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J. W. Wells & Co. #8
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse
Tom Holt’s brilliantly funny new novel set in the world of The Portable Door (now a delightful movie starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, and Christoph Waltz).
The team of commercial sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson can help with any metaphysical engineering project, large or small (though by definition they all tend to be pretty large).
They can also create massive great puddles of chaos that might one day swallow up the entire universe.
Take, for example, the decision to recruit a certain bearded fellow whose previous work experience mainly involves reindeer and jingle bells. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but is he really the best person to save the world from Tiamat the Destroyer, who has literally gone ballistic?
For more from Tom Holt, check
An Orc on the Wild Side
The Management Style of the Supreme Beings
The Good, The Bad, and the Smug
The Outsorcerer's Apprentice
When It's a Jar
Doughnut
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sausages
Blonde Bombshell
The team of commercial sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson can help with any metaphysical engineering project, large or small (though by definition they all tend to be pretty large).
They can also create massive great puddles of chaos that might one day swallow up the entire universe.
Take, for example, the decision to recruit a certain bearded fellow whose previous work experience mainly involves reindeer and jingle bells. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but is he really the best person to save the world from Tiamat the Destroyer, who has literally gone ballistic?
For more from Tom Holt, check
An Orc on the Wild Side
The Management Style of the Supreme Beings
The Good, The Bad, and the Smug
The Outsorcerer's Apprentice
When It's a Jar
Doughnut
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sausages
Blonde Bombshell
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
69 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Tom Holt
98 books1,172 followersTom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
September 26, 2023
Well, that was certainly a wild and crazy ride. I don't even know how to begin to describe this book, other than to say that it's very, very silly.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. At the beginning I found it super amusing, but over time the hilariousness got to be a little much. I mean, a funny story is one thing, but almost every paragraph in this book is completely absurd and I just got kind of immune to the humor after a while, I suppose? Take the humor in your average Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett novel and then double (or maybe even triple) it, and that might come close to the the level of “constantly funny” that we're talking about here. It seems like a weird thing to complain about, I'll admit, but there is such a thing as trying too hard to be humorous and this book definitely straddles that line.
With that said, there are some truly funny bits in this book and I found myself laughing out loud several times. The plot of this book mostly revolves around the employees of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson and they are tremendously amusing individuals … well, except for Mr Ahriman, he's just scary. Tony Bateman reminded me strongly of Tony Wonder's character from Arrested Development and I could only picture him as Ben Stiller (who played Wonder). Mr. Sunshine, however, is perhaps my favorite character of the bunch, and his scenes in the Bank of the Dead are some of the best in the book.
The plot itself was entertaining and original, but it was definitely all over the place. It's basically a bunch of characters bumbling around (humorously and mostly ineffectively) trying to stop the world from ending. There's lots of backstabbing and arguing in the process. There are shapeshifters and gods and demigods and familiars and demons. And although he does play a role, there's a lot less Santa Claus than I would have expected considering the title. Reindeer too, for that matter.
So, I dunno, I suppose this book gets a 3.65 stars from me, rounded up because that's how rounding works. This is a funny novel, perhaps a little overly so, but if you enjoy Moore or Pratchett, there's a good chance you'll really like this one too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me an advance copy of this book to review.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. At the beginning I found it super amusing, but over time the hilariousness got to be a little much. I mean, a funny story is one thing, but almost every paragraph in this book is completely absurd and I just got kind of immune to the humor after a while, I suppose? Take the humor in your average Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett novel and then double (or maybe even triple) it, and that might come close to the the level of “constantly funny” that we're talking about here. It seems like a weird thing to complain about, I'll admit, but there is such a thing as trying too hard to be humorous and this book definitely straddles that line.
With that said, there are some truly funny bits in this book and I found myself laughing out loud several times. The plot of this book mostly revolves around the employees of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson and they are tremendously amusing individuals … well, except for Mr Ahriman, he's just scary. Tony Bateman reminded me strongly of Tony Wonder's character from Arrested Development and I could only picture him as Ben Stiller (who played Wonder). Mr. Sunshine, however, is perhaps my favorite character of the bunch, and his scenes in the Bank of the Dead are some of the best in the book.
The plot itself was entertaining and original, but it was definitely all over the place. It's basically a bunch of characters bumbling around (humorously and mostly ineffectively) trying to stop the world from ending. There's lots of backstabbing and arguing in the process. There are shapeshifters and gods and demigods and familiars and demons. And although he does play a role, there's a lot less Santa Claus than I would have expected considering the title. Reindeer too, for that matter.
So, I dunno, I suppose this book gets a 3.65 stars from me, rounded up because that's how rounding works. This is a funny novel, perhaps a little overly so, but if you enjoy Moore or Pratchett, there's a good chance you'll really like this one too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me an advance copy of this book to review.
October 8, 2023
I think if you are a fan of Tom Holt, then this would get a higher rating. I’d never read anything by this author and I can see why people like his stuff and I *kind of* found it amusing in quite a mild way. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
September 28, 2023
I'd say part of what attracted me to this book were the reviews suggesting it was like Pratchett. It's not. Another part was the idea of it being about a twist on Santa and his Reindeer. It's not. Reviewers said it was funny. It is in very small parts. In fact all my preconceptions were wrong.
So if I understood it (and I'm not too sure I did), The story is that some unsuspecting person is given a package which then informs the staff at Dawson, Ahriman and Dawson that the world is going to be destroyed by a comet. There's a sub-story about the search for a new god for a planet (which is where Santa sporadically appears as a candidate). The staff at DAD then spend the rest of the book trying to find a solution to the comet problem.
I didn't laugh at anything until we'll past halfway. There are some funny bits but they're outweighed by the overly convoluted plot, the huge list of characters, the zipping about from offices, locations and supernatural goings on that make your head spin.
One thing that really grated was the constant guessing game of who's behind the comet? You'll never guess. No I won't so tell me instead of drawing it out. Then once thar mystery was solved we had another one - guess who that person is married to? Guess who their brother is? Guess who can save us?
