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]

excellent if brief short story by lemire set in the same world as the comic. I wish I'd read this before I knew of the existnce of said title, but in and of itself, this still works.

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.

I have enjoyed Jeff Lemire's work in comics for some time. Snow Angels shows his talent for writing, and I love the way Lemire takes readers to other worlds. Strongly recommended science fiction.

I always enjoy Mr. Lemire's work and I liked that this was short enough to be satisfied and enjoy. The main character was great and I really felt for her, she felt like a real person.

A very short, yet also intriguing read. I got the feeling that this was more of an intro and reading more into what is to come from Lemire, it seems that is exactly what this is and it served that purpose. I would definitely be interested to read more into this universe.

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.

this isn't something I would usually read but it did sound interesting.

This is a short story so it was super quick to read. I found the story to be just ok and it isn't something I would read again in the future.

NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

"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." -- Description

What a fitting thing to read as I sit in my house with unseasonably cold -25 degree weather outside. Cold air creeping into every crevasse of my home, and an air that stings my face when I have to do mundane things like checking the mail. What better thing could I do than curl up in a blanket and read some interesting stuff on my kindle. I was drawn to Snow Angels, as I am a big fan of his comic-related works. I did not realize he sometimes wrote books, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Amazon appears to be sweetening the deal for those that use Amazon Prime, by offering a series of short stories exclusively for members. I am not 100% sure how new promotion is, as this was the first I’ve heard of it, but they have some pretty big names on-board.

I quite enjoyed this story, and hope it goes past being just a short story. As it stands (20 pages or so) this looks like the first few chapters of a larger book, and I was like “nooooo!” at the end when I realized it was over. Perhaps, Lemire can bring this to the comics world as well? There isn’t much I can say about this story without spoiling it, but I will say that the best part was trying to figure out what was going on. Is this a fantasy story, prehistoric, or even post-apocalyptic? You get a hint at the end, but it simply makes you want to know more. If you have yet to check out Amazon Original Stories, this is a fitting first look. I loved it!

I've been a fan of Lemire's work in comic series and graphic novels for a long time. So, I eagerly looked forward to reading this short story. As expected, Lemire introduces a lot of interesting concepts. However, due to the very fact it's a short story, he can't flesh every one of them out like he could in a multi-issue comic run. Still, it's a good read.

I always love a Jeff Lemire story. Great writing. It’s so easy to visualize this as a graphic novel. I liked the characters and the plot was interesting.

Decent! The world was strong. It reminded me a little of the Hunger Games at the start. A lot of parallels. Depressed parent after loss of the other. Little sister that’s the pride and joy. Grumpy older sister who’s a provider. I like the reveal and how opened it stayed. It was crafted slow but revealed a lot, painting the landscape visibly. I can’t say I adored it but it captured my interest. It kept me reading. It popped off the page. So that’s pretty good regardless of my personal enjoyment

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.

A good short coming of age story, set in a world of ice. Very enjoyable, and could probably be expanded into a longer story. #SnowAngels #NetGalley

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!

Published digitally by Amazon Original Stories on February 16, 2021

“Snow Angels” is an entry in Amazon’s series of original short stories. The protagonist is Milliken, a girl who is almost thirteen. She longs to be sixteen so she can embark on a rite of passage. As sixteen, she will be allowed to skate beyond the Bend and into the Forbidden Territory, where she will see the First Gift left by the Colden Ones. This sounds like a YA plot and Amazon has labeled it accordingly.

Matt Lemire recounts a mythology with which Milliken was raised. Long ago, the Colden Ones walked the ice. They used their giant tools to dig a trench for safety and then created the Trenchfolk from themselves. Milliken and the other Trenchfolk now dwell in the trench.

Having learned to hunt, Milliken sets out to see the First Gift because she’s a precocious tween and screw waiting. She discovers truths that will make her rethink the mythology with which she was raised. The meaning of what she learns isn’t entirely clear, due in part to the story’s limited focus. This is more the concept of a story than a fleshed-out product.

From browsing Amazon, I note that Lemire is creating a ten-issue comic book series based on the same concept. I imagine the story is a teaser for that series. I also imagine the series will be better than the story.

I found myself rethinking the story after I read it. Most of my thoughts began with the question why. Why do families wait until children are sixteen to reveal the truth of their existence? What is the point of the mythology? The fact that the story made me think at all (granted, I was driving somewhere and didn’t have much else to think about) is probably a reason to recommend the story to a YA audience. The fact that I couldn’t arrive at satisfactory answers creates reservations about that recommendation. Comic book fans might want to wait for the graphic version.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

I’ve 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 <i>snowman</i> 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.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

If, like me, you were beginning to doubt Jeff Lemire’s skills as a writer, then no better proof of his extensive writing prowess exists than this short story.

Serving up the same vibes as The Giver and Masterminds (by Gordon Korman), this was well-written and compelling. I’ll never quite understand how writers are able to capture a reader’s attention in as limited a medium as short stories are, but Lemire manages to do so here. When the story was over I found myself wanting more. Here’s to hoping he puts pen to paper and turns this short story into a novel so we get to see what happens next!

Up until the end I was reading a solid 4-star story. But then the ending was approaching (just like The Bend) and I could see it coming but yet there was no answer to the mystery, the central conceit of the tale, and I was left feeling as cold and empty as The Trench. Excellent premise, not-so-excellent execution. The sudden change-of-heart that accompanied the final paragraph felt over-the-top and unbelievable, given the character that had been created in my mind up until then.

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.