The Silent Land

John Lee tells the surreal story of a couple on a ski trip who narrowly escape from an avalanche, only to find themselves caught in a strange netherworld in which time seems to have slowed. Trapped in a ski village where everyone else has vanished, Jake and Zoe struggle to figure out if they're dead or alive--or somewhere in between. Although Lee's characterization of Zoe has a breathless urgency that can become tedious, he deftly handles Joyce's descriptions of the ominous snowy landscape. The authoritative tone of Lee's narration helps ground the listener in the shifting realities of the plot. F.J.K. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

January 24, 2011
Near the outset of this gently haunting fantasy thriller from British author Joyce (Requiem), a freak avalanche buries Zoe and Jake, a couple on a skiing holiday near the Pyrenean resort town of Saint-Bernard-en-Haut. After digging out, they find themselves the only inhabitants of the unnaturally silent landscape. Back at their hotel, they discover they're still alone. All their efforts to leave for the next town only bring them back in a circle. Jake suspects that they've died—but then Zoe begins seeing furtive figures and hearing snatches of speech that suggest this likely explanation is more complex than it seems. Joyce brings freshness to this familiar supernatural scenario by emphasizing the humanness of his characters over the weirdness of the phenomena. By the time the tale sounds its final bittersweet note, readers will remember the passionate emotional bond the two have shared and self-sacrifices that are the hallmark of a love that can transcend death.