Unholy Night (Seth Grahame-Smith)

It's been a long time since I read a (standard-length) book in one day.  But, the 381 pages flew by today, and I thus conclude that Unholy Night is another winner by Seth Grahame-Smith, who produces another enjoyable, fast-paced thriller on the heels of his bestselling Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Like the book on Abe, Unholy Night is a "factasy"- a fact-filled fantasy tale- a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, horror, biography, even religion in this case.  As before, Grahame-Smith takes a historical event and throws in an obvious fantasy twist.  In Unholy Night, three men barge in on Joseph and Mary shortly after the birth of Jesus.  But, unlike the Biblical accounts, these men aren't wise men- they're robbers on the run.  After seeing the fruits of Herod's edict to kill all male babies in the region, these criminals sympathize with the young couple, and decide to aid them in their flight to Egypt to save the baby's life.  Along the way, they must evade pursuing Romans and an increasingly incensed Herod, but somehow miracles keep occurring that deliver them.  It's almost enough to make one of the criminals- who keeps having visions in addition to witnessing these miracles- believe.

While I enjoyed his previous tale immensely, I approached Grahame-Smith's Unholy Night with a touch of trepidation, for two reasons:
1) The story concerns the birth of Christ, which can be a flashpoint for controversy
2) I'm much more familiar with this historical event than I was with Abraham Lincoln's life; thus, I feared finding a bunch of historical errors (fantasy element aside) that would lessen my enjoyment of the yarn. 

I must admit, my fears were largely ill-founded.  The author impressively manages to avoid offending Christians- I don't think he's a believer, but Christ is not derided here- and he gets most of the story correct, according to Biblical accounts.  Certainly some things are altered- and some points of history are erroneously claimed- but he gets the most important elements correct (in spirit, at least).  You come away with the idea that this child is special, He's protected by supernatural means, and His arrival will shake the world to its core and change lives.  As a Christian, I couldn't ask for more when reading a tale of this nature.  In fact, I enjoyed the historical fiction element of this- contemplating what those first weeks must have been like, fleeing Herod's edict through a vast, harsh desert.  I also enjoyed the fantasy element here- though it can be a bit gory and heart-wrenching at times. 

All in all, this is a tale worth reading.

Rating: A