Krampus: The Yule Lord

This book is so different and one I really enjoyed. It’s hard to make something so beloved by children and people across the world that has heavy ties to religion into something new and modern. The story of Krampus is usually told in the way of him being a villain not a hero. It was nice to see him in a new light and through the eyes of a normal everyday man. I really enjoyed how adult this book really is and hits on many different themes. All of them are written very well and we’re very real, despite being in a book an old god roaming the earth. It’s very gritty and real as we deal with multiple different stories in one. The pacing is well done and there are moments when I really thought it was all over for our protagonist. Highly recommend.

Krampus by Brom celebrates the mythology and folklore surrounding the pagan figure of Krampus, the Yule Lord, in a novel that is part fantasy, part horror, and part holiday treat. I went into this one with neither the highest expectations nor the foggiest idea what direction the story might take. Though the beginning is a tad shaky, as we are introduced to the main character Jesse, once the disparate pieces start falling into place I was pleasantly surprised to find a wide array of characters with rich personalities and motives and a story that portrays Krampus as everything one would expect: he is both good and terrible, with qualities that make him, in many cases, as human as you or I.Though the legend of Krampus cuts across different cultures and takes many forms as a result, Brom selects a decidedly Norse leaning interpretation of the horned creature. Those familiar with Norse mythology will encounter many familiar personas (some directly and others by reference): there’s Odin, Loki, Hel, Geri, Freki, Huginn, Muninn, and others. Krampus’s acolytes are referred to as Belsnickels, which is not Norse in origin but German, brought over by early immigrants to America from that country. Then there’s the Christian influence, the followers of which instantly see Krampus as none other than Satan himself. Krampus is a seven foot tall demon with curved horns sprouting from his head, so can’t really blame them.The story of Krampus is this: Santa Claus imprisoned Krampus hundreds of years ago and, as a result, Yule and its traditions have been forgotten. Krampus himself is wasted away, a sad shadow of his former self. But he still yearns to return to the world to spread his own particular form of holiday cheer. His Belsnickels, or servants, carry out his will, slowly setting the stage for the Yule Lord’s escape and the fruition of Krampus’s dream: to kill Santa Claus and to then remind the world that Krampus was here first.While there are elements of horror in Krampus, this is not solely a horror novel. There are some gruesome deaths, but there are also many fantastical elements, such as Santa’s flying sled, reindeer, and his sack, which he stole from Krampus long ago and which can produce nearly anything one desires as long as the user is of Loki’s bloodline.What struck me the most about Krampus is the characters. Jesse is a loser looking for his way in life while trying to win back his estranged wife and daughter (very cliché, I know, but he kind of grows on you). Some of the baddies, including the General and Chief Dillard, are mostly just bad with no motive other than that. But the Belsnickels and Krampus himself felt very real to me. Each Belsnickel was “recruited” at different times and under different circumstances. One is near a hundred years old (Belsnickels do not age since they have the blood of Krampus flowing through their veins) and another, Isabel, a girl of about twenty, has been that age for going on forty years. Wipi, Nipi, and Makwa want nothing more than to serve their lord. Vernon would prefer the Yule Lord keel over and die; he does little to hide these feelings, too, which presented some laugh out loud moments for me. Isabel, Krampus’s “little lion,” is the little sister archetype. She left behind a newborn child in her previous life and she longs to return to that life to undo some mistakes she made, but she’s also terrified of facing those failures and of being rejected by her now grown child. Even Krampus, who is both good and terrible, has his own inner struggles as he tries to cope with the fact that the world has moved on without him. It’s not until the end that Krampus rediscovers himself entirely:"Jesse had never seen this side of the Yule Lord, and it occurred to him that he was seeing the real Krampus, the Krampus of ancient times, the great and wild Yule spirit that galvanized mankind to brave the darkest primeval nights, kindled their will to survive the trials of the harshest winters. He could almost see the horned beast dancing this very jig within the communal houses of primitive man. Jesse saw the way the people fed on Krampus’s spirit, and how, in turn, Krampus fed on theirs. And understood now just why those shoes, with their small tribute of candies, meant so much to the Yule Lord. That what Krampus needed more than anything was a flock to shepherd, to protect and inspire."Krampus is as much a story about the traditions of Christmas and Yule as it is a tale of discovery. Krampus steals the show in many scenes, but the supporting characters have stories of their own that I found intriguing and fun to follow along. Krampus is an alternate classic for the holidays which I could see myself reading again and again.

Well, found a new author that I am smitten with. Krampus was an entertaining, thought-provoking story that melds Santa Claus with the grandson of the Norse god of mischief himself, Loki. Krampus is the spitting image of the devil, but is actually a banished god from Asgard trying to regain his notoriety in a modern world. Read this book…is sure to please!

