Christmas Terror

The most advanced scientific enterprise ever mounted, Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage had every expectation of triumph. But for almost two years his ships, HMS Terror and Erebus, have been trapped in the Arctic ice. Supplies of fuel and food are running low. Scurvy, starvation and even madness are beginning to take their toll. And yet the real threat isn’t from the constantly shifting, alien landscape, the flesh-numbing temperatures or being crushed by the unyielding, frozen ocean. No, the real threat is far more terrifying.

From malevolent snowmen to Father Christmas - with a difference - Chris Priestley is on absolute top form with these seven atmospheric, clever, and thoroughly chilling stories. Add a new kind of thrill to the fluffiest of seasons with these brilliantly conceived examples of why you'd better be good at Christmas time. These perfectly formed festive tales of terror - "The Green Man", "The Musical Box", "The Snowman", "Frost", "In the Bleak Midwinter", "Soot", and "The Last Present" - each have a gripping yarn and genius twist. Singing carols may never seem quite the same again - especially after dark....

Christmas may come but once a year but human emotions, the driving force of our characters, are with us every day. Yet, somehow these same emotions when they happen at Christmas seem amplified; we seem more tender to their touch, their words. Whether it’s a long-lost returning soldier wondering how best to return to the arms of his family without too great a risk of shock... Or a prodigal son whose taken path has driven pain into his own and others hearts… These stories reveal much about the human condition.

Rathbone Elementary is an ordinary school. Nothing strange ever happens—except on holidays. Young listeners will love these haunted adventures as fireworks fight back, ordinary objects become dangerous, and friends turn into monsters.