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jacqueshol's review
3.0
Warning: Minor spoilers. I have read two of Rick Chester's books and have been frustrated by both. Both books promised so much and headed in the right direction, only to fizzle out forward the end. For example, Guardians of Atlantis was a good story, but hardly involved Atlantis. The Yeti was the same. The book probably had 5% Yeti, and the balance was a story of people's challenges on climbing Everest. In a way, I feel cheated. The titles and summaries of Rick Chester's books feel like click-bait. It is presented in such a way to attract a wider audience, but is very narrow and conservative in actual storytelling.
In The Yeti, the author seemed unsure where to go with the story. I got a feeling that he was in two minds on whether to validate the yeti's existence. Even the end was so politically correct (the protagonist's decision to reveal or not), that it felt like a cop-out.
Is a shame as both had great potential, but in the end it just doesn't deliver for me. I've purchased another of Chester's books, Hotel Megalodon, but if it does not live upto expectation, it will be my last.
In The Yeti, the author seemed unsure where to go with the story. I got a feeling that he was in two minds on whether to validate the yeti's existence. Even the end was so politically correct (the protagonist's decision to reveal or not), that it felt like a cop-out.
Is a shame as both had great potential, but in the end it just doesn't deliver for me. I've purchased another of Chester's books, Hotel Megalodon, but if it does not live upto expectation, it will be my last.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Zack and Nadia were planning a trip to climb Mount Everest, something Nadia had always dreamed of doing. When she is killed in a car accident, Zack is persuaded by a friend to honour her memory by taking her ashes to Everest. Once there, team leader Ian persuades him to try to climb the mountain rather than just asking a Sherpa to take her ashes up to the summit as he had originally planned. Being around the other climbers persuades Zack to at least give it a try. As they trek to the mountain, Sherpas become unsettled by the mutilation of yaks outside their accomodation and are convinced that a Yeti is stalking them. but it is only when they are alone on Everest in the blizzard conditions that Zack realises what is out there waiting...
I have always had an interest in books about Everest, reading a lot of non fiction mountain climbing accounts and watching lots of documentaries about it. This is part of the reason that I enjoyed the book so much. The setting felt familiar to me, and it was easy to see in my mind where they were trekking through to get to Base Camp, the details of the Monastery where Zack goes to get a blessing from the monks for a safe climb, the tent city of Base Camp and then the landmarks on Everest itself. It made it easy to imagine everything that was happening. I've also always been interested in the Yeti, Bigfoot and Sasquatch legends ever since I saw The Legend of Boggy Creek as a child, so reading about an angry Yeti on Mount Everest was always going to interest me and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
The book starts with the anguish of Zack hearing about the death of his beloved wife and struggling to come to terms with it until the idea of taking her ashes to Nepal is put into his mind. It was impossible not to feel for him and it was a good way to get the reader caring about what happened to him. He is not the best climber, taking part as a way of being with Nadia as she went after her dreams but he is persuaded to go to Base Camp by the expedition leader Ian. He offers Zack a deal-come to Base Camp and Ian will ensure that Nadia's ashes reach the summit. I liked Ian. He was brash and confident and somewhat manipulative in his desire to get Zack to climb, but I liked him. Other than Zack, he was my favourite character.
With it being an expedition, there was an interesting mix of other characters. Zack becomes friends with fellow climber Dustin, and becomes aware that he has his own secret agenda on the expedition, particularly when he ignores Ian's orders and goes off on his own from one of the camps, worrying Zack and photographer Francesca. What exactly is Dustin doing alone on Everest and what is he hiding? We also have the hard nosed climbing guide Skinner who comes into conflict with dopehead rich kid Jimmy, a vendetta that will cause a lot of trouble as the expedition continues. I enjoyed Skinner's no crap mentality and the sub plot with Jimmy added another interest to the story. When the first death occurs on Everest, the reader is left to wonder if it was a climbing accident or if it was because of a Yeti. As the book progresses there are more deadly incidents that worry the team.
