Title: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in Deathlehem

Author: Michael J. Evans and Harrison Graves

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 346

Rating: 4/5

Okay, so the first thing there to say here is that I have a story of my own (Black Solstice in this collection, and so it’s tricky for me to be totally unbiased. I’ve tried to get around it by just reviewing the anthology based on all of the other stories that are in there.

And what a collection that was. There’s a little bit of everything here, ranging from hardcore horror to the softer stuff. It’s also well-edited and well put together, with quality formatting and even some little illustrations at the top of each page where the stories are introduced.

Picking out my favourites is tricky because they were all of a high standard and they all brought something to the table. It kicked off with a bang with Janet Alcorn’s The Fine Print, which was an interesting take on the whole signing a deal with the devil thing, and The Chimney by R. A. Clarke was cool because it used internal rhyming, although the story itself was just okay.

Convicted by Mark Marcus and Last Supper by Liam Hogan were both pretty good, especially if you like unlikeable characters, if that’s not too much of a paradox. The ending to Last Supper was delightful, too. Weirdly, there was also a reference to the Last Supper in Silent Scream by C. L. Hart, and that also had House of Wax vibes along with a character who reminded me of Jeffrey Dahmer.

It’s also worth pointing out that this is just one in a whole series of Deathlehem anthologies, and so if you like this one then you should think about picking up the others. They’re also all in aid of an AIDS charity, and so you can rest assured that you’re also helping out people in need by picking up a copy.

All in all then, a damned fine anthology.

Learn more about ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in Deathlehem.