The author and artist of The Child Thief returns with a modern fabulist tale of Krampus, the Lord of Yule and mortal enemy of Santa Claus.
One Christmas Eve in a small hollow in Boone County, West Virginia, struggling songwriter Jesse Walker witnesses a strange spectacle: seven devilish figures chasing a man in a red suit toward a sleigh and eight reindeer. When the reindeer leap skyward taking … leap skyward taking the sleigh, devil men, and Santa into the clouds, screams follow. Moments later, a large sack plummets earthward, a magical sack that will thrust the down-on-his luck singer into the clutches of the terrifying Yule Lord, Krampus. But the lines between good and evil become blurred as Jesse’s new master reveals many dark secrets about the cherry-cheeked Santa Claus, and how half a millennium ago, the jolly old saint imprisoned Krampus and usurped his magic.
Now Santa’s time is running short, for the Yule Lord is determined to have his retribution and reclaim Yuletide. If Jesse can survive this ancient feud, he might have the chance to redeem himself to his family, to save his own broken dreams…and help bring the magic of Yule to the impoverished folk of Boone County.
more
Krampus has become a yearly holiday read and I am not mad about it.
This was nothing like I thought it would be. I was expecting horror but what I got was an amazing story about the background of Krampus and Santa. This book surprised me. You look at Krampus and think he is bad, this book makes you feel for him, love him a little. After I was done, I was wanting to put treats in my shoes and tell my kids all about …
Everyone I know has a way they heard the Krampus story. This one took me surprise, a pleasant surprise.
Five Stars for the high Fun Factor here. An absurd and thoroughly entertaining mashup of myth/religion for the winter holiday season. Good pacing and page-turning enjoyment. Hail Krampus!
Ok, I think I’m in love. There must be something seriously wrong with me because I’m in love with the Yule Lord, and I’m not ashamed in the slightest! 😛
I found this story – or, should I say, this story found me – right in time for Yuletide, and once I started reading, I couldn’t take my eyes off this book even for a moment. Brom created …
Besides the typos it was adorable
A bitchy ancient God in Appalachia is one character in this story.
Brom has written few books, but every single one is a jewel. This one is especially brilliant.
Deliciously wicked fun. A dark take on the whole Christmas tradition.
Not your typical Christmas book! Krampus will give you a whole new perspective on Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. As an awesome bonus, this is a novel with incredible illustrations (not to be confused with a graphic novel). Brom is as talented in his writing as he is with his visual art. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for …
I absolutely loved it! It’s one of my favorites!
Who is the villain? Santa Claus or Krampus… or both? I thoroughly enjoyed this dark fantasy novel about two of mythology’s most notorious characters. An engrossing story world and fresh characters bring excitement to a fast-paced story-line. A great read all the way around and now one of my holiday favorites.
Although the prose itself is far from impressive (run-on sentences, odd grammar, a few errors, unnecessary words, and strange constructions, to name but a few), the story and character progressions were STELLAR.
There is a pretty high climax around the middle point and it never really got back to that amount of momentum, but even with that, …