Claus - Bertauski, Tony

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Résumé :
Letters to Santa don't always reach the North Pole. A seven-year-old boy writes to Santa, not for toys, but for something far more selfless: a gift for his mother and, if possible, a ride in the sleigh. The letter is short, heartfelt, and tucked into an envelope addressed simply to Santa Claus, North Pole. It is sealed, stamped, and mailed. That should've been the end of it. The letter is read. By a mother, who cries. By a network, hidden behind screens. By someone who hasn't believed in magic for a very long time... and someone else who never stopped believing. Now, a brilliant but broken girl named Kandi and her widowed father are swept away on an all-expenses-paid Christmas vacation to a tropical island where ornaments float and holograms entertain. There's no phone service. No guests. Their host is mysterious and reclusive, seen walking the island in a heavy cloak. It's clear she loves Christmas. Maybe a little too much. As temperatures rise and technology misbehaves, it becomes clear this is no ordinary vacation. At the center of the island is a secret tower, and at the heart of the mystery, a famous Christmas figure-the most famous of all-is waking up, dazed and confused as to where he is and how he got there. The island's host has big plans for him. Plans that will change Christmas forever. Claus: Rise of the Miser is a bold and surreal holiday adventure filled with illusions, secrets, and sentient machines. At the heart of it all is a girl searching for answers, and a mother searching for redemption. Christmas spirit isn't dead. It's being repackaged....

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:
SOMETIMES THE BIGGEST THREAT TO CHRISTMAS IS THE ONE TRYING TO SAVE IT. A seven-year-old boy writes to Santa. Not for toys, not for video games, but for something far bigger: a gift for his mother and, if possible, a quick ride in the sleigh. The letter is short, honest, and mailed the old-fashioned way. That should've been the end of it. Instead, it's read. By a mother, who cries. By a network, hidden behind screens. By someone who hasn't believed in magic for decades... and someone who never stopped. What begins with a single wish lands Kandi, a brilliant but broken girl, and her widowed father on a luxury Christmas vacation they didn't ask for. The destination? A tropical island where ornaments float, holograms dance, and the snow is absent. There are no phones. No guests. Their mysterious host is cloaked and just a little obsessed with Christmas. She's prepared every detail. Too perfectly. But as heat rises and technology glitches, paradise begins to unravel. The island isn't just a resort. It's a stage. At its center is a hidden tower, and inside it, a legend is waking up. Confused. Powerful. The most famous Christmas figure of all, pulled into a game he doesn't understand. And their host? She has plans. Big ones. The kind that will rewrite Christmas itself. Claus: Rise of the Miser is a bold, surreal holiday adventure packed with illusions, secrets, and sentient machines. At its core is a girl desperate for answers and a mother desperate for redemption. Magic meets technology, wishes collide with reality, and Christmas will never look the same. Because sometimes the greatest gift comes wrapped in chaos....