Liv’s Reviews > Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology > Status Update

Cassandra Khaw - I didn’t like this one much. It didn’t make any sense to me? What was the apocalypse? Did that saint cause it? Did the protagonist? There was a lot of world-building for such a short piece and I think that made it too confusing to follow.

Kaaron Warren - I liked this story! Jackie was a massive bitch but that was the point. I think this one worked well.

Nadia Bulkin - I really really liked this one! It felt so visceral. And it played on a longtime frustration of mine: the way people ignore bad truths. Would rather brush it under the rug than acknowledge the bad things they’ve contributed.

Josh Malerman - This one felt a bit anticlimactic. I had trouble following it to the end. I think I wanted a spookier ending, but alas.

Stephen Graham Jones - I liked this a lot (surprise, surprise) but I don’t think I fully got it? Sometimes I miss parts when I’m listening and then I can’t go back like you would with a physical book. But this one was definitely haunting and visceral.

Tananarive Due - Maybe this would've worked better if I'd read the previous iteration? I liked parts of it and the overall writing, but I don't think I understood it really.

Richard Kadrey - I think this would work better as a full novel. It was interesting but it felt too quick to hit emotionally.

Terry Dowling - This one didn’t make any sense to me? And the fact that Colin seemingly ended up with Bamby didn’t sit well with me either.

Nick Mamatas - The sister’s involvement was confusing. I don’t think I understood this one either? That or I just didn’t like it.

Listened to Benjamin Percy and Alma Katsu’s short stories. Percy’s had a solid ending but I think the build-up fell flat for me. Too wordy. And Katsu’s likely would’ve been better with a better reader but the twist didn’t stand out as much as I think it could’ve. The reader didn’t add much to the story.

Really liked the first part by Christopher Golden! I’m going to try to make notes/updates about each story but we’ll see how that goes lol