Tag Archives: A Fantastic Holiday Season

Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry by Quincy J. Allen

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry
Author: Quincy J. Allen
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Easy reading
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: The handle plugged into a brass housing adorned by thick coils of wire on each side.

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Synopsis

Jimmy Krinklepot is a young man with some big ideas. Ideas that tend to get him in trouble with the law… but, they could also save his town and his future too.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this story – actually, I basically skim read the entire tale. Not because it was bad, but it just wasn’t my style. And it didn’t feel as Christmasy as I was expecting. Yes, it is based around Christmas, and has some of the hallmarks of a Christmas-time story, but it wasn’t filled with the intensity of the spirit like many of the other stories in this collection.

I really enjoyed the fact that the lead in this short story was a young boy – one that is an inventor and immensely smart. I especially love the constant comments about the ways in which he uses his “grey matter” whenever a problem comes up. It’s a reminder that being intelligent isn’t always a bad thing, and, ultimately, it’s what saves the day.

 <- The Longest Night ReviewMidnight Trains Review ->
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The Longest Night by Mercedes Lackey

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: The Longest Night
Author: Mercedes Lackey
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas,Easy reading
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Well, I can until classes start, anyway.

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Synopsis

It’s the longest night of the year, and the night that dark things stalk the halls. Especially for a student who is spending her Christmas away from her crime-fighting family in a school created for students of magic.

Thoughts

I first heard of Krampus a few years ago when an Austrian friend came to stay with me. She showed me YouTube footage of the celebration, and damn is it terrifying! Although, I can understand why some parents would want to tell their children the legend of Krampus – a lump of coal isn’t enough of a deterrent to stop them from being absolute terrors…

I’ve read a few of Lackey’s Valdemar series, and one of the things that I love about them is the fact that they’re kind of dark. There is no glory and sugar coating, but the story is always about someone who has some serious psychological issues and damage. It turns out that her short stories are no different. One of the girls featured in this believes that she is so naughty and evil that she deserves a visit from Krampus. Which, of course, means that all hell breaks loose. Because hey, this is a story featuring magic and mayhem.

Although The Longest Night has a dark sense overlaying the story. But, it still encompasses the spirit of Christmas. The idea of joy and love and caring for one another. At least, for me, that is something that I’ve always felt Christmas to be about…

 <- Astronaut Nick ReviewJimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry Review ->
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Astronaut Nick by Brad R. Torgersen

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Astronaut Nick
Author: Brad R. Torgersen
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Science fiction
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: “Meters deep,” Tessa said.

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Synopsis

Jimmy lives on Mars and he misses his old home on Ceres. But, his new friend Tessa has been telling him about Astronaut Nick. An Astronaut who travels around at night in a giant rocketship sleigh and delivers toys to the children.

Thoughts

I loved the science fiction spin of this short story. I’ve read / seen / heard a lot of short stories that feature a child not believing in Santa, finding out he’s real and learning a strong life lesson. This,however, managed to give a great science fiction spin to a fairly traditional tale. It also worked as a way to remind us of the old adage that “home is where the heart is”.

I found the flow of this story a little slow, until I reached the point at which Astronaut Nick actually arrived. The description of his suit was brilliant – and highlighted how a space Saint Nick would work. I loved how every small, traditional thing that I recognise from traditional tales is reflected in Torgersen’s version. Yet, it is completely new and unique – certainly not the kind of story that I was expecting.

 <- Close Knit ReviewThe Longest Night Review ->
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Close Knit by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Close Knit
Author: Nina Kiriki Hoffman
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Family
Pace: Slow
Format:  Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: They walked the mall after dinner.

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Synopsis

Leo has powerful family magic, but the magic of Christmas is about to show him that maybe there is another kind of magic that he needs to consider.

Thoughts

Christmas time has always meant family to me. But, sometimes that closeness and beautifulness of family can become a little too overwhelming. Sometimes becoming an adult means that the tightness of familial ties needs to be stretched and loosened. Hoffmanexplores this perfectly in this intriguingly different short story.

Instead of featuring a close knit family that is happy,healthy and merry – Close Knit features one that is inherently broken. All three generations that are featured. The fact that there is a magical that acts like a web between members just furthers the idea that not all relationships are healthy, and sometimes we need to work on things. Being close isn’t necessarily a good thing.

It took me a while to get used to a slightly open-ended ending in most short stories. They leave so much left unsaid, but, in the cases of tales like this, I love it. There is a sense of a great future ahead of Leo’s family, but also a sense of a lot of work left undone and a lot on the horizon.

 <- Naughty & Nice ReviewAstronaut Nick Review ->
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Naughty & Nice by Kevin J. Anderson

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for naughty and nice kevin j. anderson book cover

Title: Naughty & Nice
Author: Kevin J. Anderson
Series: Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. #3.5
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Comedy, Cops, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: In order to brainstorm, I invited Sheyenne to lunch.

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Synopsis

Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. finds himself tackling a bizarre Christmas case when Santa Claus himself becomes a client, hiring Dan to recover some very precious stolen North Pole property. If you like werewolves, vampires, evil elves, zombies, as well as a lot of belly laughs, curl up with this story and some eggnog.

Thoughts

I’m struggling to get into the Christmas spirit this year. So I thought that I would try and read some Christmas themed stories to get the festive feelings going… and it’s kind of working, but mostly it’s giving me that nice,happy, buzzy feeling that a good story gives me. And this was an amazing story to start the collection off with. It was funny, sassy and reminded me of the joy that Christmas time used to bring as a child (and I’m not talking about the presents).

For me, Christmas has always been about the joys of family,friends and community. Although, as with any other kid, I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed present receiving (and giving), it’s been about the people that I’m around. So it’s always been a little annoying to be thrust into a world full of the commercialisation of Christmas. And how many people have bitched about that? Luckily, Anderson feels the same – this story is all about how bad the commercialisation really is. The comedic and entertaining way in which this was done worked nicely.

This story by itself would have made me quite happy and entertained.But the fact that a zombie was the P.I. and his poltergeist girlfriend helped him out… that just made everything ten times better. It introduced a level of dark and urban fantasy to a Christmas tale that worked incredibly well for my happily crazy and convoluted brain.

 <- A Fantastic Holiday Season ReviewClose Knit Review ->
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