Review: A delightfully twisted gathering of original holiday horrors.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 22, 2013
A post-apocalyptic future where prized remnants of civilization offer a sinister seduction. A violent uprising of elves armed with sharpened candy canes. An ancient creature from before time that targets a village. A beard with murderous intelligence and the capacity to cause gruesome deaths. A horde of dangerous, hateful monkeys. A future where the absence of gratitude has redirected the legend of Santa Clause down a dark, frightening path.These are just a few of the many inventive and spine tingling tales which comprise When Red Snow Melts, the  terrific new Christmas themed horror collection released  by Horror Novel Reviews . Offering stories by genre masterminds such as Joe R. Lansdale, Terry M. West, Matt Molgaard and Glen Rolfe as well as a bumper crop of new talent gathered herein, this book delivers across the board.  I was fortunate to have one of my own stories included in the collection but - like anyone else reading this review-  I didn't have the opportunity to read any of the other tales prior to receiving my contributors copy the night before this went live on Amazon. Having just finished reading this collection,  I can honestly, objectively say that this is one of the most imaginative and consistently entertaining horror anthologies I've read in a long time. First there was Terry West's superb collection  What Price Gory? and now this terrific bone-cracker. I have to say,  December 2013 is turning out to be a banner month for anthology horror.If you're a horror fan (or know a horror fan) looking for something original and scary to satisfy your blood thirst during the holidays, look no further than this accomplished collection of exceptional horror shorts. Personal favorites of this reader include Robin Dover's brilliant "A Spicy Apple Glaze",  Terry and Regina's West's fresh and super creepy " Santa Christ and the Xmas Miracle", Richard Barber's haunting "Last Christmas", Jennifer Snow's jaw dropping "The War on Christmas", genre superstar Joe R. Lansdale's marvelously dark and heartfelt "Christmas With the Dead"  and Horror Novel Reviews Editor and head honcho  Matt Molgaard's twisted and clever "Scissors".Do yourselves a favor, horror hounds. Download this one and discover the gruesome secrets that are revealed  When Red Snow Melts. You won't be disappointed. Much like St. Nick's famous toy sack, there's a little something for everyone inside.