Gifts of the Magi: A Speculative Holiday Collection

Stories for Christmas, authors for the New Year! Find within this magical tome 14 NEW original holiday-themed stories of fantasy, horror and science fiction by a talented group of authors--plus one holiday essay. The tales from our Magi vary from the light and satirical to the dark and serious, and we've shuffled the deck to keep you guessing. • A time guardian may have to choose between preserving reality or destroying the man she loves. • A snowman comes to life, but he's not a happy soul. • Santa makes a terrible bargain in order to save Christmas. • On Christmas Eve, a furious fairy princess attacks a double-decker bus. • Two secret agents attend an exclusive Christmas party with an unusual price of admission. • Soldiers in the midst of the zombie apocalypse try to find the Christmas spirit. • A boy and his father confront an alien creature on the Longest Night. • A mercenary packing magical pistols battles a monster while Christmas shopping for her werewolf boyfriend. • Steampunk detectives find themselves fending off Christmas "elves." • Humans exiled to an alternate world blend alien and human holiday traditions. • A banished prince with a magic chicken finds a nearly drowned soldier--so says the storyteller. • A bounty hunter searches for a rogue elf. • A traumatized punk girl confronts the spirits from the worst night of her life. • In a dystopian future, Christmas is outlawed. • ...And Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Nicole Cushing reveals the holiday specials that she feels deserve "lumps of coal." 100% of all proceeds from this book benefit Indy Reads. Indy Reads is a not-for-profit organization that relies on volunteers to provide basic literacy tutoring to illiterate and semi-literate adults. Indy Reads operates a bookstore in downtown Indianapolis. Learn more at www.indyreads.org.