"What happens when the Krampus come?" "Chaos."

After her family are murdered and the family house burns to the ground, Ro finds herself at a diner during the holiday season. There she meets 4 other people, all strangers, all alone. She invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner where they share holiday ghost stories…

What Ro doesn’t know, all the years later when they all meet up again at the home of Grayson, that sometimes stories are more true that the imagination can comprehend. And that the monsters are real.

This novella is a nestling tale with a perfect atmosphere. And the ending of this story is indeed shocking. But this is less a creature holiday feature with Krampus at the center and more of a psychological horror tale of suspense that examines the cruelty of human nature. This is a tightly packed and elegantly told novella and yet it left me wanting more. And I'm not gonna lie, it isn't really a Krampus story per se. We don't see the horned beast terrorizing the characters and whipping them like we do in the movies. Here Krampus serves as a metaphor for Ro's chaotic life.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this novella. But it is certainly well-written and atmospheric and a bit shocking. Well worth an hour or two of your time on a cold winter afternoon.
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I received a copy of this novella from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Roanoke Syger is an aspiring horror writer with a troubling past. One Christmas she and four strangers gather to memorialize their favorite diner. They exchange cheap gifts and tell ghost stories. One that captivates them all is the story of the Krampus. Then they drift apart as “friends” forced by circumstance are want to do. Decades later, they once again meet to celebrate Christmas, but now a mystery looms over the party. Is everything as creepy as Ro feels it is, or is she just a paranoid horror novelist? In addition, exactly what or who is Krampus?

When I received this novella from the publisher, I was ecstatic. I am a huge Krampus fan. I have been to Krampusnachts around the country and I even have a mask to hang on the wall. There is just something about the monster that is appealing to me. Maybe because during a time of year of magic and jocularity, Krampus reminds us that the night is longer than the day and that there are consequences to our actions. Krampus is the antidote to too much Hallmark Holiday Cheer ™.

Yet, this is not the kind of Krampus story I was expecting. Not even, close. Instead of a long-tongued holiday demon, this is a look at the monsters around us. The demons we walk past every day and ignore. The monsters waiting for the chance to strike, but we are too naïve to see them.

Despite the initial slight disappointment, I found myself really enjoying this novella. M. Rickert has a good voice in their prose. There was this sense of dread that was pervasive throughout. Even in the most mundane scenes, there was a feeling that something was just off. As if we were reading seconds before a corpse was discovered. It made for a gripping page-turner.

I definitely recommend it. If this winter you are overdosed on holiday cheer, then give it a read. It will put thoughts of jingle bells out of your mind and make you appreciate the Christmas lights that hold back the winter night. ( )

Lucky Girl by Mary Rickert is a short story just in time for Halloween. I am not sure why the title is called Lucky Girl, but maybe it is because she escaped death when her family was killed when she was young.

Backing up a bit, Roanoke, Ro for short, is the protagonist, she is an aspiring author. She is not fond of Christmas but when she is in a diner she meets five people, strikes up a conversation, and suggests that they get together for Christmas. They do and over subsequent Christmas get-togethers, we get to know more about Ro and her friends.

There is mention of Krampus, a horned anthropomorphic creature that comes out at Christmas. His goal is to scare children that have misbehaved all year. He does this with Santa and they reward the good children and punish the bad children.

The six people that get together, exchange gifts with the caveat that they steal the gifts. Doesn't matter what it is as long as it is stolen. Plus they are all supposed to tell a horror story. Quite the party if you ask me.

I found the short story to be a bit discombobulated at first, but after a while it started to make some sense. I do love a good horror story and this one is right up there. I think if you are looking for a story that will appease the Halloween spirit in you, then go get this one. ( )

Lucky Girl by M. Rickert is a wonderful short story that I wish was turned into a novel. If more time had been spent on character development I would be raving about this story from the top of a gothic mansion! I could also see this making a fantastic movie.

There were a couple of flashbacks when Ro thinks back to what led to her family being killed and her house being burnt to the ground, which were needed for the story and did help to develop Ro a bit, but at the same time they felt a bit disjointed. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing since what can make a horror story very unnerving is when there is a bit of instability to the story or unanswered questions.

And the unanswered questions part do lend to giving Lucky Girl a deeper horror vibe, but once again if it had been a longer story/novel, I think I would have enjoyed it more. None of the unanswered questions really left me with a sense of unease, which I really enjoy when horror is done really well.

If you’re looking for a short story that has some really interesting ideas, touches very briefly on Krampus, and has a perfect horror ending, then grab yourself a copy of Lucky Girl. ( )