Sometimes you get a book that hints at a Yeti and turns out to be something different. This book definitely has a Yeti that is tracking the team but it is not just a creature feature. It is a thriller that adds human conflict into the Yeti action, and the story takes a few interesting turns towards the end which is always fun. I also loved that the infamous disappearance of Mallory and Irvine who may or may not have summitted before Hillary and Tensing before being killed, was brought into the story with them possibly being killed by a Yeti as they fled down the mountain. The case of the missing climbers has always interested me so I enjoyed their story being brought into this story. I enjoyed the high tension throughout the book from the Yeti danger and the threat from the conditions on the mountain, combining with the action packed finale. It was a really enjoyable book.
Rick Chesler is fast becoming a favourite author of mine when it comes to creature feature horror fiction. His early books were entertaining yet perhaps a little unpolished, not that it bothered me when I was entertained by them. However his recent books like Luna and The Yeti have really shown how he has evolved as a writer, telling a tighter tension filled story that really keeps my interest as the book goes on. He is a great storyteller who gets to the point with the right amount of description to draw you into the story but without it being dull. He is now an auto-buy author in this genre and I very much look forward to the other books of his that I have yet to read-The Tank and DMZ-and whatever he releases next.
I have always had an interest in books about Everest, reading a lot of non fiction mountain climbing accounts and watching lots of documentaries about it. This is part of the reason that I enjoyed the book so much. The setting felt familiar to me, and it was easy to see in my mind where they were trekking through to get to Base Camp, the details of the Monastery where Zack goes to get a blessing from the monks for a safe climb, the tent city of Base Camp and then the landmarks on Everest itself. It made it easy to imagine everything that was happening. I've also always been interested in the Yeti, Bigfoot and Sasquatch legends ever since I saw The Legend of Boggy Creek as a child, so reading about an angry Yeti on Mount Everest was always going to interest me and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
The book starts with the anguish of Zack hearing about the death of his beloved wife and struggling to come to terms with it until the idea of taking her ashes to Nepal is put into his mind. It was impossible not to feel for him and it was a good way to get the reader caring about what happened to him. He is not the best climber, taking part as a way of being with Nadia as she went after her dreams but he is persuaded to go to Base Camp by the expedition leader Ian. He offers Zack a deal-come to Base Camp and Ian will ensure that Nadia's ashes reach the summit. I liked Ian. He was brash and confident and somewhat manipulative in his desire to get Zack to climb, but I liked him. Other than Zack, he was my favourite character.
With it being an expedition, there was an interesting mix of other characters. Zack becomes friends with fellow climber Dustin, and becomes aware that he has his own secret agenda on the expedition, particularly when he ignores Ian's orders and goes off on his own from one of the camps, worrying Zack and photographer Francesca. What exactly is Dustin doing alone on Everest and what is he hiding? We also have the hard nosed climbing guide Skinner who comes into conflict with dopehead rich kid Jimmy, a vendetta that will cause a lot of trouble as the expedition continues. I enjoyed Skinner's no crap mentality and the sub plot with Jimmy added another interest to the story. When the first death occurs on Everest, the reader is left to wonder if it was a climbing accident or if it was because of a Yeti. As the book progresses there are more deadly incidents that worry the team.
Sometimes you get a book that hints at a Yeti and turns out to be something different. This book definitely has a Yeti that is tracking the team but it is not just a creature feature. It is a thriller that adds human conflict into the Yeti action, and the story takes a few interesting turns towards the end which is always fun. I also loved that the infamous disappearance of Mallory and Irvine who may or may not have summitted before Hillary and Tensing before being killed, was brought into the story with them possibly being killed by a Yeti as they fled down the mountain. The case of the missing climbers has always interested me so I enjoyed their story being brought into this story. I enjoyed the high tension throughout the book from the Yeti danger and the threat from the conditions on the mountain, combining with the action packed finale. It was a really enjoyable book.
Rick Chesler is fast becoming a favourite author of mine when it comes to creature feature horror fiction. His early books were entertaining yet perhaps a little unpolished, not that it bothered me when I was entertained by them. However his recent books like Luna and The Yeti have really shown how he has evolved as a writer, telling a tighter tension filled story that really keeps my interest as the book goes on. He is a great storyteller who gets to the point with the right amount of description to draw you into the story but without it being dull. He is now an auto-buy author in this genre and I very much look forward to the other books of his that I have yet to read-The Tank and DMZ-and whatever he releases next.
alex_unabridged's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mamabear043019's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ryanocerus's review
5.0
Really enjoyable read. The pacing was terrific, really nice blend of history, science, and fiction.
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