Love this book

This book is AWESOME SAUCE!!!! I'm not even finished with it (well, almost finished) and I'm already telling people about it and suggesting they purchase it! Oh, and pictures are very nice too.

I purchased this book during the holiday season for a season themed adventure. When I received the book in the mail, I was surprised at how large the book is in dimensions. It’s 358 pages in large font format which made it easy to see even in low lighting. Depending on how I was positioned while reading, it was hard to hold comfortably when reading for longer than an hour. There are several pages of artist renditions of characters in the middle of the book, and in the beginning of a chapter which gave it a classic kids style book. The writing of the story felt like it was a young adult book, and is not overly descriptive which made it easily a fast read. I don’t think that the topics would fly really well with most parents. It definitely is a story for adults.The tale begins in our current time frame, and the adventure that Jesse has during the holiday season. Jessie is a deadbeat alcoholic dad who is down in the dumps during the holiday. His wife took their daughter and left him for a police officer who antagonizes Jesse and does what he can to not let Jesse see his daughter. One night Jesse witnesses Santa Claus's sleigh going down into the woods, and comes across his toy sack. He tries to make things better for himself, but then falls into an even bigger situation and stumbles across Krampus. Krampus has been locked up for hundreds of years in a cave, imprisoned by Santa Claus himself. Jesse frees Krampus with the help of Krampuses Belsnickles.This book really tells 2 tales at once. Jesse and Krampus are both the main characters of the story. The first third of the book was really slow. I started reading this in December, but struggled to keep focused in it. Later in May I was determined to finish the story and glad I did. Once you get through the introduction of the characters (which are a lot of them), and lead up to the plot, the story picks up in pace and events. Brom intertwines paganism, christianity, and norse religion into the origin of Santa Claus and Krampus which I felt was creative and shows the depth of his imagination. Krampus is determined to kill Santa Claus, and spread the word and cheer of the Yule season in classic Krampus style. Jesse is determined to save his his ex and daughter from her crooked cop boyfriend with help from Krampus.I call it an adult story because the tale has a large variety of abuse, murder, torture, rednecks, alcoholism, corrupt cops, gore, violence and a spat with crazy meth addicts. As a fan of horror books, this surprisingly had an atmosphere of my favorite kind of reads. It teeters between fantasy and horror. I did feel that the ending of the story was very quick and should have been more epic like the battle between Santa and Krampus. It felt as if the author just wanted to wrap up the story to this massive adventure. This story is truly unique and I really did enjoy it once I picked it back up. I am glad to have this book in my collection and has opened me up to the author. After reading “Krampus”, I am interested in reading what other creative adventures Brom has published.I would have given this book 5 stars, but I did get bored in the begining of the story. But there are several great stories that I have read that are boring in the begining.

This is one of my favorite authors and his books are great! The book came undamaged and at an earlier time than expected. Would recommend buying if you love a good tale to read at Christmas!!

The writing is good and the characters were interesting. This is a dark Christmas tale. I did like the author’s take on Santa Claus. The author has unveiled the dark side of santa claus. After betraying the Yule Lord and diminishing Yule and its traditions, Santa tried his best to establish himself. While Krampus and Santa, they both came from the same origin. The story is inspired by Norse mythology and you will find more Norse mythology inspired characters as the story will progress. It’s a twisted and dark tale.The author has tried to narrate individual story of each character. Like Jesse Walker is a song writer who not only had courage to pursue his dream but also to claim what is his before he met Krampus. Krampus appears to be a devilish creature but his intentions are good and he protects people. While Santa keeps hiding his evil things. Jesse’s wife appears to be lacking worldly knowledge. While Dillard and General want to fulfil their own evil intentions. The other characters did appear to be supportive. While some were not ambitious enough. The twists and turns were unpredictable.

every page is cut at diffrent length and jagged cuts so it looks quite bad, but the contense is amazing, best book ive ever read

Trattasi del primo romanzo di Brom che ho avuto modo di leggere. Ho apprezzato lo stile e la storia che ruota attorno alla linea sottile tra bene e male. Peccato per l'impaginazione tremenda e le pagine tagliate in maniera irregolare.