All the rhetorical questions might have made more sense had this been a long running series - you know, like finding out who Luke's dad was in Star Wars. However these characters had zero history so finding put the truth meant nothing.
You'll gather I was disappointed by this book but as I say there are some good bits but, for me, the rest of it outweighed them.
Thanks anyway to Netgalley and Little Brown for the advance review copy.
So if I understood it (and I'm not too sure I did), The story is that some unsuspecting person is given a package which then informs the staff at Dawson, Ahriman and Dawson that the world is going to be destroyed by a comet. There's a sub-story about the search for a new god for a planet (which is where Santa sporadically appears as a candidate). The staff at DAD then spend the rest of the book trying to find a solution to the comet problem.
I didn't laugh at anything until we'll past halfway. There are some funny bits but they're outweighed by the overly convoluted plot, the huge list of characters, the zipping about from offices, locations and supernatural goings on that make your head spin.
One thing that really grated was the constant guessing game of who's behind the comet? You'll never guess. No I won't so tell me instead of drawing it out. Then once thar mystery was solved we had another one - guess who that person is married to? Guess who their brother is? Guess who can save us?
All the rhetorical questions might have made more sense had this been a long running series - you know, like finding out who Luke's dad was in Star Wars. However these characters had zero history so finding put the truth meant nothing.
You'll gather I was disappointed by this book but as I say there are some good bits but, for me, the rest of it outweighed them.
Thanks anyway to Netgalley and Little Brown for the advance review copy.
August 29, 2023
Tom Holt's latest, "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse," delivers exactly what it promises and what longtime readers will expect. It's a funny, slightly absurdist fantasy novel that builds on the world from "The Portable Door" (which, itself, riffed on a Gilbert & Sullivan musical just as Holt's earliest works took, at least, some inspiration from the opera world). The magical consultants at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson navigate office politics that are almost as dangerous as their inadvertent assignment to save the world from the Tiamat the Destroyer with the help of Santa Claus. As always, Holt uses the fantastical to capture the absurdity and humor of the mundane. Without giving it away, the ending might be a little deus ex machina for some but it is the sort of tongue-in-cheek literary turn that also is part of Holt's charm.
September 3, 2023
3.5/5 stars
If you’re looking for a book that’s basically "The Office" meets "Discworld", then Tom Holt’s "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" might just be the book for you. It’s a funny, thrilling ride through the interoffice politics of a commercial sorcery firm. Absurd to the nth degree and filled with a cast of irreverent, often completely incompetent characters, it’s a joyous read from start to finish. But if it’s the title that hooked you, and the premise of a story involving Santa Claus going up against Tiamat the Destroyer, it might be worth adjusting those expectations some.
It’s not that "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" doesn’t deliver exactly what it promises on the tin. It’s just that you’d be forgiven for expecting a book with Santa and his reindeer on the cover to feature just a bit more of Santa and his titular reindeer. Instead, Santa only appears sporadically throughout most of the book, with the vast majority of the story focusing on the employees of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson: Commercial Sorcerors. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a bit of a jarring discovery to make, midway through a book you thought was gonna be about something else. Now, to be fair, this is my first experience with Holt’s work. I’ve never read any of the other books set in this world, so perhaps all of his books are like this. But I can’t say that I went into "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" expecting what I ultimately got.
On the bright side, however, once you adjust to the kind of story "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" is trying to tell, you’re in for a joyous ride. The world Holt creates here feels very "Discworld" in both tone and subject. All of these sorcerors would feel right at home at "Discworld"’s Unseen University. And all of the interoffice squabbles and power plays are an absolutely delight to read. Sure, the pacing’s a little bit wonky, especially in the middle. But the book, as a whole, offers a very warm and cozy read. The stakes, while high, somehow feel secondary to the firm’s goings-on - and that makes for a pretty fun dynamic. It’s a fun, breezy read, that does ultimately come together in the end in a pretty satisfying way.
At the end of the day, "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" isn’t quite the read I was expecting it to be, but it’s a fun one nonetheless. Filled with a cast of immediately likable, absurd characters and a whole host of ridiculous subplots and jokes, it’s a fun read from start to finish. I could’ve used a bit more of what the title seemed to promise, but if you’re a fan of Holt’s work, you’re probably gonna dig this book. And it’s a great starting place if you’re new to his work, too. A perfect read for fans of "Discworld", Good Omens". "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and other such lighthearted, irreverent fantasy novels.
Note: a review copy was provided by Edelweiss and Orbit in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.
If you’re looking for a book that’s basically "The Office" meets "Discworld", then Tom Holt’s "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" might just be the book for you. It’s a funny, thrilling ride through the interoffice politics of a commercial sorcery firm. Absurd to the nth degree and filled with a cast of irreverent, often completely incompetent characters, it’s a joyous read from start to finish. But if it’s the title that hooked you, and the premise of a story involving Santa Claus going up against Tiamat the Destroyer, it might be worth adjusting those expectations some.
It’s not that "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" doesn’t deliver exactly what it promises on the tin. It’s just that you’d be forgiven for expecting a book with Santa and his reindeer on the cover to feature just a bit more of Santa and his titular reindeer. Instead, Santa only appears sporadically throughout most of the book, with the vast majority of the story focusing on the employees of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson: Commercial Sorcerors. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a bit of a jarring discovery to make, midway through a book you thought was gonna be about something else. Now, to be fair, this is my first experience with Holt’s work. I’ve never read any of the other books set in this world, so perhaps all of his books are like this. But I can’t say that I went into "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" expecting what I ultimately got.
On the bright side, however, once you adjust to the kind of story "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" is trying to tell, you’re in for a joyous ride. The world Holt creates here feels very "Discworld" in both tone and subject. All of these sorcerors would feel right at home at "Discworld"’s Unseen University. And all of the interoffice squabbles and power plays are an absolutely delight to read. Sure, the pacing’s a little bit wonky, especially in the middle. But the book, as a whole, offers a very warm and cozy read. The stakes, while high, somehow feel secondary to the firm’s goings-on - and that makes for a pretty fun dynamic. It’s a fun, breezy read, that does ultimately come together in the end in a pretty satisfying way.
