Customer Reviews

Miracle and Other Christmas Stories (Bantam Spectra Book)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have just finished "Miracle and Other Christmas Stories" today and I must say that "Epiphany" is one of the best short stories I have read by Ms. Willis (and that's saying a lot!). I find this story, along with my other favorite Willis story "Samaritan" found in the collection "Fire Watch", confirm that faith/spirituality and speculative fiction do mix, and quite well at that.

Sure, some of the stories are predictable ("Inn" and "In Coppelius's Toyshop") but "Adaptation" was a fresh approach to an old and well-told story. Ms. Willis has the ability to create characters that live and breathe. By the end of the stories, you feel you know the characters because they are us, or our neighbors, or co-workers, or family...or someone we wish we knew.

I have to dismiss someone's previous review of this collection as "shallow". On the contrary, there is a richness and depth to Ms. Willis and her work, which continues to grow with each new book and story.

Connie Willis is, without a doubt, one of the finest writers of sci fi short stories out there right now. Almost every short story by her is really a delight to read, and this collection doesn't fail to meet that standard. What kind of stories can you expect here? A take off on the movie Miracle on 34th Street, a view of Revelation coming as a carnival, and many more. The only story in this collection that was not a perfect 10 from my point of view was Cat's Paw. I just could not get fully into the story and it was a little long for this collection. Willis speaks in the introduction of her love of the Christmas season and this really shines through in all of these stories. My favorite story in the collection is the final story about Revelation. It was one of the most insightful touching stories I have read this year.

In addition, if you normally read sci fi and would like to expose friends and family to sci fi, this is an excellent and gentle introductory collection and makes a convenient Christmas gift. No really bizarre aliens, no "hard" sci fi edge, just enjoyable reading. Great for sci fi aficionados and those new to sci fi as well!

While I've only just received up my copy of MIRACLE, I've read many of the stories in it, in Willis' yearly Asimov's stories. Let me just say this: Connie Willis deserves much more fame than she currently recieves, and the Christmas tales she has produced over the past few years are proof of why. The woman is a master of character, a great humorist, and a wonderful writer. Read this book, then go on and read her spectacular BELLWETHER.

Connie Willis offers readers an early holiday gift with this wonderful short story collection. I admit that I found this book in the sci-fi section, but I honestly think it transcends that. Yes, it's got some stories that deal with themes common to science-fiction and have sci-fi elements, but it's more than that. There is a holiday themed mystery, an examination of the original Christmas story and even a story that sets out to prove why Willis thinks "Miracle on 34th Street" is a superior holiday film to "It's A Wonderful Life." But what sets the collection apart from being just a collection of sci-fi stories with a Christmas theme is that Willis offers stories that must take place at Christmas. As she states in her introduction, it's hard to re-invent the wheel when it comes to holiday stories and she doesn't attempt to do so. Instead, she takes the convential stories and gives them her own unique twist making them entertaining and magical at the same time.

I sat down to read this collection not feeling very much in the spirit of the season. But in reading these engaging and intelligent stories, I soon found myself feeling a bit more Christmas-y. If you're feeling a bit burned out by the holiday season, pick up this collection and give any of the stories a try. I guarantee they'll have you whistling a Christmas tune in no time.

I've never read any of Connie Wllis' Christmas stories before I bought this book. In fact, the only other book of hers that I have read is "To Say Nothing of the Dog." I enjoyed that so much that I thought I might enjoy "Miracle and Other Christmas Stories." And I did. Immensely! I particularly liked "Miracle" and "Newsletter." If only I could write a newsletter as off-the-wall as the one in this book! Of course, as soon as I read the term "pod people" - and knew exactly what the author was talking about - I began to wonder if I've seen one two many science fiction movies. And she also just happened to have placed three of my favorite Christmas movies on her list. Talk about good taste.

If you need help getting into the Christmas mood, try this book. Connie Willis takes Christmas themes we've all read thousands of times before and turns them to unexpected ends. Not all the stories are happy -- a couple are dark. And the last one, "Epiphany", I didn't like at all till I'd gone away and thought about it for a while. I like stories that make me smile and stories that make me think. This collection has both. Thanks, Connie -- you're a genius.

As soon as I read the first few lines of the author's introduction--"I love Christmas. All of it--decorating the tree and singing in the choir and baking cookies and wrapping presents. I even like the parts most people hate--shopping in crowded malls and reading Christmas newsletters and seeing relatives and standing in baggage check-in lines at the airport."--I knew this book was for me! Like Willis, I'm crazy about Christmas; there's virtually no aspect of the holidays which I dislike. I also enjoy science fiction, and so I was eager to discover what Willis had in store for her readers.

The stories in this book aren't exactly classical science fiction; there are no beings from other planets, giant creatures, robotics, or anything of that sort. Rather, the tales contain elements that are more supernatural in nature and involve the appearance of various ghosts and other strange phenomena. Although certainly not the traditional sappy Christmas fare, all of the stories have happy endings. Furthermore, Willis's love of Christmas shines through her writing, and thus each story embodies the magic of the Christmas season.

The best way to determine if you'll like this book is to answer the question posed by the title story: which Christmas movie is better, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE or MIRACLE ON 34th STREET? If you chose the latter, read this book!

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a reading of Epiphany about a year ago. Unfortunately had a kiddo with me, so couldn't pay 100% attention. But the parts that I caught enthralled me enough to keep looking for it to be out. I've enjoyed 'To Say Nothing of the Dog' and when they finally said 'Miracle and other Christmas stories' was out, I was thrilled! This is an excellent collection of short stories for those that enjoy fantasy, for those that enjoy Christmas, for those that have enjoyed Willis' work in the past. Get it!

Unlike Connie Willis, I *don't* love Christmas. I don't put up Christmas lights, I don't kill a tree, and I don't send out Holiday Letters. Yech.

But this collection of short stories made me contemplate becoming a Christmas fan. That's because Willis -- as in her other work -- writes about people with warmth and humor. Even if it's people who encounter a new-age Christmas Present or get trapped in a strange little toy store. She manages to capture what Christmas is *supposed* to be about -- faith, hope, love -- without falling into sappy sentimentality.

Forget the Christmas stuff. These are simply enjoyable short stories. You'll fall into another world, 20 pages at a time. And that's what fiction's all about.

If you love Christmas stories like I do you'll definitely want to read this book. I'm not a big science fiction fan, but I very much enjoyed most of these stories. One story revolves around the movies "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street," and another story is reminiscent of "A Christmas Carol."

The introduction, in which Ms. Willis discusses some of her favorite Christmas movies and stories, is just fascinating. Then at the end of the book she recommends some more of her favorites. Some of these stories were hard to track down, but thanks to my librarian and the Short Story Index, I finally found them. Now I've got some new Christmas reading all ready for this year. Shouldn't you get this book and be ready, too?