The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas ~ A Review

Overview

From the twice CWA Dagger shortlisted author of The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas come thirteen stories to transport you to the macabre world of inexplicable phenomena.

As the dark winter nights get longer, prepare to lose yourself in the world of the strange. With a tale for each day of Christmas and a rather unlucky 13th, Christmas is not the only spirit in these pages. ‘Tis the season for sacrificial feasts, cultish communities and a train with a rather final destination. So wrap up warm and let yourself get lost in the world of the strange, the scary and the supernatural. Enter The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas, if you dare …

Available to buy here: Amazon (UK) ~ Amazon (US)

Review

Short stories are great for anytime reads, and this collection is no exception. I was drawn to The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas through the description of peculiar stories suitable for winter nights’ reading.

And peculiar they are. In a good way. From a different telling of a popular fairytale, to the quiet teenager who doesn’t seem to fit in. From the woman who might or might not have died, to the once shy man whose life is transformed after bootcamp. Syd builds each story carefully, taking the time to set the scene and develop the characters.

Using a mixture of first and third person narrative, and interlacing speech and internal thought processes, Syd creates three dimensional personalities. And into the web of each story, the characters drop. The description of places and encounters within the tales creates a thoroughly immersive experience. These are stories which readers will reflect on long after reading.

It’s hard to pick a favourite, but I enjoyed in particular the triptych ‘Journey of the Magi’. The characters, the setting, and the sense of unease which creeps across the pages build towards the finale. And as I read, my head called to the characters to remove themselves from the situation. Naturally, to no avail. But it’s a skilled writer who brings the reader so close that they feel they just might influence the outcome.

About The Author

SYD MOORE is the author of the Essex Witch Museum Mysteries (Strange Magic, Strange Sight, Strange Fascination, Strange Tombs and Strange Tricks), all published by Point Blank. The series was shortlisted for the Good Reader Holmes and Watson Award, 2018. She has been shortlisted twice for the CWA Short Story Dagger for The Strange Casebook (2018) and The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas (2019).

Syd’s debut screenplay, Witch West, which she developed from an original idea, has been optioned by Hidden Door Productions for production in 2021.

Syd is a founder member of the Essex Girls’ Liberation Front which successfully got the term ‘Essex girl’ removed from the Oxford English dictionary. She lives in Essex. Connect with Syd on Twitter here. Her publisher, Point Blank, are also on Twitter.

Many thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for offering me the chance to review The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas as part of her book tour. Thank you to Syd, and Point Blank publishing for gifting me a copy of the book, in return for an honest review. All views expressed are my own.