Who Knocks Tonight

These are 24 stories of creatures that existed before Santa Claus, his reindeer-pulled sleigh, and the elves.

Long before the man in red, winter belonged to other visitors. In the Alps they rattled chains on the fifth of December. In Iceland a great black cat prowled on Christmas Eve, looking for anyone without new clothes. In Wales a horse's skull came knocking, singing for its supper.

Who Knocks Tonight is a folk horror advent calendar for adults: twenty-four dark stories, one for each night from 1 December to Christmas Eve, each belonging to a creature from real winter folklore.

Inside you'll find:

• 24 original horror stories, real tales with real endings, not encyclopaedia entries


• 24 engraved creature portraits, one on every black door page, in the style of an old folklore book


• Stories told 24 different ways: a family group chat, an inquest transcript, a pilot's black-box recording, a grandmother's recipe book, a live radio phone-in and more


• Calendar-true nights: Krampus arrives on Krampusnacht, Lussi on Lucia Night, the Yule Cat on Christmas Eve


• A short lore note after every story, telling you where the tradition comes from and what people really did to keep it from the door


• The Midwinter Quiz: 24 trivia questions, one for each night, with answers


• A map of where every creature comes from, a guide to surviving the long nights, and a Door Log to tick off each night as you read


• Krampus, Perchta, Grýla, the Mari Lwyd, Belsnickel, Père Fouettard, the Kallikantzaroi, the Wild Hunt and more

Read one at bedtime. Leave the porch light on. And whatever you hear on the step, don't stop reading.

A dark Christmas gift for anyone who prefers their December with a little frost on the glass.