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Opowieść zombilijna
Jest Wigilia Bożego Narodzenia. Ebeneezer Scrooge, największy skąpiec jakiego zna świat, siedzi w swoim domu. Nie myśli już o swym majątku, bo oto do jego drzwi dobijają się hordy wygłodniałych zombie. Pragną tylko jednego: jego pazernego mózgu!
Jak to możliwe, że ten najszczęśliwszy dzień w roku zmienił się w kipiel krwi i wnętrzności, a zaśnieżone ulice Londynu spłynęły krwią?
Czy duchy Świątecznej Przeszłości, Teraźniejszości i Przyszłości zdołają uratować świat przed hordami zombie ubranych w cylindry i krynoliny?
Czy przetrwanie ludzkości zależy od zrzędliwego sknery? I co tutaj robi H.G. Wells?
Jak to możliwe, że ten najszczęśliwszy dzień w roku zmienił się w kipiel krwi i wnętrzności, a zaśnieżone ulice Londynu spłynęły krwią?
Czy duchy Świątecznej Przeszłości, Teraźniejszości i Przyszłości zdołają uratować świat przed hordami zombie ubranych w cylindry i krynoliny?
Czy przetrwanie ludzkości zależy od zrzędliwego sknery? I co tutaj robi H.G. Wells?
164 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
14 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read
About the author
Adam Roberts
258 books561 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
March 7, 2012
Dickens' immortal tale, centered around zombies.
Christmas and zombies are two of my favorite things, and I love humorous writing, so I was immediately drawn to this book. Sadly, Adams fails to deliver.
The writing is meant to be funny, irreverent and clever. The story begins: "Marley was dead, to begin with. Dead for about three minutes, that is: then he got up again." A good start. Sadly, it's a lonely hit in a sea of misses. Relying frequently on cheap tricks (when speaking of Scrooge's sang-froid - "... no one's sang was froider."; when Marley breaks through Scrooge's door - "The fist withdrew, and was replaced by a face - a hideous, distorted face with dried gore smeared in amongst its whiskers, and yet a face that Scrooge recognized at once. And the slavering mouth expanded its vowel-repertoire: 'Heeere's Marley!'"), it often references itself ("Had Scrooge always been an antisocial, miserly sort? By no means! By no means! By no means! OK, the middle one, I think.") and frequently rambles off on tangents that should've been left on the cutting room floor ("People said that Scrooge's heart was three sizes too small. Too small! It is not clear what they meant, since there was nothing wrong with Scrooge's circulation. The organ in question was, after all, large enough to pump blood through Scrooge's body. Which was its job. We might wonder: in what sense too small? Did the people who said so have plans to - in some sense - wear the organ in question, themselves? But to be frank, it is not clear to me why anybody would want to. Wear it in what capacity? That's the question nobody is answering! It could, I suppose, and at a pinch, be used as a boxing glove. It would be considerably more than three sizes too small to be a hat. But in either case the main objection would not be one of size, but general efficacy - the scarlet wetness would stain, the fabric would be of limited use. Let us, on balance, spend no longer on the actual size of Scrooge's heart.") Oh, my god, make it stop.
Three of those four examples were on a single page, by the way. The entire book is like this.
Regarding the book's ties to A Christmas Carol, Adams has taken the story and turned it upside down, shaken its lunch money out of its pockets, and given it a swirley before shoving it in someone's locker. Key characters have altered names and completely different personalities, a hacking cough is conjured to explain Scrooge's use of the phrase 'bah, humbug' and the meaning of Christmas itself is rewritten. This is all meant to be funny and clever, but it's just not. All the charm from Dickens' story has been stripped out. Adams' plot is like a mess of octopus legs. They more or less sort out in the end, but I wasn't moved enough to care. I was just glad it was over.
As for the zombies, they are neither funny nor scary. Utterly unremarkable as zombies go. What a shame.
The whole thing is dumb from start to end. The first ghost coalesces out of the steam when Scrooge pees into his cold chamber pot, for crying out loud.
Enough said.
Christmas and zombies are two of my favorite things, and I love humorous writing, so I was immediately drawn to this book. Sadly, Adams fails to deliver.
