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heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
We all know the story of Jesus Christ's birth: more than 2,000 years ago, a virgin mother-to-be and her devoted husband traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where the baby was born in a manger because there was no room at the nearby inn. Soon after, the baby and his parents were visited by three wise men bearing gifts because they knew the child was the son of God. Well, "Unholy Night" tells a version of this well-known story that you definitely haven't heard before. The wise men who visited Jesus aren't the real magi--they are three criminals who manage to escape the gallows by trading places with the actual wise men and escaping into the desert. There they meet Mary, Joseph, and their tiny child, but they have no clue that the baby is the Messiah--in fact, they don't even believe it when they are told. Still, they choose to stick with the family as they journey to Egypt to escape Herod, and their lives are changed forever.
This book is completely different from what I thought it would be, in nearly every way. After reading Seth Grahame-Smith's "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," I expected irony and plain old goofiness that would make me laugh out loud. Unholy Night isn't really like that. There are a few moments that are a little silly, but for the most part, I think, it lacks the humor of Grahame-Smith's other work. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, though, because actually I liked it quite a bit. I don't think he intended for it to be like his other books--he wanted to tell a different kind of story. And an interesting story it is. Surprisingly, it's not nearly as sacrilegious as I expected. I didn't feel like it ever poked fun at religious belief or even indicated that Jesus wasn't actually the Messiah. It basically just told another version of the story. There are some really good twists in the plot (my favorite involves the fate of the two "wise men" who betray Mary, Joseph, and Jesus) and a satisfying ending. Even though it wasn't what I expected, "Unholy Night" pleased me just the same.
This book is completely different from what I thought it would be, in nearly every way. After reading Seth Grahame-Smith's "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," I expected irony and plain old goofiness that would make me laugh out loud. Unholy Night isn't really like that. There are a few moments that are a little silly, but for the most part, I think, it lacks the humor of Grahame-Smith's other work. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, though, because actually I liked it quite a bit. I don't think he intended for it to be like his other books--he wanted to tell a different kind of story. And an interesting story it is. Surprisingly, it's not nearly as sacrilegious as I expected. I didn't feel like it ever poked fun at religious belief or even indicated that Jesus wasn't actually the Messiah. It basically just told another version of the story. There are some really good twists in the plot (my favorite involves the fate of the two "wise men" who betray Mary, Joseph, and Jesus) and a satisfying ending. Even though it wasn't what I expected, "Unholy Night" pleased me just the same.
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason my understanding of the book from the jacket had me thinking this was going to be comedic. Instead it was a serious story which essentially had me not quite as interested as I was hoping from the start. But overall is was well done and pretty good.
faivaira's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
canaanmerchant's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe more like a 3.5 or 3.75 but I rounded up because I simply just like the story.
The story does something I didn't expect by writing a compelling Christian story in the midst of everything else. It's clear that Jesus means something to the characters involved and its not treated flippantly. I was expecting an irreverent take on the Christmas story but I got a re-imagining that does a lot to really add weight to a story that can seem stale just because its told so often.
My only real criticism is A. How Herod is portrayed. His historical record is pretty clear on that he was a bad dude. The book kept piling on depravity after depravity that became annoyingly obvious. B. while the climax leads to a great personal revelation plot-wise it does seem to move past too quickly.
The story does something I didn't expect by writing a compelling Christian story in the midst of everything else. It's clear that Jesus means something to the characters involved and its not treated flippantly. I was expecting an irreverent take on the Christmas story but I got a re-imagining that does a lot to really add weight to a story that can seem stale just because its told so often.
My only real criticism is A. How Herod is portrayed. His historical record is pretty clear on that he was a bad dude. The book kept piling on depravity after depravity that became annoyingly obvious. B. while the climax leads to a great personal revelation plot-wise it does seem to move past too quickly.
paxihayes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this story and the writing style. One of my favorites now.
rui_leite's review against another edition
3.0
Really, I must say I’m beginning to grow a bit fond of Mr Grahame-Smith’s crazy ideas and his style of delivery. Now, if I’m not much mistaken, in “Unholly Night”, what he was aiming towards was a retelling of the birth of Christ and the escape towards Egypt as a “sword and sorcery” adventure; the gospel According to Robert E. Howard, if you will. And again, he delivered just that.
