Fright Before Christmas: 13 Tales of Holiday Horrors Paperback – December 11, 2015

Okay, so if you're looking for something to stir up some warm fuzzy Christmas feelings, you'd better go watch one of those old schmaltzy movies we all know and love, because you sure aren't gonna find them in any of these stories. Not unless the idea of a machete-wielding Santa or an ultra-creepy nutcracker with homicidal tendencies gives you a warm holiday glow, that is. Nope, the warmest thing in these stories is the blood oozing out of bodies. But what can I say? Each of these stories is entertaining, and imaginatively creepy. And short. The whole book makes for very fast, and very entertaining, reading. Looking for a little something out of the ordinary to read this holiday season? This is it!

A fresh take on holiday horror. Original ideas and entertaining stories. Great for quick reads.

Fright Before Christmas: 13 Tales of Holiday Horrors has 13 great horror stories with a Christmas theme. While I was reading these stories, I couldn't help but think that many of them represented a child's worst nightmares. My favorites were Medeia Sharif's story, about a video game that evokes a very evil Santa, Ally Matthews' story about two brothers who venture into the cold forest to test out a legend, and Patrick Hueller's story about a little boy who gets coal in his stocking...and learns he's lucky--really bad boys don't get to see Christmas morning. Every one of these stories was a true page turner. I found that I couldn't wait to read the next story.

A collection of tiny and twisted tales...filled with terror!They are short and pack a punch!Stories include the following: a "fleshy" debt; vindictive snowmen on a murderous mission; an eerie clockwork man; an antique book and evil Christmas carol; a sinister scarf that takes on a life of its own; hundreds of evil crows; a machete-wielding Santa; a demon-possessed nutcracker, and many more, that will push your imagination into overdrive and have you quaking in your boots! *shudders*Great entertainment!But I'm not sure if this is for tweens or adults?

The foreward to this book reminds the reader that Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is, after all, a ghost story. That kind of intro always suggests to me that we are in for a bit of Christmas themed Victorian bump-in-the-night whimsy. Not so.The body count builds up fairly quickly as you read through this anthology. SPOILER EXAMPLES. When naughty boys get "white coal" in their stockings, it is a bit bracing to discover that this white coal is the cremated remains of especially naughty disappeared children. A battle between kids and evil snowmen reads like a short version of the Battle of Agincourt. As I say, intense.That's not at all a bad thing, but be aware. These stories are exceptionally well written, and pack a lot of punch into little packages. The premises are clever, and while there are a few tales that just sort of never catch fire, most of the stories are compelling grabbers. There are a few lessons to be learned here about greed and the like, and a few are just out there, (I never learned why the snowmen turned on their creators), but the main thrust is chilling horror, with maybe a Christmas tree and a happy ending somewhere in the background. And, of course, a machete wielding Santa.Most of the heroes, heroines, victims, and learners of hard lessons are in the middle grade age range. The stories are told in a wide variety of voices, and most of the authors do a good job of capturing the feel of that age group. Happy endings, just desserts, and nasty endings are handed out about equally, so the collection has a nice box-of-chocolates feel.The upshot? If your older middle grade reader likes and can handle scary stuff and if you want a Christmas theme instead of a hook-handed summer camp killer theme, this is a very solid and entertaining option.(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Did you think Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year? Think again. Fright Before Christmas is a collection of stories from thirteen authors that show that Christmas may be the scariest time of the year. Evil Santas, menacing nutcrackers, and sinister snowmen will have readers hiding under their blankets.This is not a book for young readers. There are no cute ghost stories here. It's all about blood, gore, and horror. If you're looking for an edgy holiday read, this is it. Recommended for young adult/adult readers.

After reading this book, I am not sure how to rate it. There are 13 pretty good scary stories, culled from legends, hearsay, stories people have been told or just plain gold old imagination, which are similar to the Goosebumps! books. I enjoyed reading them, but I am not sure I will look at Christmas the same way again. The stories tell tales of snowmen who come to life, a smelly spirit who visits, a devil who comes in the guise (sort of) of Father Christmas, and Jack Frost, to name a few. The stories are short, well done and, for the most part, interesting takes on ideas, events and such I had never thought about before. I am not sure, however, whether every reader will like them because they can upset well-honed ideas and memories of the comfortable safety and joy of Christmas. These stories show anything but that. This is not your average Christmas, happily-ever-after book, but I knew that before I began reading. Nevertheless, the book is rather short, and the stories all move along quite easily and quickly, so you are done with it before you practically realize. I am sure readers, not necessarily just young adults, who enjoy this sort of thing or want something a bit different will enjoy reading this, for the stories are very well done and fascinating takes on holiday life and events that surround it . I do not normally read this genre, but I enjoyed this one. Try it. You might like it, as I did. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.