Book Review: Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom

Krampus: The Yule Lord

by Gerald Brom
Published: October 30th, 2012

SYNOPSIS:

Set in Appalachia, Krampus the Yule Lord is a twisted fairytale about a failed West Virginia songwriter who gets ensnared on Christmas Eve in an eternal war between a not-so-saintly Saint Nick and his dark enemy Krampus, aka Black Peter, an ancient trickster demon. Krampus the Yule Lord is Gregory Maguire (Wicked) meets Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) in the realm of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, as Clive Barker (Mr. B. Gone) works his dark sorcery from the shadows. Once again featuring Brom’s chillingly beautiful artwork throughout, Krampus the Yule Lord is a feast of wonder straight from the kitchen of Sweeney Todd.

REVIEW:

I have had quite the fascination with Krampus for many years now and when I came across this book I absolutely had to give it a read. Very quickly I discovered a new favorite author in Gerald Brom. I can honestly say there are only a few authors that truly reach me through their writing and Brom is now among that group. He has such a magical style of writing that pulls you right on in. I instantly felt for Jesse and his struggles and grew to deeply care for The Yule Lord. This is a story of struggle and finding a way to overcome it. While many may be turned off simply by the cover of this book, which I guess may seem scary to some... I think everyone should give this book a read and especially the afterword. I feel it's very important to be aware of the root where legends and traditions stem from.

FUN FACT: All of the stunning illustrations from the cover and throughout the book are by Brom as well.

RATING: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️