Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This book has a great premise: two men are traveling a desolate road in Siberia to try to create a documentary--something they hope to be a huge hit and turn their fortunes around. The reason they choose this dangerously frigid and lonely place is supposedly to chase down ghost stories surrounding the Kolyma Highway, a road built on the bones of the many, many men who died working there while prisoners of Stalin's gulag. The main character in particular is looking for evidence--or not--of spirits after spending a lifetime plagued by guilt over the death of his little sister.

This sounded incredibly good to me--ghosts, atmosphere, personal character trying to make good on his last chance. I love a good ghost story. But yet . . . the plot took a turn away from what I had expected and went into different supernatural direction. The atmosphere was well crafted--the cold the characters feel seeps into the reader's bones and makes you feel like you are there, too. And at least at first, the sense of menace and foreboding pulled me in. But there are types of horror that just don't do it for me, and this was one such type.

I think that there is absolutely an audience for this book--it just wasn't me. If you go into this one knowing that it doesn't really become a ghost story, that this narrative instead journeys into the realm of the supra-natural, folklore, and (maybe) demons, then you might very well enjoy this one.

I DNF this one; I could not get into it, sadly. I tried to read it multiple times, but found myself putting it down to read something else instead. Thank you so much for allowing me the opp to read it, though!

"Road of Bones" by Christopher Golden is a gripping and adrenaline-pumping thriller that takes readers on a harrowing journey into the heart of darkness. With its compelling characters, relentless suspense, and a touch of the supernatural, this novel is an enthralling read from start to finish.

The story revolves around a group of characters who embark on a treacherous road trip to rescue a kidnapped child. Golden skillfully crafts a narrative that balances heart-pounding action with moments of deep emotional connection. The characters are complex and relatable, each wrestling with their own demons, which adds depth and authenticity to the story.

Sadly I DNFd this one, but would still recommend it. I went in expecting a creepy, well set thriller and as just met with a ton of dialogue and nothing happening.

I'll still read from this author though.

Once again Golden does it! I just love his writing and as I said in a previous review, he's slowly becoming a must-buy author for me and there aren't many! I recommend.

This was a wonderfully creepy read. It definitely was a horrific adventure and I could feel the chill as I read it.

The characters were fantastic and the story itself creepy!

Can't wait to read the author again!

ROAD OF BONES – by Christopher Golden

The Road of Bones, the title of Golden’s supernatural tale and setting of the book, is an actual location that runs twelve hundred miles through the heart of Siberia—from Magadan to Yakutsk—known as Kolyma Highway; it is a massive graveyard for hundreds of thousands of Soviet Union gulag prisoners who were worked to death, their bodies left where they dropped and plowed beneath the road.

I am a huge fan of Supernatural and Survival stories, so after seeing the awesome cover (Yes, Please, And Thank You!), coupled with some historical facts surrounding the setting, I knew I needed to read this book! Also, I Love the Siberian Mythology in this one.

The story centers around documentarian Felix Teigland (Teig) and his cameraman John Prentiss, who are currently traveling the highway for a new series, Life and Death on the Road of Bones, hoping to interview locals along the way as they make their way to the small town of Akhust—known as the coldest place on Earth—to meet up with their guide for the trip, Kaskil.

However, when they reach the town, the only person they find is nine-year-old Una—and otherworldly beasts.

‘[P]eace could be found here, at the edge of true wilderness. But the trouble with living so far from other people was that when danger appeared, there was no one there to help.’

Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an eBook of ROAD OF BONES at the request of an honest review.

Twisty, supernatural, and filled with tension! Christopher Golden continues to be a fantastic writer, drawing the reader into intense situations as they spiral out of control. Road of Bones kept me up reading late into the night and leaving the light on.

I will say that this book was very hard to put down. So much action and horror and death building up to... a kind of confusing ending, at least for me. I was very interested and all on board with the Road of Bones that Teig and Prentiss were driving down. Then it went on a weird tangent with the village people going missing but it was still very intriguing and I was willing to go with it, hoping it would all tie together. Then in pops Ludmilla (bringing the horror of the dead buried in the road). I wish there had been more about the road, but I don't think Ludmilla meshed well the rest of the story. It seemed like it would have been better as a separate story than with the wolves and forest spirits/shaman. It was all very exciting though, especially with Teig's choices (which were not always smart ones) but the ending was weird, creepy but weird.. Still a good horror story that kept me on my toes and so cold...so very very cold! I don't think I have ever felt so cold reading a book. I know I definitely don't want to have to deal with those temps.

Fantastic spooky read. Had me at the edge of my seat. I should’ve not read it at night lol couldn’t sleep after. Definitely worth it tho!!

In this supernatural thriller we follow Teig a documentary filmmaker who comes up with the idea to head to Siberia to make a documentary about the Road Of Bones this Highway is said to hold the bones of the workers who helped build it. ⁣
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I do have to say that the Road of Bones is truly a terrifying tale. One that will leave a chill in your bones. I really wanted to love this one but I just felt like I didn’t connect with the story as much as I wanted to.

