The Immortal Nicholas

By Glenn Beck

Before he was Father Christmas he was simply a father.

Author Glenn Beck realized years ago that somewhere along the way, his four children had become more focused on Santa than the meaning of Christmas. No matter how he tried, he could not redirect their attention away from presents and elves to the manger instead.

Glenn didn’t want to be the Grinch who spoiled the magic of Kris Kringle, so he had to find a unique way to turn his kids back toward the true meaning of Christmas. He decided the best place to start was by first turning Santa himself back toward Christ.

That was when one of America’s best storytellers began to craft a tale that would change everything his kids thought they knew about Santa—the incredible story he went on to tell them that Christmas Eve spans over a thousand years and explains the meaning behind the immortality and generosity of the man named Claus.

The Immortal Nicholas has now been expanded and reimagined into this novel for adults; a novel full of drama, history, legend, and heart. From the snowy mountains of western Asia, to the deserts of Egypt, to Yemen’s elusive frankincense-bearing boswellia trees, this is an epic tale that gives the legend of Santa a long overdue Christ-centered mission.

In this novel, Glenn Beck fundamentally transforms the figure that the world now mainly associates with shopping, all while staying true to the real story of the baby who brought redemption and salvation to the entire world.

When I saw this book last Christmas I was excited to see what Glenn Beck had done with the legend of Santa Claus. I was expecting a tale of redemption, warmth, and that special feeling that comes with Christmas. I was disappointed to find that, while this book is first rate and has a long and engrossing tale to tale, it was not what I wanted out of a Christmas book. The “Santa” of the story is a man who experiences loss of every kind, and must find a way to live and keep living, for he discovers that he has become immortal. It is a tale of survival and cruelty, of family, love, and hope. As stated, it is a good novel and story, but not a feel good read. There is a lot of battle, bloodshed and cruelty in this book and it focuses a lot on the misery and difficulty of life. Of course Glenn does introduce Jesus Christ at one point and His teachings. It just fell flat for me, which was disappointing.

It gets a 3 out of 5