Ring the Bells

Christmas. It’s the most magical time of the year, but nobody ever said that was a good thing . . . When a well-meaning book group turned witches coven attempt to perform a ritual of peace, they get a whole load of anything but. Meet Zalas, a chaos-loving old god who is the reason a university librarian apparently slaughtered the rest of her book group. The Stranger Times is hot on his trail, but it's hard to track down a being that can pass from person to person just by touch. And contact with this demonic visitor leaves his unwitting hosts bewildered and, more often than not, covered in blood. The team are trying to track him down and also trace the mysterious book that was used inadvertently to summon him. It seems the book group were unwitting patsies, but who would benefit by unleashing a force of sheer chaos?Mind you it's not exactly plain sailing for Zalas. The modern world's proving tricky to navigate. Back in the good old days, all he needed to do was demonstrate his capacity for spectacular violence and followers would flock to him. Now everybody runs away screaming.Like all gods, to thrive and survive he needs believers, but people don’t seem to believe in anything anymore. And as he passes from host to host he can’t find any faith to latch onto unti, that is, he meets Barry Fearns, a down-on-his-luck Santa Claus at Wonderama, the disastrous ‘Christmas experience’ that's coming soon to a consumer affairs TV programme near you. Thanks to Zalas, it's transformed into a magical place where dreams really do come true. Because children are the last true believers and Zalas has found a way into their little hearts. Returning home, they find all their Christmas wishes granted – from unicorns and dinosaurs to grandad visiting, even though he died last year . . . As Zalas’ power grows and grows, the Founders struggle to contain the alarming amount of magic spewing forth into the world and Banecroft and the Stranger Times gang are in a race against time. Because on Christmas eve, when the bells toll, Zalas will gather his followers unto him and when he does, he'll be unstoppable.Someone is coming to town and he certainly isn’t jolly. Can The Stranger Times crew save not just Christmas but possibly the entire world as well?The reviewers loved Relight My 'McDonnell's world is transgressively hilarious, grimly banal and beguilingly warm. Of course there's a story that the intrepid journalists of The Stranger Times have to tease grave-robbing, cryogenics, a very angry witch, and a washed-up indie legend looking for a lost album, but the real joy lies in the pitfalls and pratfalls of getting there.' DAILY MAIL'An absolute riot of a read.' DAILY EXPRESS'Laugh-out-loud funny and full of colourful characters.' DAILY MIRROR'It’s no secret that here at SciFi Towers we’re massive fans of the Stranger Times series by C. K. McDonnell.' SciFiNOW'I loved the dry and embedded humour of this book, it's the stuff of life . . . the whole thing is great fun.' SFCROSWNEST'Relight My Fire is perhaps the best since the original.