A Christmas Ghost Story

by Kim Newman

From the acclaimed author of Anno Dracula, the perfect gift for those who love the dark fantastic imaginations of Neil Gaiman and T. Kingfisher, this is a nightmarish tale of a haunted Christmas set deep in the British countryside not too long ago. Cosy traditions are made twisted and terrifying as a mother and son grapple with their painful past.

Lynda and her teenage son Rust prepare for Christmas, hanging fairy lights and making decorations. The first door of the advent calendar is opened, but the chocolate inside tastes off. Rust receives his first Christmas card, it's unsigned and the message is aggressive rather than festive.

The cards keep coming, one each day and each more sinister than the last, and a frightened Lynda recalls a seasonal TV show from her childhood that featured similar happenings, and while she remembers it vividly, there is no evidence that it was ever broadcast…

As their Christmas cheer is gradually poisoned, with real dead robins replacing plastic ones, the turkey rotting in the freezer and Rust becoming increasingly unwell, Lynda begins to wonder if her childhood Christmases were in fact as joy filled as she remembers…

A terrifying tale of seasonal dread from a master of horror.

Genres: Horror, Christmas, Fiction, Novella, Gothic, Holiday, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2024

About the author

Note: This author also writes under the pseudonym of Jack Yeovil.
An expert on horror and sci-fi cinema (his books of film criticism include Nightmare Movies and Millennium Movies), Kim Newman's novels draw promiscuously on the tropes of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. He is complexly and irreverently referential; the Dracula sequence--Anno Dracula, The Bloody Red Baron and Dracula,Cha Cha Cha--not only portrays an alternate world in which the Count conquers Victorian Britain for a while, is the mastermind behind Germany's air aces in World War One and survives into a jetset 1950s of paparazzi and La Dolce Vita, but does so with endless throwaway references that range from Kipling to James Bond, from Edgar Allen Poe to Patricia Highsmith.
In horror novels such as Bad Dreams and Jago, reality turns out to be endlessly subverted by the powerfully malign. His pseudonymous novels, as Jack Yeovil, play elegant games with genre cliche--perhaps the best of these is the sword-and-sorcery novel Drachenfels which takes the prescribed formulae of the games company to whose bible it was written and make them over entirely into a Kim Newman novel.
Life's Lottery, his most mainstream novel, consists of multiple choice fragments which enable readers to choose the hero's fate and take him into horror, crime and sf storylines or into mundane reality.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as I can tell, this book is about two people who are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, because that is the only way that any of it makes sense. And yet I kind of didn't hate it?

I mean, okay, so I learned French as a second language, but I haven't used it in years and years and years so when I try to read something in French it's all jumbly. Like, I can understand the general gist of the text, but the individual bits don't all quite make sense? That's what the first third of this book felt like, except that it is most certainly written in English. Everything was just kind of, I dunno, fuzzy around the edges and I sort of knew what was going on but not totally?

And then the middle is a proper ghost story. Angie (who is called “Lynda” in the Goodreads blurb but is most definitely named Angie in the story) and her son Rust are receiving strange Christmas cards in the mail, and things start to get creepy. They spend a lot of time chasing after their mail carrier and talking about mince pies and lining things up on their mantel, but it's all oddly entertaining.

And the ending? Well, the heck if I know what that was about. It's like a (very tame) The Shining meets a fever dream.

So, yeah. I feel like I shouldn't have enjoyed this one – I don't generally like books that make me feel like I've done heavy hallucinogenic drugs, but I was totally invested. Who is sending those weird Christmas cards? And why are they so obsessed with their mail carrier? It's all very witty and there are some truly funny lines (in an understated British sort of way), which I think did a lot toward, you know, making me not hate it.

I'm still not convinced that carbon monoxide wasn't involved, though. I mean, there is a lot of talk about firewood and the fireplace and not once did Rust and Angie-not-Lynda check their chimney for obstructions. Just sayin'. (Edit: Now that I think about it, I seem to recall snow falling into the fireplace via the chimney at one point. Oh well, there goes that theory.)