At the end of the day, "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse" isn’t quite the read I was expecting it to be, but it’s a fun one nonetheless. Filled with a cast of immediately likable, absurd characters and a whole host of ridiculous subplots and jokes, it’s a fun read from start to finish. I could’ve used a bit more of what the title seemed to promise, but if you’re a fan of Holt’s work, you’re probably gonna dig this book. And it’s a great starting place if you’re new to his work, too. A perfect read for fans of "Discworld", Good Omens". "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and other such lighthearted, irreverent fantasy novels.
Note: a review copy was provided by Edelweiss and Orbit in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.
October 23, 2023
Everything about The Eight Reindeer Of The Apocalypse by Tom Holt appealed to me. The great cover, the fun title and the intriguing blurb. BUT…
I had a couple of moments when I smiled but I kept trying too hard to make it work for me.
It depends what ereader I look at but I got to 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through and gave up.
Tom Holt is a prolific writer that has a lot of readers who enjoy his work, but I don’t think I am one of them. Was it the writing style? Is satire not for me? Either way, just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.
I had a couple of moments when I smiled but I kept trying too hard to make it work for me.
It depends what ereader I look at but I got to 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through and gave up.
Tom Holt is a prolific writer that has a lot of readers who enjoy his work, but I don’t think I am one of them. Was it the writing style? Is satire not for me? Either way, just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.
dnf
December 23, 2024Not for me.
October 9, 2023
There was so much about this book I loved. The world-building is great as is character development. Indeed, the characters are amazing. The story itself is excellent and I couldn’t put the book down. I loved the subtle and not-so-subtle look at business and society. The banter between characters is excellent. There wasn’t anything about this book I didn’t love. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the digital review copy.
October 23, 2023
It all starts with Alice being temporarily abducted by creatures from outer space who had her sign for a package. Of course it was not for her. Alice brought it to Mr. Sunshine who used to be a partner in Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson, but still have connections. He promised to look into it, but then just slipped it into a safe place until the package could be properly delivered. As is typical in recent Tom Holt books, the magician characters are trying to up one another, weasel out of obligations, and of course, make gobs of money. But on the way they need to save the world, in this case from a wrathful ex-wife trapped in an asteroid she has aimed at Earth. Plenty of characters snarking at each other while trying to figure out how to get out of the fine mess they are in. And then comes the maiden in to save the day in the nick-of-time. Tom Holt adds a final laugh at the end. So all, in all, a nice solid, fun Tom Holt read!
Thanks Netgalley and Orbit for the chance to read this title and feed my Tom Holt addiction!
Thanks Netgalley and Orbit for the chance to read this title and feed my Tom Holt addiction!
September 16, 2023
I had never read a book by this author, so I thought. I did read one under a pseudonym, but I didn’t realize that until I read this book. This was a very interesting tale of a business who made what might be a bad decision. I loved how we went from one employee to another and saw events/things from another’s perspective. This is a funny look, and the book moves really quickly, almost too quickly for me since I read so fast, and I tend to lose track of who’s talking about what. That aside, though, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read especially for those who like this author. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
October 12, 2023
I love this author, his books are just completely incredible and insane.
This is no different, if not more so! It’s almost impossible to review without spoiling, all I can say is nothing is quite what you’d expect and magic is very real. As are the Gods (plural) and it’s best not to upset them. This is a madcap adventure to save the world from an upset deity and I loved it.
This is no different, if not more so! It’s almost impossible to review without spoiling, all I can say is nothing is quite what you’d expect and magic is very real. As are the Gods (plural) and it’s best not to upset them. This is a madcap adventure to save the world from an upset deity and I loved it.
November 29, 2023
If you are looking for a lighthearted book to spend a cozy time and also want to laugh a bit ( well more than a bit ) then this book is outstanding. I had a wonderful time reading it and enjoyed it a lot. Why? Let’s discuss it below.
The synopsis is rather vague, so I’ll try to describe in my words according to how I perceived it.
When a strange woman begins to appear out of nowhere in wedding photographs of Lilith McGregor she goes to the team of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson for help. There they somehow discover that Tiamat ( yes, from Mesopotamian mythology 🫣) is going to destroy Earth by clashing asteroid with it. There is a continuous fight between rivals JWW & DAD team members to see who will win in solving this case. But it’s not as easy as it looks. Then there appears Santa Claus to save the day as he had a relationship with Tiamat in the past. But still again, it’s not as easy as it looks 🤪. Because a series of mysterious characters will appear from the DAD team who have some supernatural mysteries and a member who also knows Tiamat very well.
Wow, this book is literally amazing. It has not a regular fantasy that makes sense but I would say absolute craziness. But but but I don’t know how it started to make sense while I was immersed in the story.
The humor was perfect beyond level. Literally, I was laughing while reading it. Perfect jokes, perfect sarcasm, perfect characters. This book actually features office politics in a comical way. So it was great to see some grave ground realities in a different way. In my opinion, through Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson team the author has actually portrayed the life of human beings who want to achieve their goals either by fair or rough ways.
Tom was simply a normal, well-adjusted human being doing what normal, well-adjusted human beings unfortunately tend to do.
I think the author did a wonderful job in doing that. That makes the novel more compelling.
” You know what they say, doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government always gets elected.”
All the characters were likeable but some were totally superb especially Tom Dawson, Brian Teasdale, Edwin Sunshine and Santa Claus. Tony Bateman was the most pitied character 😂. Once you read the novel you’ll get what I’m saying.
If you aren’t already familiar with the work of Tom Holt’s work. I would advise you to watch the movie “THE PORTABLE DOOR” which is based on his novel.
It totally gives the vibes of Harry Potter. You’ll enjoy his books more after watching the movie.
*My special gratitude to Orbit UK for providing me this amazing title in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis is rather vague, so I’ll try to describe in my words according to how I perceived it.
