Too Cold for Snow

By Jon Gower

A paid assassin called Krink loads up on viper-spit to tackle some uber-thugs; the governor of a prison ship introduces his inmates to haute cuisine; a farmer wakes up after an avalanche in north Wales to find he's the last man alive. The stories in this zany new collection range freely, almost chaotically, from the taiga region of northern Russia to the depths of despair. They are fuelled by a high octane imagination and an uncommon zest for language. A thrilling collection from a stunningly original voice. A journey in stories through a fabulous and fascinating fictional new world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Parthian Books
• Release date: Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781908946188

Jon Gower

Jon Gower grew up in Llanelli, Wales and studied English at Cambridge University. A former BBC Wales Arts and Media correspondent, he has been making documentary programmes for television and radio for several decades. He has over thirty books to his name, in both Welsh and English. The Story of Wales, with an introduction from Huw Edwards, was published to accompany a landmark BBC series broadcast. He lives in Cardiff, Wales.

Reviews for Too Cold for Snow

[jkdavies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a beautiful collection of short stories, sublime and occasionally ridiculous, with beautiful language and imagery. 
The collection kicks off with Bunting, where the narrator's mother has taken to whistling in her nursing home, "She draped nightingale melodies around the utilitarian, steeped-in-piss furniture at the old people's home..." and birdsong features in many of the stories. It meanders through the grotesque in The Pit, where a miner, trapped in one pitfall lives underground as a cannibal until the last of the pits are closed. I think my favourite was Marigolds where an old farmer falls for a young traveller, of course unrequited, It finishes heart-rendingly with the line "And in love, too, for five whole days in a life."

I will definitely look out for more by Jon Gower.