Christmas Terror

Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.

Christmas may come but once a year but human emotions, the driving force of our characters, are with us every day. Yet, somehow these same emotions when they happen at Christmas seem amplified; we seem more tender to their touch, their words. Whether it’s a long-lost returning soldier wondering how best to return to the arms of his family without too great a risk of shock... Or a prodigal son whose taken path has driven pain into his own and others hearts… These stories reveal much about the human condition.

From malevolent snowmen to Father Christmas - with a difference - Chris Priestley is on absolute top form with these seven atmospheric, clever, and thoroughly chilling stories. Add a new kind of thrill to the fluffiest of seasons with these brilliantly conceived examples of why you'd better be good at Christmas time. These perfectly formed festive tales of terror - "The Green Man", "The Musical Box", "The Snowman", "Frost", "In the Bleak Midwinter", "Soot", and "The Last Present" - each have a gripping yarn and genius twist. Singing carols may never seem quite the same again - especially after dark....

Rathbone Elementary is an ordinary school. Nothing strange ever happens—except on holidays. Young listeners will love these haunted adventures as fireworks fight back, ordinary objects become dangerous, and friends turn into monsters.

Giant trapdoor spiders have launched an assault against the human race and appear to be winning the war. Civilization crumbles, and all hope begins to fade. Nonetheless, even during these terrible times, Christmas still manages to arrive. John, trapped on a farm with his only surviving daughter, desperately tries to find a way to give his little girl some type of holiday joy. To his surprise, John soon discovers Christmas miracles might, in fact, be real as the perfect present arrives on their front doorstep. The only problem is, he may have to race against time to salvage this miracle before the spiders snag it in their deadly traps...

Christmas, the happiest time of year. Plum puddings, candy canes, carols by the fireside. But outside, the mist lies deep and still. Frost gnaws at your fingertips. Shadowy forms lurk in the evergreens. It’s the season for ghost stories.