Most often than not his writing is incredibly effective, and almost every scene works quite well.
There are a few minor changes on structure I’d have personally preferred (I’m thinking of a crucial piece of information about Balthazar’s motivations that comes nearly towards the end of the story and that could have made him a much more relatable protagonist had it come earlier on) and, in fact, a couple of scenes that seemed somewhat badly handled to me, like “the three wise man’s” escape from prison (which I, must say I hated, mostly because it was a huge cliché, and one of the worst offenders, at that), and the scene where they meet Mary and Joseph (I understand what was being aimed at there, but it simply left a very bad aftertaste, it nearly made me dislike Balthazar too much to care about what could happen to him afterwards, had it not been for the start of the next chapter - and no, I’m not even remotely religious, but you just don’t talk like that to ANY 15 year old who has just given birth in a manger, no matter how suspicious her story might be). Oh, and the jury is still out on the ending, but it mostly worked, if a bit...meh. The rest of the book, though, if it’s not gold, at least is frank incense or myrrh to various degrees. Balthazar and Herod stand out as well achieved characters, Mary is interestingly handled and portrayed in an unusual (but quite respectful) way and Joseph, at last, gets some sort of recognition for his rather tolerant outlook on the whole “immaculate conception” thing.
I have to admire the way in which, yet again, Grahame-Smith manages to play with the things “we all know” about the nativity, turning them into something different, still remaining respectful to the source material (and we all know he was walking on a very tight rope), and at the same time, never really dodging some of the questions raised by the story as it usually is told, many of them often hand-waved, or simply ignored, by more “serious” accounts. I think I’ve said it before, in my opinion about “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, but I’ll say it again, if nothing else Seth Grahame-Smith does seem to be a shrewd writer, and that, with me, gets him bonus points.
In the end, while this was not the greatest story ever told, and there is some room for improvement, it was miles better than it could have been had Smith been a less competent writer.
It would have been a four star book had it not been for the final chapter which, well, felt a bit rushed, messy, and tied important plot points in a way that was not very satisfactory to me at least. The epilogue was a slight improvement on that, though.
All in all it’s still quite a fun and smart ride, if a bit uneven.
Most often than not his writing is incredibly effective, and almost every scene works quite well.
There are a few minor changes on structure I’d have personally preferred (I’m thinking of a crucial piece of information about Balthazar’s motivations that comes nearly towards the end of the story and that could have made him a much more relatable protagonist had it come earlier on) and, in fact, a couple of scenes that seemed somewhat badly handled to me, like “the three wise man’s” escape from prison (which I, must say I hated, mostly because it was a huge cliché, and one of the worst offenders, at that), and the scene where they meet Mary and Joseph (I understand what was being aimed at there, but it simply left a very bad aftertaste, it nearly made me dislike Balthazar too much to care about what could happen to him afterwards, had it not been for the start of the next chapter - and no, I’m not even remotely religious, but you just don’t talk like that to ANY 15 year old who has just given birth in a manger, no matter how suspicious her story might be). Oh, and the jury is still out on the ending, but it mostly worked, if a bit...meh. The rest of the book, though, if it’s not gold, at least is frank incense or myrrh to various degrees. Balthazar and Herod stand out as well achieved characters, Mary is interestingly handled and portrayed in an unusual (but quite respectful) way and Joseph, at last, gets some sort of recognition for his rather tolerant outlook on the whole “immaculate conception” thing.
I have to admire the way in which, yet again, Grahame-Smith manages to play with the things “we all know” about the nativity, turning them into something different, still remaining respectful to the source material (and we all know he was walking on a very tight rope), and at the same time, never really dodging some of the questions raised by the story as it usually is told, many of them often hand-waved, or simply ignored, by more “serious” accounts. I think I’ve said it before, in my opinion about “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, but I’ll say it again, if nothing else Seth Grahame-Smith does seem to be a shrewd writer, and that, with me, gets him bonus points.
In the end, while this was not the greatest story ever told, and there is some room for improvement, it was miles better than it could have been had Smith been a less competent writer.
