Scan barcode
A review by reader44ever
A Fantastic Holiday Season: The Gift of Stories by Brad R. Torgersen, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Kevin J. Anderson
4.0
This book should really be given five stars. It was and is a wonderful collection of holiday stories, and I thoroughly enjoyed ALL of them, laughing and crying in a couple. Even the ones that had me shaking my head in a sort of confused fog were fun to read. In fact, I'm going to go so far as to say that I want to now find the first volume of A Fantastic Holiday Season ([b:A Fantastic Holiday Season: Volume 1|18707737|A Fantastic Holiday Season Volume 1|Kevin J. Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386589077s/18707737.jpg|26563813]) to read/buy, as I hope to buy this book. :-)
But. . . The editing really left a lot to be desired. One story, in particular, read like a story that the author typed out and submitted to editors who never read it before publishing it. . .And none of them proofread it. :-( (This story was "Santa's Mortuary" by [a:Heather Graham|30819|Heather Graham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1258112542p2/30819.jpg] and it had six (SIX!) errors in it. The worst? These two: "We're you drinking a lot? We're you on any kind of a--substance?" *grrr!*)
My favorites of the stories would probably have to be "Unappreciated Gifts" by [a:Patricia Briggs|40563|Patricia Briggs|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464488194p2/40563.jpg] (it's so fun to see more of Asil!) and "Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry" by [a:Quincy J. Allen|1000848|Quincy J. Allen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382365930p2/1000848.jpg] (this story was really humorous, and it made me laugh and cry at the end). :-)
As I said in the beginning of this review, all of the stories were fun to read, even the confusing ones, but the one that I liked perhaps the least would, arguably, have to be "A Christmas Feast" by [a:Jonathan Maberry|72451|Jonathan Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442453747p2/72451.jpg]. I'm beginning to notice a disturbing trend to his stories, too. Do all of them have rather ambiguous endings? Even his books? Because this short and the one of his in [b:An Apple for the Creature|13543159|An Apple for the Creature (Kate Daniels, #5.3)|Charlaine Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1334181976s/13543159.jpg|19107455] both leave me feeling rather lost. :-(
The one story that I very much hope is part of a series so that I can read more would have to be "A World Done In by Great Granny's Grateful Pie" by [a:Ken Scholes|1325446|Ken Scholes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1286557947p2/1325446.jpg]. How could it end, there?! Readers, meaning me!, want to know if Kay Annwill survive her hunt for the "patient zero" pig. And why did her ex-military uncle just hand her his rifle and drive off, leaving her to hunt the pig on her own, without backup of any kind?!
Most of the stories were Urban Fantasy in flavor, with werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and the like in them. At least two, though, were decidedly Science Fiction, and great fun they were, too! ("Astronaut Nick" by [a:Brad R. Torgersen|4413062|Brad R. Torgersen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and "A Sufficiently Advanced Christmas" by [a:Eric James Stone|2851726|Eric James Stone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277141800p2/2851726.jpg] being the two, and both of these were delightful. !!!)
One of the stories was definitely sort of Sci-Fi/Fantasy for me: "Yes, Virginia2097c, There is [sic, *grrr*] a Santa Claus" by [a:Sam Knight|4458065|Sam Knight|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430148751p2/4458065.jpg] featured AIs and only AIs, just somewhere in the United States rather than in space. (This story was also one of the ones that left me feeling sort of confused in the end, though if I were to explain the ending to you, it makes sense. Still, though, I don't really understand it.)
So apart from all of the many errors in not-every-but-many of the stories, this was/is a delightful collection of stories and I can totally see myself rereading it many times in the future. But those errors! Oi!
(Eventually, I will probably write a review in which I'll actually review each and every story. But for now, read my status updates if you want "individual story-reviews.")
But. . . The editing really left a lot to be desired. One story, in particular, read like a story that the author typed out and submitted to editors who never read it before publishing it. . .And none of them proofread it. :-( (This story was "Santa's Mortuary" by [a:Heather Graham|30819|Heather Graham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1258112542p2/30819.jpg] and it had six (SIX!) errors in it. The worst? These two: "We're you drinking a lot? We're you on any kind of a--substance?" *grrr!*)
My favorites of the stories would probably have to be "Unappreciated Gifts" by [a:Patricia Briggs|40563|Patricia Briggs|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464488194p2/40563.jpg] (it's so fun to see more of Asil!) and "Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry" by [a:Quincy J. Allen|1000848|Quincy J. Allen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382365930p2/1000848.jpg] (this story was really humorous, and it made me laugh and cry at the end). :-)
As I said in the beginning of this review, all of the stories were fun to read, even the confusing ones, but the one that I liked perhaps the least would, arguably, have to be "A Christmas Feast" by [a:Jonathan Maberry|72451|Jonathan Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442453747p2/72451.jpg]. I'm beginning to notice a disturbing trend to his stories, too. Do all of them have rather ambiguous endings? Even his books? Because this short and the one of his in [b:An Apple for the Creature|13543159|An Apple for the Creature (Kate Daniels, #5.3)|Charlaine Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1334181976s/13543159.jpg|19107455] both leave me feeling rather lost. :-(
The one story that I very much hope is part of a series so that I can read more would have to be "A World Done In by Great Granny's Grateful Pie" by [a:Ken Scholes|1325446|Ken Scholes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1286557947p2/1325446.jpg]. How could it end, there?! Readers, meaning me!, want to know if Kay Ann
Most of the stories were Urban Fantasy in flavor, with werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and the like in them. At least two, though, were decidedly Science Fiction, and great fun they were, too! ("Astronaut Nick" by [a:Brad R. Torgersen|4413062|Brad R. Torgersen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and "A Sufficiently Advanced Christmas" by [a:Eric James Stone|2851726|Eric James Stone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277141800p2/2851726.jpg] being the two, and both of these were delightful. !!!)
One of the stories was definitely sort of Sci-Fi/Fantasy for me: "Yes, Virginia2097c, There is [sic, *grrr*] a Santa Claus" by [a:Sam Knight|4458065|Sam Knight|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430148751p2/4458065.jpg] featured AIs and only AIs, just somewhere in the United States rather than in space. (This story was also one of the ones that left me feeling sort of confused in the end, though if I were to explain the ending to you, it makes sense. Still, though, I don't really understand it.)
So apart from all of the many errors in not-every-but-many of the stories, this was/is a delightful collection of stories and I can totally see myself rereading it many times in the future. But those errors! Oi!
(Eventually, I will probably write a review in which I'll actually review each and every story. But for now, read my status updates if you want "individual story-reviews.")