Reviews

Christmas and Other Horrors: An Anthology of Solstice Horror by Garth Nix, Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu

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siena_j_p's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

I feel kind of betrayed by this book. I mean, there is SO MUCH POTENTIAL here, right? There’s nothing I love more than a good wintery horror story when I’m home for winter break (yes I read this book six months ago it’s fine), and this anthology is just packed with talent. So it should have been absolutely amazing. And yet it was just…meh? I’d go through them one by one, but only a couple have actually stuck in my head enough to really comment. “The Mawkin Field” was really interesting and built a real sense of dread throughout the story, but then it just…ended without really getting anywhere.

In fact, that was probably my main problem with most of these stories. They had interesting ideas for the most part, but almost none of them really had any grip to them, and the endings were mostly confusing instead of scary. The one that I think was the strongest was “The Lord of Misrule.” It was creepy and disturbing, and the ending was actually comprehensible, which, you know, is kind of important for it to be scary. Otherwise I mostly just remember vibes and images. But I wouldn’t say any of these stories properly scared me, or even really creeped me out. I wanted more from it.

whatyoutolkienabout's review against another edition

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5.0

I am a big fan of horror and of course Halloween but do love a good yule/Christmas tale but so often we don’t get horror. We might get ghostly stories of apparitions visiting people to change their ways before it’s too late. But for so long I have wanted a collection of Christmas horror and I am pleased to report that I have finally found it! Ellen Datlow has presented a perfect collection of yuletide horror that will tick the boxes of most, if not all, horror fans who want a festive chill.

Now, of course with any anthology you may get hits or misses and while for me there were not misses I did like a few abit more than others. My absolute favourites being The Importance of a Tidy Home by Christopher Golden, His Castle by Alma Katsu and The Ghost of Christmases Past by Richard Kadrey. That said all of the collection was amazing! Each writer’s style and voice was so varied and brought their own unique take on what yuletide terror can or should be. If you are looking for the perfect way to spend the darker nights then the stories in this collection offer just that. Be sure to be snuggled up with some hot chocolate or hot beverage of choice because this collection will bring the shivers and chills.

ashes_book_cave's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

zre_rodri's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

_lilbey_'s review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

kathrinpassig's review against another edition

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2.5

Zwei oder drei Geschichten mochte ich, viele fand ich mittelmäßig und ein paar richtig schlecht. Das meiste war mir zu konzeptlastig, "Ich habe ein Buch über die Mythen und Sagen von Island oder Australien gelesen und mir voll viele Gedanken gemacht!" Aber so ist das halt mit Anthologien, und in anderen Bewertungen hier werden gerade die Geschichten gelobt, die ich am wenigsten mochte.