“Road of Bones” is a “supernatural thriller” set in Siberia. Felix Teigland, or "Teig,” is a documentary producer who, along with his friend and cameraman, Jack Prentiss, decides to tackle the myths and stories of the coldest town on earth. To reach their destination, the duo must travel the Kolyma Highway, also known as the “Road of Bones” for the hundreds of thousands of prisoners who died along the road as it was being built. The trip isn’t as simple as it seems.

Along the way, Teig and Prentiss meet up with a local tour guide, Kaskil. They stop in a bar that is a major waypoint in the region, meet some locals, and get some food. From there, the tour guide directs them to the town of Akhust, where he also happens to be from. En route, they pick up a woman, Nari, who had broken down along the road. Now a group of four travels, they reach Akhust to a surprising welcome, or lack thereof. The town is completely deserted. Doors were left open, dinners left mid-meal, etc. The group searches the town for clues as to what has happened and they stumble upon a nine-year-old girl, Una. Then the supernatural chase begins.

I found this novel to be inventive in its storyline, but there are gaps along the way that knocked my rating downward. When the action is happening, it is well written and interesting. However, these bursts of action and encounters with the supernatural have rather mundane and boring breaks before and after. The characters are not always shaped so that a reader may really feel invested in what happens, such as in the case of Nari. There are filler discussions and interactions with other people that are lackluster. A lot of it becomes very repetitive, but not in an intriguing way. At about the midway point of the book, I found myself speed reading these in-between moments to get back into the more active storyline. As the book wrapped up, it felt forced, thrown together at the last minute, and slightly disappointing.

Overall, this book was a mix of likes and dislikes for me. I gave it three stars because the intensive supernatural was very good (except the ending). I would recommend this book for a reader who is just stepping into the world of supernatural thrillers. Otherwise, if you’re a more advanced reader of supernatural thrillers, I unfortunately would recommend skipping this one.

I was very excited to read this book! I am glad I was able to read it. It's very hard to keep me interested in a horror book these days. At my age, I usually have seen it all and not many authors are able to hold my attention, especially in the horror genre. This book I read from beginning to end. It can take me some time to read and finish a book with work, family, teaching, researching, etc. But, I was able to finish this book with no problems. The end was both what I expected and not what I expected wrapped in to one. I knew there would be a monster of sorts in the books but the villain of this story is not at all what I was expecting. I am sorry the book is over. If you love suspense thrillers, this is a book for you. I wouldn't call this book a horror book, but definitely a supernatural thriller. And, by supernatural, I do not mean ghosts and zombies. Read this book!!! You won't be sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christopher Golden and St Martin's Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel; it was more horror than I thought it was going to be and it definitely had it gory moments, but I enjoy that. The lead up to the end is very tense and satisfying, but the end left me wanting more. It wrapped up quite quickly and I wanted more on what happened to the characters left.

Everything that I had read to date by Christopher Golden was in his Ben Walker series; I’ve enjoyed that series, but sometimes it’s nice to see something different from a favorite author. Now that we are in the midst of winter, I was more than ready to take a trip down the Kolyma Highway, traversing Siberia with a potential new friend.

Golden did what Golden does best; he creates fabulously flawed characters and places them in a somewhat familiar-ish environment. Teig and Prentiss were a couple of intriguing characters to embark on a trans-Siberian road trip with. Two old friends pursuing a dream or fleeing their past (it could be both at the same time), they pulled me into the story, I cared because I cared about them.

Golden placed these two buddies in the most unlikely of places at the worst of times. I don’t know much folklore from the area, but Golden made his story feel like these demons have been lurking in the permafrost since the dawn of time. This felt real and tangible.

Road of Bones is a perfect story to read while curled up next to the fire as the temperature outside drops below zero. It will pull you in, twist your guts, and throw you out of the wringer on the other side.

*4.5 Stars

Starting off strong and spooky then really took a left turn and dragged. I found myself struggling to keep on reading since it definitely missed the mark for me. I wish it would have focused more on the road and the history. It felt like two different books combined into one.

