Krampus: The Yule Lord

We are just going to jump right in to what this is about.

Krampus: The yule lord by Brom takes the legend of Krampus and makes it complex, dark and funny.

Jolly old Saint Nick has banished Krampus, and has kept our yule lord chained away in a cave for thousands of years. Krampus could escape, if he had the power to do so. Due to the dwindling belief in Krampus, and the lack of his magic bag, Krampus has no means to escape. His need for  vengeance is the only thing that keeps him going. So what is a angry yule lord to do when he personally can do nothing? He sends minions after Santa and his bag. You know, the bag of toys that brings joy to boys and girls everywhere. Yeah, that belongs to Krampus.

The bag leads us to our main human character. Jesse is down on his luck. Living in a trailer park because his wife and daughter left him for the town's corrupt police chief (or sheriff. I can't remember which it is). He has no real job, but plays his guitar in dive bars to get by. When that doesn't pay the bills, he does runs for the local drug lord.

Jesse is sitting out in his truck thinking of ending it all with a bullet in his brain, when he is witness to something strange. A man in a Santa suit being chased by several devil looking creatures. Suddenly, dying is the last thing on Jesse's mind. The Santa like man takes off in his sleigh with the devil beings hitching a ride. Through a series of odd events, Jesse ends up with the bag. Which throws Jesse in to  a series of weird and life altering events.

Bring in a drug lord wanting to off Jesse, and kidnap his daughter for leverage. A cop who is not the greatest human being on earth. Jesse being thrown in to the path of Krampus (who actually takes a liking to Jesse.), and a magical bag. 

I have to say that I am really impressed by Brom's writing style. After reading The Child Thief, I needed more. Krampus is more complex than you would think. I wont go in to detail about Krampus and Santa's deep hatred for each other, or back round stories, you all will have to read it for yourself. Believe me, it's worth it. I already liked Krampus  (my affinity for siding with "bad guys" and the misunderstood strikes again), but this story gave him some depth and you feel for him and his situation.

Oh Jesse. His redneck drama was a welcomed break from the main story. If Jess didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all. But, he manages to pull through, and keep a sense of humor about him.

The minions are awesome. They were once human from different periods in time. Which means they are all on the older side, but Krampus and his magic keeps them youngish.

This was a really good novel. I'm sad Brom does not have more novels out. Hopefully, I will just be content looking at his art books until he writes something new.

This is directly from Brom's site. If you can't tell, he leans more towards the creepy side. Which makes the horror junkie in me happy.

Give this a go. You wont regret it. Unless you like Santa. Then this might not be the book for you. Personally, I think a guy breaking in to homes, leaving things for children and expecting cookies and milk in return is rather creepy.

5/7.....*snicker* JK. 5/5

The Child Thief. Review

Think about the whimsical tale that is Peter Pan for a moment. Flying. Powers. Staying young forever. Playing all day long with Peter and his lost boys. Okay. Now take away the whimsy of this classic tale. All you are left with a creepy young boy who befriends children, wins their trust, then lures them to a far off land never to be seen again. It's terrifying. 

There you have "The Child Thief" a retelling of Peter Pan by Brom. 

Honestly, I'm not sure how to review this book without giving away key elements of the story. For now, we'll just stick to the basics. 

You all know Peter's shtick by now. Taking Children off to a far off land In order to play with him. Well, what if there was something darker behind that? I won't give away the reason here, but it doesn't paint Peter as the playful scamp we have all grown to know. 

What if the Captain wasn't as bad as we thought? What if he were just a trapped soul wanting to go home? That is the case here. However, the Captain could have picked a better group of traveling companions. The captain is from the Crusade era. Eleminating those who don't believe in God. The captain's traveling companions happen to be made of priest zealots. Who are determined to rid this pagan land of the devil. should stop here and mention that because of the era these guys are, there is some torture in this story. The captain isn't actually "bad", just from a time of narrow mindedness 

and one track ideas. 

The Mist is the enterance between Peter's world and mankind's world. It is controlled by "The Lady", who actually is the life force behind everything in this world. At this point she has not been seen in years, Because of this the mist is becoming unstable and the world is dying. I have already given too much away here. 

Meet the kidnapped children. Most of them abused or abandoned by parents. Some are runaways. One is a murderer. I'm not going to give too much away about these kids. They each have their story and I'm not going to be the one to give it away. These are the second most intriguing characters in this story. 

Peter is actually the most interesting character. We learn a lot about his background through memories. You Understand why he is the way he is, and why he does things a little differently. This doesn't make his actions throughout the book excusable, but the background info makes it easier to understand his thought process. 

I wasn't expecting much from this novel when I started, but the further I got in to they story, the more I was drawn in to this world and it's people. This is a gory and dark book. VERY dark. Luckily, I dig that kind of thing. 

It you enjoy the darker side of classic story retellings, I suggest giving this a go. I don't often use this word to describe a book, but it is beautiful. Crass, but beautifully written. 

5/5