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Claus #4-6
Claus Boxed Set: Volume 2
The Christmas adventures continue. The second volume of the holiday tales you never heard growing up...
HUMBUGEb Scrooge is left to run Avocado, Inc., an innovative technology business, all alone. An introverted shut-in locked away in a Colorado mansion, only his servant droids keep him company. Until the gifts arrive.
THE MISERWhen Kandi’s dad gets a mysterious call, they fly to a tropical island. Despite the heat, his sunburned client wears a heavy cloak. The world doesn’t know it yet, but Santa Claus is missing. Kandi knows where he is.
RONINThere's one Christmas story no one has ever heard, the legend of the biggest and baddest reindeer of them all, the one who leads the sleigh and protects the herd. Billy Big Game doesn’t want to discover the last reindeer. He wants to capture him.
REVIEWSA very good read with an ending that will not disappoint. –Amazon Review for HumbugEven Dickens would approve. –Amazon Review for HumbugYou'll LOVE Humbug! –Amazon Review for HumbugAnother great addition to the Claus series –Amazon Review for HumbugA great retelling of a classic story - with a sci-fi twist. –Amazon Review for HumbugA total 10! I love it. –Amazon Review for HumbugI absolutely love his Christmas series. –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserAll of these winter wonderland characters are given new and meaningful outlooks as the author re-writes their stories… –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserA must read for all Santa followers. –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserGreat characters and an awesome twist at the end. –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserI love everything he has every written but this is a personal favorite!!! –Amazon Review for The Rise of the Miser
HUMBUGEb Scrooge is left to run Avocado, Inc., an innovative technology business, all alone. An introverted shut-in locked away in a Colorado mansion, only his servant droids keep him company. Until the gifts arrive.
THE MISERWhen Kandi’s dad gets a mysterious call, they fly to a tropical island. Despite the heat, his sunburned client wears a heavy cloak. The world doesn’t know it yet, but Santa Claus is missing. Kandi knows where he is.
RONINThere's one Christmas story no one has ever heard, the legend of the biggest and baddest reindeer of them all, the one who leads the sleigh and protects the herd. Billy Big Game doesn’t want to discover the last reindeer. He wants to capture him.
REVIEWSA very good read with an ending that will not disappoint. –Amazon Review for HumbugEven Dickens would approve. –Amazon Review for HumbugYou'll LOVE Humbug! –Amazon Review for HumbugAnother great addition to the Claus series –Amazon Review for HumbugA great retelling of a classic story - with a sci-fi twist. –Amazon Review for HumbugA total 10! I love it. –Amazon Review for HumbugI absolutely love his Christmas series. –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserAll of these winter wonderland characters are given new and meaningful outlooks as the author re-writes their stories… –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserA must read for all Santa followers. –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserGreat characters and an awesome twist at the end. –Amazon Review for The Rise of the MiserI love everything he has every written but this is a personal favorite!!! –Amazon Review for The Rise of the Miser
- GenresChristmas
760 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2018
329 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Tony Bertauski
75 books765 followersGet my books FREE. Tell me where to send them at http://bertauski.com
He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 27, 2019
Before we start, let it be known that I listened to the audiobook version.
I've experienced the author's work before, and it's usually fun, clever and plays with your mind a little. Or a lot. This threesome of tales is no different, although for whatever reason, they didn't do it for me this time. The stories are all related to some degree, and as the title might suggest, revolve around Christmas.
The first, Humbug, is my favourite. A retelling of A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge runs a technology company, and has fame, fortune and so forth. However, he's also a jerk, so he's none too popular. When he starts having dreams and believing his dead partner, Jacob Marley, is visiting him at night, his life starts to spiral out of control. This is Tony Bertauski, so this isn't about some crotchety old git changing his ways. Instead there's robots, malicious code, holograms and so forth. It's good fun watching Eb lose his mind.
The second tale, The Miser, is about a girl who's dragged off on a mystery job on a tropical island by her dad. However, who is voice who controls the island, and who are these kids who are popping up all over the place? This one entails cloning and links into the other stories in the author's holiday adventure series.
