the tragedy were believable. Viktor is assigned the duty to at least find another plausible explanation for what happened.

When Viktor’s story in spelled out, the book is a fast-paced thriller and reads like a Steigg Larsson “Millennium” novel. It is page-turning, engulfing, and always prompting the reader to find out more. Someone has been leaving Viktor clues, an old man who once worked for the KGB. The clues lead to possibilities about the Russian space program and the launching of Sputnik 1, which coincided with the time frame of the incident.

Viktor enlists the help of an old friend; a photographer, and an archivist who remembers the incident. He gathers a party of five, including himself, and they venture up to what is nicknamed Death Mountain. They are stalked by a gunman who reveals himself late at night. Could he be from the government, the Space Program, The KGB? Viktor is the only one to barely escape.

The mystery ties back to the father of a police detective, who was once an astronaut and died in the course of a voyage. He was enlisted in a mission prior to Sputnik, one that failed. That failure ended in a catastrophe that most likely caused the deaths of the original nine hikers. It all leads back to a government cover-up and now Viktor is a target.

Dyatlov Pass is a great thriller and provides an interesting theory as to the cause of the 1959 incident. It is unforgettable work by Alan K. Baker and a must read for anyone with interest in this event in history.

[Wulfwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me awhile to read, partly due to illness and partly due to it being slow. For me, it was slow going for the first half then it sped up a little. It was an interesting mix of fact and fiction.
Dyatlov Pass and what happened to the nine hikers, (7 men, 2 women), stays with me. Is this book horror? Only in the deaths of these people. They died terrified and painfully. That really happened so it is always hard for me to read about. But it is also they way they died and the way they were found that haunts me and makes me want to know what happened to them. It has remained a mystery though there are thoughts about it, (if you haven’t heard of this, please go look it up. It’s worth it.)
In this book we have Viktor, a reporter who starts looking into it as a last chance for coming up with a story good enough for him to keep his job. In his investigation, we see how the Russian Government keeps it shrouded in mystery. I’m not going to go into everything because you wouldn’t need to read the book. I’m old enough to have been taught, in history classes, about the Cold War, Russian spies and the fear of the Russian government by the people of Russia. The book plays into that and also has a science fiction bend to it. For me, the book is a blend of mystery and science fiction rather than horror or thriller. I enjoyed the second half much better than the first half.
If you are looking for an explanation that is not sci-fi based, you won’t find it here. If you like sci-fi and government conspiracy, this is for you. I didn’t buy into the explanation, (and I do think something in the sci-fi realm could be possible. I don’t know why we think we may be the life out there.). I’m not sure why but nope. It is fiction though so you really don’t need to accept that explanation to enjoy the book. It certainly gives you something to think about. I’m not sorry I read this. It took me awhile but I did enjoy parts of it. I’m not terribly big on either espionage mysteries or sci-fi genres so please take that into consideration. I’m actually giving this 3.5 stars but I’m rounding up to 4 because if those were my genres, I might have liked it more.
I read this through the Kindle Unlimited program.

[Kate Ap ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ця книга заснована на реальних подіях, які дотепер нерозгадані та досі не дають спокою тисячам небайдужих.

57 років тому, у лютому 1959 року, група туристів під керівництвом Ігоря Дятлова загинула при нез'ясованих обставинах в горах Північного Уралу. Не дивлячись на те, що загибель туристів у горах – явище не унікальне, загибель цієї тургрупи стала унікальною подією, яка змушує дослідників, журналістів, політиків та й простих людей досі битися у здогадках – що ж сталося тієї холодної лютневої ночі.

23 січня 1959 група з дев'яти досвідчених лижних туристів відправилася у лижний похід горами. Через тиждень, 1 лютого, група зупинилася на схилі гори Холатчахль (у перекладі з мови Мансі – Гора Мерців). До 12 лютого вони повинні були повернутися до цивілізації та вийти на зв'язок, але аж до 17 лютого туристи не давали про себе знати і з походу не поверталися.

Згодом пошукова група знайшла покинутий намет і 9 трупів неподалік від нього. Слідство встановило, що серед ночі вони з незрозумілих причин розрізали намет і втекли в ліс без верхнього одягу і взуття, дехто з босими ногами та напівоголений. Щось настільки злякало туристів, що вони навіть не думали відкрити намет звичним шляхом, він був розрізаний ножем із середини. Шестеро померли від переохолодження, а у трьох виявили смертельні травми. Причини трагедії так і не були з'ясовані, а розслідування ретельно засекретили.
Покинувши намет, дятлівці продовжували боротися за своє життя, але до намету не поверталися, вони намагалися розвести багаття та зігрітися, а коли перші з них померли – інші знімали з них одях, щоб зігрітися.

Намет і всі речі, які в ньому знаходились, залишились цілими.

Ця історія залишається нерозгаданою. Існує десятки версій подій, які відбулися тієї злощасної ночі. Та що ж сталося насправді – невідомо. До речі, є ціла купа справжніх знімків, які видобули з фотоапарату дятлівців та сотні офіційних документів, в яких цікаво покопатися.

Сама ж книга Алана Бейкера – це вільна фантазія автора на тему "Що ж могло статися з тургрупою Дятлова?".

Цим питанням переймається кожен, хто дізнається про цю трагічну історію.