When a strange woman begins to appear out of nowhere in wedding photographs of Lilith McGregor she goes to the team of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson for help. There they somehow discover that Tiamat ( yes, from Mesopotamian mythology 🫣) is going to destroy Earth by clashing asteroid with it. There is a continuous fight between rivals JWW & DAD team members to see who will win in solving this case. But it’s not as easy as it looks. Then there appears Santa Claus to save the day as he had a relationship with Tiamat in the past. But still again, it’s not as easy as it looks 🤪. Because a series of mysterious characters will appear from the DAD team who have some supernatural mysteries and a member who also knows Tiamat very well.
Wow, this book is literally amazing. It has not a regular fantasy that makes sense but I would say absolute craziness. But but but I don’t know how it started to make sense while I was immersed in the story.
The humor was perfect beyond level. Literally, I was laughing while reading it. Perfect jokes, perfect sarcasm, perfect characters. This book actually features office politics in a comical way. So it was great to see some grave ground realities in a different way. In my opinion, through Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson team the author has actually portrayed the life of human beings who want to achieve their goals either by fair or rough ways.
Tom was simply a normal, well-adjusted human being doing what normal, well-adjusted human beings unfortunately tend to do.
I think the author did a wonderful job in doing that. That makes the novel more compelling.
” You know what they say, doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government always gets elected.”
All the characters were likeable but some were totally superb especially Tom Dawson, Brian Teasdale, Edwin Sunshine and Santa Claus. Tony Bateman was the most pitied character 😂. Once you read the novel you’ll get what I’m saying.
If you aren’t already familiar with the work of Tom Holt’s work. I would advise you to watch the movie “THE PORTABLE DOOR” which is based on his novel.
It totally gives the vibes of Harry Potter. You’ll enjoy his books more after watching the movie.
*My special gratitude to Orbit UK for providing me this amazing title in exchange for an honest review.
December 24, 2023
I’ve read KJ Parker before, and adored his writing. KJ is actually a pseudonym of Tom Holt, so I’ve been curious to check out Holt for a while. When this came up for sale on Kindle, I figured aid give it a spin as a Christmas themed read for the year.
Unlike his work under his pseudonym, Holt writes contemporary fantasy about a firm of magical beings (gods, sorcerers, the Queen of the Night, accountants) consulting on people’s magical problems. It’s very different in feel and style from the work published as Parker, yet also recognizably comes from the same mind.
This is, apparently, 8th in a series. There are a lot of characters and I am clearly coming in when they’ve built up a lot of history that is referenced throughout. That history is explained as we go with a helpful sentence here and there and I didn’t find it hindered my ability to enjoy this book. Probably not the best place to start the series, as I suspect I would have got more out of it if I’d been there for some of this history. But, totally doable. Plot wise, the arc of this one is pretty self contained. The character arcs were clearly in the middle but were followable.
It didn’t end up being much of a Christmas story. Santa does feature prominently in it, but in ways that have nothing to do with Christmas. But it was fun, in a so British you can hear the accents while you read kind of way. Suuuper dry humour abounds. If that British style doesn’t appeal to you, the story probably won’t do much, as the actual tale - which involves aliens, the multiverse, Santa, ancient gods, ex wives, familiars, shapeshifters, deals with the devil, goats pulling a sleigh faster than the speed of light, haunted wedding photos, a comet headed for earth, and a bank in the land of the dead, is pretty all over the place and clearly not to be taken too seriously.
But it was fun, in its chaotic British way, and a very quick, easy read.
I will probably check out more by Tom Holt after reading this, I think he’s kind of my speed.
Unlike his work under his pseudonym, Holt writes contemporary fantasy about a firm of magical beings (gods, sorcerers, the Queen of the Night, accountants) consulting on people’s magical problems. It’s very different in feel and style from the work published as Parker, yet also recognizably comes from the same mind.
This is, apparently, 8th in a series. There are a lot of characters and I am clearly coming in when they’ve built up a lot of history that is referenced throughout. That history is explained as we go with a helpful sentence here and there and I didn’t find it hindered my ability to enjoy this book. Probably not the best place to start the series, as I suspect I would have got more out of it if I’d been there for some of this history. But, totally doable. Plot wise, the arc of this one is pretty self contained. The character arcs were clearly in the middle but were followable.
It didn’t end up being much of a Christmas story. Santa does feature prominently in it, but in ways that have nothing to do with Christmas. But it was fun, in a so British you can hear the accents while you read kind of way. Suuuper dry humour abounds. If that British style doesn’t appeal to you, the story probably won’t do much, as the actual tale - which involves aliens, the multiverse, Santa, ancient gods, ex wives, familiars, shapeshifters, deals with the devil, goats pulling a sleigh faster than the speed of light, haunted wedding photos, a comet headed for earth, and a bank in the land of the dead, is pretty all over the place and clearly not to be taken too seriously.
But it was fun, in its chaotic British way, and a very quick, easy read.
I will probably check out more by Tom Holt after reading this, I think he’s kind of my speed.
December 12, 2025
It should only be 1 star, but I love the concept.
The idea of magic being ran like an everyday business, like a solicitor, a dentist or something similar. People come to you with their problems, you consult, offer a solution and sometimes outsource for equipment and whatnot. I really like this concept.
The book itself was really long-winded and dragged like a sack of concrete through a river in the wrong direction. It was so unnecessarily hard to read? Like, I could FEEL myself avoiding it physically, but I wanted to finish it.
Besides, the only thing Christmassy about it was that Santa is a god and there was a parcel to only be opened on Christmas day.
I'm so disappointed.
The idea of magic being ran like an everyday business, like a solicitor, a dentist or something similar. People come to you with their problems, you consult, offer a solution and sometimes outsource for equipment and whatnot. I really like this concept.
The book itself was really long-winded and dragged like a sack of concrete through a river in the wrong direction. It was so unnecessarily hard to read? Like, I could FEEL myself avoiding it physically, but I wanted to finish it.
