Red Ice by Damien Casey

Red Ice Reviews

• 
  Adam Hulse

  Sometimes you a book release hits the perfect timing. Caught between Halloween and Christmas, I have to say Red Ice falls into that category. Casey brings the cuteness, the laughs, and plenty of cool action set-pieces for all horror fans. I felt like when I was a kid watching Gremlins for the first time. A little scared but cosy and excited at the same time. That's what Casey can do. His books can give you that bit of magic you lost somewhere along the way. I also enjoyed the little streams of consciousness that are used as a character thinking but are actually the author having fun with social cynicism. Buy Red Ice NOW because NOW is the perfect time to read it.
• 
  Joe Ortlieb

  Moth mayhem
  
  Do you like Dog soldiers how about predator? Yeah then throw in mothman and you have red ice. An action fueled joy read like only Casey can do. This one is a banger that needs to be read by all, for all to have a good night. Ok yeah like seriously just read it. Why because it's Casey at his best!
• 
  Craig Matthews

  Red Ice was more of a 3.5*, 7/10 for me, but it feels fairer to round this one up, rather than down, in this case.
  
  Now December is well & truly underway, I've been in the mood to get more festive reads under my belt, and why not one starring everyone's favourite (non-Bigfoot) cryptid? In a lot of ways the Christmas setting here feels a little like window dressing - I don't think the story would materially have to change a lot if it was set at a different time of year - but that's fine for me. Even if it didn't necessarily drive the story, being set during the festive period worked for me, and made it a nice twist on similar stories.
  
  Clocking in at ~100 pages or so, this novella was a quick, fun read. It took me a couple of hours from reading the first page to finish it, and it was enjoyable enough to keep me wanting to read one more chapter. Before I knew it, I'd reached the end. There's some good action sequences throughout, bloody in places but certainly not gory to extreme levels, but despite these acts of violence the author has managed to make Mothman - or Lemmy - a sympathetic character. The details of his history and background really helped flesh him out, making key moments in the story all the more impactful.
  
  To me, I felt like most of the other characters didn't share the same depth - this isn't a massive surprise, as we do end up with a large number of them introduced, and the short form of the story naturally doesn't leave a lot of room for all of them to develop naturally. There were certainly at least a couple of the main characters I did like a lot, however, and not surprisingly those were the ones who I felt we learned more about and saw more of their thoughts and feelings.
  
  Overall, a highly enjoyable short read, and one that's perfect as a December read. It's also the second Christmas-set horror novella in a row I've read that's made numerous punk references, which is a fun coincidence. Highly recommend checking this out if you like festive B-movies, quick action-packed reads or, of course, the Mothman.
• 
  Joanna Glispie

  With indie books like this, I always want to give them the benefit of the doubt so I’ll start with the things that I liked: I did love reading about the sites, stores, and vibes i know well from Point Plesant. There were some funny enough one liners. Other than that, the rest of the book wasn’t for me as much as I adore mothman.
  
  Trying to humanize mothman and give him a name, bad father, and love of Christmas music didn’t do what I believed it was intended to do. The writing was about equal to what the average 12 year old boy would have done, down to the poor depictions of women as sexual objects even when they’re supposed to be badass and cool. There were too many character with poor characterization to have any kind of emotional response when they were picked off in the slasher style story, and there were times I had to go back and reread to see where I had missed one dying because it was written more as an off handed comment than an epic and scary moment. None of the characters acted like real people would if their friends were being slaughtered before them, and if someone spoke to me in real life in the way the dialogue was written in this book, I’d laugh in their face.
  
  All in all, it’s so cool to have published work out there, so congrats to the writer for having the courage to put himself out there like this. I finished the book, to respect that fact. But a book that is just over 100 pages long should not have taken me so long to get through.
• 
  ⚕️NurseNan⚕️

  Mothman - the moth, the myth, the legend. Also a lover of Christmas with a backstory that will leave you shooketh. Shooketh I say.
  
  In this story, you find out the Origins of Mothman and his ties to other Cryptids. You also encounter a brother and sister on a holiday vacation that neither will soon forget. Both come face to face in the West Virginia town of Point Pleasant. Mix in some colorful locals and Government officials, and you have a holiday tale straight out of an action movie.
  