The writing is meant to be funny, irreverent and clever. The story begins: "Marley was dead, to begin with. Dead for about three minutes, that is: then he got up again." A good start. Sadly, it's a lonely hit in a sea of misses. Relying frequently on cheap tricks (when speaking of Scrooge's sang-froid - "... no one's sang was froider."; when Marley breaks through Scrooge's door - "The fist withdrew, and was replaced by a face - a hideous, distorted face with dried gore smeared in amongst its whiskers, and yet a face that Scrooge recognized at once. And the slavering mouth expanded its vowel-repertoire: 'Heeere's Marley!'"), it often references itself ("Had Scrooge always been an antisocial, miserly sort? By no means! By no means! By no means! OK, the middle one, I think.") and frequently rambles off on tangents that should've been left on the cutting room floor ("People said that Scrooge's heart was three sizes too small. Too small! It is not clear what they meant, since there was nothing wrong with Scrooge's circulation. The organ in question was, after all, large enough to pump blood through Scrooge's body. Which was its job. We might wonder: in what sense too small? Did the people who said so have plans to - in some sense - wear the organ in question, themselves? But to be frank, it is not clear to me why anybody would want to. Wear it in what capacity? That's the question nobody is answering! It could, I suppose, and at a pinch, be used as a boxing glove. It would be considerably more than three sizes too small to be a hat. But in either case the main objection would not be one of size, but general efficacy - the scarlet wetness would stain, the fabric would be of limited use. Let us, on balance, spend no longer on the actual size of Scrooge's heart.") Oh, my god, make it stop.
Three of those four examples were on a single page, by the way. The entire book is like this.
Regarding the book's ties to A Christmas Carol, Adams has taken the story and turned it upside down, shaken its lunch money out of its pockets, and given it a swirley before shoving it in someone's locker. Key characters have altered names and completely different personalities, a hacking cough is conjured to explain Scrooge's use of the phrase 'bah, humbug' and the meaning of Christmas itself is rewritten. This is all meant to be funny and clever, but it's just not. All the charm from Dickens' story has been stripped out. Adams' plot is like a mess of octopus legs. They more or less sort out in the end, but I wasn't moved enough to care. I was just glad it was over.
As for the zombies, they are neither funny nor scary. Utterly unremarkable as zombies go. What a shame.
The whole thing is dumb from start to end. The first ghost coalesces out of the steam when Scrooge pees into his cold chamber pot, for crying out loud.
Enough said.
December 28, 2018
Fun alternative to the classic Dickens. Though the story got long and dreading sometimes.
Read
December 25, 2021You know what, this actually wasn't that bad. I didn't know what to expect from a parody of the Christmas Carol, but I can say that I was pleasantly surprised.
I don't think I would reread this but I did enjoy how the author incorporated the idea of zombies into Christmas as well as the main characters even though they were changed in some aspects. Also, I loved the fact that Dickens and Wells appeared as they were in that era, even though we might not realise that sometimes.
I would say the style of writing was less than ideal, it wasn't one that I wanted to continue the book and not put down, but it was nice which I realise isn't the most ideal word to describe a book.
And so my journey with 100 hundred books is at an end with this book, I have officially reached my goal (which will obviously not stop me from reading more this year, I still have a week)
I don't think I would reread this but I did enjoy how the author incorporated the idea of zombies into Christmas as well as the main characters even though they were changed in some aspects. Also, I loved the fact that Dickens and Wells appeared as they were in that era, even though we might not realise that sometimes.
I would say the style of writing was less than ideal, it wasn't one that I wanted to continue the book and not put down, but it was nice which I realise isn't the most ideal word to describe a book.
And so my journey with 100 hundred books is at an end with this book, I have officially reached my goal (which will obviously not stop me from reading more this year, I still have a week)
December 12, 2020
So, I was going to give this book 2.5 stars, but I really liked the inclusion of other writers in the story - Charles Dickens and H.G. Wells both made appearances. Scrooge is the only human who is immune to the zombie plague and the three spirits show him the present, future and past to help him stop the plague from overtaking the world. Pretty good zombie book, much different than the original A Christmas Carol.