My overall rating: (a very weird) 3.6 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is October 8, 2024.

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything is not merry and bright in A Christmas Ghost Story. A mother, Lynda and her teenage son, Rust are preparing for Christmas. But things are beginning to dim their holiday cheer. Cards begin arriving and they are lacking in holiday cheer and season’s greetings. They are sinister and remind Lynda of a show she watched in her youth....

I so wanted to love this one. I thought that it would, but alas, this one just did not work for me. The story is unique, bizarre, and full of dread. The author pulled off the dread and feeling of something not being quite right in this book.

We can't love them all and that is the case with this book for me. I can't fault the writer or the plot. This just didn't work for me. Others are enjoying it more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Angie Wickings and her 15-year-old son Rust live in Angie’s childhood home of Six Elms outside Sutton Mallet, the most haunted village in England. In the Wickings family, Christmas is kind of a big deal and comes annually with highlights such as too-much-mince mince pie, an ostentatious number of fairy lights, crosses carved into the sprouts, and other charming traditions. But this year, the festive season brings with it something more unsettling than the annual morbid parodies of beloved carols (aka “Christmas Cruels”), when, on the first of December, the first in a series of anonymous cards arrives at Six Elms, heralding the coming of something far more sinister than Saint Nick.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Christmas Ghost Story from start to finish. With direct references to some of my favorite classic ghost stories and authors, such as M.R. James, as well as the BBC’s well-loved series “A Ghost Story for Christmas," and indirect nods to other standout horror works like the story “Petey” by T.E.D. Klein, there was little chance that this novella wouldn’t be right up my alley. However, the influences of these straightforward and classic stories are really limited to certain plot elements and not necessarily the telling of Newman’s story. A Christmas Ghost Story has a decidedly weird flavor in the way the goings-on at Six Elms are related, and floats in and out of that fever dream style which is more common in contemporary horror fiction.

Newman’s style of writing, at least here, is also rather disconcerting, and while this lends itself to the overall strangeness of the story, I can very much see this not working for some readers. The writing reminded me of Ramsey Campbell's fiction, where the reader feels like they are dropped into the midst of a story well in progress without having the benefit of all of the references being made, and associations don’t always make a lot of sense. While this type of writing adds to the fever dream atmosphere and dislocation felt by the reader, I know it is a style that is not for everyone. As a fan of both Campbell and fever dream horror, I personally felt the writing served the story well. I could definitely see myself rereading this during the festive season at some point in the future, and I now plan to check out more of Newman’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. A Christmas Ghost Story will be published on October 8, 2024.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published October 8, 2024.

Everybody has the perfect scary read for Halloween, but one for your cool Yule? Well, step right up, because here it is! And just in time for, well, Halloween, but I would save this one for the holidays.

It’s December 1, and deep in the Somerset countryside Angie and her teenage son, Rust (if you please) are preparing their isolated home for Christmas. Angie is a small-time sexy suspense writer and Rust is into archeology, Gorgantuabots and his podcast on the paranormal.

And on that same day, Rust receives his first Christmas card. It’s addressed only to him, very formal, and it’s unsigned with an odd, somewhat disturbing picture and message.

Each day, day after day the cards keep coming, each more sinister than the last. The mail carrier is always just out of reach, or they’ve just missed them. And the cards remind Angie of a TV movie from her childhood called “The Cards,” but, strangely, no one else seems to recall it, and there seems to be no evidence of it having been shown.

Then Rust becomes ill, a winter storm traps them in the house and strange things start to happen. I’m not sure this is going to be a happy Christmas for Angie and Rust.

This was a delightfully dark novella, with hints of even worse stuff (but nothing explicit; it’s perfect for a pre-Christmas read on a snowy day, if you live in a part of the world where you get those (we might get some rain, so I would have to make do with that. It’s witty (“supernatural curse delivery isn’t what it was before Brexit”) and very British with multiple mentions of David Attenborough, which is, of course, the universal measuring stick.

And don’t be lulled into thinking this is some sweet Christmas tale. “At some point, every mystery story turns into a horror story.” It’s marred only by a slightly rushed ending, but is still great fun. 4.5 stars and I’m rounding up because it’s Christmas, dammit!

