Editor’s Note: Horror Movie Addiction contributor Tracy Crockett wrote me a pretty favorable review of last year’s Christmas-themed anthology, When the Red Snow Melts. I don’t think we usually spend too much time bragging about ourselves here at HNR (I make sure to promote our own work, but I suspect reviews of our collective anthologies don’t show up too often), but it was nice to see this one pop up in an inbox, and I wanted to share it. We’re still selling copies of the anthology in late May (not a lot, but I’m hitting the buy button a few times a week, which is good), and I thought, if it’s still getting people hooked, let’s spread a little random holiday sunshine and encourage those who didn’t check it out in 2013 to consider checking it out later in the year. But hey, enough of my rambling, check out what Tracy had to say about the book below.
By Tracy Crockett
I’m going to start at the beginning and finish it. When the Red Snow Melts is an over-the-top literal novel that, in its joyous moments, will make you want to shiver, vomit, and even have nightmares.
Released on Christmas Day, When the Red Snow Melts features some delicious Christmas fudge from some of the most respected writers in the business.
The Christmas Monkeys starts off straight away and in just two pages you are already shocked and amazed by what happens next. The Christmas Monkeys is a strange little story about these crazy monkeys who poop all over the place and cause mischief at Christmas. Two pages and it’s simply brilliant.
There are many stories in this collection, but the one that stands out for me is “Christmas Christ and the Christmas Miracle”, written by Terry M. West, who co-wrote this masterpiece with his wife Regina. The setting and caveman dialect work so well in the world of science fiction that it could easily be mistaken for an old article in EC Comic or Tales From The Crypt magazine. All in all, this little story has enough laughs and horror to appease a large number of readers…
Let us not forget Robin Dover’s account of the fantastic preparation of corpses and the cannibalistic nature of Santa Claus. DS Ullery’s Tis The Season’s explores ancient dark stories referenced in the Bible. Once again, I was amazed by his imagination.
From Glenn Rolfe’s Gingerbread Death Machine to Matt Molgaard’s Scissors, this roster of celebrity toughs features a chilling story about the price of sweets and freedom, which comes at a high price, about today’s youth forgoing personalized handmade toys in favor of animatronics; and Santa’s beard starting to kill elves.
All in all, When the Red Snow Melts is a book well worth reading. Head over to Horror Fiction Reviews to read this and many other great reads. Go out and buy this book. It will make you hate Christmas even more… 5 stars.
