Logistics – A Christmas Story: Novella Review
Hello everyone!
Before we dive in, I wanted to again celebrate the fact that my debut collection, What Remains When The Stars Burn Out, came out March 31st! Right now I have a limited supply of paperbacks that I am selling signed (with some goodies too). Want yours? Fill out this form:
Please note that signed copies are only available to be shipped in the US. Unfortunately shipping internationally is too expensive for me to be able to make it work!
Now onto the review! This is another book I received through Blackthorn Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
The Author
Chris Coppel, besides being an author, has also worked for both Warner Bros., Universal Studios, also well as acting as the Director of Operations for UCLA’s Film School where he taught advanced screen writing. Coppel’s portfolio includes Double Down (as C.J. Axelrod), Logistics, Liner, Lucy, Lakebed, Legacy, Lodge and Luck. Apparently he likes the “L'“ titles.
I was raised the son of a writer. My father wrote plays, films and novels. He was successful and suffered constant wanderlust. I was born in America when he was there writing Vertigo for Alfred Hitchcock. I give that familial insight so that you can understand that I had the genes, I just needed to find my footing and get up the nerve to put pen to paper (or to be more accurate…open my laptop). Many would say that having a successful parent should make it easier to follow their path under the protective shadow of their parent’s success. Not so!
- Bio provided by Blackthorn
The Novella
After being abandoned at the age of two and a half, Holly Hillman was raised without whimsy or fantasy. She was taught that there were no such things as Santa Claus, fairies, elves or any other accepted fantasies that help a child deal with the harder realities of life. Now in her forties, she is the CEO of a Fortune 400 company. She rose to the top through hard work, but also by living without distractions or social attachments. Despite her rigidly ingrained dedication, Holly was content with her life, having never lived by any other tenet. Everything was perfect until she was required to give her DNA as part of a health check leading up her company’s merger with an Asian conglomerate.
The results of her test unlocked the secret of her unique ancestry, leading to her having to confront a fantastical truth that would forever change her views on life and reality itself.
- Logistics Amazon description
Logistics: A Christmas Story was published in 2021 and is a holiday fiction novella about a young woman who discovers her festive heritage. Cold-hearted Holly is afraid to step out of her comfort zone, but an important business decision throws her world for a loop.
How did I end up reading a Christmas tale in April, and one that wasn’t a horror at that? I honestly have no idea. Maybe I thought it was horror when I signed up? Oh well. I definitely kept waiting for something horrid to happen the whole way through. Coppel’s other works are mainly psychological and thriller, which is probably why I was so convinced.
The Review
So, reader, you know me. I tend to like horror above all else. I definitely started reading Logistics like it was a horror before realizing it was more Hallmark movie. That said, the writing was good. Holly, as the main female lead, was well-written and well-rounded.
I also liked Coppel’s corporate take on the Santa mythos. It was rather fun to see how he tied the magic of Christmas in with how corporate America works.
Overall the novella didn’t blow me away but I don’t think it was meant to be anything more than a popcorn tale of second chances, Christmas joy, and love. A lot of tropes, a lot of convenient plot moments, and no real conflict.
However, I think this novella would make for a cozy holiday read for lovers of classic Hallmark movies. You know the ones.
As a horror novella, only a 3/10 (3 is for the horrors of corporate America). As a holiday novella:
6/10
x PLM