January 11, 2011
I bought this as I have enjoyed the current trend for silly literary mash-ups (which has also got me reading more classic literature, so that's a bonus), and as such thought it might be fun. Unfortunately, even with this book being as short as it is, that turned out to be a vain hope. I read it over two days and still really struggled to find the will to finish the wretched thing, as the clumsy and unsubtle attempts at humour really irritated me. The author clearly seemed to think the prose was funnier than it actually was, which is always a fatal flaw with any attempt at humorous writing, and instead of providing any laughs simply provoked eye-rolling and numerous sighs of annoyance. It's a safe bet I will never re-read it.
December 13, 2018
The author is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is and he writes like a poor man's Terry Pratchett. If you can't make the editorial asides humorous AND readable, leave them alone. Further, if you remove the comedic bells and whistles, the story is short and not all that interesting. This is my second go-round with I Am Scrooge, mainly because it's short, 'tis the season, I own a copy, and I couldn't remember exactly why I didn't like it the first time. Barely two stars, and that only by virtue of my finishing it (to earn a "1", a book has to be so terrible that I can't read the whole thing).
December 26, 2023
This book was released right after the fervor of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies created a new genre. I read P&P&Z and actually quite liked it. So I thought I'd move on to more in that genre. But aside from one or two other books, I really didn't. There was a zombie Wizard of Oz called the Undead Land of Oz that I still haven't read.
And then I discovered this book a few years ago and thought I'd give it a shot wondering how much of the original story would bleed through and how many liberties the author would take. And the answer is, a lot of liberties. It's not just a zombie version of A Christmas Carol, it's a mash-up of A Christmas Carol and I Am Legend. A zombie plague begins spreading throughout London. Scrooge is strangely immune from the plague, and the Christmas Ghosts, particularly Future, take Scrooge on a whirlwind tour of not only his past and future, but Scrooge's strange connection to the spread of the zombie plague.
It's mostly well done. How much it veers from A Christmas Carol is kind of a problem for me. The story is clever enough, but it goes so far off field I'm left wondering when we return to that part of the story. There are lots of interesting connections made at the end that pay off a lot of your reading, but also, it feels like it just ends with no real great payoff.
I don't know. I guess I enjoyed it, it's clever in what it's trying to do, but also I think the parts where it's within I Am Legend are the least interesting parts to me. And I want to return to the base Christmas Carol story.
So, there you go. It's pretty good, but I had some issues.
And then I discovered this book a few years ago and thought I'd give it a shot wondering how much of the original story would bleed through and how many liberties the author would take. And the answer is, a lot of liberties. It's not just a zombie version of A Christmas Carol, it's a mash-up of A Christmas Carol and I Am Legend. A zombie plague begins spreading throughout London. Scrooge is strangely immune from the plague, and the Christmas Ghosts, particularly Future, take Scrooge on a whirlwind tour of not only his past and future, but Scrooge's strange connection to the spread of the zombie plague.
It's mostly well done. How much it veers from A Christmas Carol is kind of a problem for me. The story is clever enough, but it goes so far off field I'm left wondering when we return to that part of the story. There are lots of interesting connections made at the end that pay off a lot of your reading, but also, it feels like it just ends with no real great payoff.
I don't know. I guess I enjoyed it, it's clever in what it's trying to do, but also I think the parts where it's within I Am Legend are the least interesting parts to me. And I want to return to the base Christmas Carol story.
So, there you go. It's pretty good, but I had some issues.
January 20, 2018
After a really great first chapter, the book became a slog of week puns and odd motives. I'm a great fan of witty British authors, but by the time the book began to explain things, I had stopped caring. I'll stick with Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel for my Holiday Zombie reads
September 21, 2025
nie jestem pewna, dlaczego autor zdecydował się użyć historii Dickensa do stworzenia tego dzieła. Uważam, że byłby w stanie obyć się bez wplatania w „zombilijną” historię Scrooge’a i trzech duszków, chociaż mogę się mylić. Zabawna historia, w której nasz główny skąpiec zdaje się prezentować nadzwyczaj pozytywny wizerunek. Tym razem nie usiłuje ocalić samego siebie, a świat. Co więcej, zamiast zagłębiania się we własną zapaskudzoną duszę, odkrywa obrzydliwe prawdy świata
December 28, 2022
So bizarre, and it's fantastic! Interesting spin on a Christmas classic!
