Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
All hail, Krampus, Lord of Yule!
In Krampus: The Yule Lord the Reader is taken on a stunning, horror-fueled holiday journey following Krampus, his Belsnickels, Santa and a low-on-his-luck musician, Jesse Walker, of Boone County, West Virginia.
On Christmas Eve, after Jesse witnesses a battle between Santa Claus and some demon-like entitites, Jesse is left with a lot of questions and Santa’s magical sack. What would seem a boon to many people ends up bringing nothing but bad tidings for poor Jesse.
Krampus wants that sack and now Jesse is in his path, but Jesse has other problems. He’s gotten on the shit list of some seedy men and is dodging threats from every side, including threats to his ex and daughter.
Once he and Krampus are brought together, Jesse can hardly believe what is happening to him. He’s literally been drawn into the quest of the Yule Lord, but is Krampus bad or good?
If you believe the story as Krampus tells it, Santa Claus is an evil fraud who must be stopped. Jesse really could care less, he just wants his estranged-wife, Linda, and daughter, Abigail, to be safe and it seems like Krampus will be able to help him with that.
Y’all, I absolutely adored this story. From the very first chapter, I was completely drawn into this lush, fantastical, emotionally-charged and brutal tale.
I loved getting the opportunity to read from Krampus’s perspective and those scenes were some of my favorite from the entire narrative.
I was blown away by the detailed folkloric elements that Brom included. The idea of Yule, Krampus, Santa and everything surrounding them was fascinating and definitely something I would enjoy reading more about.
We see a bit of the rivalry between Krampus and Santa, which was really fun. At one point, I mentioned in a status update that they felt like an old-bickering couple. We, of course, are treated to Krampus’s side of things, so I was totally behind him.
Another bit I really enjoyed was when Krampus and Jesse were traveling around and Krampus, having been locked up for half a millennium, was seeing the present state of the world for the first time.
It was interesting seeing Krampus be shocked by the horrors that modern man bring about, not just for themselves, but for others and on the Earth. That idea was explored in some detail and I found it sad and beautiful all at the same time. It was so well done.
Lastly, I don’t think I can write a review for this book without mentioning Brom’s illustrations. Are you kidding me? Never have more gorgeous illustrations graced the pages of a book.
Having the stunning depictions of theses characters, and pivotal moments of scenes, laid out in front of me absolutely elevated the reading experience.
I definitely recommend picking up a hard copy if you are planning to read it. I am so happy to have this remarkable book as part of my own collection. I cannot wait to pick up more from Brom.
I now officially have a new favorite go-to Holiday Horror novel!! 10-out-of-10 recommend!! I am kompletely krazy for Krampus!!
