Jolly old Saint Nick’s infidelity has outlandish and unpredictable consequences in this erotic urban-fantasy series opener.

Santa Claus is making his Christmas Eve rounds in 1970 when he runs into the Tooth Fairy. It’s the first time he’s ever seen her in person, and though she tries seducing him, Santa initially resists having sex with her. However, he succumbs to his desires on successive encounters on the next two Christmas Eves, and Santa feels guilty enough to confess them to his wife, Anya, at their North Pole home. But he doesn’t keep his promise to avoid the Tooth Fairy, as he’s smitten with her. The two continue an affair for years, even at the North Pole after one of the elves loses a tooth and Santa later finds a disturbing way to “summon” the Tooth Fairy. Meanwhile, the fluffy, white Easter Bunny is green with envy: Santa is beloved by kids worldwide and also has the adoration of two attractive women. When he witnesses a tryst between Santa and the Tooth Fairy, he decides to tell Mrs. Claus. Meanwhile, just as Santa screws up his determination to end the affair, he falls in love with mortal Rachel Townsend, who has a curious link to his past; she’s a woman whom Santa can see as his wife—except, of course, for the fact that he’s still married to Anya. The Tooth Fairy, however, isn’t about to let Santa cut ties with her, and she’ll do whatever it takes to show her jolly lover that no one is allowed to leave her.

In this book, originally published in 1998, Devereaux effectively pokes plenty of fun at mythical figures. Santa, for example, is portrayed as perpetually conflicted, arguing with the voice of “not-Santa” in his head. Meanwhile, the alarmingly forbidding Tooth Fairy regularly munches on the teeth she collects. Sadly, much of the cast comes off as hateful or unsavory; Santa blames Anya for his unfaithfulness because her lack of libido denies him his “needs.” That said, this book also features lyrical, amusing passages that fuse its abundant erotica with a touch of comedy: “Like a smith’s beaten iron plunged hissing into water,” the author writes, “Santa drove his fiery rod into his lover’s boiling stewpit, so that their flesh seethed and sizzled there.” There’s diverting fantasy, as well, such as “magic time,” which essentially allows beings to hide from mortals and do things secretly, such as deliver gifts to millions of homes. As the story turns increasingly violent, Devereaux scales back the humor; a significant character’s death is a rather grave event, and the fallout from Santa’s infidelity isn’t treated lightly. The tale has a pronounced religious element (with intermittent appearances of God and angels), and this series starter hints that there’s more to Santa and the others than meets the eye. This becomes abundantly clear in the hectic final act, which offers big reveals but leaves clarifications for future entries.

A droll and eccentric tale with a cast of legends.