3 stars.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I honestly didn't know what to expect going into it other than it was a thriller/horror book set in Siberia. It was a very fast read for sure, the writing was super compelling, the story kept me engaged, but overall it was just an ok read for me, I found parts of it were easy for me to see coming, Though I do love an isolated thriller where you have a small cast of characters. I found the parts actually about the Road of Bones to be really atmospheric but other parts just fell flat for me. I wish there had been more backstory for the supernatural element. All in all it was an ok book, though I will look for another book by this author to give them another chance.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden is a superb read with an engrossing plot and vibrant characters. Well worth the read!

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have chosen to read this book, which is set in Siberia, on the coldest day of the year - around 10 degrees (of course, that pales in comparison to the temps tin the book which were -50 degrees on a good day). But despite the feeling of being cold throughout my read, it was nevertheless a fascinating story.

This book follows the journey of two aspiring documentarians, Felix "Teig" Teigland and Jack Prentiss, as they travel the treacherous Kolyman Highway, aka the Road of Bones. Aptly named for the number of people who perished while building the road, usually due to the poor weather conditions.

While their journey alone had tense moments, things take a disturbing turn when they arrive at their destination, Akhust with their guide Kaskil, and NO ONE is around. Every home is abandoned with the doors left open; food left on the table. Very odd considering the frigid temps along with notification as to why people left or where they went.

To avoid spoilers, I won't get into what haunts this town, but I thought the author did a great job of building the terror this small group of travelers’ encounter. It seemed like a hopeless situation, not just with what they were up against, but how their escape was so limited due to the weather.

This story was unlike anything I've read before and recommended it to fans of horror and/or supernatural. Just bundle up with some blankets and warm drink, to prepare for this intense ride.

This was quite a book to read during a New England cold snap! By turns scary, thrilling, and tense, this novel set in Siberia was literally a wild ride across the Kolyma Highway through the ruins of Stalin’s gulag.

I literally had zero ideas on what this book was about before I started reading it. I figured it was going to be creepy based off the cover and name alone. Damn, was I right. This is definitely an atmospheric read! I felt like I had shivers throughout the entire thing.

Road Of Bones started off soo strong and I loved the ideas of the documentary they were going to make. HOWEVER, it kinda took a super quick turn and uhh lost my interest rather quickly🙈. It just seemed like the pace was too slow, and where I was expecting paranormal, I got supernatural instead. It just got weird pretty quickly and I found myself just skimming. Really I should have DNF'd once I realized the direction it was going but I didn't, so that was definitely my bad.

I'm definitely seeing a lot of mixed reviews for this one and I can totally understand why. I can see why someone would absolutely love this, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Which is totally fine! Not every book is going to be for everyone and sadly this one just wasn't for me.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 2 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘺, 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬!

➡️𝘈 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘰, 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯. t𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥. 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭―𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦.

𝘈 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

➡️This book is seriously one of the wildest and creepiest books!! I new it was but WOW it was way more than my expectations! If you like creepy reads you will love this one!!

I big “ thanks” to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this strange supernatural mystery/thriller set on a highway up on the frozen tundra in Russia. Prisoners from the gulag are said to be buried under the Kolyma Highway and the highway sets the stage for a film crew to go through a terrifying drive that turns into a haunting/ scary creature / mysterious “road trip” that has some great parts, some other interesting parts, and yet other parts that kinda dragged a bit in its attempt to be esoteric. There are already many reviews that outline the plot details so jump to those writings if you wish those details. For me, I recommend “Road of Bones” for its creativity but just expect a bumpy ride!

I used to be a big fan of horror and supernatural thrillers, but after many years my tastes changed considerably and I basically switched to paranormal and historical romances. However, when I started requesting ARC's, I saw thrillers and horror books and decided to give them a go again. I've read some awesome thrillers lately, but the first horror book that looked particularly intriguing was Road of Bones by Christopher Golden. I think I finally found a book in that genre that sucked me back in!

