Customer Reviews

A Vampire Christmas Carol

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A Christmas Carol has always been one of my favorite stories. I wondered what spoof the author would put the classic and found it hysterically funny. I'm not a fan of comedies, but reading A Vampire Christmas Carol had me in tears with laughter. I believe this author is extremely talented, and the book was well worth the money. The addition of vampires to Victorian London and the sad tale of poor Tiny Tim is a hoot. Loved it.

Buried seven years ago, Jacob Marley visits his former partner Ebenezer Scrooge to warn him that all the misery and isolation the latter has felt has been caused by vampires who want to insure he fails to fulfill his destiny. Marley explains he will have three ghosts visit him to affirm what he has told Scrooge that the undead bloodsuckers have caused his rift with those he loved like his family, his former fiancée Belle and his employee Bob Cratchit.

The spiritual journey Scrooge undertakes leads him to better comprehend what has happened to him as he finally understands what caused the estrangement with Belle and learns of the personal hardships Cratchit and his family face, and finally his only living blood relative Fred his nephew who still cares about his acrimonious misery uncle. This is Scrooge's last chance to save his soul as his loved ones are in mortal combat against the vampires.

This is an engaging retelling of the classic holiday tale as Sarah Gray provides a fascinating cause for Scrooge's acrimony. The story line follows the ghostly guides but gravely focus on the war for Scrooge's soul between the vampires isolating him and his loved ones trying to save him. Although lacking the satirical humor of similar reenactments like Steve Hockensmith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Wayne Josephson's Emma and the Vampires, fans who enjoy paranormal renditions of Victorian and Regency classics will want to read this exciting but bleakly grayish vampiric Christmas Carol.

Harriet Klausner

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An old favorite with a new twist

Opening Sentence: Marley was dead to begin with.

The Review:

For this piece, I won't give you a complete run down of the hero or heroine, because I am going to assume that the three of you have already met. That's right, as in the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; we follow the life and times of one Ebenezer Scrooge, and all his associates and family members.

Ok, so a lot of the characters and events here are the same as the other stories. Scrooge still starts out all cranky and miserly and downright nasty. Scrooge still employs Bob Cratchit, who still has a family including Tiny Tim. Ebenezer's nephew Fred also appears. Mr. Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his deceased partner, Jacob Marley, and by three spirits, Christmas Past, Present and Future. And afterwards, he is reborn nice and friendly and generous. And as a reader, I was happy to get on with the part where he becomes a changed man.

There are also some very notable differences. We get to spend much more time with his past love, Belle. Belle, bless her heart, has never given up hope for the return of the man she once knew, and as thus has never married in this version. We also get to see more of the current lives of Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and Ebenezer's nephew Fred.

Also, in this here book, there has been one very large plot twist added. Scrooge's London is being overrun with creatures of a paranormal nature. Vampires. Vampires? Dickens with Vampires, you say?!?! Why yes, and I'll be darned if the story isn't that much better with them. And here's why...

I like it because it gives me a more concrete reason why Scrooge is so... well, Scrooge-y.

I like it because it gives Bob and Tiny Tim and Fred some more importance in the world.

I like it because it makes the woman of the story strong and independent.

And well, I like it because there are vampires in it.

We are introduced to The King and Queen of Vampires, Wahltraud and Griselda, and their army of vampires. We find out that vampires in this world have slaves they call minions, who like vampires, ingest human blood and thus become sensitive to sunlight. Scrooge has even unknowingly hired one of them, a Mr. Disgut. There is also rumor of some prophecy concerning Scrooge's offspring, (that's right, offspring) and the downfall of all vampires. I won't tell you more, because that would need a spoiler alert.

Well, forgive me my ignorance, for it has been quite a few years since I have read the original, but I hazard to say that Ms. Gray sticks pretty close to the classic Dickens version of the story, (at least to the Jim Carey movie version I just saw not too long ago) with the notable exception of those pesky vampires and their minions. Now for all those with bittersweet memories of being forced to read good old Chuck's handy work in all its non-vampirish glory, this story might not be for you. And then again, it might. Though, I have to say, as a teen, I would have been much more excited about reading this version, cause vampires are just that much cooler J Where was this my freshman year?

FTC Advisory: Kensington provided me with a copy of A Vampire Christmas Carol. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.