Besides, the only thing Christmassy about it was that Santa is a god and there was a parcel to only be opened on Christmas day.
I'm so disappointed.
April 30, 2024
It starts on a normal enough day, when the senior partner of Dawson, Ahriman and Dawson is interviewing Santa Claus for a new job as god of a little backwoods world. Not suitable, of course. As the sorcerers learn that the earth is about to come to an end, because a vengeful goddess, locked into an asteroid by her ex-husband, has gained control and is using it as a missile. Neither her daughter nor her brother,, deposed as chairman of the firm when Dawson threw his lot in with Ahriman (and we all know what he's Prince of) can change her mind, and her ex has lost the key to the asteroid. As usual,, Holt satirizes contemorary life while engged in his endlessly inventive fantasy-building.
December 12, 2023
I've read about a dozen of Holt's books and am a fan. I do not know how to describe his genre, something like humorous, metaphysical science?
The ending was a bit weak, but the ride was great! And the library has another Holt book on hold for me.
The ending was a bit weak, but the ride was great! And the library has another Holt book on hold for me.
December 12, 2024
Tom Holt is no Douglas Adams, despite the endorsement on the book cover. "The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse' is a shambolic mess of pop culture, magic, mythology and science fiction that never really comes together. That said, there were enough enjoyable moments and imaginative ideas to keep me reading to the end. BTW, don't let the title fool you, Santa and his reindeer are not the focus of this book.
December 31, 2024
Bonkers. It was fun if not a little hard to follow.
January 4, 2024
Absolutely Glorious!
Tom Holt never lets me down, he just keeps producing books that have me engrossed and howlimg with laughter! The true master of urban fantasy, an absolute legend. Eight Reindeer was anawesome twist on the characters of the Christmas season and the storyline beautifully woven. Brilliant!!!
Tom Holt never lets me down, he just keeps producing books that have me engrossed and howlimg with laughter! The true master of urban fantasy, an absolute legend. Eight Reindeer was anawesome twist on the characters of the Christmas season and the storyline beautifully woven. Brilliant!!!
February 1, 2024
Absurdist humour. The team of sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson are looking for a new recruit to take over the job of supreme being of a world in an alternate universe. Maybe the fat bearded chap who knows a lot about reindeer and jingle bells isn’t the right candidate for the job. Or maybe he is. Dawson (both of him) is in debt to Ahriman. Mt Sunshine is a soft touch and has a bottomless purse which doesn’t (can’t) exist. Mr Teasedale has booked a team of demons for a specific job… And then there’s Harmondsworth who seems to manifest as a blue light or a flash Pentecostal fire. I should have expected this from Tom Holt, but it’s a long time since I read any of his books. I’ve been missing out. This is weird, surreal, quirky and fantastically imaginative.
October 3, 2023
Tom Holt does it again. Humour abounds in this apocalyptic story of professional fixers fixing! But since these fixers have god like skills their clients and the world are in safe hands. Yeah, right - definitely not!!!!! Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group Uk and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
September 24, 2023
Knowing Tom Holt mostly from his pseudonymous, semi-serious historical fantasties as KJ Parker, The Eight Reindeer of The Apocalypse is a departure...and yet totally in character. Much of this is to the good, especially the focus on Hitchhiker's-esque madcap antics instead of pastiches of the ancient world, but Reindeer's wild ride is sometimes encumbered by ramshackle plotting and a serious shortage of Santa.
What Reindeer is actually about is law office comedy, the office in question being the worryingly titled sorcerer's firm of Dawson, Ahriman and Dawson. And as a (non-legal) professional services peon myself, it was hard not to enjoy workplace scenes that felt painfully familiar — the constant low-grade politicking and sniping, the iron law that the smallest rooms always attract the most people — but hyperbolic enough to be cathartic. It's a book whose concluding rant is about the office world's disrespect for competent introverts, what's not to love?
The emphasis is very much on the jokes though, which Holt fires off in full automatic. The wit's often sharp, but the sheer density of quips means we sometimes descend to references for references' sake; cf. I Can't Believe It's Not Smeagol verifying digital banking logins. But even amidst the throwaway gags, there's clearly some genuine thought (and likely real-life experience) behind Reindeer's picture of the firm, with its unsteady internal balance of power and almost-familial blend of irritation and affection.
Unfortunately we need bits outside the office for there to be a story, and those bits occasionally feel as tacked-on as that sounds. We start with a MacGuffin and a dame to kick off the case, but both are forgotten about for a good two thirds of the book before popping back up to have their threads tied off hastily by the anticlimactic finale. Santa and the titular world-ending threat also show up at times for intergalactic hijinks and plot advancement, but you'd be forgiven for expecting they'd get a bit more page time from the title. Of course, much of the joke is how petty Reindeer's various gods, world spirits and demons are and how little they actually accomplish, but the "main story" still comes across as a shaggy B plot alongside the office drama.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the one non-Dawson character we spend much time with is one of Holt's stock characters, the no-nonsense, romantically-unavailable and slightly grasping Type A female lead. Here she's a powerful but overambitious sorceress named Consuela, but she shares 90%+ of her DNA with at least five other Holt/Parker women I've read about. And like most of them, she has strong — and in this case literal — ex-wife energy, laced with a bitterness that's missing from the admittedly-caustic satire Holt sprinkles on others. Indeed, it's hard not to notice Consuela's pretty much the only one really punished by the end for her ambition, or that the main villainess (epithet: "stupid woman") is an irrational ex-wife. In the author's defense, Consuela evokes a definite real life type (I know one!), the hyper-competent machina of the story's deus ex ending is very much female, and creepy/patronising male behaviour is slapped down elsewhere with extreme prejudice. But I really, really wish Holt could write a book centered on a different female POV for once. For Christmas, maybe.
What Reindeer is actually about is law office comedy, the office in question being the worryingly titled sorcerer's firm of Dawson, Ahriman and Dawson. And as a (non-legal) professional services peon myself, it was hard not to enjoy workplace scenes that felt painfully familiar — the constant low-grade politicking and sniping, the iron law that the smallest rooms always attract the most people — but hyperbolic enough to be cathartic. It's a book whose concluding rant is about the office world's disrespect for competent introverts, what's not to love?