Finally, we have Ronin. This has an interesting premise of a woman who wants to have Christmas every day, and part of the plan involves a Big Brother (TV show, not 1984) type scenario where the groups are split into Naughties and Nicies, But they didn't count on Ronin, a badass reindeer who has other plans.
Did I mention this was an audiobook? The narrator was absolutely the best thing about the trilogy, adding life and a seasonal vibe to the proceedings. I could easily imagine him narrating Frosty the Snowman or the Grinch, and I'll have to check out what else he's done..
The stories are pretty good, and enjoyable enough, but I enjoyed them less than Maze or the Socket Greeny saga. Still, if you want some Christmassy sci-fi this is worth a listen. Or a read.
I've experienced the author's work before, and it's usually fun, clever and plays with your mind a little. Or a lot. This threesome of tales is no different, although for whatever reason, they didn't do it for me this time. The stories are all related to some degree, and as the title might suggest, revolve around Christmas.
The first, Humbug, is my favourite. A retelling of A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge runs a technology company, and has fame, fortune and so forth. However, he's also a jerk, so he's none too popular. When he starts having dreams and believing his dead partner, Jacob Marley, is visiting him at night, his life starts to spiral out of control. This is Tony Bertauski, so this isn't about some crotchety old git changing his ways. Instead there's robots, malicious code, holograms and so forth. It's good fun watching Eb lose his mind.
The second tale, The Miser, is about a girl who's dragged off on a mystery job on a tropical island by her dad. However, who is voice who controls the island, and who are these kids who are popping up all over the place? This one entails cloning and links into the other stories in the author's holiday adventure series.
Finally, we have Ronin. This has an interesting premise of a woman who wants to have Christmas every day, and part of the plan involves a Big Brother (TV show, not 1984) type scenario where the groups are split into Naughties and Nicies, But they didn't count on Ronin, a badass reindeer who has other plans.
Did I mention this was an audiobook? The narrator was absolutely the best thing about the trilogy, adding life and a seasonal vibe to the proceedings. I could easily imagine him narrating Frosty the Snowman or the Grinch, and I'll have to check out what else he's done..
The stories are pretty good, and enjoyable enough, but I enjoyed them less than Maze or the Socket Greeny saga. Still, if you want some Christmassy sci-fi this is worth a listen. Or a read.
July 2, 2020
This box set from Tony Bertauski’s Claus series includes Humbug, book four, Miser, book five and Ronin, book six and each one is both entertaining and addictive.
Humbug gives you Scrooge as you’ve never seen him as the author updates the setting to a modern tech mogul complete with futuristic droids that do his bidding.
Miser takes us to a remote tropical paradise populated by elves and ‘Sandmen’ in a story full of humour and mystery as well as tension and revelations about all the characters involved.
Then there’s Ronin which puts a mysterious twist on Santa’s lead reindeer. Where does he fit into the story of Ryder, an orphan at a mysterious ranch run by the super rich Billy “Big Game” Sinterklaas who has an obsession with the North Pole?
Tony Bertauski’s retelling of the stories of our favourite Christmas characters has been a joy from the start and this collection of the ‘second three’ is excellent and top class entertainment. Recommended.
Humbug gives you Scrooge as you’ve never seen him as the author updates the setting to a modern tech mogul complete with futuristic droids that do his bidding.
Miser takes us to a remote tropical paradise populated by elves and ‘Sandmen’ in a story full of humour and mystery as well as tension and revelations about all the characters involved.
Then there’s Ronin which puts a mysterious twist on Santa’s lead reindeer. Where does he fit into the story of Ryder, an orphan at a mysterious ranch run by the super rich Billy “Big Game” Sinterklaas who has an obsession with the North Pole?
Tony Bertauski’s retelling of the stories of our favourite Christmas characters has been a joy from the start and this collection of the ‘second three’ is excellent and top class entertainment. Recommended.