May 20, 2024
Zapłaciłam za to 4 zł. Gdybym zapłaciła więcej dałabym mniej gwiazdek… ale za 4 zł bawiłam się git. Takie głupie trochę no i tyle
June 14, 2015
What can I say about this book? It's certainly different... gory... entertaining. A story based on Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' with brain eating zombies, what's not to like? Sounds like a great fun read. Well, it was, to a point.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Victorian London and the imagery was really good, I could definitely see the detail in my mind of the zombies gorging on brains. However, there were a lot of jokes with the intention of making the reader laugh which failed for me. After a while they just had my eyes rolling to the heavens and wishing they would just stop coming. It was amusing at first but quickly lost its appeal.
There was also too much going on, with the addition of time-travel thrown into the mix, it made the story a little bit jumbled and hard to follow. The spirits were distinctive though and each one had it's own way of speaking, as you would think coming from completely different times. But I found Christmas Future difficult to understand. This was completely intentional, as Scrooge couldn't understand him either and in return Christmas Future had a book-of-phrases to help him communicate and understand Scrooge. This was quite a funny moment in the book and I did appreciate the humour, but then it went too far and I didn't understanding anything Christmas Future was saying at all:
"'Nah, nah, nah, nah. My bruv been done gone. I can see wiv eyes, and the third, the third. There's a bacon on the bush, there's a chris that crossed, dig dag dug. Speak-n-spell. Get low in the ghetto, the lies buried in da library, ouch!-ouch! is the hierophant of an unapprehended futurity - word!'"
"'For the jam of shoreline!' the Spirit said. 'When you hang with a necker, you hang - yeah? Ain't no ting, cept when the gin-a-body ups the 8o8, you get me?...'"
No, I don't, and sadly this is where the story lost me. I kept reading because I rarely give up on a book and I was intrigued as to how it would end. But even that was a bit of a let down.
Verdict:
This book has its moments. As a zombie fan I appreciated the gore and the eating of brains. I really enjoyed the Dickensian atmosphere and at times it did have me smiling. But overall, it is just a bit odd.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Victorian London and the imagery was really good, I could definitely see the detail in my mind of the zombies gorging on brains. However, there were a lot of jokes with the intention of making the reader laugh which failed for me. After a while they just had my eyes rolling to the heavens and wishing they would just stop coming. It was amusing at first but quickly lost its appeal.
There was also too much going on, with the addition of time-travel thrown into the mix, it made the story a little bit jumbled and hard to follow. The spirits were distinctive though and each one had it's own way of speaking, as you would think coming from completely different times. But I found Christmas Future difficult to understand. This was completely intentional, as Scrooge couldn't understand him either and in return Christmas Future had a book-of-phrases to help him communicate and understand Scrooge. This was quite a funny moment in the book and I did appreciate the humour, but then it went too far and I didn't understanding anything Christmas Future was saying at all:
"'Nah, nah, nah, nah. My bruv been done gone. I can see wiv eyes, and the third, the third. There's a bacon on the bush, there's a chris that crossed, dig dag dug. Speak-n-spell. Get low in the ghetto, the lies buried in da library, ouch!-ouch! is the hierophant of an unapprehended futurity - word!'"
"'For the jam of shoreline!' the Spirit said. 'When you hang with a necker, you hang - yeah? Ain't no ting, cept when the gin-a-body ups the 8o8, you get me?...'"
No, I don't, and sadly this is where the story lost me. I kept reading because I rarely give up on a book and I was intrigued as to how it would end. But even that was a bit of a let down.
Verdict:
This book has its moments. As a zombie fan I appreciated the gore and the eating of brains. I really enjoyed the Dickensian atmosphere and at times it did have me smiling. But overall, it is just a bit odd.
January 2, 2011
Firstly, I have to admit that I've never read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I know, it's shameful to admit, but for some reason I've skipped a lot of the classics. :( Still, that didn't stop me from being very interested in this book when I first heard about it. For one, it's about zombies. And I've said it before, nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like zombies tearing the world apart.