The emphasis is very much on the jokes though, which Holt fires off in full automatic. The wit's often sharp, but the sheer density of quips means we sometimes descend to references for references' sake; cf. I Can't Believe It's Not Smeagol verifying digital banking logins. But even amidst the throwaway gags, there's clearly some genuine thought (and likely real-life experience) behind Reindeer's picture of the firm, with its unsteady internal balance of power and almost-familial blend of irritation and affection.
Unfortunately we need bits outside the office for there to be a story, and those bits occasionally feel as tacked-on as that sounds. We start with a MacGuffin and a dame to kick off the case, but both are forgotten about for a good two thirds of the book before popping back up to have their threads tied off hastily by the anticlimactic finale. Santa and the titular world-ending threat also show up at times for intergalactic hijinks and plot advancement, but you'd be forgiven for expecting they'd get a bit more page time from the title. Of course, much of the joke is how petty Reindeer's various gods, world spirits and demons are and how little they actually accomplish, but the "main story" still comes across as a shaggy B plot alongside the office drama.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the one non-Dawson character we spend much time with is one of Holt's stock characters, the no-nonsense, romantically-unavailable and slightly grasping Type A female lead. Here she's a powerful but overambitious sorceress named Consuela, but she shares 90%+ of her DNA with at least five other Holt/Parker women I've read about. And like most of them, she has strong — and in this case literal — ex-wife energy, laced with a bitterness that's missing from the admittedly-caustic satire Holt sprinkles on others. Indeed, it's hard not to notice Consuela's pretty much the only one really punished by the end for her ambition, or that the main villainess (epithet: "stupid woman") is an irrational ex-wife. In the author's defense, Consuela evokes a definite real life type (I know one!), the hyper-competent machina of the story's deus ex ending is very much female, and creepy/patronising male behaviour is slapped down elsewhere with extreme prejudice. But I really, really wish Holt could write a book centered on a different female POV for once. For Christmas, maybe.
October 13, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is another office politics / industrial espionage caper featuring the wizards and demigods at J.W.Wells & co, written by Tom Holt. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Orbit Books, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
For fans of the author, the full-bore frenetic humor is front and centre here as well. Interoffice politics, sarcasm, sniping, and the occasional dirty deed (for the right price) feature heavily. There are demigods, infernal agents, banks in the realm of the dead, and excursions to killer asteroids, death, and (literal) destruction on offer.
This is one for fans of Charles Stross, Christopher Moore, Ben Aaronovitch, and of course, current fans of the author. For fantasy fans who don't already have him on their must-read list... it's -very- sharply sarcastic and almost frenetically humorous which can come across as trying too hard in places. For all that, it's absolutely cleverly convoluted and very well constructed.
There's an old chestnut attributed to Chekhov: "a gun presented in act 1 must be used by act 3" and the author is absolutely virtuoso at this narrative prestidigitation. There are incidental details written in which seem to simply have absolutely no bearing on the story which wind up getting whipped out at the denouement and used to devastating effect.
Four stars, it's funny, bonkers, and chaotic. That rating will be higher for folks who already love his other work, and this fits very well in his oeuvre. It's the 8th book to feature some of these returning characters, but works fine as a standalone.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is another office politics / industrial espionage caper featuring the wizards and demigods at J.W.Wells & co, written by Tom Holt. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Orbit Books, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
For fans of the author, the full-bore frenetic humor is front and centre here as well. Interoffice politics, sarcasm, sniping, and the occasional dirty deed (for the right price) feature heavily. There are demigods, infernal agents, banks in the realm of the dead, and excursions to killer asteroids, death, and (literal) destruction on offer.
This is one for fans of Charles Stross, Christopher Moore, Ben Aaronovitch, and of course, current fans of the author. For fantasy fans who don't already have him on their must-read list... it's -very- sharply sarcastic and almost frenetically humorous which can come across as trying too hard in places. For all that, it's absolutely cleverly convoluted and very well constructed.
There's an old chestnut attributed to Chekhov: "a gun presented in act 1 must be used by act 3" and the author is absolutely virtuoso at this narrative prestidigitation. There are incidental details written in which seem to simply have absolutely no bearing on the story which wind up getting whipped out at the denouement and used to devastating effect.
Four stars, it's funny, bonkers, and chaotic. That rating will be higher for folks who already love his other work, and this fits very well in his oeuvre. It's the 8th book to feature some of these returning characters, but works fine as a standalone.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Read
December 14, 2023Thank you to Angela Man and Orbit Books for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Have you read the blurb for this book? No? Good. The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is delightfully absurd, it is, however, not all that focused on the jolly guy or his favorite mode of transportation. He makes the occasional appearance but is far from the main storyline. The true stars of this story are the kooky employees of Dawson, Ahriman, & Dawson, a company of consultants that focus on the…unusual.
Imagine the zaniness of Dunder Mifflin, add an extra spice of the otherworldly, and you’ve got the basic feel of these characters. I was laughing out loud at some of the antics and interoffice shenanigans that occurred. There was a scene involving a very Smeagle-esque bank PIN identification…I’ll say no more. At any rate, there’s never a dull moment.
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse features that wry humor that I love. There are awkward moments and puns aplenty (I love a good pun!) and if it goes a bit too far in the “forced humor” direction every now and again, well, it’s rare enough that it’s a mere blip before moving right back into funny territory.
The plotline itself, while loads of fun, is less important than what the characters get up to and how they interact. Basically, it’s any work environment in which the employees spend way too much time together. The ending might be a bit much, depending on your thoughts about that ‘ol deus ex machina. I didn’t mind it in this case, oddly enough.
Take your preconceived notions of what this book is about and toss them out the window. The reality of it is so much better! The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse delivers a fresh and witty take on office comedy. Ah, yes. And the random jolly man cameo.
