Review: Unholy Night, by Seth Grahame-Smith

Seth Grahame-Smith has been making a name for himself for several years now as the author of unconventional reimagined events, from (my favorite) 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' to the soon-to-be-released film 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter' (also very good, can't wait to see the movie!).  His recent foray into fiction is 'Unholy Night', a revamping of the ancient story of the three wise men.

Because the Christian bible doesn't focus overmuch on who the wise men were, what they thought, or what happened to them, Grahame-Smith is free to imagine a completely new history for the three.  UH is focused on Balthazar, a scoundrel thief and lover, who joins with the other two after a particularly daring prison break wherein he saves the lives of the other two men, Melchior and Gaspar, not out of kindness but because it was the only way for him to escape himself.  They in turn stick with him because they are duty-bound to him until they save his life in return, or pay him back in some other way.  Together, the three of them stumble upon Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the barn while running from the Romans, and the real action of the story takes off from there in a very Indiana Jones-type fashion, following the group through their escape from the Roman army to Egypt.

While the main heroes are interesting on their own, the runaway scene-stealer of this novel, to me, was the disgusting King Herod, whose body is vividly described as it rots away due to the vile lifestyle he has led.  His fury at being foiled time and again by the wily Balthazer, and his increasing desperation to destroy both the thief and the baby, are fascinating, and he spins out of control like an overgrown, petulant child on an over-wound swing.  Also interesting is SGS's portrayal of a young Pontas Pilate, who is secure in his ambition yet stutters at the last moment in his quest for glory. 

The biggest fault with UH is that it starts v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.  I actually pre-ordered this a month in advance to its April release, started reading within a week of it's arrival on my Nook, and put it back down until about a week ago.  The only reason I picked it back up was because I have loved SGS's other novels, and was going on faith that there would be improvement.  I'm glad I did, because once the action started in earnest it was difficult to put the book down.  I enjoyed experiencing the alternative perspective of Balthazar, and also SGS's creation of the very-real, very human Mary and Joseph.  Their conversations, and the occasional insights into their thoughts on their own predicament, were food for thought and brought the novel, and the ancient story it somewhat follows, into sharper relief.  He is also a master of satisfying endings, and his epilogue in UH is no disappointment.

Overall, Unholy Night was another success by Grahame-Smith.  His ability to breathe life into stories and histories that we all take for granted makes for fascinating reading. 

Rating: 4.5 stars.  An enjoyable, satisfying reimagining that picks up speed with each chapter.