A documentary producer, Teig, takes his partner, Prentiss, to the area in Russia known as the Road of Bones and the prisoner gulags of Stalin’s time. One of the coldest places on earth. The two travel and meet the guide then continue on traveling the road of bones. They reach the community where the guide is from and find abandoned homes and bare footprints leading out of doors into the snow. The guide’s niece is catatonic from what she’s seen. The group sees movement in the trees and are soon attacked. Large wolves kill the guide, injure Prentiss and chase the truck the men are escaping in with the niece and a woman whose SUV broke down on the road. They reach the small community where they’d eaten earlier and enter the same building as the wolves come closer. More injuries and more people either die or slowly transform into antler people. The few survivors bargain with the supernatural leader, the parnee, to save the rest. Cold, spooky and dangerous. 3.5 stars!

Russian history mixed with the supernatural!

This book was incredibly atmospheric right from the beginning, with the infamous "Road of Bones" taking center stage, and in winter no less, with the author's vivid description of the harsh, freezing temperatures really putting you in place. I could practically feel my fingers freezing along with the characters' as he described temperatures cold enough to freeze fuel lines in less than a minute. And the vivid descriptions also extend to the thrills and chills too, trust me!

The descriptions of the creepy element in the book are vivid, gory and quite frightening. And once things get started, they don't let up. I couldn't stop reading once the action really started. And the author delivered, with nonstop action, after having set-up a super creepy atmosphere in the first part of the book. The pay-off was great.

And the ending was something else. A little weird, I have to say. A little Stephen King, paranormal-weirdo, which is. why I couldn't go with five stars. I'm not necessarily into that stuff, but I have to say, it was unique, and I appreciate that.

Plus, I got to learn about the Yakut people who inhabit this section of Siberia and whose culture I did not know anything about. That was interesting.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to people who enjoy the horror genre, specifically in the vein of Stephen King. It was a great journey that I loved taking along the Road of Bones.

Loved the creepy atmosphere and setting. I’m a sucker for history and loved that they were sprinkled throughout. Pick it up.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

3.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

Documentary producer Felix Teigland is so intrigued with the history of Siberia’s Kolyma Highway, the Road of Bones, that he convinces his friend, Jack Prentiss, to invest in his new series about it. Traveling to the coldest place on Earth is no picnic though and if the cold doesn’t kill them, something out there in the wilderness, something unnatural, just might.

I normally love Christopher Golden’s books, but this was a bit of a miss for me. The setting is perfect, the plot engaging, and the characters are wonderful. However, the supernatural stuff just fell flat for me. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it was a bit too way out there. Too much to suspend belief and just go with it? That could be it. The ghosts I believed 100%. It’s the other stuff that’s just meh for me. Don’t let my experience deter you though. This is a chilling horror tale set in a place that’s, well, chilling. The setting alone gave me the creeps. Yikes. Pick this up and give it a whirl.

There was an awful lot of hype around this book and i think that might have worked against it as my expectations were very high going into this and the story just didn't meet them. The story also wasn't what i expected and i think that threw me also.

What a ride! I loved the creepy atmosphere built in this novel. It was the perfect setting. The bits and pieces of history sprinkled in made things evermore terrifying as the novel drew to the climax. Loved it!

ROAD OF BONES
CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN


Teig is on the ROAD OF BONES aka Kolyma Highway, a snow laden highway in Siberia to prove himself on a supernatural ghost hunt.

What he found was something much more.

What I found was a very masculine supernatural thriller that couldn’t decide if it wanted to be philosophical or horrifying.

It was amusingly both.

At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to warm up to this frigid atmosphere created by the author.

There is a separation between the narrator and reader and that with the setting and the characters led to it taking me a long time to find my place with it.

But then around the halfway mark I started to appreciate the parameters set forth earlier in the book.

I especially enjoyed the folklore aspects and allegorical ending. Some part of me would’ve liked a little more of these aspects.

But overall, I thought this was a fun way to spend a few afternoons.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copies!



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden is perfect: tense, frightening, claustrophobic, atmospheric, witty, heart pounding, engaging, and intriguing. I was holding my breath through most of it without even realizing it. Check this one out!

One of the most immersive, atmospheric books when it comes to actually feeling freezing cold while you read it. Gives new meaning to "thrills & chills*. One of my favorite tropes ala "Last Days" by Adam Nevill, a couple of guys making a documentary wind up getting more involved in the research than they initially plan on.
Tieg and his best friend are in Siberia to cover a legend called Road of Bones. They have a near-death experience in the freezing elements and find themselves in an uninhabited village where they learn that the townspeople have all fled to the forest. This is when both the protagonists and the reader realize things will only get worse for the duration of the novel and it is sublime!
Golden is a fantastic storyteller. I absolutely loved his novel RED HANDS from 2020. Will read all his books.