Ring the Bells: (The Stranger Times 5)

Hardback Published on: 09/10/2025
Price: £20.00
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Bookseller Reviews

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Ring the Bells
A lovely festive tale!
I don’t want to spoil the 5th book in this fabulous series so I’ll just say that these books are going from strength to strength. If you haven’t yet read ... READ MORE
Amanda, Redhill
Ring the Bells
Are you on the naughty list, can you defeat a 3ft Santa!
I pre-ordered this book back in February and as the release date got closer my excitement just kept increasing and oh boy, I was not disappointed. I fi... READ MORE
Sharon at Maidstone
Ring the Bells
Wildly entertaining
I’m a firm fan of CK McDonnell’s work, and thoroughly enjoy The Stranger Times series immensely. This new instalment is potentially the best yet. It is cer... READ MORE
Kyrsten at Chester
Ring the Bells
Phenomenal!
Can I just say that and trust that you will go and source books one through four? This is one of my favourite series, the characters are perfection, t... READ MORE
Chrys - Plymouth
Ring the Bells
Evil Just In Time For Christmas
I will never not devour a Stranger Times novel. Ring The Bells welcomes a true evil into the world, just in time for Christmas. Our favourite journalists a... READ MORE
Rebecca at East Kilbride

Synopsis

‘Fiendishly clever and monstrously funny, C K McDonnell's latest will steal your soul and eat your brain. In the nicest possible way, of course.’ TOM HOLT, author of The Portable Door and The Eight Reindeers of Christmas

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

For most people, that means a time of celebration, relaxation and inebriation, but not for the staff of The Stranger Times. While a book club meeting ending in a triple murder isn’t unprecedented, it is at least noteworthy. It quickly emerges that this is no ordinary book-club-triple-murder either, as it features a librarian possessed by a chaotic entity who has broken through from another dimension and is hellbent on vengeance. He’s made a list, but he’s not checking it twice as the whole of humanity is on it. Who would want to summon such a thing? And how is anyone going to be able to send it back?

As if that wasn’t enough to be dealing with, a shocking revelation about a member of The Stranger Times team’s past brings family together, but not in a way that’s ever going to make it into a Hallmark movie.

Featuring demonically possessed Santas, blood-thirsty books and the ghost of a legendary nightclub, it’s beginning to look a lot like a Christmas apocalypse . . .

Ring the Bells is the fifth book in the award-winning, critically acclaimed and laugh-out-loud funny The Stranger Times series.

The reviewers loved Relight My Fire:

'McDonnell's world is transgressively hilarious, grimly banal and beguilingly warm. Of course there's a story that the intrepid journalists of The Stranger Times have to tease out: grave-robbing, cryogenics, a very angry witch, and a washed-up indie legend looking for a lost album, but the real joy lies in the pitfalls and pratfalls of getting there.' DAILY MAIL

'An absolute riot of a read.' DAILY EXPRESS

'Laugh-out-loud funny and full of colourful characters.' DAILY MIRROR

'It’s no secret that here at SciFi Towers we’re massive fans of the Stranger Times series by C. K. McDonnell.' SciFiNOW

'I loved the dry and embedded humour of this book, it's the stuff of life . . . the whole thing is great fun.' SFCROSWNEST

'Relight My Fire is perhaps the best since the original.' STARBURST

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780857505392
  • Number of pages: 496
  • Dimensions: 241 x 160 x 43 mm
  • Weight: 729g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Ring the Bells
Another great book in this series
This is the 5th Stranger Times book and, with no disrespect to the author, don't start here! Having said that the prologue is very clever as it gets in a ... READ MORE
Nigel
Ring the Bells
Festive edition of the Stranger Times
Another weird and wonderful romp of an adventure with The Stranger Times gang. Grace and Ox take the kids to see Santa, what could possibly go wrong with f... READ MORE
Natasha Kirby
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Christmas with The Stranger Times
I'm grateful to the publisher for giving me access to an advance e-copy of Ring the Bells to consider for review. Given the seasonal bent of this book, I ... READ MORE
Blue Book Balloon
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Another brilliant instalment
My Five Word TL:DR Review: This Series is a Blast I’m absolutely loving the Stranger Times series and considering that we’re up to instalment No.5 already... READ MORE
Lynn Williams
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Bad Santa
A perfect Christmas treat: the next installment of the Stranger Times series! This time, Manchester is invaded by an old god who wants to harness the ... READ MORE
Verity Halliday
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Loved it
When a well-meaning book group accidentally summons an evil and dangerous old god, they end up paying the ultimate price. Meanwhile, this god, Zalas, is fr... READ MORE
Ella - The Story Collector
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Fantastic piece of escapism
This is an absolutely fantastic piece of escapism, in our world of 9 to 5 life and café community. Read about journalists and police working normally, but ... READ MORE
Joolsie
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Fantastic piece of escapism
This is an absolutely fantastic piece of escapism, in our world of 9 to 5 life and café community. Read about journalists and police working normally, but ... READ MORE
Joolsie
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Tears, laughter - The Stranger Times has it all
It’s the last issue of the Stranger Times of the year, and everything’s on track to get it done in time for the office Christmas party. Only a cyber attack... READ MORE
Lisey P
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
Ring the Bells by C.K. McDonnell
Ring the Bells is the fifth book in The Stranger Times Series. The Stranger Times is a paper covering the more esoteric and unusual new stories of the day.... READ MORE
@damppebbles
Ring the Bells
Christmas wishmas!
Another awesome instalment, filled with a scary Santa, kids dreams coming true (including a t-rex walking around Manchester), a book bound in human skin an... READ MORE
Candace Greatbanks
Ring the Bells
Ring the Bells
This is book five of this most brilliantly bonkers series and, for full enjoyment and understanding, I do recommend you start at book one and read in order... READ MORE
Ashrae
Ring the Bells
An Entertaining Read
The fifth book in this very entertaining series featuring the staff of The Stranger Times newspaper. As usual, the story is packed with crazy characters, ... READ MORE
Janet McMahon
Ring the Bells
Brilliant madness
Sometimes, when the world has gone decidely crackers, what you need is .. well, more mayhem .. but of the fun variety. And especially of the Manchester set... READ MORE
Maria's Book Musings
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Ring the Bells
An outstanding addition to a fantastic series...
If by chance you pick this one up and haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading any of the previous offerings in this series, please do yourself a favour and... READ MORE
Sarah Higbee
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.