Industry Reviews
A masterpiece of genuine chill with a cracking finish * Daily Mail *
Mixing the supernatural into crime novels is a tradition that goes back to Poe and Conan Doyle, and this tale shows just how effective it can be . . . A thrilling read * Mail on Sunday *
Koryta is one of the best of the best * Michael Connelly *
A chilling supernatural tale . . . Koryta's novel is being compared to the writings of Stephen King and Peter Straub. He lives up to the comparison in this dark novel. * USA Today *
A superior specimen . . . Koryta sets a beautiful scene, resplendent with dreamy images of phantom railroad trains and ghosts who wear bowler hats and play the violin * New York Times Book Review *
The atmosphere seeps over you like a November fog, dousing the sunlight and ushering you into the clammy darkness. It's a great British debut from a genuine spookmeister. * Daily Mail *
An icy, terrifying winner. SO COLD THE RIVER puts an October chill in your blood by the end of the first chapter. It's not much longer before you've turned on all the lights and rechecked all the window locks. Few novelists warrant mention alongside Stephen King or Peter Straub. Michael Koryta, however, earns comparison to both. * Dennis Lehane *
Calculatingly spooky * New York Times *
This book builds like a summer storm. Beautiful to watch until it shakes the house and knocks out the lights, leaving you alone in the dark . . . Masterful. * Michael Connelly *
Like King's 'Overlook', Kortya's West Baden Springs is a real spa-hotel with real history. But if you stay there, for God's sake, don't drink the water! . . . Fright-inducing fiction worthy of our time, attention, and real enjoyment * Dan Simmons, author of The Terror and Drood *
Fast-paced and action-packed, SO COLD THE RIVER is good, unclean fun. Like Joe Hill, Michael Koryta is infusing the old-school supernatural horror novel with new blood. Drink up! * Stewart O'Nan, author of A Prayer for the Dying *
A great story, but what held me was the lean, clean prose and the sharp presentation of scenes and dialogue. Michael Koryta is a good story teller and a wonderful stylist. * Joe R. Lansdale *
Michael Koryta is a gifted storyteller. His writing reminded me of the great Ruth Rendell - eerie, suspenseful, and pleasantly wicked. * Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan *
Fascinating. Put simply it meets the hype. * Seattle Post-Intelligencer *
A fast, eerie chiller of a book that will make you shiver in the sun * Parade *
A paranormal horror story in the Stephen King mould -- and a chilling one * St Petersburg Times *
Spellbinding and check-your-doors-and-windows scary . . . At its deliciously creepy core, So Cold the River is about two men facing down their demons, and what happens when those demons fight back. * Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2010 *
Koryta has ventured into genre-bending, successfully melding thriller elements to a horror story that recalls Stephen King. His tight, clear prose makes West Baden as creepy as Transylvania, and Eric is a compellingly flawed protagonist. Legions of King and Peter Straub devotees will be delighted by this change of direction. * Booklist *
A spellbinding tale of an unholy lust for power that reaches from beyond the grave . . . A cataclysmic finale will put readers in mind of some of the best recent works of supernatural horror, among which this book ranks. * Publishers Weekly starred review *
Fantastically well-written . . . excellent characterisation and great pace. Just the thing to induce a chill on the back of the neck during the long, hot summer. * Shotsmag.co.uk *
Mesmerising . . . chilling, compelling and captivating * Tangled Web *
A story so chilling it would keep Stephen King up all night * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *
Builds slowly yet relentlessly, cranking up the suspense until it's taut as a bowstring * WarpcoreSF.co.uk *
