Creepmas Readings

Here's a couple of books I've read recently that might put you in a Creepmas mood.
They're published by Living Dead Press and Open Casket Press respectively and edited by Anthony Giangregorio. He also does the forwards in each book in the form of a zombie Christmas poem.

Christmas is Dead: A Zombie Anthology

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a...zombie? That's right; this anthology explores what would happen at Christmas time if there was a full blown zombie outbreak. Reanimated turkeys, zombie Santas, and demon reindeer that turn people to flesh-eating ghouls are just some of the tales you will find in this merry undead book.

This one was ok. I found as I was reading it there was definitely a diminishing returns effect with one zombie Christmas tale after another. I guess there's only so many zombie mall Santas and infected reindeer I can take before it gets ho-hum. That's not to say the stories aren't good, but for me, reading them one or two a night sort of made them loose their individuality. There were a couple that stand out for me:

Randolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - a demonic beast that turns living beings at the North Pole into zombies and indirectly influences the birth of a more famous reindeer.

It's a Wonderful Death - Turkeys start coming back to life on Christmas day. 'Nuff said!

Made in China - Mail order zombies? How could that go wrong?

Dead Christmas: A Zombie Anthology

Share the most special time of the year with someone you love, or better yet, with an animated corpse! The living dead love Christmas. Whether they're hanging their entrails like garland, using severed heads like stockings, or hanging body parts like ornaments, even zombies enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. Santa Claus isn't immune to the walking dead, either. Zombie elves, killer reindeer and undead hordes, all seek to share in the joy of the holiday . . . and tear Santa apart and feed on his flesh!

Either I was in the zombie mood with this one or there was a better variety to the stories. I didn't get the same humdrum feeling with this book. The forwards in each book are done by the editor in the form of a zombie Christmas poem. Here's a few of my favorites from this one:

How Slappy Ended Christmas - One elf discovers what happens to other elves that aren't up to par and accidentally unleashes a zombie epidemic at the North Pole.

A White Christmas: Live from 1941! - A previously lost live Christmas recording of Bing Crosby when a zombie outbreak occurs.

A Christmas Card for Kathy - In a post zombie apocalypse world, one man endeavors to deliver a holiday card to the woman he was in love with before the world changed.

With publisher names like Open Casket Press and Living Dead Press, you can imagine they put out quite a bit of zombie fiction. They also put out full length novels and other monstrous anthologies. If you're looking for a new avenue to discover indie authors, you should check out their offerings.

Should you find anything you like, please click on one of the books above or use the search over on the right to get to Amazon and find what you want. You get a book, I get a small percentage of your purchase! Thanks!

Be sure to head over to the Creepmas site and visit all the participating blogs!