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
I am obsessed with dark Christmas fiction so I am basically on a mission to read it all. This novella started strong with the mother and son preparing for the holidays.

Despite an intriguing premise, this one regrettably fell flat for me. I found the story felt tired, failing to create a sense of suspense or dread. I wanted to love this one but was ultimately underwhelmed. I still enjoyed the Christmas elements but felt is fell short as a piece of dark fiction.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[megs_bookrack]

A haunted Christmas set deep in the British countryside...



ARC received. Thank you, Titan Books!

[Evelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a cringeworthy satire of the horror genre. It commences with a failed attempt at comic relief as the author describes the backdrop of places and people populating the story. Juvenile attempts at alliteration and word parodies make up the bulk of the descriptions designed to establish the mood permeating the story.

The story itself quickly descends from there into an attempted murder and ghost story set during the 24 days preceding Christmas. Much of it is pointless and senseless since there is little attention to plot or details. A lot is confused and so jumbled that the story makes little sense. Characters continuously make bad, irresponsible choices contrary to the actions that most people would take in similar circumstances. The rationale for them is incomprehensible despite the insertion of pop psychology and references to paranormal events. The book finally reaches a rushed conclusion which contains elements borrowed from other well known novels and films. It explains little and leaves both the story and its subplots without a satisfactory conclusion.

This book is another example of a book that would not have been published and been placed in the slush pile If the author wasn’t a prize winning, best selling writer.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Rounded up from 2.5)

I think I enjoyed reading this novella? It’s hard to tell. The writing-style itself was very intentional; it felt like it was full of hard edges and sharp corners, underpinned by some fundamental sense of dis-ease. There seem to be some allusions to the teenager possibly being neurodivergent considering the ways he fixates and categorizes, and the writing worked to reflect that experience. This worked for me, it didn’t feel boring or safe, and that’s fun. The two main characters were really interesting, with enough quirk and personality to feel genuine and full of dimensions, but also full of secrets. It never seemed like lazy or stereotypical expectations. The story ends with some real “fever-dream” energy that doesn’t explain itself and you either ride with it or you don’t. I didn’t mind it, but it does somewhat dovetail into one of my frustrations, which is the book felt uneven. The beginning felt like it was building an interesting world and ramping up tension and really getting the furnace burning nice and hot, but then the middle sizzled out a little, with a decent stretch of a repetitive, not much of anything going on. The narrative framing meant we needed to get through 24 days of story, and there wasn’t much of anything happening in those central days, it felt slower than this style of novella should be, especially as the ending ramps up into this fevered mania that doesn’t worry itself with real-world logic or expectations. The dissonance between the three parts was disappointing, what I thought was a good and increasingly tense opening act never reached its crescendo, it just petered out, and then it went from some white static to full blast in a jarring way that didn’t add to the story. So, I appreciated the fever-dream quality of the end, but the overall pacing didn’t feel right. Lastly, I would have liked a little more explanation of what was going on. I don’t need my horror to be explained to me, but as a reader I should at least have a clear idea of why this was happening now, what was different this year to instigate these events. If there was some sort of explanation in that direction I missed it, and while I am happy for all sorts of unnatural goings-on to remain, well, unnatural, there should be some sort of nod to what kicked off these events now.

All that said, the story did get me thinking about family traditions, and just what it is we pass down to our kin. Legends, heirlooms, rituals, genetics, and madness all flow within kinship groups, setting us as distinct from them, for better or worse. Holidays are a time when tradition can be both a blessing and an overwhelming burden, creating not simply stress but all sorts of psycho-emotional, and even somatic, distress. When we are looking to celebrate our families, what do we need to ignore, what do we need to preserve, and what do we need to create anew?

[Alix · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd little story. I had a tough time with the author’s writing style, it was very wordy and just didn’t click for me. The interactions between the mother and son didn’t feel natural because they didn’t talk like real people. But, the mystery of the cards kept me intrigued enough to keep reading. However, the conclusion didn’t quite hit the mark; I felt like it needed a bit more explanation. There’s also an anagram at the end that I solved, but I’m still confused about what it actually means. Overall, this was just a weird, confusing, and off-putting read for me, but hopefully it will connect with other readers.

