Claus - Bertauski, Tony

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Résumé :
AN EPIC SANTA ORIGIN STORY ROOTED IN NORTH POLE LORE AND CHRISTMAS MYTHOLOGY. Long before he became a legend, Nicholas Santa was a 19th-century explorer searching for meaning in the Arctic wilderness. When a violent polar storm separates him from his family, Nicholas is pulled beneath the ice into a hidden world that will alter the course of history. Deep under the North Pole lies an advanced elven civilization-an ancient society protected by powerful technology, sacred traditions, and thousands of years of secrecy. But their world is unraveling. A rising faction, led by the formidable elf Jack, seeks to break from isolation and reshape the surface world through force. Nicholas becomes the first human to witness this realm, drawn into an escalating conflict that threatens both elven and human civilizations. To survive, he must confront supernatural forces, political rebellion, and the responsibilities placed upon him by a destiny he never sought. Claus: Legend of the Fat Man blends mythic fantasy, North Pole adventure, and Christmas folklore into a powerful Santa Claus origin story. Ideal for readers of holiday fantasy, epic mythology, and atmospheric retellings in the vein of Neil Gaiman, Matt Haig, and Terry Pratchett....

Biographie:
Tony Bertauski began his writing career with magazine columns, landscape design textbooks, and a gardening column for the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, before turning fully to fiction. Influenced by a grandfather whose shelves overflowed with classic science fiction, his work explores consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human. In 2008, he won the South Carolina Fiction Open for his short story Four Letter Words. He is best known for the Claus Universe and the Socket Greeny Saga, writing stories that emphasize momentum, emotional connection, and unexpected twists, always with entertainment at the forefront....

Sommaire:
THE RED SUIT COMES LATER. FIRST, HE MUST SURVIVE. Look, we all know how this story ends. Red suit, reindeer, milk and cookies. But nobody told you how it actually started, and spoiler alert: it's way more intense than your childhood Christmas specials led you to believe. So there's Nicholas Santa (yeah, that's his real name). He disappears with his family during an expedition to the North Pole. Because nothing says quality family time like hiking to the most inhospitable place on Earth in the 19th century. When a storm hits, Nicholas gets separated from his wife Jessica and son Jon, plus everything he understood about reality. Beneath the ice lives an ancient race of elves who've been playing hide-and-seek since the Ice Age. Short, stout, and equipped with technology that makes modern smartphones look like stone tablets, they've maintained a peaceful existence until now. Enter Jack. The one guy who ruins it for everyone. He's the elf who complains about everything and has strong opinions about the way things used to be. He's rallying the discontented with plans to abandon the North Pole and redecorate the rest of the world. Fueled by rage and mommy issues, Jack's leading a supernatural revolt. Standing between Jack and global conquest is Nicholas, the first human to stumble into their secret society, wondering how his simple polar expedition turned into a fantasy novel. Claus: Legend of the Fat Man explains how milk-and-cookies Santa evolved from the guy who survived an elven civil war. It's the origin story nobody asked for but everyone secretly wants, proving that even beloved holiday icons started somewhere. And that somewhere was apparently much more complicated than anyone wanted to admit. Perfect for fans of Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel, Matt Haig's The Midnight Library (and his Father Christmas series), Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, and Terry Pratchett's Hogfather....