Reading a story by Robin Reed is like watching a film by Sam Raimi....you're not going to get a lot of subtle language or deep themes, but you are going to get lots of memorable moments and plenty of interesting visuals. Some of those visuals won't always be pleasant, but they will always be unforgettable. And always bloody good fun.
Being a very visually oriented person, that's what I like most about Robin's work, the strong visual sense I get from the stories, the pictures I get in my head while I'm reading and that last long after. Fortunately for the reader, Robin doesn't just write splatter, but has an imaginative and skewed sense of humour that makes the reader grin even as they're grimacing.
Those elements come together perfectly in "'Twas the Night", a seasonal adventure that not only subverts the formulae of Xmas stories, but does so in a fast-paced tale that nicely blends comedy and horror...with a little bit of Xmas magic.
For the reader who's tired of Hallmark movies, who's read M.R. James to death, and who will scream if they get one more Scrooge film, but still wants a good Xmas tale to curl up with, I recommend setting out tall glass of nog, a plate of shortbread and settling down in front of the fire (or the Youtube fireplace video...your choice) and spending a couple of happy hours with this book.
When I'm reading a Robin Reed, I always finish up with the thought, "This would make a good movie". Nowhere is that more true than with this story. There's lots of moments and elements in here that i would love to see in a video production, maybe live action, maybe animated in a pseudo-Rankin Bass or Henry Selick style. Might have to leave that scene with the elf and the reindeer on the cutting room floor, though.
Maybe we could even convince Sam Raimi to direct.