Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Thrilling
Review: Rice's power of additive storytelling (flashbacks of the past mixed with slivers of the present) result in an exciting tidal wave of resolution by the end of the novel. Another novel with gay undertones still succeeds at fleshing out realistic portraits of characters from all walks of life. The creative murderous twists in the novel are reminiscent of his mother's "The Vampire Chronicles," particularly regarding the self-inflection of many of the characters. This book is much more action-based than "A Density of Souls" and could be likened to a lighter read than the novelist's first work. Whereas A Density of Souls is an emotional roller-coaster, Snow Garden is much more murder-mystery whodunit meets gay coming of age hidden identity. It is an electrifying read and as in A Density of Souls, Rice allows the reader a classic comfort: epilogue and final words of some sort of resolution for the characters. A sort of dash of literary comfort food. Nothing is worse for me, as a reader, than not knowing what happened to the characters whn I left the story. I recommend it, and I even recommend to those looking to "discover" the younger Rice, that they read Snow Garden first and A Density of Souls second.
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning, Dark, Intense, Disturbing, Chilling, Amazing Read
Review: I finished The Snow Garden in two days and honestly my first thought after reading the last page was "I need mental therapy." Christopher Rice has created the most darkly disturbing, graphic, twisted vision of the hellish side of human nature. Because of this I found it sometimes a difficult read, after some parts I had to put down the book for a few seconds to comprehend what I had just read. My main dislike of the book was the extreme lack of hope. In his first novel, A Density of Souls, Rice crafted an equally spell-binding view of the darknesss of humanity but held a sense of love and ended on a note of hope, however The Snow Garden lacks this view of hope, the one exception being the character of Kathryn (who also in my view was the only truly sympathetic character). Yet, despite this, I loved the book. It gripped me immediately, immersing me in a nightmarish world that although disturbing, was also compelling. Sort of like the same reaction you get from viewing the movie, Silence of the Lambs, it's a unsettling experience but also pure artistry that is amazing. The world and characters of The Snow Garden are engraved in your mind, unforgettable. I admire Christopher Rice, not many writers this young would take such huge risks, but his risks largely pay off. The Snow Garden is an unique, great read, if you're up to the chaotic world it portrays. Looking forward to his next project!
Rating:
Summary: Geared to the correct audience
Review: "The Snow Garden" along with Rice's first book (...) are all good books as long as you fit the demographic. I would not reccomend this book to any adult or heterosexual. However they are both perfect for gay youth. Myself being a part of that community enjoyed the book. However it is sort of a fluffy book that has mediocre substance, but none the less it was a facinating read.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not bad, but...
Review: After reading "A Destiny of Souls", I was looking forward to reading Christopher Rice's second book, to see where he had come to as a writer. I can't say that I was dissappointed, but I wasn't expecting all that much either. These books are good pulpy reads- but there is a definite lack of substance to them. The descriptions of people and places aim to be complex, but just come across as generic. One character is actually described as "short and stocky"- banal at best. I think the main thing to like about this book is that it does take some unexpected twists at the end that will keep you guessing, but never really overly excited, as several of those twists fall into unbelievable territory. All told, "The Snow Garden" is a quick read, as it's not a very hard book to process. It's entertaining- and would make for a good campy movie or mini series someday. I hope that Mr. Rice will settle down with his third novel, and dispense with the oodles of plot turns and minor characters and concentrate more on getting to the heart of the few main characters that the story focuses on. He tried this time, but fell short.
Rating:
Summary: A complex thriller
Review: Although the summary on the book's jacket is a little misleading, I found it impossible to put down. The characters and the plot are richly drawn. The plot has many twists and turns. Just when you think you've got it figured out, something new is added. I'd recommend this book for people who enjoy mental gymnastics and all the thrills that come along with it.