I also know enough about the tale of Scrooge to recognise the many similarities in this fun story.
Ebenezeer Scrooge isn't a very happy man. Actually, he's being an introvert since childhood, after he was attacked by a disfigured man in a graveyard. He deals with money and has plenty of it but doesn't like to share. He also doesn't treat others very nicely. To be honest, he doesn't care much for other humans -- even the ones that work with/for him. So when he heads home on Christmas Eve and someone stops him to call out a warning, he walks on and gets home.
That's when all hell breaks loose. Starting with Marley tearing into his apartment. Except, Marley's dead and he seems to have become a... zombie. Of course, Scrooge doesn't know anything about that yet. Not until the Spirit of Christmas Present pays him a visit and shows him what's happening all over London.
This sends him on a time-travelling adventure involving two more spirits. The experience shows him a devastated world suffering from a zombie apocalypse that only he can stop. It changes who he is and how he looks at both his life and Christmas. Not to mention that a lot of his life suddenly makes sense.
I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas is a fun story that also happens to be very funny. It's actually quite clever too. I enjoyed the cameo by Dickens and Wells. I have to admit that it got silly in a few bits, but that only adds to the charm of this lighthearted tale. Of course, because zombies are about, there was plenty of violence and interesting ways of taking them out. LOL.
This book made me laugh. A lot. Oh, and the illustrations were a great addition, too. I really enjoyed this book, and who would've guessed the true meaning of Christmas actually involved zombies? Did someone say Zomb-mass? ;)
I also know enough about the tale of Scrooge to recognise the many similarities in this fun story.
Ebenezeer Scrooge isn't a very happy man. Actually, he's being an introvert since childhood, after he was attacked by a disfigured man in a graveyard. He deals with money and has plenty of it but doesn't like to share. He also doesn't treat others very nicely. To be honest, he doesn't care much for other humans -- even the ones that work with/for him. So when he heads home on Christmas Eve and someone stops him to call out a warning, he walks on and gets home.
That's when all hell breaks loose. Starting with Marley tearing into his apartment. Except, Marley's dead and he seems to have become a... zombie. Of course, Scrooge doesn't know anything about that yet. Not until the Spirit of Christmas Present pays him a visit and shows him what's happening all over London.
This sends him on a time-travelling adventure involving two more spirits. The experience shows him a devastated world suffering from a zombie apocalypse that only he can stop. It changes who he is and how he looks at both his life and Christmas. Not to mention that a lot of his life suddenly makes sense.
I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas is a fun story that also happens to be very funny. It's actually quite clever too. I enjoyed the cameo by Dickens and Wells. I have to admit that it got silly in a few bits, but that only adds to the charm of this lighthearted tale. Of course, because zombies are about, there was plenty of violence and interesting ways of taking them out. LOL.
This book made me laugh. A lot. Oh, and the illustrations were a great addition, too. I really enjoyed this book, and who would've guessed the true meaning of Christmas actually involved zombies? Did someone say Zomb-mass? ;)
January 31, 2011
Zombology seems to be the latest trend in books, and some authors boldly take on the task of adding monsters of all sorts to classic books. Dicken's story (upon which this book was based) is probably by favorite Dicken's book and my favorite Christmas tale. I'm quite open when it comes to parodies, but I don't feel as though Adam Roberts knew what he got himself into.
The zombie slash-rip-tear-gobble bloodbath is quite disgusting to read, but the best thing about this book. There are a couple of funny moments, but it's mostly made up of superficial word play and silliness. Like Roberts was laughing with himself.
This book honestly lost me. It had some interesting points, but was nothing like the original. Oh, well, better luck next time with, I am William: An Alien Story for Prison.
The zombie slash-rip-tear-gobble bloodbath is quite disgusting to read, but the best thing about this book. There are a couple of funny moments, but it's mostly made up of superficial word play and silliness. Like Roberts was laughing with himself.
This book honestly lost me. It had some interesting points, but was nothing like the original. Oh, well, better luck next time with, I am William: An Alien Story for Prison.
December 23, 2011
This was rather disappointing. Premise was interesting, but it went off on these weird tangents and tried to hard. I did like how they explained the true meaning of Christmas though!