March 12, 2021
Interesting variations on Christmas stories. The first is a variation of Scrooge, which definitely deviates from the well-known classic. And I don't mean in the fact that it's set in Bertauski's world of bio-mites. In this story, I don't think Scrooge was redeemed like he was in Charles Dickens.
The second story provides even more background to Bertauski's world, that readers of the Halfskin books will recognize. It actually builds on the theme of the Scrooge story. A former employee of Scrooge brings a scientist and his daughter to an island to fix problems with the island and its inhabitants.
The third story was the most emotional, and ultimately the most uplifting. It's the story of the last reindeer, and his bond with an orphan boy and the results of the orphan boy being saved on Christmas Day. It again builds on the first two stories, using elements from them to provide the background.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories and the universe which Bertauski has built.
The second story provides even more background to Bertauski's world, that readers of the Halfskin books will recognize. It actually builds on the theme of the Scrooge story. A former employee of Scrooge brings a scientist and his daughter to an island to fix problems with the island and its inhabitants.
The third story was the most emotional, and ultimately the most uplifting. It's the story of the last reindeer, and his bond with an orphan boy and the results of the orphan boy being saved on Christmas Day. It again builds on the first two stories, using elements from them to provide the background.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories and the universe which Bertauski has built.
December 9, 2020
Amazing! Loved It!
I wasn't sure about this Claus book set but I LOVED IT! The intricate weaving together of the stories was so meticulously written. The stories brought tears to my eyes several times. I used to love Christmas but some sad and unpleasant moments happened and I lost my ability to enjoy it as all I felt was sadness. This is the first time in over 11 years I felt a joy regarding Christmas. Thank you for helping me remember the Christmas Spirit! Even if it only lasts a short while for me. Maybe I will need to read it again to bring this feeling back to me. Maybe one day it will stay.
I wasn't sure about this Claus book set but I LOVED IT! The intricate weaving together of the stories was so meticulously written. The stories brought tears to my eyes several times. I used to love Christmas but some sad and unpleasant moments happened and I lost my ability to enjoy it as all I felt was sadness. This is the first time in over 11 years I felt a joy regarding Christmas. Thank you for helping me remember the Christmas Spirit! Even if it only lasts a short while for me. Maybe I will need to read it again to bring this feeling back to me. Maybe one day it will stay.
December 6, 2024
I won't bore you with a recap of the reviews for the three books that compromise those omnibus. While every story in the Claus Universe is standalone, I find you'll better understand certain mentions and things if you read them in order.
I can't express how much I love the stories in this particular omnibus. Each one has such deep meaning hidden in the magic of Christmas and are woven into stories that will stay with you the whole year. Trust me, I know. I started this series last December and had no problem remembering references and characters mentioned in these stories this year.
I give this whole omnibus 5 of 5 Paws.
I can't express how much I love the stories in this particular omnibus. Each one has such deep meaning hidden in the magic of Christmas and are woven into stories that will stay with you the whole year. Trust me, I know. I started this series last December and had no problem remembering references and characters mentioned in these stories this year.
I give this whole omnibus 5 of 5 Paws.
January 24, 2021
A wild ride
This book did not disappoint. It was the sixth in a series of amazing takes that kept me glued until the end. Betrayal is a masterful story teller that takes something you think you know into a whole other from of discovery. I can't wait to read more of his masterful creations.
This book did not disappoint. It was the sixth in a series of amazing takes that kept me glued until the end. Betrayal is a masterful story teller that takes something you think you know into a whole other from of discovery. I can't wait to read more of his masterful creations.
July 8, 2021
Twisted Christmas
These stories are the adult versions of Christmas!. Even though each book can be a stand alone book it could be very beneficial to you by reading the previous set #1 to #3. In each novel some chapters were drawn out but at the same time this series will keep you reading these novels till the end
These stories are the adult versions of Christmas!. Even though each book can be a stand alone book it could be very beneficial to you by reading the previous set #1 to #3. In each novel some chapters were drawn out but at the same time this series will keep you reading these novels till the end
January 12, 2022
So unique and special
These stories are a delight. So.etimes I would get so emotional that I would both feel like I couldn't read another word and like I had to continue - couldn't stop. So glad there's another trilogy to move on to. These stories rap around you like kudzu, so intertwined and engrossing. Can't wait to see what lies ahead in the Claus universe!!!
