Tasmaniac Publications 2009, ISBN 978-0-9806367-2-7

Festive Fear: A Collection of Dark Tales is an anthology of Christmas-themed horror stories compiled by Tasmaniac Publications for Christmas 2009. It brings together fourteen brand new offerings from both up and coming and well established Australian horror writers with the aim of exploring the negative possibilities of a bearded fat man with a talent for breaking and entering and a list of where all the bad children live, and the darker side of the festive season.

From the opening offering, "Christmas Lights" by Brett McBean, which steers away from the traditional horror staple of blood splattering on and inconveniencing passersby and more toward the loneliness and depression the festive season can bring, the stage was set to make me thankful for the 364 days preceding the big one. Right to the final story, "White Christmas" by Steve Gerlach, which again examines flaws in the human condition and graphically proves the pitfalls of shopping for one’s own present, there is hardly a weak link in the whole collection, and many that thoroughly deserve individual mention.

Marty Young’s “Black Peter” was thought provoking in that it managed to remind me that there is a lot more to Christmas than rupturing your credit card and that there is a grain of truth in every tradition, which should always be remembered and heeded. Just because we may have forgotten a tradition, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s forgotten us. It was a stark reminder that we seem to have forgotten that in addition to Santa’s Nice list, he also keeps the Naughty list close at hand. As Terry Pratchett once so wonderfully put it, “You’d better watch out.”

A horrid reminder of the potential pitfalls of making the Naughty list was provided by Felicity Dowker, who most definitely has not forgotten its purpose. Parents are quick to confirm to children that it isn’t the real Santa sitting in every shopping centre at once, but his army of helpers who are out to listen to the demands and requests of all the good children. They neglect to mention the other army that are in place for those who are bad. Dowker’s “The Bearded Ones” will ensure this is a lesson that does not fade again for a long time. And yet, shouldn’t all good deeds be properly rewarded then? Josephine Pennicott’s “Mr Gallows’ Christmas Gift” seems to think otherwise and illustrates that if a good deed turns out to be its own and only reward, perhaps you have gotten off lightly and should be thankful. Karma doesn’t always get it right.

Steering the collection back to a more monster-orientated theme was Amanda J Spedding’s “A Creature was Stirring” which follows a slightly more mainstream, but no less entertaining formula of 1. Creepy old relative dies; 2. Protagonist shows to take care of business; 3. Monster appears; 4. Battle commences; 5. Fate of monster left mysterious; 6. Revelation of monster’s history is made, thus turning previous thoughts and musings on their head. While any monster movie buff would be able to predict the general flow of this particular story, the building tension and horrid twist that becomes apparent at Step 6 cemented this story as one of my personal favourites.

One story that stood out from the rest was “Echt Grampus; or The Dinkum St. Nicholas Offsider” by Crisetta MacLeod, although initially possibly for the wrong reasons. The story follows the coming of age of Asphodung, an unfortunate demon afflicted by good and noble thoughts. Initially, the story put me in mind of a Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams-style lampoon of the various levels of Hell and left me wondering why it would be included in a collection such as this. This, however, only served to heighten the shock value when jolly old Asphodung finally manages to find his groove.

Reading this book made me realise I seem to have inadvertently subscribed to Martin Livings’s rapid weight loss program. Through his flash story “I’m Dreaming...”, Livings once again managed to prove he could make me completely lose my appetite in five pages or less. Despite its brevity, this story managed to distress me more than any other, which, given that this is a horror anthology, should probably be commended.

For just about any fan of horror writings, this anthology should prove a thoroughly entertaining way to while away a few hours. However, a note of caution: inevitably, with its Christmas theme, some nasty things are going to happen to some children, whether they be deserved or not, so anyone upset by that prospect may find themselves more distressed than is strictly necessary. For those for whom this is not an issue, grab some chocolate, turn the big lights down low and pray for Boxing Day to come quickly while you appreciate why the future of Australian horror writing is in good hands.

Festive Fear was unfortunately limited to a single run of 150 soft cover books. For those who missed out on snagging a copy, keep an eye on the auction sites, get very friendly with one of the other 149 proud owners or contact Tasmaniac Publications at www.tasmaniacpublications.com and ask nicely for a second edition.