December 26, 2020
Langatmige Dialoge . Hier versuchte man das Feeling beim lesen vom Original zum imitieren. Hat für mich überhaupt nicht funktioniert.
August 2, 2024
Honestly, as I read this, my rating kept shifting drastically up and down. At first, the writing threw me, as there wasn’t really much of an attempt to emulate the writing style of voice of Dickens - and the characters were drastically different from the original text (and, as “A Christmas Carol” is my favorite novel, that rubbed me the wrong way). Yet, I found myself more often than not being entertained by the sheer lunacy of this novel: it sort of reads like Douglas Adams meets “The Naked Gun,” meets “I am Legend” (hence the title of this novel) meets the classic zombies of George A. Romero. There is time travel, literary allusions, segues and tangents (an entire paragraph dedicated to Robin Hood’s “little John”…cough, cough), famous authors, and Lemony Snicket level attempts at word play. I giggled several times, rolled my eyes numerous times, and I often found myself thinking “this is so stupid,” but in the most complementary way possible. This book is all over the place, and if you can go along for the ride, it is a bit of a hoot. I felt parts were a bit rushed (especially the ghost of Christmas Past section and the actual denouement) and some running jokes/gags overdone (the ghost of Christmas future speaking in “modern” slang often felt like an adult attempting to emulate the “cool kids”), and there were plot holes (several relating to time travel), but this author knew exactly what he was shooting for, and to be honest, more often than not, I believe he hit his target.
August 7, 2024
This is a review of the short story "What did Tessimond Tell You?" by Adam Roberts.
The review is included here because Goodreads does not have an entry for this particular story.
It is a story about people who receive an overwhelming revelation and respond enigmatically.
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
I rated this story B+ when I read it, which translates to a Goodreads score of 3 1/2 stars. However, in Goodreads, as in Isiah, scoring works in mysterious ways - and I must round up to 4 stars.
The review is included here because Goodreads does not have an entry for this particular story.
It is a story about people who receive an overwhelming revelation and respond enigmatically.
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
I rated this story B+ when I read it, which translates to a Goodreads score of 3 1/2 stars. However, in Goodreads, as in Isiah, scoring works in mysterious ways - and I must round up to 4 stars.
December 31, 2025
I was intrigued by the concept of this book, especially the idea of blending a classic Christmas story with a zombie twist. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite work for me, for a number of reasons.
The story felt unfocused and scattered at times, reading more like a first draft than a finished novel. With some tightening and clearer structure, I think it could have been much stronger. The prose was uneven as well--some passages felt unnecessarily dense or confusing, and certain descriptions were more graphic than needed, which pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in it. There was one scene in particular that was just gross.
While the premise had potential, the execution fell short. It wasn't for me.
The story felt unfocused and scattered at times, reading more like a first draft than a finished novel. With some tightening and clearer structure, I think it could have been much stronger. The prose was uneven as well--some passages felt unnecessarily dense or confusing, and certain descriptions were more graphic than needed, which pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in it. There was one scene in particular that was just gross.
While the premise had potential, the execution fell short. It wasn't for me.
November 26, 2017
Oh this was a clever and delightful read.
If you’re looking for a straight zombie retelling of a Christmas Carol, then this is not the story for you. A clever use of the well known story, telling a different tale revolving around a zombie plague that strikes the night that Jacob Marley died.
I have to admit, I won’t look at the trappings Of Christmas in the same light.
Also filled with fourth wall nods, pop culture references, and mocking commentary, this is a very witty read.
Read if you like clever spoofs of well known stories.
If you’re looking for a straight zombie retelling of a Christmas Carol, then this is not the story for you. A clever use of the well known story, telling a different tale revolving around a zombie plague that strikes the night that Jacob Marley died.
I have to admit, I won’t look at the trappings Of Christmas in the same light.
Also filled with fourth wall nods, pop culture references, and mocking commentary, this is a very witty read.
Read if you like clever spoofs of well known stories.