The Kolyma Highway in Siberia is 1200 miles of gravel packed permafrost close to the Arctic Circle. It's a dangerous route to take, but it also has an eerie and disturbing history that gives it the nickname Road of Bones: Hundreds of thousands of the former Soviet Union's gulag prisoners were worked to death and their bodies were left there and plowed under the permafrost underneath the road. Documentary producer Felix “Teig” Teigland is driving down the highway with his best friend and cameraman Prentiss with the idea of a series based on ghost stories and legends of the Road of Bones. They are heading to Akhust, “the coldest place on Earth”, and along the way they pick up their guide and a woman stranded on the side of the road. When they arrive, however, the town is mysteriously abandoned except for a catatonic 9-year-old girl...and some very odd, frightening wolves. With the intent of delivering the little girl to her great-grandmother, they leave Akhust but are pursued by an animistic shaman and freaky forest animals; things go to hell in a handbasket very quickly. And exactly what is wrong with the odd child in their midst?

This was quite an exciting - and extremely creepy - supernatural thriller with wonderful, intriguing characters. Teig's little sister was abducted and killed while under the watch of his younger self. He wants to know the paranormal is real because he wishes to see the ghost of his sister and know she is all right. He certainly comes to regret his desire for proof of the paranormal! Prentiss is owed money he lent to Teig for past projects and he is helping his friend to make this documentary series a success to get repaid. Nari, the woman they picked up after she was stranded, was very caring of the little girl, Una, until she sensed something off about her and then was terrified. Ludmilla was an elderly woman they encounter on their flight; she travels the highway blessing and freeing the dead. Though interesting, her presence just feels like padding for the story. The most fascinating character, however, is the brutal cold. Yes, this author brings the cold to life! His brilliant descriptions had me shivering and cold down to my bones, never mind I was in a heated room! I won't get into the paranormal characters herein so as not to ruin the story. I will tell you, however, that you will never see reindeer in the same light again! Special props to the beautiful cover art of this book.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Enjoyment (stars): 3.5
Overall (stars): 3.64

Teig, a documentary producer, decides to take a trip to the Siberian tundra in search of the perfect pilot to greenlight - a road trip across the Road of Bones - a massive Russian highway known as a long graveyard for the former Soviet Union's gulag prisoners who worked to their deaths and were left where their bodies fell.

He convinces a small team to join his adventure. They plan to start at the town of Akhust and make their way up the Road of Bones, collecting ghost stories and local legends along the way. When they reach the city, they find one catatonic girl and a pack of wolves who seem to have human-like intelligence - and nothing else.

I enjoyed the mythology in Road of Bones, and I can honestly say it was my first time reading about the creatures mentioned, and it left me wanting more. The four protagonists were very well written and their dynamic enhanced the impending claustrophobic sense of Doom. I can't fault the atmosphere either - I was chilly reading the book; Golden made superb use of the tundra's natural elements in building the atmosphere and making them a character in itself.

Unfortunately, the narrative style didn't work for me; every time the pov changed, I was brought back to reality - they weren't that seamless. I would have preferred to have followed two stronger PoVs. But that is a "me" problem. The book might have started slow, but the last third was amazing! Fast-paced, action-packed, cohesive, and entertaining.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of Road of Bones.

This is the second “horror” book I’ve read that didn’t really vibe with me so I don’t think horror is my thing. I was expecting more paranormal than supernatural elements. I did like the characters, but overall the story fell flat for me.

