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Book Review: Hail Santa! by John McNee

Cover art for Hail Santa! by John McNee

Hail Santa!, by John McNee

Blood Bound Books, 2024

ISBN: 9781940250601

Availabie: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Amazon.com

 

 

If you want a good holiday-themed horror story that isn’t just an excuse to have a serial killer running around (such as the films Silent Night, Deadly Night, or Black Christmas), then Hail Santa! is for you.   It’s bloody good fun (pun intended) that does a nice job combining some of the classic aspects of demon mythology with the story of Santa Claus, while managing to smash plenty of humans into pulp jelly throughout the story.  Horror fans and gorehounds alike will love this one.

 

St. Nicholas is a small, dying town in the northern Canadian woods that is given a new lease on life when a Chinese conglomerate buys up the whole town, with the plan of turning it into an upscale ski resort for the seriously wealthy skiers of the world.  However, the land was never really the town’s to sell: it’s the property of Saint Nicholas, due to a deal he (or it) made with the town’s founders centuries before, and, he isn’t happy with the idea of his town being turned into a playground for rich schussboomers.  The throttle opens up quickly on this story, as Saint Nicholas and his army of the town’s children slash and bite anything in their way, while a small and very eclectic group of adults try to stop them and save the town.

 

This isn’t just a paint-by-numbers splat-fest: there’s more under the hood when it comes to the plot.  It’s the use of demon myths that really makes the plot intriguing, such as the fact that their names wield genuine power, and that worship of them is truly important- it’s a matter of survival.  Saint Nicholas isn’t doing all this just because he’s angry: he has legitimate reasons for wreaking havoc on the town.  That all ties into what the survivors learn in their attempts to stop him, and it’s done well.  They get little clues along the way, but it takes some thinking for them to come up with a targeted plan to stop him.  It’s enough to keep the reader thinking along with the characters. You’ll have fun trying to imagine what would possibly work against the power Saint Nicholas wields.

 

The heroes in this are an extremely likable bunch.. There’s the Chinese lady responsible for the whole town project, a rookie teacher, an elderly janitor, and a couple of drunken contractors, among others.  It’s a good mix, as they have varied strengths and weaknesses, due to their backgrounds.  But, therein lies their power, as it gives them a variety of perspectives, which they need to survive, and everybody plays a vital part.  Readers will like and relate to at least some of them, and it does hurt when some of them get killed off… this isn’t an “all the good guys survive and prosper” story.  There’s also a great twist to the end of the story that takes it in a new direction: it’s much better than any standard stock ending.

 

Bottom line:  this is the perfect antidote for holiday cheer.  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on April 22, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology edited by Ellen Datlow

Cover art for Christmas and Other Stories: An Anthology of Solstice Horror

 

Christmas and Other Horrors:: An Anthology of Solstice Horror edited by Ellen Datlow

Titan Books, 2023

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1803363264

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook

Buy:    Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com

 

 

Many people think of the Christmas season as a cheerful time of year, but it’s always been a time where sprits, gods, and terrifying creatures roam. Ghost stories set at Christmas abound: Charles Dickens and M.R James both published them every year. Coinciding with the winter solstice, it’s also a time of sacrifice. Christmas and Other Horrors draws on this tradition, with a wide variety of stories, ranging from folk horror to apocalyptic clifi.

 

There are several stories I found especially enjoyable.

In “The Importance of a Tidy Home,” ,by Christopher Golden, grotesque creatures local to Salzburg, Austria murder residents of homes that haven’t been tidied for the new year;

“The Ghost of Christmases Past”, by Richard Kadrey, describes Christmas Eve with Laura, who boards herself into her house every year to prevent the return of a cannibalistic witch who ate her brother in front of her, to her husband’s disbelief;

“All The Pretty People” by Nadia Bulkin, describes a Festivus party reuniting college friends, who are surprised when their friend Sam, who ghosted them months ago, arrives

“Cold”, by Cassandra Khaw, is an apocalyptic clifi story in which a saint, Brede, arrives every year on the winter solstice, asking if she can stay and sleep until spring… but what happens when spring doesn”t come? The figurative language and world-building in this story were fantastic.