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dyatlov Pass incident is a tragic mystery that has stumped and haunted the world for more than sixty years. In 1959, a group of nine hikers went on an expedition into the Ural mountains of Russia and were never seen alive again... Their bodies were later found, with evidence that six of them had succumbed to hypothermia and that the remaining three had died of physical trauma, of which no one has ever been able to determine a cause. To add to the mystery, there was evidence that the hikers had hurriedly used a knife to cut themselves out of their tent and had emerged from their tent clad in just their underwear, as if they had awakened from sleep and immediately ran for their lives from whatever unexpected danger presented itself in the isolated, frozen mountain terrain.

Alan K. Baker's Dyatlov Pass tells the true, mysterious story of the Dyatlov expedition crew, but then also infuses that true story with a fictional one. The result is a work of science fiction, suspense, and a deep, dark government conspiracy (courtesy of the KGB). This was very interesting and extremely convincing.. So much so that I had to remind myself a few times that the journalist investigating the Dyatlov Pass incident was a fictional character and that the conspiratorial, extraterrestrial-type aspects were make-believe as well. Whew. I mean, with Russia I feel like anything is possible, right?!

This was an interesting one that definitely got me thinking.
☆☆☆

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might not be intended as a Lovecraftian novel, but the way it is written, and the way the horrible aspects present itself (and are neither explained nor really given as being explainable), it certainly proves to be much closer to the idea (or ideals) of Lovecraftian Horror - the mystery, the drive to get to the bottom of it by the protagonists, the utterly alien aspects of the "revelations". And the latter certainly much more so than in many other so-called "Lovecraftian Horror" novels, with their overused massive or monstrous beings (including the oh-so-boring tentacle bonanza it most often turns out to be).
The story is well-written, the narrative fascinating, and the characters believable and relatable. I certainly did not understand all of it - especially the Physics aspects (although I am under the impression that quite a bit of it is pseudo-babble, embellishment or flat-out invention), but it made for a compelling framework of the alien aspects.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Dm. Riabichenko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Полкниги, если не больше, идёт вступление, введение в обстоятельства. Потом вроде как некоторое действие начинается, но это всё ещё раскачка. Всё в книге не столько происходит, сколько обещает, что многое, многое ещё произойдёт. Одно имя В. Стругацкий (мы же все сразу достраиваем его в линию "А. и Б. Стругацкие", правда?) как интригует. Спойлер: нет там никакой связи-общности. А потом наступает кульминация и она же развязка, в сумме страниц на пять или десять. Нам с ясностью полицейского протокола (ну ладно, журналистского репортажа — но не расследования!) называют, чем кончилась сама экспедиция, но ни слова нет ни про содержание увиденного, ни про предысторию, ни про будущее, ни про будущее героев, ни даже про переживания героев. Не говоря уж о развитии персонажей. Несколько эмоций — все зашкаливающей интенсивности, но с весьма сомнительной обоснованностью, и всё, конец. Какой-то школьный театр. Жалею, что она мне попалась.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on what happened at Dyatlov Pass

3.5 ⭐️ The first half of this book was pretty slow, however it was still very readable and compelling. I enjoyed the writing style. The alternating of using first and last names and POV changes was confusing at times but not so much it hindered my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed that this book blended so much fact with fiction, it made the stakes feel much more real. I was wondering if it would take the paranormal route or extraterrestrial route for its explanation of the events, and I will say the final reveal wasn’t as mind blowing or climatic as I wanted but it was still satisfying. If you are interested in the real life mystery of Dyatlov Pass, I’d say give this a shot. Definitely made me want to dive back in to the facts and try come up with my own theory of what happened.

[Tony Entrekin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow Beginning, Chilling Ending

The Dyatlov Pass Incident has fascinated me for years , and this speculative novel devises a literally out-of-this-world explanation for the events. Getting to that explanation takes longer than it probably should as the author spends quite a bit of the book on recounting the known facts as well as various explanations that have arisen over the years. The pace and suspense eventually pick up leading to a compelling explanation that borders on cosmic horror (I don't want to say Lovecraftian. Seems to give him too much credit.). Recommended reading for those interested in the event or similar mysteries. Overall an entertaining read.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minor spoilers

“What’s the point of transmitting a message when you don’t know what it means?”

Even after implementing various Soviet political movements such as Glasnost and Perestroika, and Russia’s ultimate reunification, the fatal events surrounding Dyatlov Pass and the trekkers who perished in 1959 will always remain a mystery.

But Alan K. Baker has a fictional take on the infamous tragedy. The story is rather bizarre, really; it concerns a few strange elements-Slavic mythology, the Vostok-1 space flight, and ex-KGB spies to name a few. It was actually pretty sweet.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the winter of 1959 in the Russian Ural Mountains an unsolved mystery occurred, which haunts authorities to this day. A group of nine friends, on a skiing trip, died. Some of them suffered from hypothermia, having left their tents to endure the bitter winter cold without any winter apparel. Others suffered strange and unexplained injuries. To this day, the mystery remains unsolved. In this book, Alan Baker proposes a fictional and exciting solution to the mystery. I could not put down this book!

[Gene Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-Paced Exploration of a Classic Mystery

Alan K Baker has written a fact-based, engaging thriller using the Dyatlov Incident as a focal point. Grounded people in realistic settings doing plausible investigations start the plot, keep it fast, and crank up suspense with action leading to a solution that satisfies the reader. Could not stop reading. Strongly recommended. / Gene Stewart