If you’re looking for a book that’s basically The Office meets Discworld, then Tom Holt’s The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse might just be the book for you. It’s a funny, thrilling ride through the interoffice politics of a commercial sorcery firm. Absurd to the nth degree and filled with a cast of irreverent, often completely incompetent characters, it’s a joyous read from start to finish. But if it’s the title that hooked you, and the premise of a story involving Santa Claus going up against Tiamat the Destroyer, it might be worth adjusting those expectations some.

It’s not that The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse doesn’t deliver exactly what it promises on the tin. It’s just that you’d be forgiven for expecting a book with Santa and his reindeer on the cover to feature just a bit more of Santa and his titular reindeer. Instead, Santa only appears sporadically throughout most of the book, with the vast majority of the story focusing on the employees of Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson: Commercial Sorcerors. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a bit of a jarring discovery to make, midway through a book you thought was gonna be about something else. Now, to be fair, this is my first experience with Holt’s work. I’ve never read any of the other books set in this world, so perhaps all of his books are like this. But I can’t say that I went into The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse expecting what I ultimately got.

On the bright side, however, once you adjust to the kind of story The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is trying to tell, you’re in for a joyous ride. The world Holt creates here feels very Discworld in both tone and subject. All of these sorcerors would feel right at home at Discworld’s Unseen University. And all of the interoffice squabbles and power plays are an absolutely delight to read. Sure, the pacing’s a little bit wonky, especially in the middle. But the book, as a whole, offers a very warm and cozy read. The stakes, while high, somehow feel secondary to the firm’s goings-on – and that makes for a pretty fun dynamic. It’s a fun, breezy read, that does ultimately come together in the end in a pretty satisfying way.

At the end of the day, The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse isn’t quite the read I was expecting it to be, but it’s a fun one nonetheless. Filled with a cast of immediately likable, absurd characters and a whole host of ridiculous subplots and jokes, it’s a fun read from start to finish. I could’ve used a bit more of what the title seemed to promise, but if you’re a fan of Holt’s work, you’re probably gonna dig this book. And it’s a great starting place if you’re new to his work, too. A perfect read for fans of Discworld, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and other such lighthearted, irreverent fantasy novels.

3.5 out of 5 wands

The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is available now in paperback, ebook. and audiobook formats.

Note: A review copy was provided by Edelweiss and Orbit in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.