[Lisa Leone-campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas Ghost Story is a delightfully demented chilling mysterious ghost story within a story. It's dangerously addictive as you begin the haunting climb to the unexpected ending. It's a book which should be read in the daylight only... at night if you are brave!

It's the Christmas season in England for Rust, a teenager and his mother Angie, a struggling novelist. It's just the two of them and they don't have much but come Christmas they splurge! But this Christmas everything seems to be off, and they don't quite understand what is going on. Their first hint of a problem is when on December 1 Rust opens the first day of his advent calendar and there is something wrong with the taste of the chocolate.

Then, they begin to receive unsigned Christmas cards with ominous poetic writings in them. Rust wants to throw them out but Angie for some reason feels scared by doing that, so they begin to put them on their mantel. Each day.

They try to figure out if this is some sort of a sick joke and even attempt to fool the writer of the cards and try to see who is putting them in their mailbox and on their property with no luck. They begin to feel it must be a ghost, but really, they are both too sensible. Each card is more frightening than the previous.

Worse, strange things begin to happen to them and their surroundings. Rust feels sick after eating the chocolate. A strange plant begins to overtake their backyard. And the Christmas turkey, well it just goes bad in the refrigerator.

But Angie fears she knows what's happening and it has something to do with when she was a child, and she secretly watched a Christmas horror story on the television without her parents knowing after they had gone to bed. More importantly is if she is correct, Rust is in danger. She must figure out how to stop this.

As she searches the internet for clues of the story she watched, she finds nothing. It's as if it never existed. Did she imagine the whole thing? And as the days towards Christmas get closer, her fears grow because she knows what happens on December 25. How do they stop this?

A Christmas Ghost Story is a spine-chilling tale in which you won't know the outcome until the very end. How can such a happy time take such a terrible turn? Well, you will certainly find out!

Thank you #NetGalley #TritonBooks #KimNewman #AChristmasGhostStory for the advanced copy.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY almost lost me in the first two dozen of so pages...It was just a tad TOO British for my liking, or my understanding. Newman, as he is sometimes wont to do, throws the reader into a maelstrom of Brit slang, rhymes, catch-phrases, and references, which rendered the opening portion of the book all but impenetrable to me. I either got used to it, or he toned it down, because I found myself greatly enjoying the middle portion, before getting to an ending that seemed, to me, rushed and abrupt.

The relationship between the mother and son is well-defined and enjoyable, and the meat of the story drew me in, but Newman kind of lost me at the end, taking the book from "EXCELLENT!" territory to "I can just about recommend it.". It made for some fun reading in the nights leading up to Christmas, for sure.

[Kevin Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very quick read, clocking in at just over 150 pages, but also a very good one, up until the last few pages. Newman sadly doesn't stick the landing, not in the way I wanted him to anyway, but there's plenty to enjoy in the dark magic and snowy chills leading up to the underwhelming ending. A perfect blend of the traditional and the modern, the horrors of the mind and horrors of the flesh, I'm frankly bemused by some of the criticisms put forward by those who don't seem familiar with the many works that Newman is referencing. I do see why this wouldn't work for everyone, the style is a strange mish-mash throughout, and people don't act as expected, although that feels as if it's a result of the spell cast over them, but some people really seem unaware of the legacy baggage that Newman is having great fun toying with.
Maybe I'd feel better if I was rushing through some ARC to justify a freebie (*sarcasm*).

[Ceallaigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In the picture, the Holly Child and the Jingle Basterds had scarves and hats and hymn-sheets. The wooden sergeant-major held a lantern on a pole. Their mouths were open in Os of ululation. They weren't carollers. They were curse-chanters, putting the Wickingses of Six Elms House on notice.
No quarter, no mercy - and a happy New Year.”

