Title: The Werewolf Before Christmas
Author: Kat Richardson
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Dark fantasy, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 25th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: And hope.
He’s a werewolf stuck halfway between his forms at the North Pole. And, he’s understandably peckish… but maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to eat Rudolph.
Most Christmas stories I tend to read are quite happy. I’ve NEVER read one that starts with a werewolf eating Rudolph. That was a shock. It was hilarious, and I scared my dog by spitting out a bit of my tea as I held in the laughter (yes, I have a twisted sense of humour, so sue me). But it was also incredibly unique. As I said, I’ve never had the pleasure of reading a story which begins with Rudolph being eaten by a werewolf. And not just a werewolf, but a werewolf stuck in a crazy kind of half-form that he can’t seem to get out of. Little wonder that that image made me spit out my tea.
Although this was a story that starts with Rudolph, there were a surprising amount of Christian overtones. In fact, Santa only visits good little Christian boys and girls… which I found a bit annoying – but that’s my own religious hangups. I did like that there were a number of versions of the Saint Nikolas mythos added into the telling of the tale. It wasn’t just about our more modern / common versions of this. And there was also his evil shadow to contend with…
I love that the last spin on this featured Rudolph’s nose. Instead of a light to guide the way, the werewolf was able to use his superior sense of smell. And the way that he uses this to navigate the night… brilliant. Even though I’m pretty sure the werewolf is still kind of evil and needs a swift kick up the bum… all in the name of the Christmas spirit of course!
Earth and Skye 
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