Holiday

World Fantasy Award nominee 2011.

Exploring new way to look at old festivities, this mysterious, tradition-themed collection offers twisted tales of dark fantasy. Chronologically moving through a calendar year, the first story “New Year’s Day,” features a woman’s transformation into a deer acts as a metaphor for her struggle and acceptance of terminal cancer. A son is lost, but a wolf is gained in the Father’s Day offering of “Don’t Ask,” while a little girl tortures the garden faeries on her summer vacation and meets an unfortunate fate in “Was She Wicked? Was She Good?”

The Veteran’s Day narrative entitled “War Is Beautiful” follows a soldier tortured by his term in Vietnam who befriends a Vietnamese girl — who might actually be a ghost — while local children are collecting bones in “The Christmas Witch.” Utilizing the viewpoints of the young and innocent to express unspeakable horrors, these 11 eerie narratives delve into secret thoughts, trauma, and loss yet still offer a wisp of redemption.