I was disappointed in that I expected a few to have some comic elements and be a cozy Christmas read. The stories are quite varied raging from a scary night in a wax museum, an intriguing con, a western to dastardly elven plot at the North Pole. The editor introduces each writer with a rather long rundown of their other "great" stories and careers in writing, some more interesting than the stories. About 3 were good and the read just bearable.