Book Review: We Bleed Red and Green
By Elizabeth Suggs
We Bleed Red and Green – 12 Chilling Tales for Christmas by Jeff C. Carter, a follow up to his previous horror collection, We Bleed Orange & Black—31 Fun-Sized Tales of Halloween, is a stocking stuffed with holiday horror.
Each story touches on the holiday spirit, from “Candy Cane” about some bullies on the “naughty list” to “Blessed Silence,” about one character who finds complete silence during the holiday break.
One of my favorite stories is “Blacker than Coal,” where we focus on Santa Claus. He is watching Fox News and complaining about how everyone doesn’t fear Christmas because they can get whatever they want from Amazon.
This quote sums up the tone of the story:
Back in my day, children knew that they better be good, for goodness sake. When Santa Claus came to town, he didn’t come alone. My companion Belsnickle would beat naughty children with a switch. Le Père Fouettard would cut a liar’s tongue out, and Frau Perchta would slit their bellies open and stuff them with straw. Don’t even get me started with Hans Trapp!
Another favorite of mine is a very short story “P. S. Decoder Ring Not Included.” This is a fun short story that will get you bringing out your own pencil and paper!
Perhaps, Christmas used to be scarier than Halloween. It's a shame more people don't think it's scary anymore! Hopefully, this collection will change that.
Carter is a great writer with an eye for detail. He’s funny and scary and I always love reading his stories. Plus, the collection is only fifty pages long! I read it in one sitting.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com