This book was the perfecttt book to read during Twelve Nights as it was sooo dark & creepy & festive. You never know what you’re going to get with a piece of genre-fiction—especially when it’s horror (& written by a yt dude 😅)—so I was very excited to discover how literary & beautifully written this novella—by a new-to-me author—was! I especially loved the theme of childhood memories of Christmas & that feeling of nostalgia that maybe when you look a little closer isn’t as warm & lovely as you remember, or pretend to remember, it being.

Click here to read my full review of A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY complete with my full thoughts, further reading suggestions, & more of my favorite quotes!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

CW // animal cruelty, child abuse, mental illness, & it’s just generally very scary

[Brenda Holloway · Rating 2 out of 5]

......what?

This was a hard book to get through. From the formatting with no chapter breaks, to constant, quirky made-up words throughout (paraphenomenon and enormoscreen are two I could do with never seeing again), and lastly to the actually interesting premise that I wish didn't take a back burner to how awful the characters are.

If the plot of mysterious cards being delivered straight from the mom's childhood memory of a program that never aired, delightfully reminding me of the creepypasta "Candle Cove", could have been fleshed out more, this book would have been a perfect Christmas spooky story.

But instead you have a mom who is hung up on her high school rival, a son who's childhood toys still absolutely must play a large role in his personality, combined with a writing style that's trying to wittingly describe the world with made-up words that end up causing my eyes to roll instead of fleshing out the plot, I was left annoyed and confused all while clawing at the perfect story hiding just underneath it all.

And the ending, oh my god. Granted, I was falling asleep trying to push myself to finish this book once and for all tonight, but the ending escalated to a point where somehow these hollow characters managed to act out of character and then it just...... ends. It gave me the exact feeling of "WTF did I just read" that the Trolley Witch from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gave me - if you know, you know.

Do I recommend this book? No. Will I instead pretend I read a magnificent story about a creepy television program no one but the main character saw come to life to haunt her? To cope, yes.

Someone else mentioned the only way this book makes sense is if the characters are suffering carbon monoxide poisoning. I agree, and that's another thing I will make true in my head about this book to cope with the fact I actually finished it.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Christmas Ghost Story by Kim Newman  is a ghost story???

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Titan Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Angie Wickings  (an author), and her son Russell (who prefers to be called Rust), are decorating for Christmas.  Their home (Six Elms House), is on the outskirts of  "the most haunted village in England", and is somewhat isolated. They have their traditions as to when to put up the decorations, sharing the advent calendar, opening and placing their Christmas cards, and many others.

This year will be different.  The first chocolate in the advent calendar is horrendous.  The first Christmas card (addressed to Rust), is unsigned, and a little strange.  Now Angie is freaking out a little.  Every day a new card comes,  and Angie freaks out a little more.  Then a lot.  Rust starts to worry about his mom.

Finally, Angie divulges why she fears these cards, and she wants to do so in one of Rust's Paraphenomena Podcasts.  Apparently, she recalls a seasonal tv show episode entitled The Cards, where a warlock sucked all the happiness out of Christmas, and he became stronger.  But the Spirit of Christmas was determined to get revenge, and did so by turning into the Holly Child and sending the warlock a different horrible Christmas card each day.  It didn't end well.

Unfortunately, no one believed Angie saw this episode....and there is no record of it ever bein broadcast.  She was only eleven.  Everyone told her that it was all in her imagination.  If that's the case, why are these cards arriving?  And why is Christmas being poisoned for them?


My Opinions:
I guess I wasn't the right audience for this one, although I'm not sure who would be.  I struggled with the writing.  Yes, there was a story within a story, and that worked fine.  However, there were no real chapters, and a couple of times I wondered if it was Angie speaking or if it was Rust.   As well, some of the phrasing was just poor.

The story seemed to drag as we learned about Angie's childhood, and friends (which as far as I could tell had no real bearing on the story).  I may have missed a few things, because I started skimming, and hoping it would end soon.  I kept telling myself this is a rather short story, you can do this!  That's not a good thing to have to tell yourself..