These stories are a delight. So.etimes I would get so emotional that I would both feel like I couldn't read another word and like I had to continue - couldn't stop. So glad there's another trilogy to move on to. These stories rap around you like kudzu, so intertwined and engrossing. Can't wait to see what lies ahead in the Claus universe!!!
April 20, 2020
Enjoy the concept
This series of sci-fi Santa takes doesn’t fails to entertain. If you enjoy a twist in a familiar story, then you’ll love these books. Looking forward to the next books in the series!
This series of sci-fi Santa takes doesn’t fails to entertain. If you enjoy a twist in a familiar story, then you’ll love these books. Looking forward to the next books in the series!
April 29, 2021
For The Kids Who Always Believed
I thoroughly enjoyed this and the first 3 book set. Bertauski wields a deft hand with an age old story while sprinkling in just enough magic (Science!) to keep an adults attention.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and the first 3 book set. Bertauski wields a deft hand with an age old story while sprinkling in just enough magic (Science!) to keep an adults attention.
December 30, 2025
A different world.
These stories are the kind of tales that bring fantasy and reality together, blurring the lines. Enjoyable anytime but especially good during the holiday month.
These stories are the kind of tales that bring fantasy and reality together, blurring the lines. Enjoyable anytime but especially good during the holiday month.
December 3, 2018
What a different version of Scrooge that I have never heard before. Totally intriguing second set of stories.
January 11, 2020
I don’t know why I loved these stories, but I did.
They pull you in and captivate you. It’s part of the Christmas magic, or science, if you prefer. Merry Christmas.🎄
They pull you in and captivate you. It’s part of the Christmas magic, or science, if you prefer. Merry Christmas.🎄
March 23, 2021
Good reading
I love the twists on the Christmas stories we grew up on. There is lots of weirdness too. I'm a fan of anything about Christmas as well as mystery and weird.
I love the twists on the Christmas stories we grew up on. There is lots of weirdness too. I'm a fan of anything about Christmas as well as mystery and weird.
June 4, 2021
Holiday adventure
Holds your attention all the way to the end. Very good writing. It all falls into place with each book before it.
Holds your attention all the way to the end. Very good writing. It all falls into place with each book before it.
Read
December 9, 2021👍 Great!
The Clause Universe explains all you need to know about Christmas, set in a science fiction near future. Well written in depth characters.
The Clause Universe explains all you need to know about Christmas, set in a science fiction near future. Well written in depth characters.
December 29, 2021
Ho ho ho
A great time reading this book at Christmas time. Woul recommend to anyone who believes or wants to believe and can with these books.
A great time reading this book at Christmas time. Woul recommend to anyone who believes or wants to believe and can with these books.
January 31, 2022
Fun book about the holidays
I enjoyed the series very much! I plan to read the following series next year. Thank you for your creativity.
I enjoyed the series very much! I plan to read the following series next year. Thank you for your creativity.
January 2, 2023
claus boxed 2
Fascinating take on the Santa Claus backstory. Dark at times but it had me going back daily.
Very good imagination.
Fascinating take on the Santa Claus backstory. Dark at times but it had me going back daily.
Very good imagination.
January 9, 2024
Another great set of book! I couldn’t stop reading!
December 1, 2024
A great Christmas read, a different way of seeing things, I will definitely be reading set 3
January 20, 2025
Bertauski is not just for Christmas
Magical stories about very human issues. Deeper and more thoughtful than I expected. Love the reinterpretation of Christmas folklore.
I believe.
Magical stories about very human issues. Deeper and more thoughtful than I expected. Love the reinterpretation of Christmas folklore.
I believe.
December 20, 2025
Great to listen to while working in the holiday season.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews