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Essex Witch Museum Mystery #5
The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas
Stop Two stories, 'Easily Made' and 'Death Becomes Her', were nominated for a Crime Writers Association Short Story Dagger!
Nothing says Christmas more than a good old fashioned ghost story on a dark winter's night, so sit back and enjoy a little pinch of Yuletide mayhem.
These extraordinary tales, one for each day of Christmas, explore the odd, the peculiar and the downright chilling, from a Strange encounter with an Icelandic Shaman, to a psychic policewoman, lively winged beasts and warnings from the recently departed.
Some of these stories appeared in the ebook The Strange Casebook , 2018.
Nothing says Christmas more than a good old fashioned ghost story on a dark winter's night, so sit back and enjoy a little pinch of Yuletide mayhem.
These extraordinary tales, one for each day of Christmas, explore the odd, the peculiar and the downright chilling, from a Strange encounter with an Icelandic Shaman, to a psychic policewoman, lively winged beasts and warnings from the recently departed.
Some of these stories appeared in the ebook The Strange Casebook , 2018.
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2019
38 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
About the author
Syd Moore
16 books201 followersBefore embarking on a career in education, Syd worked extensively in the publishing industry, fronting Channel 4’s book programme, Pulp. She was the founding editor of Level 4, an arts and culture magazine, and is co-creator of Super Strumps, the game that reclaims female stereotypes.
Syd has also been a go go dancer, backing singer, subbuteo maker, children’s entertainer and performance poet, She now works for Metal Culture, an arts organisation, promoting arts and cultural events and developing literature programmes.
Syd is an out and proud Essex Girl and is lucky enough to live in that county where she spends her free time excavating old myths and listening out for things that go bump in the night.
Syd has also been a go go dancer, backing singer, subbuteo maker, children’s entertainer and performance poet, She now works for Metal Culture, an arts organisation, promoting arts and cultural events and developing literature programmes.
Syd is an out and proud Essex Girl and is lucky enough to live in that county where she spends her free time excavating old myths and listening out for things that go bump in the night.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
November 14, 2019
When I chose to read this short story collection featuring Rosie Strange, partner Sam Stone, Adders Fork and the Essex Witch Museum, I was unaware that I had already read and reviewed many of the stories in The Strange Casebook, published in 2018. These include Snowy, Death Becomes Her, She Saw Three Ships, Madness in A Coruna and The House on Savage Lane. So I read the remaining stories, of the odd, the strange, the ghostly, the supernatural, and the mayhem in the festive season.
Septimus, inspired by an Icelandic headress, recounts his war time trip to Reykjavik, and his experiences with a shaman on a volcano. Cliff felt a sense of relief when his mother in law passed away, but an accident with an urn with her ashes has him desperately trying to rid himself of the hoover, but can he really be free of her? Errors are easily made, something Janet is forced to concede when on Boxing Day, she and Matt, the social worker, visit Norah's home after her death, and endeavour to deal with the cats. Christmas festivities at the Witch Museum result in mayhem, the destruction of the sleigh that Rosie had put together, and a demon or is Springheeled Jack? A mother walks barefoot in the snow to see her children, Edmund and Christabel. Carole Christmas is a miserly and mean woman, with not a bone of generosity in her, not for her staff and not even for her son, Benjamin. She is visited by the recently deceased at Christmas and begins to see the error of her ways.
If you have read none of the Strange short stories previously, this is a great collection to read this time of the year. Syd Moore weaves a engaging story with ease, I particularly enjoyed Septimus and his encounters with an Icelandic shaman, poor Cliff's efforts to be free of his mother in law, and the echoes of Dicken's A Christmas Carol, with Carole seeing her future, the specially reserved place in hell awaiting her, and finding the inner resources to shift direction. The story of the cats is a little in the macabre side. If you are looking for the spooky, weird, ghosts and more for the festive season, then this just might fit the bill. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.
Septimus, inspired by an Icelandic headress, recounts his war time trip to Reykjavik, and his experiences with a shaman on a volcano. Cliff felt a sense of relief when his mother in law passed away, but an accident with an urn with her ashes has him desperately trying to rid himself of the hoover, but can he really be free of her? Errors are easily made, something Janet is forced to concede when on Boxing Day, she and Matt, the social worker, visit Norah's home after her death, and endeavour to deal with the cats. Christmas festivities at the Witch Museum result in mayhem, the destruction of the sleigh that Rosie had put together, and a demon or is Springheeled Jack? A mother walks barefoot in the snow to see her children, Edmund and Christabel. Carole Christmas is a miserly and mean woman, with not a bone of generosity in her, not for her staff and not even for her son, Benjamin. She is visited by the recently deceased at Christmas and begins to see the error of her ways.
If you have read none of the Strange short stories previously, this is a great collection to read this time of the year. Syd Moore weaves a engaging story with ease, I particularly enjoyed Septimus and his encounters with an Icelandic shaman, poor Cliff's efforts to be free of his mother in law, and the echoes of Dicken's A Christmas Carol, with Carole seeing her future, the specially reserved place in hell awaiting her, and finding the inner resources to shift direction. The story of the cats is a little in the macabre side. If you are looking for the spooky, weird, ghosts and more for the festive season, then this just might fit the bill. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.
December 25, 2022
3.5 stars
This is a collection of strange, ghostly, chilling, odd and sometimes just slightly absurd stories. There are twelve of them, but there is no specifically Christmas theme. Syd Moore has turned her hand to a number of things, publishing, working for a Channel 4 arts programme, singer, go-go dancer, performance poet, children’s entertainer and working for an arts organisation. Moore is also the founder of an organisation called the Essex Girls Liberation Front, whose objective was to get the term “Essex Girl” removed from the Oxford English Dictionary. An objective that was achieved.
They don’t have a particularly Christmassy theme (apart from a couple) but they are very much within the strange tales genre. The stories fit into a wider series of books Moore has written, the Essex Witch Museum stories starring a character called Rosie Strange, who pops up in at least one of these. Death is one of the common themes.
They are a mixed bunch and not nearly as bad as they could have been, although they are a mixed bunch. There is a variation on the Scrooge story which is ok and set in a pub (ok because there is a mention of Jacob Rees-Mogg having a special place in hell). One is set in Cornwall and has a very Jamesian feel to it. The one about the haunted vacuum cleaner is meant to be amusing, although I found the use of the mother-in-law trope irritating. The House on Savage Lane is quite chilling. There are a couple involving cats. One of those has a couple of bumbling and rather incompetent social workers which amused me at least. There’s one involving death as a character in a modern setting. There are some weaker ones as well. They are brief and easy to read and I’ve read worse.
This is a collection of strange, ghostly, chilling, odd and sometimes just slightly absurd stories. There are twelve of them, but there is no specifically Christmas theme. Syd Moore has turned her hand to a number of things, publishing, working for a Channel 4 arts programme, singer, go-go dancer, performance poet, children’s entertainer and working for an arts organisation. Moore is also the founder of an organisation called the Essex Girls Liberation Front, whose objective was to get the term “Essex Girl” removed from the Oxford English Dictionary. An objective that was achieved.
They don’t have a particularly Christmassy theme (apart from a couple) but they are very much within the strange tales genre. The stories fit into a wider series of books Moore has written, the Essex Witch Museum stories starring a character called Rosie Strange, who pops up in at least one of these. Death is one of the common themes.
They are a mixed bunch and not nearly as bad as they could have been, although they are a mixed bunch. There is a variation on the Scrooge story which is ok and set in a pub (ok because there is a mention of Jacob Rees-Mogg having a special place in hell). One is set in Cornwall and has a very Jamesian feel to it. The one about the haunted vacuum cleaner is meant to be amusing, although I found the use of the mother-in-law trope irritating. The House on Savage Lane is quite chilling. There are a couple involving cats. One of those has a couple of bumbling and rather incompetent social workers which amused me at least. There’s one involving death as a character in a modern setting. There are some weaker ones as well. They are brief and easy to read and I’ve read worse.
December 20, 2019
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas is a short story collection featuring as you have probably guessed twelve different stories, some are ghostly, some supernatural others are completely baffling and strange.
I haven’t read anything by this author before so all the stories were new to me, although I do know that this book features some stories from her previous books, just in case you have read them.
The book opens with Septimus and the Shaman which features elderly curator Septimus Strange telling younger Sam about his time in Iceland during the war when he was told to interrogate a local Medium upon a volcano who had predicted recent events before they occurred and his unusual encounter with the man and some predictions that he had made about his life.
The stories are of varying lengths, some are several pages, other just a few. As with all the short story collections that I have read, there are a few which I really enjoyed and a few which I found hard going. My personal favourite has to be the one shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Short Story Daggers, ‘Death Becomes Her’, which is nothing like the movie.
Death Becomes Her is about Police Officer Stacey Winters who can see death, she can see the people he visits and after trial and error realises that there is nothing she can do to stop him. It reminded me of something I read a long time ago about you can’t cheat death and that if you interfere in the process it will always find another way.
Another of my favourites is Snowy about an elderly lady alone at Christmas except for her cats, she is happy but longs to be with her husband who has passed away.
I wasn’t sure going into this book how I would feel about it as I like strange, unusual stories, yet I don’t particularly enjoy far-fetched horror books and often short stories are a let down too as there is not being enough in them to grab hold of me. However, most were enjoyable in this collection, although I will say that for the title most are not very festive.
Overall if you like books that are a little out there and different, this would be a great book for you.
The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas is a short story collection featuring as you have probably guessed twelve different stories, some are ghostly, some supernatural others are completely baffling and strange.
I haven’t read anything by this author before so all the stories were new to me, although I do know that this book features some stories from her previous books, just in case you have read them.
The book opens with Septimus and the Shaman which features elderly curator Septimus Strange telling younger Sam about his time in Iceland during the war when he was told to interrogate a local Medium upon a volcano who had predicted recent events before they occurred and his unusual encounter with the man and some predictions that he had made about his life.
The stories are of varying lengths, some are several pages, other just a few. As with all the short story collections that I have read, there are a few which I really enjoyed and a few which I found hard going. My personal favourite has to be the one shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Short Story Daggers, ‘Death Becomes Her’, which is nothing like the movie.
Death Becomes Her is about Police Officer Stacey Winters who can see death, she can see the people he visits and after trial and error realises that there is nothing she can do to stop him. It reminded me of something I read a long time ago about you can’t cheat death and that if you interfere in the process it will always find another way.
Another of my favourites is Snowy about an elderly lady alone at Christmas except for her cats, she is happy but longs to be with her husband who has passed away.
I wasn’t sure going into this book how I would feel about it as I like strange, unusual stories, yet I don’t particularly enjoy far-fetched horror books and often short stories are a let down too as there is not being enough in them to grab hold of me. However, most were enjoyable in this collection, although I will say that for the title most are not very festive.
Overall if you like books that are a little out there and different, this would be a great book for you.
December 1, 2019
At just under 200 pages, The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas is a collection of short stories - one for each day of Christmas - that are a mix of spooky, bizarre, entertaining and rather dark encounters ideal for a winter’s night. Six of these tales were issued in 2018’s ebook release, The Strange Casebook, whilst the other six are new.
Having never read Syd Moore or the Essex Witch Museum series of stories which she writes I wasn’t sure how I would fare with this book although the good news is that only one of them demands a familiarity with the characters of the series, even if two others do refer to individual pre-established characters. The disappointingly news is that I found the overall quality of the collection rather hit and miss with some impressing, others wryly amusing and several more leaving me non-plussed and rather bemused. On the whole though, this is a varied and solid collection with about half of the twelve stories making a significant favourable impression on me.
Standout stories for me were the short and poignant ‘Snowy’, a simple tale of an eccentric cat lover wiling away her old age with her feline companions. ‘Death Becomes Her’ is a snarky gallows humour tale of fresh-faced police officer Stacey Winters attempting to second-guess death after some miserable early experiences in life. ‘Easily Made’ is a blackly comic look at two social workers doing the rounds on Boxing Day and left me smirking, whilst ‘In The Bag’ is a worthy new spin on the nagging mother-in-law and short family drama combined.
‘The House on Savage Lane’ is satisfying gruesome with a twist that is practically guaranteed to creep up out of nowhere and catch the reader unawares, but in the same vein, ‘Jocelyn’s Story’ is a twisted tale of a beautiful lady and her aspirations for Betty Grable’s vital statistics that doesn’t quite have the surprising punch of the former story.
Of the lengthier tales, it was only ‘Madness In A Coruña’ that captivated me with a traditional ‘gather round the fireplace’ ghostly tale of a forty-something divorced academic travelling to see an old university acquaintance in Spain and indulging in good food, wine and hopefully music. This brought to mind the work of M.R. James and was a notable highlight. Meanwhile ‘A Christmas Carole’ is a predictable story of a curmudgeonly landlady finally discovering some Christmas cheer.
‘Christmas Eve at the Witch Museum’ is also one of the longer stories and is narrated by Rosie, a regular of the Essex Witch series, with the local community of Adder’s Fork featuring heavily, thereby relying on knowledge of the established series for comprehension. As a new reader I was completely left behind on the in jokes of the Forker’s and rather underwhelmed. ‘We Saw Three Ships’ features Ethel-Rose Strange travelling to the Cornwall coast ahead of her family on Michaelmas Eve and meeting some inhospitable locals. Ponderous and occasionally confusing, this story left me unmoved, rather like the ‘Septimus and the Shaman’, in which nonagenarian Septimus Strange recounts his experiences with the dark arts of Iceland during the war.
Given that that the tales I least enjoyed featured the regular Essex Witch Museum characters and my overall rating is a middling three stars I doubt I will explore Syd Moore’s series, although given that eerie ghost stories and tales of peculiar encounters are always highly subjective I would be more than willing to try more of the author’s non-series work. An enjoyable collection of diverse stories, occasionally gruesome, haunting or unsettling, with Syd Moore showing a talent for capturing a range of narrative voices.
Having never read Syd Moore or the Essex Witch Museum series of stories which she writes I wasn’t sure how I would fare with this book although the good news is that only one of them demands a familiarity with the characters of the series, even if two others do refer to individual pre-established characters. The disappointingly news is that I found the overall quality of the collection rather hit and miss with some impressing, others wryly amusing and several more leaving me non-plussed and rather bemused. On the whole though, this is a varied and solid collection with about half of the twelve stories making a significant favourable impression on me.
Standout stories for me were the short and poignant ‘Snowy’, a simple tale of an eccentric cat lover wiling away her old age with her feline companions. ‘Death Becomes Her’ is a snarky gallows humour tale of fresh-faced police officer Stacey Winters attempting to second-guess death after some miserable early experiences in life. ‘Easily Made’ is a blackly comic look at two social workers doing the rounds on Boxing Day and left me smirking, whilst ‘In The Bag’ is a worthy new spin on the nagging mother-in-law and short family drama combined.
‘The House on Savage Lane’ is satisfying gruesome with a twist that is practically guaranteed to creep up out of nowhere and catch the reader unawares, but in the same vein, ‘Jocelyn’s Story’ is a twisted tale of a beautiful lady and her aspirations for Betty Grable’s vital statistics that doesn’t quite have the surprising punch of the former story.
Of the lengthier tales, it was only ‘Madness In A Coruña’ that captivated me with a traditional ‘gather round the fireplace’ ghostly tale of a forty-something divorced academic travelling to see an old university acquaintance in Spain and indulging in good food, wine and hopefully music. This brought to mind the work of M.R. James and was a notable highlight. Meanwhile ‘A Christmas Carole’ is a predictable story of a curmudgeonly landlady finally discovering some Christmas cheer.
‘Christmas Eve at the Witch Museum’ is also one of the longer stories and is narrated by Rosie, a regular of the Essex Witch series, with the local community of Adder’s Fork featuring heavily, thereby relying on knowledge of the established series for comprehension. As a new reader I was completely left behind on the in jokes of the Forker’s and rather underwhelmed. ‘We Saw Three Ships’ features Ethel-Rose Strange travelling to the Cornwall coast ahead of her family on Michaelmas Eve and meeting some inhospitable locals. Ponderous and occasionally confusing, this story left me unmoved, rather like the ‘Septimus and the Shaman’, in which nonagenarian Septimus Strange recounts his experiences with the dark arts of Iceland during the war.
Given that that the tales I least enjoyed featured the regular Essex Witch Museum characters and my overall rating is a middling three stars I doubt I will explore Syd Moore’s series, although given that eerie ghost stories and tales of peculiar encounters are always highly subjective I would be more than willing to try more of the author’s non-series work. An enjoyable collection of diverse stories, occasionally gruesome, haunting or unsettling, with Syd Moore showing a talent for capturing a range of narrative voices.
November 24, 2019
I had high hopes for this collection, but alas, it hit on a huge pet peeve of mine regarding its misleading title and marketing: Mentioning the word Christmas or casually stating in a story that it is Christmastime does not make the piece a Christmas story. This is the case with almost every tale in this collection.
I might have been able to forgive that had the material been better in a general sense, but the stories largely lack originality and display very little of the creepiness they attempt to claim.
Moore writes well from a technical standpoint, but the material was flat and the premise it is being marketed under is misleading.
A final warning to readers: Several of the stories here are duplicates from other Moore collections.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I might have been able to forgive that had the material been better in a general sense, but the stories largely lack originality and display very little of the creepiness they attempt to claim.
Moore writes well from a technical standpoint, but the material was flat and the premise it is being marketed under is misleading.
A final warning to readers: Several of the stories here are duplicates from other Moore collections.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
December 12, 2022
Hmmmm, 12 Strange Days of Christmas, but only 3 of the stories were really Christmas related and the others well, I don't know what they were. I am not a big fan of short stories so maybe that's why this didn't click so much with me. I was hoping for Christmasy Ghost stories and really only the last two stories were that. It was fun and all the stories were creative and unique so I am glad I read it.
December 8, 2019
I'm grateful to the publisher for a free copy of The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas to consider for review.
These are short stories which take place in the world of Moore's Essex Witches novels - supernatural thrillers focussed on Rosie Strange and her family museum in the village of Adder's Fork, Essex. The Strange family and its history entwine with that of the Museum which is itself a slightly uncanny place.
The stories fit with the wider series in a number of ways, variously taking place in Adder's Fork, featuring minor characters from the books or members's of Rosie's family (including Septimus himself), narrated to familiar figures or, in a couple of cases, I think anticipating future books. A couple are not, perhaps, strictly ghost stories but they slot in very nicely with the general theme which is of course death is a common - death anticipated, death mourned, death overcome - death awaited.
The collection does feature some stories which were in The Strange Casebook published last year but there are as many new ones, and the older stories stand up very well to rereading. If you've read and enjoyed the Essex Witch Museum books you'll have the chance to spot how the stories fit in to that world.
Septimus and the Shaman sees Septimus Strange recounting a wartime episode that took place while he was on active service. As well as shedding light on just what he got up to at that time (and perhaps his wider connections with the Establishment) it also contains a warning and some hints about Rosie's future.
Snowy is a gentle hymn to death and loss and perhaps - perhaps - to consolations beyond.
The House on Savage Lane, and Jocelyn's Story are stories of a slightly different kind, the sort where the revelation of what is really going on is what drives the horror (even if you'd begun to guess as I did for the first, not the second) so I won't say much about them. I think they look forward to potential future Witch Museum mysteries. I especially found Jocelyn's Story to be genuinely strange and unsettling. The House on Savage Lane was a bit more conventional but still had a couple of effective twists.
Easily Made is a kind of sequel to Snow, introducing a different kind of horror.
In the Bag is a classic ghost story, with a humorous twist on death and revenge.
Death Becomes Her focuses on a policewoman we have seen before, and perhaps explains a bit about her.
She Saw Three Ships is a delight, a whole story featuring Ethel-Rose and taking place in that most ghost haunted and uncanny of English counties, Cornwall. What happens when the locals make you unwelcome on the eve of a creepy local festival? Well, you dig in and see what happens, obviously. This slice of folk horror is calculated to raise a shiver.
Madness in A Coruña is the longest story in the book, and is an effective and creepy ghost story, perhaps with an MR Jamesian bent. An unwary traveller to the Spanish city (yes, the same as in the poem by Charles Wolfe) discovers mysteries. The city seems to be guarded against something. But is it guarded well enough? As this story came to a climax I found myself sitting forward and gripping my Kindle, so tense did it get.
Christmas Eve at the Witch Museum is a real joy, a little slice of life at the Museum. It's all much as you'd expect, with Rosie hanging up the mistletoe and thinking thoughts of Sam, some gruesome exhibits on display and a surprise appearance by a very English phantom.
Barefoot Through the Snow is a delicious, sad, classic ghost story fitting well into the Witch Museum mythology - the stories of innocent women tormented and put to death - as a mother seeks out her children across the cold, cold fields. It suggests some unfinished business that perhaps Rosie will be able to sort out one day?
A Christmas Carole is, as the name suggests, Moore's version of a time hallowed classic, one without which no collection of Christmas ghost stories would be complete. It's familiar, but she also gives it a distinct twist and make sit her own.
These are great stories. They will mean most to those who are familiar with the Witch Museum series, but the collection as a whole may be read as an entertaining and chilling group for Christmas. While some have appeared before that was in an e-only version and you'll want a print copy of this to live on your shelves next to the other Strange books, won't you?
These are short stories which take place in the world of Moore's Essex Witches novels - supernatural thrillers focussed on Rosie Strange and her family museum in the village of Adder's Fork, Essex. The Strange family and its history entwine with that of the Museum which is itself a slightly uncanny place.
The stories fit with the wider series in a number of ways, variously taking place in Adder's Fork, featuring minor characters from the books or members's of Rosie's family (including Septimus himself), narrated to familiar figures or, in a couple of cases, I think anticipating future books. A couple are not, perhaps, strictly ghost stories but they slot in very nicely with the general theme which is of course death is a common - death anticipated, death mourned, death overcome - death awaited.
The collection does feature some stories which were in The Strange Casebook published last year but there are as many new ones, and the older stories stand up very well to rereading. If you've read and enjoyed the Essex Witch Museum books you'll have the chance to spot how the stories fit in to that world.
Septimus and the Shaman sees Septimus Strange recounting a wartime episode that took place while he was on active service. As well as shedding light on just what he got up to at that time (and perhaps his wider connections with the Establishment) it also contains a warning and some hints about Rosie's future.
Snowy is a gentle hymn to death and loss and perhaps - perhaps - to consolations beyond.
The House on Savage Lane, and Jocelyn's Story are stories of a slightly different kind, the sort where the revelation of what is really going on is what drives the horror (even if you'd begun to guess as I did for the first, not the second) so I won't say much about them. I think they look forward to potential future Witch Museum mysteries. I especially found Jocelyn's Story to be genuinely strange and unsettling. The House on Savage Lane was a bit more conventional but still had a couple of effective twists.
Easily Made is a kind of sequel to Snow, introducing a different kind of horror.
In the Bag is a classic ghost story, with a humorous twist on death and revenge.
Death Becomes Her focuses on a policewoman we have seen before, and perhaps explains a bit about her.
She Saw Three Ships is a delight, a whole story featuring Ethel-Rose and taking place in that most ghost haunted and uncanny of English counties, Cornwall. What happens when the locals make you unwelcome on the eve of a creepy local festival? Well, you dig in and see what happens, obviously. This slice of folk horror is calculated to raise a shiver.
Madness in A Coruña is the longest story in the book, and is an effective and creepy ghost story, perhaps with an MR Jamesian bent. An unwary traveller to the Spanish city (yes, the same as in the poem by Charles Wolfe) discovers mysteries. The city seems to be guarded against something. But is it guarded well enough? As this story came to a climax I found myself sitting forward and gripping my Kindle, so tense did it get.
Christmas Eve at the Witch Museum is a real joy, a little slice of life at the Museum. It's all much as you'd expect, with Rosie hanging up the mistletoe and thinking thoughts of Sam, some gruesome exhibits on display and a surprise appearance by a very English phantom.
Barefoot Through the Snow is a delicious, sad, classic ghost story fitting well into the Witch Museum mythology - the stories of innocent women tormented and put to death - as a mother seeks out her children across the cold, cold fields. It suggests some unfinished business that perhaps Rosie will be able to sort out one day?
A Christmas Carole is, as the name suggests, Moore's version of a time hallowed classic, one without which no collection of Christmas ghost stories would be complete. It's familiar, but she also gives it a distinct twist and make sit her own.
These are great stories. They will mean most to those who are familiar with the Witch Museum series, but the collection as a whole may be read as an entertaining and chilling group for Christmas. While some have appeared before that was in an e-only version and you'll want a print copy of this to live on your shelves next to the other Strange books, won't you?
October 21, 2021
I love love love this collection of spooky festive treats, all the tales in this are full of charm, hauntings and thrills to chill the blood and make you chuckle to yourself, whilst you are snuggled up by a roaring fire and drinking a hot beverage…. With maybe a mince pie to keep the hunger pangs at bay. I love short stories that can take you into wonderful worlds and yet are short enough to not feel too long a stay. What a fabulous book and I would highly recommend this as the perfect gift for someone who loves things festive, strange and all things spooky.
December 1, 2023
• a few of the stories i enjoyed, particularly the three ships one.
• most of them have only a very loose connection to Christmas
• most of them have only a very loose connection to Christmas
December 22, 2019
I didn't love this. First of all, it does that thing where "Christmas" is in the title and nearly all stories inside have nothing to do with the holidays. Disappointing when you're looking for a seasonal read. Secondly, many just didn't do anything for me. Basically reaching the story early on where the "funny" reveal was actually
December 6, 2019
I received a copy of this book from TBC Reviewers request- Thank you
A collection of 12 short stories none of which were actually Christmas themed but you can’t have it all.
A really mixed bag when it comes to writing styles, length and content of each story there was very little that tied them all together yet somehow it worked as a whole book
A slightly creepy read- thank you
A collection of 12 short stories none of which were actually Christmas themed but you can’t have it all.
A really mixed bag when it comes to writing styles, length and content of each story there was very little that tied them all together yet somehow it worked as a whole book
A slightly creepy read- thank you
February 15, 2022
Repeats multiple short stories from the previous collection.
June 13, 2021
Having read previous books did not really like this especially the one about the cats. Really sick. Did not live up to expectations at all
December 20, 2019
A short story collection full of the frightening and the fun and I loved the variety of the stories included as they seemed to be a little bit of everything, which was perfect for dipping into on a dark evening - even if it meant I had some rather peculiar dreams/nightmares afterwards!!
Linked to the Essex Witch Museum series - of which I still have a couple to catch up with - this collection is a mix of the weird and wonderful, the dark and twisted and all set in a variety of locations and featuring a range of different characters! It's not full on horror and gore, but often the more subtle sides to the supernatural, which can often be the most unsettling!
My favourites were In The Bag - a possessed hoover anyone?!!!! - and The House on Savage Lane which was the darkest tale for me and quite terrifying! There are ghostly goings on galore, evil cats and the Reaper and I just really enjoyed the different mix of stories and it's just made me even more eager to revisit the Essex Witch Museum series in full - bring on even more weird nightmares for me!!
Linked to the Essex Witch Museum series - of which I still have a couple to catch up with - this collection is a mix of the weird and wonderful, the dark and twisted and all set in a variety of locations and featuring a range of different characters! It's not full on horror and gore, but often the more subtle sides to the supernatural, which can often be the most unsettling!
My favourites were In The Bag - a possessed hoover anyone?!!!! - and The House on Savage Lane which was the darkest tale for me and quite terrifying! There are ghostly goings on galore, evil cats and the Reaper and I just really enjoyed the different mix of stories and it's just made me even more eager to revisit the Essex Witch Museum series in full - bring on even more weird nightmares for me!!
December 22, 2020
I found the quirky short stories to be really interesting and did keep me gripped most of the time, even if it was just to be like “what is going on?!”😂
I would say personally that I found the first and last story to be the weakest ones, as the first one I found to be quite boring and the last too unoriginal considering how different the rest of the book was!
Overall, the short stories were easy to read and different from the usually festive reads.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I would say personally that I found the first and last story to be the weakest ones, as the first one I found to be quite boring and the last too unoriginal considering how different the rest of the book was!
Overall, the short stories were easy to read and different from the usually festive reads.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 28, 2021
An incredibly mixed bag. I was disappointed that the stories hardly had anything to do with Christmas; it seemed that Moore simply slapped the word “Christmas” somewhere in the story, or the story took place on Christmas Eve, and that was all. Not a very Christmas read at all. But, I did enjoy some of the stories, especially the ones with the narrator almost speaking to the reader. I wasn’t a big fan of the dialogue-based stories, however. I think there is truly a story in here for everyone, though, and if you like creepy, grotesque details, this one’s for you!
October 29, 2020
A fun bit of spooky whimsy to get in the Yuletide mood.
January 16, 2022
Not bad. Probably better if you've read some other books in the series. I've only read book 1.
January 5, 2024
4 or 5 good stories. Some were very boring and slow reads so for that reason I can’t rate it higher than 2.5/3
December 2, 2019
I was looking forward to reading this but found myself struggling a little with the first story, which used the classic technique of a respected character telling the tale to a small audience gathered around him. I found this rather slow in pace.
But then the stories came thick and fast in a great variety of styles, lengths, pace, tone and plot. A breathtaking ride which culminated in my favourite, a surprisingly heart-warming ghost tale.
I've always enjoyed short story collections across many different genres. I like a collection from a single author as much as edited anthologies and the added advantage is I'm less likely to find ones I have already encountered. I had never read Syd Moore before so every story was fresh. I've found she has written many stories about the Strange family so I expect my initially cool reaction may be because I was not already familiar with the characters and their world.
But then the stories came thick and fast in a great variety of styles, lengths, pace, tone and plot. A breathtaking ride which culminated in my favourite, a surprisingly heart-warming ghost tale.
I've always enjoyed short story collections across many different genres. I like a collection from a single author as much as edited anthologies and the added advantage is I'm less likely to find ones I have already encountered. I had never read Syd Moore before so every story was fresh. I've found she has written many stories about the Strange family so I expect my initially cool reaction may be because I was not already familiar with the characters and their world.