  This book made me cry. Actually cry. It is sad, it is funny, it has warm fuzzy feelings and scenes of brutal carnage. Check this book out as part of your holiday readings.
• 
  ania | hellishreads

  this was a really quick christmas read centred around mothman! while there’s absolutely horror elements, people being murdered and all, it’s also such an emotional read. who knew you could feel all the feels for little mothman? 🥲
  
  i think it’s a great read during christmas if you want a holiday themed book and would recommend it if you’re into mothman and want a light horror! the only downside to the book is the amount of characters to keep track of, there’s far too many making some scenes too chaotic and confusing. but if that’s not an issue to you as a reader, it’s a delightfully sweet and bloody read.
  
  rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up on here).
• 
  kellin

  This book was fantastic, I’m obsessed with anything cryptic or mothman related! So when I seen this book I absolutely had to read it… and yes it’s a Christmas book and I’m just reading it at the end of march but we’re going to ignore that because never late than ever.. or something like that. This book was fast paced and action packed! The characters were all fantastic! The setting of the book was absolutely brilliant! The story its self was very enjoyable and well thought out! This was a super fun twist in the mothman! If you can get your hands on a copy do it! This is something all horror fans need to read! Who doesn’t love a festive creature feature!
• 
  Megan Wintrip

  I'm sure you have all heard of Mothman, correct? I have and I love folklore and anything Cryptid so when I got the chance to read this book I had to!
  
  It's a great spin on Mothman and hey for all we know it could be really how everything happened!
  
  Started as a boy/moth hybrid now a man/moth hybrid... Mothman. Who lived Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. I think Mothman is still a child at heart but when his "father" tried to end him he did not like people anymore! Now he haunts Mount Pleasant and kills who and what he wants!
  
  I absolutely loved this book!
• 
  Sarah Huntington

  Damien is probably the most unique writer I've ever read. While all of his books are extremely different, they each have things in common. Great characters, wild adventures, tons of fun, lots to laugh at, and unexpected events. Anything could happen in a Damien Casey book and it usually does. This was pure escapism. Forget where you are and what problems you might have, grab a big mug of tea, put your feet up, and go off on a wild, unforgetable adventure.
• 
  Phrique

  🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋/5
  
  The only thing better than a good Christmas story is a Christmas story of the Mothman who brings tidings of blood & gore. This was a quick, funny, extremely red Christmas horror story that delivered everything I asked for on my list to Santa. From TikTok’s gone wrong to she-sheds in shambles to YouTubers earning their likes/subscribes, this story was entertaining through & through. Hoping for a sequel or 20, highly recommend this one. Merry Mothmas!
• 
  Dion Smith

  3.5 stars out of 5.
  
  This was a quick fun and gory read, I have read a few books by Damien Casey now, and they all have a fun quirky style to them, If you have read any of his other work you will know what I mean.
  
  The only downside to this book, is that I want more of it, I'd love a detailed interconnecting stories, like Stephen Kings Dark Tower universe but with Casey's style.
  
  
• 
  Cat Voleur

  This is my new favorite Christmas book.
  
  For those of you who are having a little trouble finding the holiday spirit, I cannot recommend this book enough. It's bloody, strange, and surprisingly heartfelt.
  
  Who doesn't want a little mothman history for the holidays?
• 
  Stephanie Sanders-Jacob

  I try to read a bunch of Christmas horror in December and I was so happy to see this! Mothman loves the holidays, but he’s also a killing machine. It’s tough to be a bug. I really enjoyed this refreshing take on the cryptid. Very fun!
• 
  Horror Haus Books

  I’m a sucker for a good Mothman story and this one slayed. I really enjoyed it. The writing style is on point and there’s the perfect amount of gore & humor.
  
  The perfect holiday read.
• 
  Elford Alley

  Casey takes the story of the Mothman and creates a horror-comedy holiday classic. Visceral, funny, and heartbreaking, too. Casey writes like no one else, and I'm here for it.
• 
  Eric

  They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.
  
  Full review at MonsterBookClub
• 
  Norman Miller

  A festive tale of a mothman who loves Christmas and loves to spread cheer by splattering jolly blood everywhere.
• 
  Madison McSweeney

  Like a Hallmark Christmas movie with a Mothman.
• 
  Sarah

  Just the right amount of Christmas and mirhman goodness. It is fast-paced, well written, and keeps you hooked the whole time. It's probably the best mothman story I've ever read. Definitely recommend
• 
  Jason Reads

  Hallmark meets cryptid horror, if that's not a Christmas miracle I don't know what is.
• 
  Syd White

  Easily one of the most fun holiday horror books I've ever read.
• 
  Danielle Yeager

  Damien Casey, Mothman, me... all West Virginians. So when this book came out, I rushed to buy it and I LOVED it! It's a Christmas banger full of action and hilarity. If you, like me, are a lover of cryptids and/or a Damien Casey fan, you NEED this book. If you haven't read anything by him yet, start with this one—'tis the season!