Dead Ringers (Christopher Golden)

I gave Christopher Golden's Snowblind an average rating a few years ago, saying that it was very reminiscent of Stephen King, so if you're a King fan, you'll probably really like it. While I didn't love his newest, Dead Ringers, Golden really threw me for a loop on the last page, which raised his rating by a full point.

It all begins with Tess Devlin running into her ex, Nick, on a city street. But Nick completely ignores her, and when she contacts him to yell about it, Nick swears that wasn't him since he's in another state. Seeing their "doubles" begins to happen to a lot of people she knows (including herself), and they begin to realize the connection they all have. Why are these imitators out there, what do they want with them, and most importantly, how can they stop the malice they bring from ruining (or ending) their lives?

Just as in Snowblind, parts of Dead Ringers do border on the ridiculous. I realize that this is not the most realistic story, but King's gift is that he can make it SEEM like what he writes can actually happen. However, Golden's plot is well developed and parts of Dead Ringers are really suspenseful. So if you can suspend your disbelief just a little, he'll take you on a scary ride.

MY RATING - 3

Snowblind (Christopher Golden)

Christopher Golden's Snowblind is an odd combination of a can't-put-it-down-book and roll-my-eyes-did-that-really-happen novel. My rating kept changing as I read, moving on a sliding scale from a 5 to a 3. It's very reminiscent of Stephen King, so if you're a King fan, you’ll probably really like Snowblind. However, there are parts of it that are just so ridiculous that you might find yourself shaking your head.

In the small New England town of Coventry, strange things happen when blizzards come. Long ago on the night of one of the worst storms, a bunch of people died in very strange ways. Fast forward to present day, and the survivors of that night (many relatives of those deceased) must hunker down to face another approaching snowstorm, all the while not knowing what really did happen to their loved ones.

I did not mention any characters for a reason. That's because there are a LOT of them, and none of them are particularly memorable. The plot is the star here, and as I said, there are times you won't be able to put this book down. But the last third of the book is really ridiculous, which unfortunately knocked the rating down a few pegs.

MY RATING - 3