December 7, 2019
Great cover art, weak content. Cheap rip-off versions of Dicken's "Christmas Carol" and Carpenter's "The Fog" are among the better stories in this mostly rather dull and often distinctly un-christmassy collection. Two stars because it reads fast and is not terribly written.
January 25, 2020
An interesting mix of short stories, more hit the mark than not. I've not read anything by this author before but dont think that detracted from my enjoyment.
December 21, 2025
If you're looking for a lighthearted, comedic supernatural book with spatterings of darkness and tenuous links to Christmas then this may be the book for you. However, if you're looking for weird fiction and spooky tales it might be best to give this one a miss.
For me, this book didn't land. I wanted proper weird fiction and I got something far more lighthearted. That's not to say it's a bad book. The writing tone felt far too casual, conversational and pretty dated for the stories being told. At many points it was more like reading a sit com than anything else. Some stories have a mix of stock-like characters each placed for comedic effect wheres some others have ridiculous plot twists involving mother-in-laws and hoovers.
Considering it is marketed as a Christmas book there is also very little Christmas in it. Most of the stories just happen to be set on Christmas Eve or boxing day for instance, a setting that is just mentioned in passing as the story continues on without any mention of festivities.
I will say that three of the stories stood out to me and two were excellent even though I did not quote click with the writing style and still cringed at the puns that closed one of them.
Septimus and the Shaman was a strong opener with great dialogue and a cosy setting. I saw three ships was a well crafted story with a simple but strong premise and great horror themes. Madness in A Coruña was proper weird fiction that still leaves some questions to be answered; by far my favourite of the set despite its lack of Christmas.
Had there have been more tales like Madness and less tongue in cheek I might have rated it higher. But, sadly, a lack of Christmas and a lack of horror let it down.
For me, this book didn't land. I wanted proper weird fiction and I got something far more lighthearted. That's not to say it's a bad book. The writing tone felt far too casual, conversational and pretty dated for the stories being told. At many points it was more like reading a sit com than anything else. Some stories have a mix of stock-like characters each placed for comedic effect wheres some others have ridiculous plot twists involving mother-in-laws and hoovers.
Considering it is marketed as a Christmas book there is also very little Christmas in it. Most of the stories just happen to be set on Christmas Eve or boxing day for instance, a setting that is just mentioned in passing as the story continues on without any mention of festivities.
I will say that three of the stories stood out to me and two were excellent even though I did not quote click with the writing style and still cringed at the puns that closed one of them.
Septimus and the Shaman was a strong opener with great dialogue and a cosy setting. I saw three ships was a well crafted story with a simple but strong premise and great horror themes. Madness in A Coruña was proper weird fiction that still leaves some questions to be answered; by far my favourite of the set despite its lack of Christmas.
Had there have been more tales like Madness and less tongue in cheek I might have rated it higher. But, sadly, a lack of Christmas and a lack of horror let it down.
December 16, 2020
A compendium of twelve spooky ghost stories and bizarre mysteries all set around or linked to Christmas in some small way. It’s designed to be a short companion book to Syd Moore’s Essex Witch Museum Mystery series, of which I haven’t read any, but I was able to enjoy it just as it was without too much trouble as there was only slight references to characters and places from the main books within the stories and no background knowledge was necessary.
Each short story brought something completely different to the table and as is to be expected I preferred some to others. ‘In The Bag’ was my favourite and it really gave me a chuckle but some of the other more human focused stories missed the mark a little. They did provide a dark commentary on the human psyche, which was interesting, but personal preference has me landing firmly on the side of the more supernatural based stories. For the most part I really enjoyed the dark humour of the writing and found it blended perfectly in the midst of the ghost stories lending the whole thing a slightly chilly edge, which really set the tone.
I will say if you're an animal lover/cat lover be wary of ‘Easily Made’ if dark humour regarding animals isn’t your thing. This was my least favourite story of the bunch although it did provoke a shocked laugh out of me at the end, which I think was the intention.
Overall I found this entertaining and the length of the stories only added to the charm. It would be the perfect book to sit down with every night over the twelve days of Christmas to immerse you in a little snippet of mystery.
Each short story brought something completely different to the table and as is to be expected I preferred some to others. ‘In The Bag’ was my favourite and it really gave me a chuckle but some of the other more human focused stories missed the mark a little. They did provide a dark commentary on the human psyche, which was interesting, but personal preference has me landing firmly on the side of the more supernatural based stories. For the most part I really enjoyed the dark humour of the writing and found it blended perfectly in the midst of the ghost stories lending the whole thing a slightly chilly edge, which really set the tone.
I will say if you're an animal lover/cat lover be wary of ‘Easily Made’ if dark humour regarding animals isn’t your thing. This was my least favourite story of the bunch although it did provoke a shocked laugh out of me at the end, which I think was the intention.
Overall I found this entertaining and the length of the stories only added to the charm. It would be the perfect book to sit down with every night over the twelve days of Christmas to immerse you in a little snippet of mystery.
December 16, 2020
A rare case of my knocking off a star because the material just wasn't very good. A good deal of "done before, and done better".
