Tis the season for action/adventure horror!This very weird take on the Claus etc. seemed to me to be inspired by an Invader Zim and/or a Furama holiday cartoon... but that's OK, because it's done pretty well. What sets this tale apart is the action/adventure aspects, particularly with the garnishes of international intrigue.

The Claus was very creepy indeed, as was his long-time nemesis. The elfs, too, were nasty little pieces of work, and ubiquitous as ants. The heroine and hero were brave and spunky and dedicated.

Some of the details, especially of the plot, just didn't make sense to me, though. Various governments were involved- but how and why? Not explained, even when some seem to be working both sides of the fence. How did a 16-year-old girl get the extensive background in security in what was presumably her very first job, which she had not held for long? Why does the power of the Claus's eyeball work only some of the time, thus inconsistently? Etc. -I will say that this sort of thing is a reason I seldom read horror; it seems to be a genre especially prone to plot and logical lacunae.

I also think the authors missed a bet with the elfs. While nasty and malicious, they were also quite incompetent... and that should have been funny. Indeed, there are several scenes that really ought to have been played for laughs, to offer a contrast to the other moods- but they weren't. Too, the elfs seemed selectively incompetent; that was rather their default, but when the plot called for it, they could be remarkably efficient. And- it's rather the classic case of a Big Bad with incompetent minions, and the Claus did not seem all that fussed about that incompetence. He swore a lot, sure, but it didn't seem to dive him nutty

So, I'll sum up by saying it was a reasonably entertaining read, with some very exciting and some very creepy bits... but as a whole, for me it lacked coherence. Still, it makes a decent change from sappy Christmas movies! ( )