Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Random House Publishing Group
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. HTML:This new, expanded edition of Miracle and Other Christmas Stories features twelve brilliantly reimagined holiday tales, five of which are collected here for the first time. Christmas comes but once a year, yet the stories in this dazzling collection are fun to read anytime. They put a speculative spin on the holiday, giving fans of acclaimed author Connie Willis a welcome gift and a dozen reasons to be of good cheer. Brimming with Willis's trademark insights and imagination, these heartwarming tales are full of humor, absurdity, human foibles, tragedy, joy, and hope. They both embrace and send up many of the best Christmas traditions, including the holiday newsletter, Secret Santas, office parties, holiday pageants, and Christmas dinners (both elaborate and spare). There are Rockettes, the best and worst Christmas movies, modern-day Magi, Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come�??and the triumph of generosity over greed. Like all the timeless classics we return to year after year, these stories affirm our faith in love, magic, and the wonder of the season. Praise for A Lot Like Christmas "A perfect stocking stuffer for Christmas�??celebrating fans of [Connie] Willis's humorous SF."�??Publishers Weekly "A collection of Christmas stories with just the right blend of sugar and spice . . . sweet and sharp, whimsical and heartfelt, funny and warm . . . Fans of Willis's gently comic speculative fiction will love this collection, and it will also appeal to readers looking to get into the holiday spirit."�??Kirkus Revi… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
An expanded edition of Miracle and Other Christmas Stories, with four stories that did not appear in that volume, although at least some of them are available elsewhere.
A charming collection of Christmas stories in a science fiction and fantasy vein. They have Willis's trademark wit and romantic
A charming collection of Christmas stories in a science fiction and fantasy vein. They have Willis's trademark wit and romantic
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complications. Standouts include "Newsletter," "All Seated on the Ground," and "deck.halls@boughs/holly." Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
Having never read the original version of this book, I can't comment on how this re-issue is different, but I can say that this collection of Christmas stories has something to appeal to anybody looking for the "Christmas spirit." My favorite parts of this long story collection are actually the
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beginning and the end. Willis opens with an introduction to Christmas literature and film, explaining her opinions and motivations. We know right away that her stories will be affirming but not shmaltzy, and will include some science fiction; she sets the tone for the following engaging stories. The variety of entries is most satisfying, and the last story about a global snowstorm is timely, thought-provoking, and satisfying. Readers will want to return to this collection every Christmas season, and it give it as a holiday present. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
Some great stories full of that sense of manic frustration of the competent mind pressured through (usually) human obstacles of which Connie Willis is the current master. I am not a particular fan of Christmas or Christmas stories, so this book was somewhat a chore, but the stories are worth a bit
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of effort even if I don't want such a concentrated dose. Show Less
LibraryThing member AmaliaGavea
If repetition, poor attempts of sounding geeky, imaginative and funny and all-around boredom is the writer's vision of a well-composed book, then I'm sorry but I was clearly the wrong reader for...this. The way I see it, this doesn't even deserve a full review, sorry:(
LibraryThing member bell7
“Miracle”
A very funny comparison between “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Willis makes very clear which one she prefers in the introduction and in this story), which benefited by my having just watched the former this year and being very familiar with the latter.
“All About Emily”
A twist on the AI story – is Emily really as appealing and non-threatening as she appears? One actress is about to find out. Lots of references to film and Broadway shows that went right over my head, but it was still entertaining.
“Inn”
A member of the choir has an encounter with apparently time-traveling homeless wanderers.
“All Seated on the Ground”
Hilarious take on what might happen if aliens came to earth around Christmastime. They look on disapprovingly until they respond to a Christmas carol – but did you know how violent some of them are? Can we communicate without instructing them to start mayhem?
“In Coppelius’s Toy Shop”
A creepy story in which a self-absorbed man gets exactly what he deserves.
“Adaptation”
A man working at a bookstore gets his own adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” Funny and thought-provoking of how the clasic story might look in our own day and age.
“deck.halls@boughs/holly”
What might our crazy Christmas decorations look like if we allowed people with computer programs to do it all for us? Linny works as one of those folks and decorates your house to your specifications. Because it’s all online, she doesn’t get out much to meet folks, but when a Mrs. Shields hires her she starts seeing an awful lot of the nephew...
“Cat’s Paw”
Not exactly Christmas-y but a classic mystery story with a Christmas setting. Touffet and his chronicler Bridlings go to a manor house where Lady Charlotte has them meet her intelligent primates, when her father is murdered.
“Now Showing”
In a future where there are hundreds of movie options and going to the movies is a whole day affair complete with remakes, sequels, shops & restaurants based on movie themes, Lindsay finds that her ex Jack Weaver didn’t really leave her in the lurch but is doing significant work showing that some of the movies simply don’t exist. Hijinks (and possibly true love with a scoundrel) ensue, chockablock full with movie references both Christmas-y and not (of which I actually got several).