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my review copy! This book had the perfect setup for an eerie read!
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-Told in various POV
-Truth mixed in with Folklore
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Have you ever seen 30 Days of Night? This book reminded me of that minus the vampires and the fact that this takes place in Siberia and in a road. Teig, a documentary producer, and his friend and cameraman, Prentiss, go to Siberia to visit the Road of Bones and Akhust, the coldest inhabited place on earth. From temps dropping to -50C you best believe that it’s cold. Teig hears of The Road of Bones, a road which is said to have bones buried beneath. The road was built by political prisoners during the Stalin era and many Gulags were build along the road to help supply the cheap labor. He goes there and with the help of his guide who is to take them to his town, he hopes to capture enough video for his concept to be picked up.
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Imagine driving on a dark road in place that has little sunlight. Along the way to your destination you pick up a woman who will most likely freeze to death if she waits for another car to help her. Imagine getting to your destination and finding all the occupants gone. Doors left open and all the buildings empty. Footprints found leading to the forest. Imagine only finding a young girl who seems to be left behind but is not talking. Imagine what seem to be wolves attack you. Very gruesome. Nothing is what it seems. You leave with the young girl and woman to find help to not only realize that the wolves are following you but that there is something else happening. On top of trying to find help you have to worry about the cold and freezing to death. This is definitely had some paranormal elements to it but along with the freezing temps and isolated road/town it’s so easy to visualize.
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During and after I read this, I looked into the Road of Bones and Gulags. Kolyma Highway. While it had its scary moments I think the book did a good job in the development of each character and how they evolved during the book.
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A pair of film makers get more than they bargained for when they set off on a 1200-mile trek across The Road of Bones.

This book opens by dropping you in the middle of Siberia. From the first page, the author beautifully describes a cold you will feel in your bones, and you won't be able to put it. down. Fans of 'Ararat' will absolutely love this one, but I'd also recommend it to anyone who enjoys Lincoln Child books.

My favorite thing about this one (as it was in 'Ararat') is the setting. The extreme setting just made the entire story so engrossing. I looked forward to my lunch break everyday so I could jump back into it,

Ok, Road of Bones, just think about that for a moment. Let it settle in. How do you feel? I know I was completely creeped and LIVING for just the title alone. The cover? Well, that is a whole other jaw dropper. The cover is stunning and really draws you right in. I knew after just reading the title and seeing the cover that I NEEDED to read this book.

With one hand on the mouse and the other hand tightly holding my crossed fingers, I hit the "request" button, and well, I prayed!

Here we are. I have concluded this incredible book. Road of Bones, you didn't disappoint my horror loving little heart.

This story surrounds my pal Teig, hes a filmmaker who specializes in documentaries. Him and his financial backing partner, Prentiss, travel to Siberia with high hopes on a fresh new idea they want to pitch to the Discovery channel. In order to get to their destined location they must travel a highway that is known as "Road of Bones" . Legend has it, buried beneath the highway are the bones of those that had set out to build the road.

I mean, lets be real right now, does that not make you want to read the book right there? Of course! So, I am not going to spoil the big surprise but I will tell you that this book is worth all of the hype.

I was completely consumed by this book and addicted to every flip of the page. Do yourself a favor, go purchase this book ASAP.

Five Stars!

ROAD OF BONES is a very effective horror story set against a backdrop of the the ice and isolation of Siberia. From the the opening scene the plot moves along quickly and Golden creates a chilling atmosphere. It is a page-turner and it will make you think. I'll definitely be re-reading it once I have a paper copy.

Stunning cover, too.

My interview with Christopher Golden appeared in BLACK STATIC #80/81

Thank you to the publishers at St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Road of Bones.

I was immediately entranced with this one. The setting, the bitter cold of winter, the dreaded Road of Bones, which I actually didn’t know about beforehand, it all screamed “ghost story!” While we don’t get exactly that, it was still fascinating and well written.

Teig and Prentiss, aka Felix and Jack, are in the middle of a Siberian winter looking to do one thing: find their next big reality tv show! Traveling to the coldest place on earth with the help of a guide who lives in the area, these two men who’ve been friends and coworkers for years are hoping to catch their next big break. Unfortunately, they’re instead going to find themselves embroiled in a supernatural fight for their lives along the Road of Bones.

I really enjoyed this story. It felt accurate to what a “ghostly” haunting might look like out in the literal middle of nowhere in 60 below weather. It was supernatural to a T, and even though we don’t get all of the answers that we might expect to receive, I think it just adds to the mystery of the story. If we knew why and how this all happened, it wouldn’t be supernatural.

I was expecting a different kind of ghost, but the author did a fantastic job of bringing this arctic tundra to life for me. As someone who resides in Iowa and is currently facing weather that feels like -34, I could really imagine the cold seeping into their bones. This novel would make a really great movie!

Road of Bones is available now wherever books are sold!