If I'm supposed to be scared by misty skeletons in tricornes, I expect atmospheric writing to set me up for it, especially if the PoV character is slow-witted about grasping the situation. If I'm to follow a character dead for centuries who doesn't realize it, that shouldn't be the only interesting element. And so forth, "meh" for most of the collection. That includes a few unpleasant Roald Dahlesque-Ellery Queen Magazineish entries, especially "" whose twist, unworthy of O. Henry, is obvious as soon as it becomes statable. And I could've done with the felinophile sentimentality of "Snowy" unsullied by .
I admit that I was charmed by the exceedingly low-budget pastiche "A Christmas Carole". It actually worked better than many a full scale parody. And "Christmas Eve at the Witch Museum" didn't disappoint; a worthy addition to the canon.
I accept the position I've seen taken by some other reviewers, that you should expect and forgive a dud or two in a collection. But the damp squib ratio here is too high.
If I'm supposed to be scared by misty skeletons in tricornes, I expect atmospheric writing to set me up for it, especially if the PoV character is slow-witted about grasping the situation. If I'm to follow a character dead for centuries who doesn't realize it, that shouldn't be the only interesting element. And so forth, "meh" for most of the collection. That includes a few unpleasant Roald Dahlesque-Ellery Queen Magazineish entries, especially "" whose twist, unworthy of O. Henry, is obvious as soon as it becomes statable. And I could've done with the felinophile sentimentality of "Snowy" unsullied by .
I admit that I was charmed by the exceedingly low-budget pastiche "A Christmas Carole". It actually worked better than many a full scale parody. And "Christmas Eve at the Witch Museum" didn't disappoint; a worthy addition to the canon.
I accept the position I've seen taken by some other reviewers, that you should expect and forgive a dud or two in a collection. But the damp squib ratio here is too high.
December 28, 2023
I picked this up not realising at first that it was book 5 of the 'Essex witch museum' series. I haven't read that series and thought it was a collection of ghost stories. It kind of is, but a fan of the series would definitely get more out of it thanks to recognising the characters. It was easy to tell which stories involved the ongoing characters from the series, as these stories were both fuller and more developed, and also assumed more of the reader. The first one especially confused me as it read like a chapter of a longer book, rather than a standalone short story - after which I found out about the book series.
There are some stories in this book which are fun and spooky, maybe two that are compelling to read. Unfortunately the rest are like filler between the stories the author wanted to tell about his existing characters. They vary hugely in length.
Having said that, the writing is good and the author showcases a great variety of narrative styles and narrative voices. Additionally, despite being lukewarm about this book, I do now want to check out the series in general...so make of that what you will!
There are some stories in this book which are fun and spooky, maybe two that are compelling to read. Unfortunately the rest are like filler between the stories the author wanted to tell about his existing characters. They vary hugely in length.
Having said that, the writing is good and the author showcases a great variety of narrative styles and narrative voices. Additionally, despite being lukewarm about this book, I do now want to check out the series in general...so make of that what you will!
December 28, 2019
To be honest,most of these stories are straightforward ghost stories and have nothing or little to do with Sam and Rosie,but it is an atmospheric read and genuinely creepy.
Edited to add that,having read some other reviews,I now realise that there are more connections to the Essex Witch Museum than I picked up on,as I haven't read the whole series,but,actually, I don't think it matters. This can be read with enjoyment as a series of spooky short stories and is a perfect read for Christmas time while you are busy with other things and perhaps,don't have brain space for anything too complicated.
Edited to add that,having read some other reviews,I now realise that there are more connections to the Essex Witch Museum than I picked up on,as I haven't read the whole series,but,actually, I don't think it matters. This can be read with enjoyment as a series of spooky short stories and is a perfect read for Christmas time while you are busy with other things and perhaps,don't have brain space for anything too complicated.
December 30, 2019
An interesting collection of strange, dark and spooky short stories! They were cleverly written and I enjoyed working out what was going on. They made me think and some were quite amusing, some were rather bizarre and some a bit disturbing! I particularly liked the story about the social workers and the cats (Easily Made) and Death Becomes Her about a policewoman was good too! Overall, an entertaining, intriguing selection of stories, though not all were very festive, and I liked some more than others!
December 9, 2019
A great selection of short stories full of ghosts and spirits that I have loved reading in the lead up to Christmas.
The stories all held a little something different and the more I read the more I wanted to keep reading to see where my imagination would take me next.
I love a good short story as you dive straight in and you never know what is going to come next and nothing beats a good ghost story this time of year.
The stories all held a little something different and the more I read the more I wanted to keep reading to see where my imagination would take me next.
I love a good short story as you dive straight in and you never know what is going to come next and nothing beats a good ghost story this time of year.
December 17, 2019
The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas is a diverse short story collection, all with a supernatural flavour, which is perfect for the festive season.
The stories varied in length and were all very different. There was some humour, and some of the stories were quite weird, and I liked some more than others, but this is always the case with a short story collection.
An entertaining read just in time for Christmas!
The stories varied in length and were all very different. There was some humour, and some of the stories were quite weird, and I liked some more than others, but this is always the case with a short story collection.
An entertaining read just in time for Christmas!
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