Snow Angels

Snow Angels #0

by Jeff Lemire

Life in the Trench is harsh but simple—until a young girl braves an unknown path in a bracing coming-of-age short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Sweet Tooth and the Gideon Falls comics.

Born into a small, sheltered community on a hostile ice planet, Milliken was raised to believe that the Trench provides for those who huddle beneath its massive walls—and that those walls stretch to infinity. But venturing into the wilds beyond the village is a rite of passage she’s longed for. To push into utterly forbidden territory is to make a discovery that will forever change how Milliken sees her home, her family, and her future.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Dystopia, Graphic Novels

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2021

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Lemire's short story is set on a small ice planet, a coming of age story, in which young almost 13 year old girl, Milliken, lives with her younger sister, Mae, and father live in a small village, her mother is dead. It is the morning after the Winter Feast when Milliken wakes up early in their ice cave in the side of the Trench to hunt for a trenchdog. She is breaking the rules, but feels the desperate need to prove herself. There are 3 Trench rules that the community must follow, never leave the trench, the trench provides and the trench is endless, trying to find the end will bring only madness. Milliken's journey bring fear and unexpected discoveries that are to challenge all that she has been brought up to believe. Many thanks to Amazon Original Stories for an ARC.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had already read (and liked) a couple of Jeff Lemire’s graphic novels. But this is the first time I saw him doing prose.

The setting is interesting, but not particularly original, nor imaginative. The main protagonist is a twelve-year-old girl that was born on an Ice Planet where she lives in a Trench together with her father, her younger sister, and the rest of their sheltered community. There are rules you are supposed to follow, like not to wander outside of the trench, or else the Snowman is coming to get you. Unsurprisingly, curiosity wins another round of this.

The worldbuilding and Lemire’s prose are fine, without ever reaching a level where they are anything more than just that. The plot is somewhat predictable but had its moments.

Did this short story make me want to read more of this? (apparently there’s a new comic book series coming) Well, not necessarily. The setting and the author’s previous body of work make this project interesting for me anyway. The story did nothing to enhance or diminish that feeling.

Not great, not bad. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeff Lemire writes a short sci-fi story, that isn't much of anything. I'm a bit surprised to see this show up in the adult fiction section, as it reads as run of the mill children's literature - in this case that means short sentences, writing focused on action, low on description, low on liveliness. The prose is kind of dull.

The sci-fi story itself is something you'll have read countless times before. Nothing surprising happens, in fact the story ends at the point where it could've actually become interesting (perhaps this is a lead up to a novel?). (I'm also not sure whether the story actually makes sense, but I can't go into that without spoilers.)

It's all a bit disappointing.

(Picked up an ARC through NetGalley)

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I read the first issue of this before I knew there was even a short story, so being able to visualize things was helpful since Lemire isn't the greatest at description. You do get a lot more info in this prequel of sorts than the comic though, so I do appreciate having that because the story in the comic is much sparser. I mean, I've only read one issue so I don't expect or want info dumps, but you really don't have any idea of what's going on or where things will go - this story at least helped a little with that.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little, prose, teaser story set in the world of Lemire's new Snow Angels comic drawn by Jock. It's decently done even if it does follow a lot of sci-fi tropes. It's about a village located in a deep trench on an ice planet.

Received a review copy from Amazon Originals and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Alex Sarll]

The first prose of any length I've read from Lemire, not that it's exactly long. Clearly it ties into his new comic of the same name, with Jock both illustrating that and supplying the cover here; equally clearly, its arrival on Netgalley was perfect timing for me, given this is the first time London has had multiple days of snow in, what, a decade? Beyond that, though, I'm not clear on how the two will fit together, having only read the comic's brief #0, which was more of a taster than anything else. Both follow Milliken, a girl who lives a hunter-gatherer life with her sister and father in the Trench, which is exactly what it sounds like – a slightly more hospitable refuge running through a wasteland of snow and ice. And you must never, ever leave the Trench. Even from that summary, anyone with the least experience of SF has probably worked out the reveal behind this primitive society, and lo and behold, the story delivers it. I can only presume this will turn out to be prequel, because the reveal was hardly a revelation first time out, so if the comic goes over the same territory again at any length, that's going to be a right old slog. And while these cross-platform experiences seem to be all the rage lately, The High Republic and Time Lord Victorious both have bigger IP at their back and vastly greater range within their settings, not to mention their creators. Speaking of which, based on this sample Lemire isn't exactly the most distinctive prose stylist ever. Still, the story's evocation of living a hugely restricted and repetitive life among the whiteness and cold was relatable enough to just about carry this through for now.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty good coming-of-age short story set on an ice planet. The world building was good and made me want to know more. I would have liked to see more about the people and see some more character development, though. This might possibly work better as a novella, but probably not as a full-length novel.