The whole thing felt disjointed, and seemed to go off in all directions.  Yes, there's a paranormal element to it, and other dimensions, and a bit of grossness and horror.  But there was mainly confusion.  As well, I couldn't connect to the characters, so I didn't really care if they were "got good" or not.

Now, the actual ending was quite good.  It was just a really bumpy and confusing road to the end.  That being said, it could just be that it wasn't for me.  Maybe you'll have a totally different reaction to the book.  I hope so!


For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, as well as author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[amycw · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the...? I don't even know what I read. What an incredible waste of my time on Christmas Eve. I hated it.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read if you’re looking for a creepy Christmas tale.

I really liked the premise for this. The creepy Christmas cards and the link to Angie’s childhood was a really good place to start from, and the atmosphere and setting were also very well rendered.

Less successful was the climax of the story, which was a bit of a let-down and not especially well told. It’s also worth noting that the son mostly feels like a budding incel, so he’s tough to buy as the hero of the story.

Still, points for good atmospheric writing, and for a really terrific premise for a menacing Christmas tale.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Kay Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Christmas story that quickly spirals into insanity. "Cruels" instead of carols; jingle bastards instead of jingle bells; and instead of reminiscing over warm holiday memories, Angie ANF her son succumb to the darkness of the season.

This was dark and atmospheric but also funny in a strange, dark humor way. This story has so many good elements and is so promising, but it loses its way in execution. It needs so much more fleshing out. The characters require more development.

[Chloe Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this was a longer book I would have stopped reading it and just forgotten about it but it was short enough that I didn’t mind continuing to see what happened. The writing is not my cup of tea, it’s all over the place, disjointed and wordy. I assume it was intentional but to me it just made the characters, especially Angie, even more annoying. The story is also vague so by the end of it it’s not clear what actually just happened. This was definitely a miss for me.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many ideas in too small a space to be very scary or very good. It seemed like Newman would take an idea so far and then abandon it and later the connection would be confusing and tenuous.

[Lee Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Advent countdown of psychological dread and supernatural terror.

Rust and his mother Angie are preparing for Christmas at their family home Six Elms House.

The first anonymous Christmas card addressed to Rust arrives on December 1st, reminding Angie of the time as a child she stayed up late to watch the annual 'Christmas Ghost Story' on TV - only her memory is of an episode that never aired.

As the sinister cards continue to arrive and other strange occurrences haunt mother and son, they fear the arrival of Christmas will bring with it cataclysmic terror.

'A Christmas Ghost Story' is a novella by Kim Newman, a tale of paranormal phenomena and impending doom, laced with trauma and spite, taking inspiration from weird and gothic fiction and Victorian Christmas horror and ghost stories, a classic feel deposited in a modern setting complete with paraphenomenological flourishes of the social media age.

A slow-burning and atmospheric tale of mystery and dread, the novella brims with an off-kilter strangeness, paranoia and hysteria bubbling beneath the surface, as both characters get sucked into the anxiety and threat posed by the mysterious sender of the cards and malevolent spirits push through the veil. As the days pass, the isolation intensifies, counting down the days to Christmas Eve and a climatic venture into an amalgamation of nightmarish childhood imagination and the stresses and shadows of Christmases past.

Creepy and entertaining, 'A Christmas Ghost Story' is a bittersweet treat for the final days of the year.

[Jayne (jaynesbookedheart) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:

In a chilling narrative, the story unfolds as Angie and her son Rust prepare for Christmas in their remote home. Their festive spirit is quickly dampened when Rust receives an unsettling anonymous Christmas card. This marks the beginning of a series of progressively ominous cards that continue to arrive and haunt Angie, reminding her of a disturbing TV show from her past that featured similar dark themes. As decorations become tainted by devilry, the holiday cheer disintegrates with spoiled food, unwanted visits from unsettling characters, and Rust's increasing feeling of utter dread. Angie is left questioning the authenticity of her fond childhood Christmas memories, creating an atmosphere where nostalgia twists into terror.


