Fearful Festivities

Fearful Festivities is Gary Fry's heartfelt homage to the classic 'small town' horror novels of the 1980s: a diverse group of characters beset by a malevolent force creeping in a time of great vulnerability. By turns, it's creepy, shocking and darkly comic, with an ending that might just signal the end of the world.

“Christmas is a time for miracles. Tell us what you want...”

That’s the message many residents of the Yorkshire village of Hitherton receive in the mail, a few mornings shy of Christmas Day.

And of course everyone has their wants...

Take Tom Young – his independent bookshop has been struggling lately, and he wants to it survive. And his brother Graham? Since being awarded his PhD, he still hasn’t decided what he wants to do with his life, and surely someone can offer him direction.

Then there’s Sally Jenkins who’s tried every diet on the market and each to no avail. Billy Freedman, the dot-com businessman, who wants to ‘get rich quick’. And Kevin Potter, an eight-year-old boy who believes he has a monster in his wardrobe.

These and many other desperate people are about to make a wish that could change their lives forever... but not in any desirable way.

Because despite all the unseasonable sunshine in the village, the nights come far earlier now and are much longer. And things are beginning to rouse there that ought to remain in slumber.

Can the residents of Hitherton survive the dark forces amassing at this festive time of the year?