The Barnes & Noble Review
A Yuletide Universe is a diverse collection of 16 holiday-themed short stories by some of the masters of fantastical fiction, including Neil Gaiman, William Gibson, Anne McCaffrey, Clive Barker, and Harlan Ellison, to name but a few.

Jolly old Saint Nick is seen in several different lights -- sometimes comical, sometimes dark and disturbing -- in several of these wondrous stories. Neil Gaiman's "Nicholas Was..." portrays Santa as an immortal deity condemned once a year to journey into Endless Night: "Older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die." Harlan Ellison's "Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R." sees Santa as a secret agent/assassin battling alien-possessed politicians; and in "Icicle Music" by Michael Bishop, Santa is a vengeful deadbeat dad. Chet Williamson's "O Come Little Children..." is an eerie story about a little boy's relationship with a strange mall Santa. This disconcerting story is guaranteed to stay with readers for a long time.

Also included in this collection are classics by L Frank Baum and Donald E Westlake. In Baum's "A Kidnapped Santa Claus," originally published in 1904, Santa is abducted by demons plotting to ruin Christmas. Westlake's "Nackles" (1964) is about a miserable father who makes up a holiday demon to cow his children -- with disastrous results.

After reading this Christmas anthology, you'll never look at Santa Claus the same way again. Paul Goat Allen