My thoughts:

I was fully immersed in this feverish nightmare! It was creepy, unnerving and towards the middle of the story I was teetering between reality and fantasy. Who was sending out these horrible Christmas cards? Why were Rust and Angie being tormented? The answers are a bit murky but nevertheless they made sense in the end - or did they? I enjoyed being submerged in this sinister tale!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Titan Books for the #gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#achristmasghoststory

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Or perhaps she was just still afraid of ghost stories."

Kim Newman's new book is described as the terrifying tale of seasonal dread. A mother and her teenage son are preparing for Christmas when they open the first door of their advent calendar. Inside is a small chocolate that tastes rotten. The son begins to receive a Christmas card each day, each one unsigned and more sinister than the previous one. This frightens his mother who recalls a TV show from her childhood where something strange like this happened however there is no evidence of it ever being broadcast. As the days gets closer to Christmas things go terribly wrong and Lynda fears wether her childhood Christmases were how she actually remembered them.

The premise of this novella had my interest so I couldn't wait to pick it up. It focuses a lot on the mother's childhood and brings into question wether her vivid memories were real or a work of something unnatural. As the story progresses you get the feel of a traditional ghost story.

I liked the references made throughout to well known names in horror literature, these were fun to come across. Overall though the novella was good, at times it did confuse me a little with how it was structured making it tricky to follow who was speaking but the story was unique and entertaining.

[Skrekkbibliotekaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selv om denne var kort (rundt 150 sider) brukte jeg laaang tid på å komme meg gjennom. Den er rett og slett skrevet på en måte som ble litt for vanskelig for meg. I tillegg er handlingen litt all over the place, og det var vanskelig å skjønne akkurat hva som skjedde.

Derimot likte jeg veldig godt karakterene, og likte godt at dette var en kreativ og nytenkende vri på den klassiske spøkelsesfortellingen som vanligvis blir fortalt rundt juletider.

Det å spare denne til den selveste jula/romjula var nok litt dumt av meg, ettersom at jeg egentlig ikke har hatt så mye tid til å lese… Og jeg tror virkelig at jeg kunne ha likt denne bedre, dersom lesinga ikke ble dratt over så lang tid som den ble nå (my bad). Så jeg har planer om å lese denne på nytt en senere jul!

Men akkurat nå får 𝘈 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 av meg (trommevirvel…) 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐊𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝟒!🎲

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up? I have no idea what just happened, but overall I had a pretty nice time with this book. This is the kind of Christmas horror I want to read, even if I have no idea what was going on with the ending. It made me think about how much I enjoyed the other ghost story book by this author.

I read this book as I was getting over jet lag aka I’d take some melatonin and then settle down to read before bed. I’d often fall asleep reading this and have no idea where the book ended and the melatonin dreams began. So when I see reviews talking about this being a fever dream? It’s a melatonin dream for me.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a proper cosy down Christmas chiller. Angie and her son Rust, cut off just enough from the rest of their village to be isolated, start receiving odd Christmas cards. As each one arrives the sense of dread builds. As a massive fan of M.R. James, and classic ghost stories more generally, I loved the references to 1970s era “A Ghost Story for Christmas”. The whole thing was super evocative of childhood family Christmases - with added horror.

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s not a mystery story… not a horror story.. it’s a ghost story… a miracle story.. a Christmas story”.

Don’t let them fool you, it’s a horror story. A bizarro horror story, that I started on Christmas Eve and finished on Christmas morning. It’s different than anything I’ve ever read. I am in awe how this author’s mind works so had to give it four stars. It’s not what I expected but I think I read something very cool.

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angie and her son Rust live in a small English town and are getting ready for the Christmas period. Everything is normal until strange cards start arriving and soon the messages turn sinister.

This is an interesting tale, it has the feel of a historical gothic story with its creeping dread and unsettling imagery but it becomes a strange fever dream more in keeping with contemporary horror and the ending is surreal. I liked it, I think 🤔

[Tammie Cindie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started and only got to possibly page 20. It's so hard to get into when most of the pages are filled up with describing things. I don't need to know what your best friend's Mum's dog's favourite song is.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It built up tension very well but it fizzled into a bit of a mess at the end. I agree with what a number of reviewers are saying, in which I wanted to like it but just couldn't. 2.5 only because it was a short read