Rating: 
Summary: This novel gets a Raspberry from me
Review: Disappointing, disappointing, and what do you know, disappointing! That just about sums up my feelings towards this book after doggedly ploughing through the entire thing. Obviously, literary talent isn't hereditary in the Rice family. I havn't read crime thrillers since many moons ago, so when I decided to pick one up again and decided on Snow Garden, I thought I was in for a night of exciting action. I was proven wrong. By the time I had gotten through a quarter of the book, I knew it was a lost cause. Granted, one shouldn't be expecting beautiful lyrical prose in thrillers and in-depth character delineation, but surely one shouldn't be served with truckloads of surfacial details (e.g. about art), attempts at creating multitudious oh-so-quirky homosexual relationships and a plot that sinks to abysmal depths!! Seriously, if Chris Rice has any writing ability at all, I hope he shows it soon. This novel is a very disappointing showcase of his talent (if any).
Rating:
Summary: Predictable with rotten characters
Review: Mr. Rice does not live up to his name with this book. Even the most predictable of his mother's stories could still be gripping and intense. As for this book, I found myself completely disinterested in the highly dislikable characters from about a quarter of the way through. The beginning is fairly interesting, though is ultimately a set-up for what is possibly the lamest motive motive for homicide I've read in several years. Then our lovely duckies fuddle around a college campus for a while, visit several other key, dull areas, sexual overtones intensify, and the story comes to its predictable, threadbare close after far too many pages that seemed merely filler. I am impressed by the fact that so many previous reviewers enjoyed it. A good thriller, to me, is edgy and provocative enough to leave its reader feeling slightly uncomfortable and pushed to a personal limit, in just the way we as an audience enjoy. This book took many cheap shots to achieve that end, usually with its homosexual themes. Homoeroticism admittedly has a time-honored place in arts and literature (a topic this book superficially explores with its college professor character), but there are several scenes that read more like third-rate porn than literature. I would call these cheap shots, thrilling some readers while making others squirm. But as I wrote before, lots of people seemed to enjoy the book. I wouldn't call it the most boring book I've read, but I would say it makes for a predictable and generally unpleasant read.
Rating:
Summary: Not for Literature Lovers
Review: This novel seems contrived, cliche, and intentionally geared towards a young audience. The eroticism is cheap and bland. The characters are often too predictable. Mr. Rice seems to tell too much without giving the reader credit, while at other times, important information is not presented. The writing seems stiff and stills needs development and finesse. The author seems to have the interest and desire to push further, as aspects of the story are based upon valid theories regarding Bosch. But, even this leaves me feeling as if the author might be imprisoned within the angst-ridden, curious, knowledge seeking student category he so well illustrates in his writing. Instead of intriquing me with an well-written piece of work, the author had me shaking my head in embarrassement at the memories of the assinine behaviour in college. To top it off with an outrageous and almost unbelievable finale does not provide one with confidence in his writing abilities. The story is all over the board, needs further development for quality writing. Definitely not of literary quality.
Rating:
Summary: Slow and Boring
Review: I have no doubt that Christopher Rice has talent but you wouldn't know it much from this novel. It's so boring. Nothing happens. I actually managed to get half way through the book and was so bored with it, I just stopped. NOTHING HAPPENS...Certainly if it did, it was someplace after the middle of the book!
Rating:
Summary: a chilling surprise
Review: After reading this book, I noticed that I was kept mentioning it to everyone I talked to during the next following weeks. It left that type of impression on me. You love and hate the main characters - Randall, Kathryn, Jesse, Tim and Eric, it's a wonderful mix. The story follows along smoothly and never bores you, but it does keep you staying up late at night just to finish those last 10 pages before drifting off to sleep. But at the end - after all the twists and turns you take, you end up at "The Snow Garden", with some horrors that I couldn't stop thinking about, and insight on how evil some people can be. A part of me almost wishes I never read the last 30 pages. The fate that awaited some character's at the end were very, very disturbing Mr. Rice has a very different style than that of his mothers. He goes into just enough detail without boring you, and keeps the story moving along nicely.
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