A review by ceallaighsbooks
Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus by Kate Wolford

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

“He stamped his hoof in front of the house. The front door began to groan. He stamped again. Its locks ticked as the bolts slid free. He stamped a third time, and the door opened wide with a loud, slow, long creak.” — from “Nothing to Dread”, by Jeff Provine 
 
TITLE—Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus 
AUTHOR—various, ed. by Kate Wolford 
PUBLISHED—2014 
 
GENRE—short stories: horror, speculative fiction 
SETTING—var. in the western world 
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—Krampus, Christmas & Yule, folklore, “modern life” 
 
“You know how Santa is supposed to leave lumps of coal in your stocking if you’re naughty?” 
I nod. 
“Let’s say it isn’t Santa. Let’s say Santa only wants to deal with nice kids. Somebody still has to deliver the coal.” 
“Krampus.” 
“Krampus.” She pops her gum as if that’s the last word.” 
— from “Prodigious”, by Elizabeth Twist 
 
A couple of these stories were cute but overall I thought that the style of writing felt a bit outdated with some flat, cliche-feeling imagery at times (at least for a collection published in 2014) and while that almost contributed to the darkness of the feel of the collection—sort of dreary-dark but with a pseudo-modern feel—I’m not sure it was the best choice either for the collection as a whole or for each individual story. I would have liked a more contemporary feel (especially philosophically-speaking) to the stories for it to be a truly meaningful collection for me. And a couple of the stories were just plain bad—like unreadable, cringey bad 🥴😅—imo, but since I am extremely invested in the Krampus myth it was still interesting for me to see how modern writers are interpreting the legend for “modern” days. 
 
I would certainly love to see more stories featuring my favorite holiday demon but these stories just weren’t for me. 
 
“For if truth and beauty and love of life must be labeled wickedness, then heaven loves a wicked child, my Tuva. And so do I.” — Krampus in “The Wicked Child”, by Elise Forier Edie 
 
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
 
TW // g-word slur (used in an appropriative manner), fatphobia, a super cringey comment about an author liking “off-beat, quirky ethnic holiday traditions” in their bio 😬  (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!) 
 
Further Reading— 
  • Krampus the Yule Lord, by Brom
  • The Krampus and the Old Dark Christmas, by Al Ridenour
  • Krampus and Other Yuletide Tales, by Faina Lorah
  • Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol, by Sara Tantlinger—TBR
  • Rare Exports (2010 film—Finnish with English subtitles)
  • Krampus (2015 film)