“Newsletter”
In a family where the holiday newsletters are practically a competition, Nan Johnson has nothing to say. But when aliens appear to be taking over family and friends – all of them wearing hats and behaving most unusually nice to each other – she might just have something to share after all.
“Epiphany”
A reverend goes on a road trip with a gut feeling that the Second Coming is actually here. By turns funny and thought-provoking, challenging you to think about the ways in which the story of a baby in a manger didn’t really fit what anyone was looking for based on prophecy either. Also had my favorite line of the bunch: “He was a Presbyterian, not a Pentecostal. He did not have visions.”
“Just Like the Ones We Used to Know”
My least favorite of the collection. A snowstorm starts and encompasses all of the U.S. and a lot of places that it really shouldn’t be a white Christmas. Did global warming cause a superstorm? Or is it something else entirely?
Verdict: Overall, I really enjoyed this short story collection but as I would only reread some of them, I give it four stars.
A very funny comparison between “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Willis makes very clear which one she prefers in the introduction and in this story), which benefited by my having just watched the former this year and being very familiar with the latter.
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With a little help from a random spirit who shows up on her doorstep, Lauren finds out that what she really wants for Christmas may be right in front of her.“All About Emily”
A twist on the AI story – is Emily really as appealing and non-threatening as she appears? One actress is about to find out. Lots of references to film and Broadway shows that went right over my head, but it was still entertaining.
“Inn”
A member of the choir has an encounter with apparently time-traveling homeless wanderers.
“All Seated on the Ground”
Hilarious take on what might happen if aliens came to earth around Christmastime. They look on disapprovingly until they respond to a Christmas carol – but did you know how violent some of them are? Can we communicate without instructing them to start mayhem?
“In Coppelius’s Toy Shop”
A creepy story in which a self-absorbed man gets exactly what he deserves.
“Adaptation”
A man working at a bookstore gets his own adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” Funny and thought-provoking of how the clasic story might look in our own day and age.
“deck.halls@boughs/holly”
What might our crazy Christmas decorations look like if we allowed people with computer programs to do it all for us? Linny works as one of those folks and decorates your house to your specifications. Because it’s all online, she doesn’t get out much to meet folks, but when a Mrs. Shields hires her she starts seeing an awful lot of the nephew...
“Cat’s Paw”
Not exactly Christmas-y but a classic mystery story with a Christmas setting. Touffet and his chronicler Bridlings go to a manor house where Lady Charlotte has them meet her intelligent primates, when her father is murdered.
“Now Showing”
In a future where there are hundreds of movie options and going to the movies is a whole day affair complete with remakes, sequels, shops & restaurants based on movie themes, Lindsay finds that her ex Jack Weaver didn’t really leave her in the lurch but is doing significant work showing that some of the movies simply don’t exist. Hijinks (and possibly true love with a scoundrel) ensue, chockablock full with movie references both Christmas-y and not (of which I actually got several).
“Newsletter”
In a family where the holiday newsletters are practically a competition, Nan Johnson has nothing to say. But when aliens appear to be taking over family and friends – all of them wearing hats and behaving most unusually nice to each other – she might just have something to share after all.
“Epiphany”
A reverend goes on a road trip with a gut feeling that the Second Coming is actually here. By turns funny and thought-provoking, challenging you to think about the ways in which the story of a baby in a manger didn’t really fit what anyone was looking for based on prophecy either. Also had my favorite line of the bunch: “He was a Presbyterian, not a Pentecostal. He did not have visions.”
“Just Like the Ones We Used to Know”
My least favorite of the collection. A snowstorm starts and encompasses all of the U.S. and a lot of places that it really shouldn’t be a white Christmas. Did global warming cause a superstorm? Or is it something else entirely?
Verdict: Overall, I really enjoyed this short story collection but as I would only reread some of them, I give it four stars.
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LibraryThing member dmturner
Connie Willis's Christmas stories are little symphonies of dialogue, disorganization, and conflict with the modern world in which optimism triumphs and romance succeeds. Her sadder writing is often incredibly powerful because she knows how to grab your heart and squeeze, but I prefer her comic work
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for the same reason. This is a delightful anthology with many original ideas, and the one that sticks with me best is the one about the visiting aliens who disapprove. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
A collection of SF-ish Christmas stories - from aliens arrive and react only to carols, to a sudden storm all over the world for a white Christmas, to...All of them are very weird, most of them are excellent. Good read.
LibraryThing member foggidawn
This collection of festive short stories is, by and large, a pleasure to read. While I enjoyed some stories more than others, as one does with nearly any short story collection, all in all I was amused and occasionally touched by the tales Willis spins here. I enjoyed "Epiphany" least, but it's
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harder to choose a favorite -- "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" or "All Seated on the Ground" or "deck.halls@boughs/holly" are all contenders. If you're looking for some pleasant reads, not too schmaltzy, not too grim, to boost that holiday spirit, pick up this book. Show Less
Original publication date
2017-10-10
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Willis |