September 30, 2020
This could and should have been fun but the humour is so forced, contrived, over-stated and plain unfunny it kills itself stone dead at every turn. The ghosts arrive out of sequence, Present, Future and then Past, with the first literally forming out of the steaming urine in Scrooge's Chamber pot. The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come talks in streetwise youth slang which gets really irritating within a few paragraphs.
Adams comes across as self indulgent in the extreme and this is more travesty than parody.
Adams comes across as self indulgent in the extreme and this is more travesty than parody.
December 17, 2024
I found this a strange book (aside from the obvious)!
There were some aspects i found brilliant (the story and twists were great)!
Some of the 4th wall elements were not needed and one character I found really annoying. Going into the book I didn't know what was going to happen or be like.
Like i said, the story itself is great and love some of the elements that comes along in the second and third ghosts sections!
There were some aspects i found brilliant (the story and twists were great)!
Some of the 4th wall elements were not needed and one character I found really annoying. Going into the book I didn't know what was going to happen or be like.
Like i said, the story itself is great and love some of the elements that comes along in the second and third ghosts sections!
December 24, 2024
Pomysł fajny, wykonanie - nie.
Jestem uczulona na książki komediowe, które sprawiają, że czuję, jakbym czytała tekst stand-up'a albo kabaretu. Dialogi ducha nr. 2 częściowo pomijałam, bo były dla mnie aczytalne, a zabieg komediowy, który może działać w formie mówionej, niekoniecznie będzie działać w formie pisanej.
Plusik za zracjonalizowanie Świąt jako rytuałów przeciwko powrotowi apokalipsy zombie (pudełka prezentowe jako analogia trumny!! będę o tym myśleć).
Jestem uczulona na książki komediowe, które sprawiają, że czuję, jakbym czytała tekst stand-up'a albo kabaretu. Dialogi ducha nr. 2 częściowo pomijałam, bo były dla mnie aczytalne, a zabieg komediowy, który może działać w formie mówionej, niekoniecznie będzie działać w formie pisanej.
Plusik za zracjonalizowanie Świąt jako rytuałów przeciwko powrotowi apokalipsy zombie (pudełka prezentowe jako analogia trumny!! będę o tym myśleć).
October 2, 2017
Silly and Gory at the same time. And there was a slight nod to Dr. Who so that was one thing that made me charmed by this bastardization of a Dickens classic. Is everybody going to zombify the classics now? One thing for sure, the writer has a wicked sense of humor. If you like Shawn of the Dead you will like this book.
January 27, 2018
It was okay, I guess. The narrator was kind of getting on my nerves. His attempts at quirkiness never failed to break my immersion. That, and I really could have done without some modified expressions and quotes used that were obviously meant to be witty.
To be fair, it's an amusing zombie story, and no-one should expect it to be a masterpiece. I might even read it again some day.
To be fair, it's an amusing zombie story, and no-one should expect it to be a masterpiece. I might even read it again some day.
December 4, 2022
Ridiculous and fun retelling of “A Christmas Carol”…..with zombies, ghosts and time travel! If you are looking for mindless entertainment then you will enjoy this book! It definitely does not take itself seriously and knows exactly how silly it is…..I mean come on, Scrooge and zombies! I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. Definitely a favorite read-Zombies at Christmas!!
December 8, 2025
This was such a fun twist on the classic that is A Christmas Carol! It almost looks like it'll go in the classic way of this story, but the first twist seems this story spiraling into something brand new that's filled with three Christmas spirits, zombies, and more than a few laughs to keep you reading until the very last line. I think I'll look for more by Mr. Roberts honestly.
December 28, 2017
This was funniest at the beginning and end, when it had a closer connection to the original. The middle had kind of a sci-fi satire thing growing inside it (and possibly some British humor I just didn't get?) so when it went back to just silliness it felt unsatisfying.
March 22, 2019
I wish I could give this more stars. After reading it once it is now a christmas read for ever. It is my own little tradition. I loved the concept from the beginning - much like pride and prejudice and zombies but this is better. I mean the story is awesome and how the characters are merged over is just brilliant. I could go on forever, this book made me love zombies more and laugh so much it hurt. I adore the ending too.
February 25, 2019
This is unspeakably awful. I was going to write a review but I found someone else who already summarised what I think of it https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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