Have you read the blurb for this book? No? Good. The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is delightfully absurd, it is, however, not all that focused on the jolly guy or his favorite mode of transportation. He makes the occasional appearance but is far from the main storyline. The true stars of this story are the kooky employees of Dawson, Ahriman, & Dawson, a company of consultants that focus on the…unusual.
Imagine the zaniness of Dunder Mifflin, add an extra spice of the otherworldly, and you’ve got the basic feel of these characters. I was laughing out loud at some of the antics and interoffice shenanigans that occurred. There was a scene involving a very Smeagle-esque bank PIN identification…I’ll say no more. At any rate, there’s never a dull moment.
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse features that wry humor that I love. There are awkward moments and puns aplenty (I love a good pun!) and if it goes a bit too far in the “forced humor” direction every now and again, well, it’s rare enough that it’s a mere blip before moving right back into funny territory.
The plotline itself, while loads of fun, is less important than what the characters get up to and how they interact. Basically, it’s any work environment in which the employees spend way too much time together. The ending might be a bit much, depending on your thoughts about that ‘ol deus ex machina. I didn’t mind it in this case, oddly enough.
Take your preconceived notions of what this book is about and toss them out the window. The reality of it is so much better! The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse delivers a fresh and witty take on office comedy. Ah, yes. And the random jolly man cameo.
February 4, 2024
I thought this was a three-star book, but the more I thought about it, the less satisfied I was. I was hoping for better because I really like the J.W. Wells series, and although I'd seen this book advertised, I didn't know it was part of the series, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Except not.
It starts off strong with a funny moment--a woman has an alien encounter in which they give her a package that was supposed to go to Proxima Centauri and has instead been redirected "to nearest neighbor." But then Holt gets coy. He interrupts conversations to avoid revealing things. He uses the technique of "And then she told him" without telling the reader, again to delay the reveal. This isn't uncommon for him, but in this case it happened so often it was seriously annoying.
And the characters. Almost every one of them is unpleasant or impossible to root for at the start, and very few of them develop into anything admirable, or even not admirable but someone you want to see succeed because there can't possibly be no one who fits that criterion. Add to this the fact that there is a Tom and a Ted and I was constantly forgetting who was who, and it just became messy.
I liked the plot, surprisingly. It was fun and interesting despite how the characters all did their level best to change that. (Note: If Ahriman is the big bad, it would help if readers actually wanted his victim to break free. I felt I only cared about the guy because Ahriman is so terrible by comparison.) I admire that the name "Santa Claus" is never used. The interplay between the gods is fun, as is their family situation. But in the end, I think Holt outclevered himself, and that left me feeling unhappy with it. It was a terrible disappointment.
Except not.
It starts off strong with a funny moment--a woman has an alien encounter in which they give her a package that was supposed to go to Proxima Centauri and has instead been redirected "to nearest neighbor." But then Holt gets coy. He interrupts conversations to avoid revealing things. He uses the technique of "And then she told him" without telling the reader, again to delay the reveal. This isn't uncommon for him, but in this case it happened so often it was seriously annoying.
And the characters. Almost every one of them is unpleasant or impossible to root for at the start, and very few of them develop into anything admirable, or even not admirable but someone you want to see succeed because there can't possibly be no one who fits that criterion. Add to this the fact that there is a Tom and a Ted and I was constantly forgetting who was who, and it just became messy.
I liked the plot, surprisingly. It was fun and interesting despite how the characters all did their level best to change that. (Note: If Ahriman is the big bad, it would help if readers actually wanted his victim to break free. I felt I only cared about the guy because Ahriman is so terrible by comparison.) I admire that the name "Santa Claus" is never used. The interplay between the gods is fun, as is their family situation. But in the end, I think Holt outclevered himself, and that left me feeling unhappy with it. It was a terrible disappointment.
November 23, 2025
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse by Tom Holt is about a magical... law firm? not entirely sure what its supposed to be. It follows a host of characters in the Dawson, Ahriman, and Dawson firm who try to save the Earth from an asteroid thats on a collision course. It features wizards, shape-shifters, sentient draws, and retired gods in a setting reminiscent of The Office.
This book desperately tries to recreate the casually insane, satirical writing style of Douglas Adams but just falls short of the mark. It reads like that was the specific intention rather than a happy accident of similar writing styles.
The story also kind of fell a bit flat. Plot hooks that were set up weren't really used and the few dozen arguments in made up legal magical jargon (which was probably hilarious for someone who worked in an office) put me to sleep more than being amusing.
There were a few really cool, unique ideas and interesting references that were woven into the story which made it a fun read overall. I particularly liked the reference to Orpheus in the underworld when characters visit the bank of the dead.
Also, and I'm not sure whether this is a criticism or not, this book wasn't about Christmas at all. I was expecting some kind of wacky Christmas apocalypse story so I was a little disappointed when it didn't turn out that way.
Overall, it was a fun and easy read. If you come across this book and are a fan of Douglas Adams (or Tom Holt who, I'm discovering, has written a lot of books) then give this a read.
This book desperately tries to recreate the casually insane, satirical writing style of Douglas Adams but just falls short of the mark. It reads like that was the specific intention rather than a happy accident of similar writing styles.
The story also kind of fell a bit flat. Plot hooks that were set up weren't really used and the few dozen arguments in made up legal magical jargon (which was probably hilarious for someone who worked in an office) put me to sleep more than being amusing.
There were a few really cool, unique ideas and interesting references that were woven into the story which made it a fun read overall. I particularly liked the reference to Orpheus in the underworld when characters visit the bank of the dead.
Also, and I'm not sure whether this is a criticism or not, this book wasn't about Christmas at all. I was expecting some kind of wacky Christmas apocalypse story so I was a little disappointed when it didn't turn out that way.
Overall, it was a fun and easy read. If you come across this book and are a fan of Douglas Adams (or Tom Holt who, I'm discovering, has written a lot of books) then give this a read.
