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Original Essays | April 29, 2013

Edward Lee: IMG How to Clarify Butter: A Writer's Tale

2 comments By Edward Lee

Chefs don't have time to write. While I was working on Smoke and Pickles, I was running a restaurant — a daily regimen of testing recipes,... Continue »
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Unholy Night

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Unholy Night Cover

ISBN13: 9780446563109
ISBN10: 0446563102
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, comes Unholy Night, the next evolution in dark historical revisionism.

They're an iconic part of history's most celebrated birth. But what do we really know about the Three Kings of the Nativity, besides the fact that they followed a star to Bethlehem bearing strange gifts? The Bible has little to say about this enigmatic trio. But leave it to Seth Grahame-Smith, the brilliant and twisted mind behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to take a little mystery, bend a little history, and weave an epic tale.

In Grahame-Smith's telling, the so-called "Three Wise Men" are infamous thieves, led by the dark, murderous Balthazar. After a daring escape from Herod's prison, they stumble upon the famous manger and its newborn king. The last thing Balthazar needs is to be slowed down by young Joseph, Mary and their infant. But when Herod's men begin to slaughter the first born in Judea, he has no choice but to help them escape to Egypt.

It's the beginning of an adventure that will see them fight the last magical creatures of the Old Testament; cross paths with biblical figures like Pontius Pilate and John the Baptist; and finally deliver them to Egypt. It may just be the greatest story never told.

Review:

"The genius of mashup revisionism (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) turns the Three Kings into escaped thieves who have come upon the glowy manger by accident. When Herod starts slaughtering the Innocents, the thieves reluctantly agree to help the Holy Family escape to Egypt. Doubtless some readers will be offended, but bound to be in demand." Library Journal

Review:

"Three notorious villains protect a carpenter, his virgin wife and their newborn son as they flee the wrath of their Roman pursuers. Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, 2010, etc.) hones his writing chops in this latest take on history's mysteries." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Grahame-Smith manages to have great fun with this material while remaining (mostly) true to its original narrative. His Herod is truly a villain for the ages; Pilate, at 22, is already a conflicted truth-seeker. The Holy Family is depicted with warmth and humor. It's left to Balthazar, still guilty over the death of his little brother decades earlier, to bear the weight of modern cynicism and vengefulness, while remaining open to redemption. He also brandishes a mean sword... In Unholy Night, Grahame-Smith manages the neat trick of providing a satisfying and moving new ending to a story that has been recounted untold times. The Washington Post
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About the Author

Seth Grahame-Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In addition to adapting the screenplay for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seth also wrote Tim Burton's latest film, Dark Shadows. He lives in Los Angeles.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
onlyoreio, April 10, 2013 (view all comments by onlyoreio)
When you are born a Christian, the Bible is the only book you'll ever accept to being 100% true. You will never doubt it. Faith, after all, is the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Yet, when you look closely into its pages and read between the lines, you will realize how much details seem to be vague, how the stories jump from one to another, leaving pages and pages of unknown and unexplained phenomena and characters within the vast expanse of its storyline. This is what convinced me to pick this book in the first place, to give Grahame-Smith a chance to walk me through the roads of possibilities that could explain the uncertainties of the Bible. I could say I never regretted it. The stories he weaved to connect each pieces of the life of Jesus are just so brilliant. The background he established to retell the lives of the Three Wise Kings was so believable. The story-telling was paced just right for you to hold your breath without killing yourself; the suspense enough to have your heart skip a beat or two. The re-imagining of the characters and the situations are so cunningly written. A perfect read on days when you need a breath of fresh air from the canonical and the orthodox.
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Nana reads, January 30, 2013 (view all comments by Nana reads)
Maybe because I read this book right before the holidays, but I could not put this back story of the Three Wise Men down! A little bit of history, a little bit of sci-fi, a whole lot of intrigue! I love a book that I can read quickly, but then leaves me wondering, "What if...?" I passed it on to my husband, my ex-husband, and my college age kids and we all agree it was one of the best books we read all year!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780446563109
Author:
Grahame-Smith, Seth
Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-Fantasy
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-Fantasy-Historical
Publication Date:
20121131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » General
Featured Titles » Literature
Featured Titles » New Arrivals
Fiction and Poetry » Horror » General
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » General
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » Historical

Unholy Night New Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$14.99 In Stock
Product details pages Grand Central Publishing - English 9780446563109 Reviews:
"Review" by , "The genius of mashup revisionism (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) turns the Three Kings into escaped thieves who have come upon the glowy manger by accident. When Herod starts slaughtering the Innocents, the thieves reluctantly agree to help the Holy Family escape to Egypt. Doubtless some readers will be offended, but bound to be in demand."
"Review" by , "Three notorious villains protect a carpenter, his virgin wife and their newborn son as they flee the wrath of their Roman pursuers. Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, 2010, etc.) hones his writing chops in this latest take on history's mysteries."
"Review" by , "Grahame-Smith manages to have great fun with this material while remaining (mostly) true to its original narrative. His Herod is truly a villain for the ages; Pilate, at 22, is already a conflicted truth-seeker. The Holy Family is depicted with warmth and humor. It's left to Balthazar, still guilty over the death of his little brother decades earlier, to bear the weight of modern cynicism and vengefulness, while remaining open to redemption. He also brandishes a mean sword... In Unholy Night, Grahame-Smith manages the neat trick of providing a satisfying and moving new ending to a story that has been recounted untold times.
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