The Blizzard: A Novel Hardcover – December 1, 2015

Sorokin is a brilliant writer with a unique voice. He tells a complete story of what occurs in a horrible Russian winter's journey that lasts only two days through a roaring blizzard on a journey that could never be completed because we are meant to suffer the macabre and unfinished ride along with the charachters. He makes us dream his fantastical lucid fantasies as if were were having our own lucid dream, one where we tiried but could not control the outcome, only follow the writer's own dream to the end. Although Sorokin has his distinctive voice, he makes me wonder if Franz Kafka were still alive in modern Russian Times he would have written this book, after reinventing his writing and experiencing a few acid trips. I can't get enough of Sorokin. Tonight I will dream of a miniature red roan who loved his master. If my dream is half as lucid at the story of the Blizzard, I would never need to dream again. This book and author are brilliant, other worldly in storytelling. Their is no other author who comes close to Vladimir Sorokin's mind and writing ability.

This book is a wild ride that’s equal parts Dr. Zhivago, On the Road, No Exit, and Roadside Picnic. That is to say, it’s about a road trip through a Russian winter across a landscape scattered with unexpected artifacts (or at least, magical realist flourishes) that calls into question the human condition.The set up is simple and insidious: a doctor must deliver medicine to a distant town to quell a zombie uprising. But stranded by a monumental blizzard, he’s forced to rely on a sled driver and the kindness (and quirks) of strangers to make it through the whiteout. Along the way, he’s severely challenged by the elements, existential angst, human nature and his own shortcomings.It’s a quick read, and unforgettable, due mostly to the matter-of-fact treatment of the fantastical elements — tiny horses (and people), giant horses (and people), tents that grow themselves, addictive drugs that provide a sense of euphoria by inducing terror of death and more.But it’s the existential dynamics between people — ineffective, uncertain and both drawn to and repulsed by those we are trapped with — that make the slim little story stand out. It says something profound about the human condition: that someday, we’ll likely find ourselves hacking away at the nasal cavity of a frozen giant to free the runner of our sled.Don’t miss this one.

Sorokin's "The Blizzard" moves quickly through the vast Russian landscape in darkness much like a psychological journey into our deepest fears. The narrative contains elements of surrealism--tiny horses pull the sled, mysterious small glass pyramids are buried in the snow, a huge idol blocks the journey. In addition, there are humorous scenes with strange characters, a stop at a strange house where the master is a tiny man whose wife holds him like a doll. Just when the story establishes a crisis, such as the many breakdowns of the runner of the sled, then the journey moves on to another strange event. The endless snow is reminiscent of some of Chekhov's landscapes in his short stories; however is it Bulgakov ("The Master and Margareta") whose influence appears in the combination of realistic details with the strange and fantastic. For another version of a journey in the snow, read Leo Tolstoy's "Master and Man" a short story with a very different tone and moral conclusions. I prefer Sorokin's version as the narrative constantly challenges the reader to make sense of the combination of the blizzard and the mysterious and unexplained events that are described in the same tone and language. It is a novel that I want to read and reread to enjoy the challenge of the narrative.

Strangest book that I've read in a long time. Lots of unexpected fantasy, strange writing style and a very unsatisfying ending. Some good vivid passages but all in all, you finish it and wonder what the point was. One interesting concept of a new type of drug that gives you a high after your experience. Very original.

Great story! I was not expecting the end at all. It is a cross between an old Chaucerian adventure and a subtle zombie tale. I would re-read this and highly recommend it.

You have not read this story before. Personally, that is enough, in many cases, to make me want to buy a book. Considering the fact that this story is under 200 pages and is full of things I have never imagined, I would highly recommend The Blizzard to anyone who wants a unique look into near-future version of Russia where one doctor's race (in fits and starts) across a frozen countryside is hindered by more than just the storm in the book's title. It is such a quick read and such a short book, you owe it to yourself to read it and decide if you like Sorokin. Don't let something you've heard or read make that decision for you.My only complaint is that my favorite character in the story (Crouper) didn't get more developed. I would have love 100 more pages of this story! It has so much potential to be a much longer story. Perhaps a sequel will arrive in the future.

When he started talking about the miniature horses I had to put it down and regift it to a friend

I read this in a couple of hours during the blizzard, Jonas,of 2016. Sorokin's Blizzard makes the one I experiences in2016 seem like a mild dusting.A Russian doctor has to get a life-saving vaccine toa remote villiage and hires a sled driver to take himthere during a blizzard.There are harrowing parts during the attempts of the doctorand his sled driver to navigate the blizzard only tobe frustrated time and again.A couple of interesting stops on the way make thebook a very interesting read.

Not what you may be expecting but great translation and very accessible. Well worth making time for, you will not be disappointed

Vladimir Sorokin is an important writer but The Blizzard is not his greatest work. To truly appreciate his genius you should really read his Ice Trilogy which is among the best novels of the past 25 years. Both Russian or in any other language.

There are two short classics of Russian literature called 'Metel' (Blizzard) by Pushkin and Lermontov. Unfortunately, I don't think Sorokin's tale will acquire similar classic status because of its metaphorical obscurity. Sorokin certainly wants us to read it symbolically (the story is prefaced with some lines from the symbolist poet Aleksandr Blok), but what in fact do the crystal pyramids or frozen giants symbolize? All in all, quite mystifying and, as a result, pretty heavy-going (despite only 160 pages or so). On a positive note, the translator Jamey Gambrell appears to have done a great job, especially in rendering the colloquial speech of the doctor's coachman.