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Twelfth Krampus Night

By Matt Manochio

A lump of coal! A flippin’ lump of coal! That’s all we had, that was the worst thing that could have happened to us, and all we had to use against our kids. Where did all of these great stories like Krampus and Frau Perchta go? How did I miss them during my own youth?

Twelfth Krampus Night is an imaginative fusion of two holiday characters that I want to become more familiar with. Krampus originates from Austro-Bavarian folklore and works with Saint Nicholas, punishing the naughty children. He is a massive goatish man-beast, he steals incorrigible children (those lucky Austro-Bavarians). Frau Perchta comes from the upper German regions of the Alps. She is a decrepit hag with one goose foot, who’s one hell of a weaver. During the twelve days of Christmas, she would travel the land giving a silver coin to the good boys and girls. The bad ones…well, she would slip open their bellies, haul out their stomachs and guts and stuff the cavity with straw. Now this would keep the little ones in line a whole lot better than a little lump of coal!

Matt Manochio has brought these two fabulous characters together for a spectacular Christmas tale. It is an action-packed adventure that had me flipping the pages to see what gruesome act would come next.

I love it when an author breathes some new life into traditional characters. It helps to keep these stories fresh and relevant. Matt Manochio has put me in the mood to read more about Krampus and Frau Perchta, and maybe see what other devious Christmas characters are out there.

*4 Stars