In “Löyly Sow-na”,by Josh Malerman, Russell visits his Finnish girlfriend Hannele’s family, where he is trapped in a sauna with her father. I had no idea how this story was going to play out!

“Grave of Small Birds”, by Kaaron Warren, is a folk horror tale in which a bad-tempered reality show chef specializing in medieval cookery takes a job on a small British island with strange Christmas traditions. While it was fairly predictable, the setting was well-done. The main character was unlikable, so I found the ending very satisfying. This was a very atmospheric story, and descriptions of the island and its unusual traditions were excellent..

 

While the winter solstice and the Christmas season have passed, I can recommend this book for any time of year.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

Posted on January 3, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Christmas Horror, Vol. 1, edited by Chris Morey and illustrated by Zach McCain


Christmas Horror, Vol. 1  edited by Chris Morey and illustrated by Zach McCain

Dark Regions Press, 2015

ISBN-13: 978-1-62641-118-0

Available: ebook, paperback, hardcover deluxe signed and numbered edition available through Dark Regions Press (with an additional story by William Meikle)

 

Dark Regions Press has put out yet another great anthology. This collection of eight stories focus on, as the title indicates, the Christmas holiday, and the horror that can lurk around every corner. It’s not all carols, mistletoe, and peace on earth in these tales of horror.

“Red Rage” by Stephen Mark Rainey flips back and forth between the present day story of the Worshams, a family preparing to celebrate their first Christmas in their new home, and the events of a previous holiday season held in the house, shared by a husband and wife with a strained relationship. At the center of both storylines is an ornament on the tree that exudes rage– and anyone who looks into it feels that rage, until it consumes them. Can the Worshams survive their holiday, or will the shadow come for them, too?

I’ve been a fan of Jeff Strand’s work for some time, and his short story, “Pointy Canes,” doesn’t disappoint. Uncle Jack’s thirty year ritual of sucking on candy canes to fine points and collecting them in a box has come to completion, and he wants those closest to him join in a special event. His family is incredulous to what he suggests, but after one of them dares to argue, the rest of the family decides to go through with the candy cane ritual.

Shane McKenzie’s “Naughty” was really hard to get through because of the content. A group of teenagers sexually assault and murder a disabled girl. Two of the boys are unwilling to go through with the rape, but the eldest uses violence to influence them to continue. Five years later, the youngest is in a relationship that has culminated in his girlfriend’s pregnancy. It’s Christmas Eve, and he’s sitting in front of the fireplace waiting for…something. He’s convinced he will be the last to go. After all, the others who attacked that young girl have been found dead in the most gruesome of ways, his brother possibly being the most disturbing. What will happen to the last survivor?

“Krampusnacht in Cell Block J”, by Cody Goodfellow, is set in a corrupt juvenile detention system where the inmates are celebrating Christmas by indulging in activities and substances that ensure distraction from how the guards will celebrate in their own way. One of them dresses as Krampus and inflicts abuse on those lost in their pleasures. It’s carried on this way for years, but this time is different. The new inmate doesn’t know the drill, and accidentally summons the real Krampus. Those involved in the corrupt justice system have been very bad, and the new inmate wants them to pay.

The other stories in the anthology are also fantastic. In John Skipp’s “The Shittiest Guy in the World (A Christmas Fable)” we meet the most unexpected sin eaters. In “Belsnickel” by J.F. Gonzalez, Amy’s Uncle Floyd comes to visit to continue an old family tradition. What will she find under the tree when he is done? Joe R. Lansdale’s “Santa Explains” is the story of a down-and-out Santa explaining to his family that this year will be different, that they won’t have to be disappointed in him, ever again. He has the perfect solution to all of their problems. Black Friday can be tough, and “The Endless Black of Friday” by Nate Southard shows what happens when the blackness of the night or early morning spread swallows the world as it comes.

If you need a little bit of the grotesque and macabre for your holiday season, pick up Christmas Horror, Vol. 1. You won’t be disappointed. Each story delivers its own message of Christmas fear in their pages, and is accompanied by a full color illustration to set the mood. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, sexual abuse

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on December 21, 2016 by , Reply
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