‘Thirteen Days of Christmas’ is an anthology by horror genre author, David Voyles. He gives us twelve short stories and one novella based around the Christmas theme. Most are written in the third person and the past tense, set at different times and in different places.

This format is an incredibly difficult discipline to master as there is little time for scene-setting, back-story, character or plot development. Tales need to be succinct but at the same time high-impact, to draw the audience in quickly and I think overall, the author has delivered on this brief.

There are themes and messages running through this collection, with evil often being punished and justice being served. With conflict and resolution to each story taking a no more than a few pages, David Voyles has captured the essence of each plot in a paragraph or two, so that the reader knows which characters their sympathies should lie.

Perhaps inevitably, I engaged with some stories more than others and I particularly appreciated ‘The Toymaker’ and ‘Christmas Eve in the Graveyard’. I’ll admit to not fully understanding ‘Last Minute Shopping’ and I did find some of the tales slightly gory. The format in most cases is similar; everything seems normal, only for strange things to start to happen and then a terrifying conclusion.

I particularly liked the novella at the end of the book, ‘The Thirteenth Day of Christmas’. Voyles has shown skill in developing his characters and with a combination of foreshadowing and a gradual ratcheting up of tension, he has managed to create an atmosphere so psychologically terrifying, that the reader can completely understand how someone can be pushed beyond the limit of their endurance.

Much of the criteria I apply when assessing a novel is obviously not applicable to this format but if you’re a fan of horror, then this collection will certainly tick all the boxes. This is David Voyles’ debut book and I think it bodes well for his future career as an author. I award four-and-a-half stars.

About the Author

Some of the tales in David Allen Voyles’ first collection of original horror stories The Thirteenth Day of Christmas and Other Tales of Yuletide Horror were those he told while conducting tours for his ghost tour company Dark Ride Tours in Asheville, NC. Playing the role of gravedigger/storyteller Virgil Nightshade, Voyles entertained guests as they were transported to various spooky sites in a 1972 Cadillac hearse converted for that purpose.

Having taught literature for thirty years, Voyles is no stranger to weird tales and horror fiction in general. His love for authors such as Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Shirley Jackson as well as a lifetime obsession with Halloween insured that it was just a matter of time before he tried his hand at publishing his own tales of terror.

What did you think of The Thirteenth Day of Christmas? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!