Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

By William Joyce

Before Santa was Santa, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazr. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terror of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village.

When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting…and, he’s not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.

This book was magic. It had that perfect tone of nostalgia, childhood, myth, and wonder. It was comforting and felt like I was being told a bedtime story by the author. It was soothing to read and full of hope as well as danger and adventure. North is a great character, someone who has spent his life as a warrior pirate, and finds that he is more than just a treasure-seeker once he discovers the amazing village of Santoff Clausen. He especially loves the children. Sound familiar? And so the story and legend begins in a small unique and magical town, threatened by a darkness and terrible evil. It’s got the classic hero’s journey and a wonderful tone full to the brim with good. I highly recommend this series. (It’s also where the Dreamworks movie “Rise of the Guardians” got it's inspiration. There is a clip of that amazing movie below!)

I give it a 4.5 out of 5

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