It would have been a four star book had it not been for the final chapter which, well, felt a bit rushed, messy, and tied important plot points in a way that was not very satisfactory to me at least. The epilogue was a slight improvement on that, though.
All in all it’s still quite a fun and smart ride, if a bit uneven.
cyrenasea's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. Historical and biblical references, action, some fantasy elements, and a bit of smart humor thrown in. I was a fan of Pride and Prejudice and zombies, and am glad to see that this author has more extensive writing talent.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This is the kind of humor I expected from [b:Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal|28881|Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal|Christopher Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331419009s/28881.jpg|3346728] and it has all this additional action and gore that was unexpected, but welcome.
ptothelo's review against another edition
2.0
I read the graphic novel version of Pride and Prejudice and zombies and really enjoyed it.
This seemed like a fun book to pick up since I was just in that area. And my pilgrimage definitely gave me a sense of the geography in this book.
However, I felt it never drew me in. I didn't feel very involved in the adventure and I felt like he brushed over lots of things that he could have delved into.
Overall, he had some interesting ideas but I never quite felt satisfied by the book.
This seemed like a fun book to pick up since I was just in that area. And my pilgrimage definitely gave me a sense of the geography in this book.
However, I felt it never drew me in. I didn't feel very involved in the adventure and I felt like he brushed over lots of things that he could have delved into.
Overall, he had some interesting ideas but I never quite felt satisfied by the book.
cathybruce208's review against another edition
4.0
You'll never be able to look at a Nativity scene the same way again. Mr. Grahame-Smith has done a brilliant job turning the biblical account of the birth of Jesus into an engaging adventure. Let's face it. The Bible story has a lot of holes in it. Who were the Three Wise Men? How did Mary and Joseph, two poor peasants who'd probably never been further than a day's travel from their homes, get all the way to Egypt with Herod's forces hot on their heels? And did Joseph really buy the "This is God's Son" story that Mary told him?
The main character is Balthazar, also known as the Antioch Ghost, a thief and murderer who plagues the local authorities. He's lost his family and everyone he loves, but he's a survivor. He has a goal: find the man who wears a gold coin pendant around his neck and take his vengeance. After cheating death one more time, he finds himself with two new partners, Melchior and Gaspar. They disguise themselves as noblemen and ride their camels into Bethelehem, looking for a place to hide since this stupid bright star has lit up the desert night. Guess who they meet?
I really liked this book. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a Catholic who isn't too touchy about people reworking biblical texts and ideas. The Da Vinci Code didn't get me all upset (except that it was too predictable.) In some ways, the book made me realize how horrible some of the biblical events were. I never really gave much thought to Herod's order to slaughter all the male babies in Bethlehem. Mr. Grahame-Smith's prose brought it to awful life. BTW, Herod is a villain for the ages. I loathed him, and yet, I understood who he was and how he became such a force for evil.
I also liked the small bits of humor throughout the book, which lightened the mood. But don't get me wrong, this is not a funny book. You'll find yourself tearing up here and there and it's also quite violent. Give it a try and I think you'll like it.
The main character is Balthazar, also known as the Antioch Ghost, a thief and murderer who plagues the local authorities. He's lost his family and everyone he loves, but he's a survivor. He has a goal: find the man who wears a gold coin pendant around his neck and take his vengeance. After cheating death one more time, he finds himself with two new partners, Melchior and Gaspar. They disguise themselves as noblemen and ride their camels into Bethelehem, looking for a place to hide since this stupid bright star has lit up the desert night. Guess who they meet?
I really liked this book. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a Catholic who isn't too touchy about people reworking biblical texts and ideas. The Da Vinci Code didn't get me all upset (except that it was too predictable.) In some ways, the book made me realize how horrible some of the biblical events were. I never really gave much thought to Herod's order to slaughter all the male babies in Bethlehem. Mr. Grahame-Smith's prose brought it to awful life. BTW, Herod is a villain for the ages. I loathed him, and yet, I understood who he was and how he became such a force for evil.
I also liked the small bits of humor throughout the book, which lightened the mood. But don't get me wrong, this is not a funny book. You'll find yourself tearing up here and there and it's also quite violent. Give it a try and I think you'll like it.