[Simoné Eloff · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Let me just start this off by saying I'm loving this Amazon Original Stories kick that the publisher and Netgalley are allowing me to be on. Of the three I've read so far, not even one has been a miss. And that's really something coming from a person who historically does not enjoy short stories! I've read so many good short stories in the last year that I feel I'm nearing the point where I can't in good faith say I don't like them anymore. How bizarre.

Snow Angels was good. The writing's brief and punchy and the world building is absolutely on point. However, the tiny details that show the MC's journey from being a scrappy 12-year old to a disenfranchised yet hopeful young adult in just around 20 pages are what make this story shine.

One thing overall that bothered me was that this has the potential to be a full-length novel. With both of the previous Amazon shorts, I felt like I was content with wrapping up the stories and the worlds I got to visit over the few pages, but that didn't happen here. That's not a bad thing, but I was left feeling like I should go onto Amazon and buy the full-length follow-up immediately, just so I can keep losing myself in this world a little longer, but this is obviously not possible. Here's to hoping Lemire considers this option in the future!

Edit (like 5 mins later): Just discovered that the Comixology Original of Snow Angels drops today. Touché, Mr. Lemire, touché. Count me in.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story!

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. I already read all of the comics for this series and this has everything but also nothing to do with the comics. It's not mentioned at all in the comics. So it's like a prequel but not because it doesn't *quite* fit the same narrative as the comics. Milliken knows more in this than she does in the comics.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd originally been putting off reading this, because I thought it was the prose version of what the Snow Angels comic series from Lemire and Jock would be. After not being that thrilled with the first issue of the series, I decided to give this a go anyway because I wasn't too concerned about spoilers.

It's not actually the same story. It's about one of the characters from the comic, but is really more of an adjacent semi-prequel short story. I wasn't that impressed with this either. I do feel like I understand the world a bit better but nothing really happens in this short story. After one issue of the comic and this short story, I'm not that convinced it's a world I care that much about exploring further.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Lemire writes prose here for the first time that I'm aware of. What made more sense was to find that there is a comic version of this story, and it is an Issue Zero of what I guess is hoped to be a full title to come. Our teenaged heroine leaves her home early one morning, and dares skate much further along the bottom of the crevasse in the ice the community lives within – and finds, well, that would be telling. The whole comic – not just this one-shot prose extract – is clearly intended to be about the mysterious world in the Trench, and how the people like our gal got to be there. As it is, then, this is a decent 'origin story' for her inquisitiveness, but as a stand-alone it's not much cop. It has a good scene-setting, inasmuch as you can picture the peculiar location, it has some mystery, but it also has that old-hat obfuscation, or whatever you want to call it, where the blind man meets the elephant. You know the kind of thing, where (par example) the monkey rides a horse past a buried lump of metal and only later do we get to see what the lump once looked like when standing in New York harbour. How he managed that in the comic book version I'm yet to discover. But I don't think this short piece is going to inspire people to rush to find out, unfortunately.

[April B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Jeff Lemire for the opportunity to read the eARC of Snow Angels!

I loved this short story! Millikin is almost 13 and craves adventure to find out what is beyond the small village in the ice surrounded trench she grew up in. When going out to hunt a trenchdog to bring back to the village to prove her toughness, she sets her sights on the bend, a forbidden place to her until she turns 16. Milliken has other ideas and what she discovers changes her world forever! A coming of age story you don't want to miss!

I post my review on Netgalley, Goodreads and Amazon!

[Jaime Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting start to something bigger, I hope.

Fun story. Well written. Wouldnt mind reading more by this author; even more of this story. Felt a bit like I was reading a trailer for a movie. I'd love to read the actual feature.

[Daly]

Maybe like 4 stars. It's too short... left me wanting more. I can't wait for the 2nd vol. So I can put my thoughts together and be able to give it a proper rate + review.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. But it’s really only a tease, perhaps, of something much larger.

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read short stories or novellas anymore, and when Comixology recommended the comicbook series the summary included a recommendation to read this short story before diving in the series. I really liked it for its pace and true to its form, we tend to want to have something quick nowadays. I am going to read the 10-part limited series, hope there is something similar to this out there.

ps: felt like WOOL by Hugh Howey

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Milliken is a teenage girl living a primitive life with her tribe within the trench, a large chasm dug into unending ice-covered terrain stuck between unscalable walls. Her tribe hunts, feeds, defends, lather, rinse, repeat. But Milliken wants to contribute more. Early one morning, she sneaks off to hunt one of the large ice cats that stall their encampment. If she can catch one, she will gain the respect of her tribal elders and her father. But she must be careful, not only must she avoid death at the claws of the cats and the unyielding cold weather, but there is also the threat that she might be visited by a fabled Snow Angel that punishes children harshly for not heeding the word of their elders. But she’s determined to make good on her vow to herself. What she discovers during her hunt, though, is nothing like what she ever expected.