December 14, 2023
I can't recall having read a book by Holt in a while, and this newest one has a seasonal title. Santa Claus doesn't play as much of a role as the title suggests, but he's definitely there and relevant to the plot. He's appeared in a few of Holt's other books as well, usually as someone with his own agenda and a complicated past. Here, he's said to have once been a Mesopotamian thunder god, and the husband of Tiamat. After their divorce, she ends up locked in an asteroid that is swiftly approaching the Earth. The story is part of the J.W. Wells setting, where magic and sorcerers are real, but it's mostly controlled by business firms that just want to make money. And a lot of other things are real as well, including classical
mythology and space aliens. As the other books in the series have most of the old members of the Wells firm brought down, it's mostly new characters this time, and there's another competing magic company as well. These characters aren't all that memorable, at least to me, but there are some interesting bits with familiars, a former solar deity, and the demon Ahriman who was John Wellington Wells's enemy in The Sorcerer. Through some sort of manipulation, he's become a partner in the competing firm. I particularly liked the sun chariot that was able to travel at the speed of light, but still had to be driven by someone who's standing up the whole way. As is usual in these books, everything is mostly resolved through technicalities.
mythology and space aliens. As the other books in the series have most of the old members of the Wells firm brought down, it's mostly new characters this time, and there's another competing magic company as well. These characters aren't all that memorable, at least to me, but there are some interesting bits with familiars, a former solar deity, and the demon Ahriman who was John Wellington Wells's enemy in The Sorcerer. Through some sort of manipulation, he's become a partner in the competing firm. I particularly liked the sun chariot that was able to travel at the speed of light, but still had to be driven by someone who's standing up the whole way. As is usual in these books, everything is mostly resolved through technicalities.
December 22, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I requested this book, I completely missed the fact that it is the 8th book in the series (a series that is on my TBR, by the way) but this wasn't a problem, at all. I don't know if things would have been a little less weird if I followed the order of the series, but this book is Weird , and strange is a given, so maybe it would have helped a bit because maybe you would have known the characters from previous books, sure, but I don't think it is necessary. If you want to read the strangest Christmas book ever, you should just give this one a try.
Okay, okay, this is not a Christmas book. At all. But Santa is there! And he is one of the characters, not the main one, sure, but he is pretty present (and you won't watch Santa with the same eyes anymore, after reading this one!). So... if you want to see Santa as you have never seen him before, try this book out!
Other than that... it's pretty hard to talk about this book, because it's bonkers! And I am saying this in the best possible way, this book is so damn cute in its weirdness, and strangeness, it is a delight! And if you think that these things can work for you, this will be an amazing entry for your collection!
When I requested this book, I completely missed the fact that it is the 8th book in the series (a series that is on my TBR, by the way) but this wasn't a problem, at all. I don't know if things would have been a little less weird if I followed the order of the series, but this book is Weird , and strange is a given, so maybe it would have helped a bit because maybe you would have known the characters from previous books, sure, but I don't think it is necessary. If you want to read the strangest Christmas book ever, you should just give this one a try.
Okay, okay, this is not a Christmas book. At all. But Santa is there! And he is one of the characters, not the main one, sure, but he is pretty present (and you won't watch Santa with the same eyes anymore, after reading this one!). So... if you want to see Santa as you have never seen him before, try this book out!
Other than that... it's pretty hard to talk about this book, because it's bonkers! And I am saying this in the best possible way, this book is so damn cute in its weirdness, and strangeness, it is a delight! And if you think that these things can work for you, this will be an amazing entry for your collection!
January 13, 2025
I wanted to like this book. (How many of us have read this in a review? How many of us have written that in a review? Thought so.) The title and the blurb had so much promise. Santa Claus averting an apocalypse...sounds like a hoot, right? Overall, it had the feel of what we might have if Monty Python had written the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...sounds hilarious, right? Thing is, the book started kind of quirky, which would have been fine and cute and all, except that it just got really weird really fast and stayed that way. There were a few snickers at the seemingly random geeky references. And perhaps I might have been more amused and had more "I see what you did there" moments had I been far more erudite. But, no. I plowed through, partly out of obstinacy and partly because I wanted to see where it would go. And...huh. Despite the title, it wasn't a Christmas story--heck, it wasn't even set during the Christmas season. I mean, the writing was good and all, it was just 300 pages of "What the bleep did I just read?"
December 9, 2025
4/5⭐️
Tom Holt has long been the patron saint of gleefully absurd speculative fiction, and Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is another deliciously unhinged entry in his catalogue of cosmic bureaucracy, accidental heroics, and disaster-prone magic.
Holt’s trademark style is fully on display: a tangle of interdimensional mishaps, metaphysical fine print, and characters just trying to survive a universe that really should have been designed by someone more competent. What begins as a recognizable holiday setup quickly spirals into the kind of chaotic metaphysical caper only Holt could stage—one involving cosmic oversight committees, malfunctioning seasonal magic, and (of course) reindeer with more apocalyptic responsibilities than anyone strictly comfortable with.
Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is a clever, cheerfully weird comic fantasy romp—perfect for readers who enjoy their holiday stories with a strong dose of metaphysical mischief and their apocalypses on the absurd side. Holt continues to prove that no one writes cosmic farce quite like he does.
Tom Holt has long been the patron saint of gleefully absurd speculative fiction, and Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is another deliciously unhinged entry in his catalogue of cosmic bureaucracy, accidental heroics, and disaster-prone magic.
Holt’s trademark style is fully on display: a tangle of interdimensional mishaps, metaphysical fine print, and characters just trying to survive a universe that really should have been designed by someone more competent. What begins as a recognizable holiday setup quickly spirals into the kind of chaotic metaphysical caper only Holt could stage—one involving cosmic oversight committees, malfunctioning seasonal magic, and (of course) reindeer with more apocalyptic responsibilities than anyone strictly comfortable with.
Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is a clever, cheerfully weird comic fantasy romp—perfect for readers who enjoy their holiday stories with a strong dose of metaphysical mischief and their apocalypses on the absurd side. Holt continues to prove that no one writes cosmic farce quite like he does.
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