A good short story that either served as the inspiration for a comic book series by Lemire and artist Jock or vice versa. I can’t tell since they all have roughly the same publication date. There are parts of me that think this story could have been fleshed out more and other parts that think it’s pretty perfect especially since there’s a comic series that I assume supplements it instead of retells it visually. I’ll have to find out.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This strictly my review and my opinion of the book

25 pages.......Snow Angels has a total of 25 pages but it's a captivating and interesting read.

A community that lives together within the trenches where they are provided with everything they need to survive. The children are taught the three rules for the living in the Trench and believe that a Snowman will come to get them if they break these rules.

To journey out past the village is something that young Milliken has dreamed of and one day she decides to sneak out and take the journey. But this journey will change her in more ways then one.

This was a quick, fast paced read. It was enjoyable and I would love to read more about Milliken.

[Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Jeff Lemire's comics, particularly Descender/Ascender. I decided to try this short story out before I read the Snow Angels comic. This is a very short story, but it manages to provide a surprising amount of world-building and character development. I enjoyed this sample of the Trench, for what it is. There is a twist at the end, which will either pique your interest or come across as derivative of other science fiction stories. It's hard to say because the comics aren't complete. So far, I'm enjoying the story, but I'll update this review of the ending of the comic prompts me to revise my opinion of this story.

[NOTE: I received a copy of this short story from the publisher in exchange for an honest review]

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of dystopian novels and this one was especially enjoyable. Imagine, if you can being born into a cold world where the only part of sky you can see is through a small area in the ice above you. When you die, your body is committed into the water under the ice.

Hunting for algae and hunting animals for food are permitted but only in certain areas. On the day this story takes place, a young girl, Milligan, wakes with a determination to go far afield and even perhaps into territory not allowed to bring back a big trenchdog for food.

When she does go into the forbidden area, she finds things that disturb her and cause a change to her belief system. There is a lot packed into this very short story. Well done!

[Megan Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This coming of age dystopian sci-fi short promotes the graphic novel series. The worldbuilding and prose are fine but don’t deviate much from common tropes. As a prequel character development and story revelations are limited to avoid spoilers as well.
* _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Summary: Twelve-year-old Milliken awakens early after festival day to steal into the hunting grounds. She tells the scout she is gathering plants in the scrub, but journeys past the Gift statute to catch a large Trench Dog. What she discovers, however, is that her parents lied about the origins of their village.

[MELISSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tantalizing short story - maybe the first of a series of stories? I deduce this as a series since the title notes this as #1. Grin. The descriptors in the story provide a sense of primitive survival of a small group of people in somewhat Arctic conditions. An almost thirteen-year-old girl sneaks off to go hunting on her own in a bit of a dangerous outdoor world. What she finds brings surprising knowledge. No more summary as spoilers would follow. Well written and with a desire left in me to look for more stories by this author hopefully continuing with story #2.

[David Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

This is the first prose story by Jeff Lemire I've read. I've taken in a ton of his comic and graphic novel works. This story is about a girl on the edge of growing up, who wants to prove herself in the outside world. We're on an ice world (planet? Continent? Can't tell for sure) and she goes out of The Trench to hunt. She encounters what looks like heavy machinery, but it's also maybe alive?

Strange but quick read.

Looks like it might be a comic series too, I think I'll check that out too.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big Lemire fan so I was excited to dive into Snow Angels. My understanding is that this short story is a companion piece to a new comic series of the same name, and Snow Angels got me excited for the series! The story starts off a bit slow but quickly picks up with a bit of a mystery and ends on a cliffhanger. The writing was a bit choppy and read a bit YA, but the plot was interesting enough that it didn't bother me too much.

[Chivonne Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I've read a short story, but I really liked this one.

There wasn't a lot of dialogue which made for a great opportunity for worldbuilding. I wouldn't have picked this up on my own but it was free on amazon so I gave it a try. I'm glad I did. It's not the genre that I typically read. I went into it blind and I was pleasantly surprised.

4.5/5 Stars because the ending was predictable.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

NIFTY WRITING

As a stepping stone into the Snow Angels anthology, this was never meant to be a stand-alone story, so I shan’t review it as one. The setting, pace, main characters, and the method of intrigue and suspense are all neatly packaged here, ready for more to be realised as the story continues in the comics. It’s an incredible achievement in just 26 pages, leaving me itching to crack on with the first season

[slashyrogue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow this was extremely boring. I kept hoping it would get better but it just turned from a snowy dystopian story about a girl named Milliken into a weird scifi thing that went nowhere.

I see it was a short comic first. Maybe the story just didn’t translate. Not recommended.

I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ice filled morning adventure.

This was a whole lot of fun. Young protagonist awakes to head for a morning hunt. The icy nature of the world environment is a very much a character in the story. A beautiful short story that gets me excited to jump on the comic books series. Thanks.

[Jeff Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, evocative short story

This was immediately easy reading, something I don't find from very many authors in a short story. The young girl in the story is out to prove herself on a lone hunt, but instead finds some truth and a mystery she wasn't expecting. Nothing is resolved, but it's a great start and leaves a sense of anticipation for the rest of the story.