Sometimes we are very lucky to read an author that has thoughts and sentiments so close to our own it's as though we were cut from the same cloth. For me, at this moment, it is Brom. Ironically I met him many years ago (before he had written any books) at a comic expo where he was showcasing his Gothic art. Brom came across as a quiet and thoughtful person who didn't have much to say that wasn't shown in his art. I wish at the time that I met him I'd known how alike our thoughts might be! I also wish I had talked to him more to get a real sense of him as a person.I intentionally savoured this book. I read it slowly, thoughtfully and made it last. I haven't done this with a book in a long time and didn't plan to do it with Krampus; but I just didn't want this amazing story to end too soon. This book had a real voice to it that sang to my soul and (as cheesy as this may sound) reminded me of who I truly am.<b>Krampus</b>As a raised Christian, converted Wiccan (15+ years ago); I really wanted to read a book about Christmas that wasn't about Christmas being wonderful; but instead was about how it ripped off Yule. I could not have asked for a better book than Krampus to do this. The devil figure of Krampus, while largely unknown in North America, is prevalent in European history. He beats children who don't behave or pay Yuletide tribute to him and blesses those children who do pay tribute with gold coins. It's all or nothing with this demon. Yule falls on the Winter Solstice (Dec 21) and was practiced long before Christmas existed (a fact many like to forget or look over to make their holiday seem more sacred than it might otherwise appear).I loved Brom's use of Asgard, Loki and other ancient gods to bring together the backstory of Krampus, Santa and others. It gave a solid backing (with little explanation needed) to base these mythical characters on. Of course you didn't need to have a huge imagination to see the Krampus that Brom envisioned as there are gorgeous full colour, and pencil sketches in this book that show our characters at different levels of detail. The artwork really adds to the telling of this story and I was thrilled at every chapter break to have a new pencil sketch to look at.<b>The Story Itself</b>Plot wise Krampus (the book) is quite simple. Krampus (the character) has escaped a thousands of years prison that Santa Claus put him in and is out to destroy Christmas and bring back the traditions and beliefs of Yule. For those not aware many of the items used in popular Christmas traditions today originated from Yule; including decorating a fir tree and using shoes or stockings to fill with treats.Brom has created a story about (mostly) awful humans and their struggle to survive. Without Krampus' involved at all the story of the humans is interesting enough. Add in some demon slaves (Belsnickel's), magic sand, a flying sleigh and a powerful sack of items (not always toys); suddenly you have a story that is complex, yet easy to follow. I loved the plot so much in Krampus. It drives forward our characters and forces them to make decisions throughout the book. This is not a passive plot by any means. Brom ensures the plot is forced forward whether our characters are ready or not.<b>Is it horror?</b>I've read in a few places that people are unsure about picking up Krampus because they believe it might be too gory or involve child abuse. Let me dissuade you from these thoughts, while many deaths happen (and a lot of blood is spilled) there is no more violence or graphic nature to this book than in your average CSI episode or best selling thriller. A few moments might be a bit much for some but they are fleeting and so short it's hard to even remember them amongst all the other details provided.This is not so much horror as it is gothic fantasy. There is a darkness to the entire book; but not one that fits the horror genre. Instead Krampus focuses on the horrors of our world that we have become immune to. Examples like alcoholism, strip mining, mindless video gaming and other 'normal' activities that most of society today has accepted are the true horrors. You may come away from this book feeling like your outlook on the world has changed some; but it won't be because you're horrified by gore, instead it will be because you're horrified by what we've allowed our society to become.<b>Nature and Respect</b>At it's core Krampus is really about the balance between nature and humans. We are a parasite to our planet (like it or not). We've created holidays and mass marketing to support our consumerism and endorse the greed that humans are naturally subject to. As a Wiccan I found that Brom really spoke to my heart about things I wish I could change in today's society. And even if I can't make any more of a dent in some things than I already am; it's nice to know that someone else in the world understands that what we've done is wrong; even if irreparable. We've lost respect for the 'old ways' and forgotten why they were important (and still maybe should be). Krampus reminds us of these lost traditions and thoughts in different ways and at different points during the book. There is no one moral at the end; instead values are exquisitely threaded throughout the book so that you don't ever feel overwhelmed by it; but also so you cannot close your mind to accepting the reality of our circumstances.<b>Overall</b>There are so many more things I could say about this book! Adorable characters like Isabel and her panda hat stand next to the ancient Shawnee who are more demon than human in some ways. Brom brings all our characters together by having them affected by one common thread, Krampus has influenced them in some way, shape or form. It's brilliant the way Brom has allowed everyone to find a small part of themselves in each of the Belsnickel's (Krampus' followers/slaves).If you love Christmas and Santa Claus this is maybe not the book for you; unless you want to learn a little more about Yule. Brom has included an afterword talking of some of his research and narrative choices that may not be as accurate as they could be or evolved as he wrote. I really appreciated reading this. I knew from the introduction that Brom had to have done research but for anyone that is unsure or doesn't know many of these stories this afterword is reassurance that some thought was put into the scenarios, characters and rituals chosen.I could easily see myself reading this book every few years in December. A nice reminder that there are others out there that dislike Christmas as much as I do and for similar reasons.If you are looking for a gothic read that forces you to look at the world for what it is then I highly recommend Krampus. If you're nervous about it because it is not a 'happily ever after' setting then I recommend reading the first 5 or so chapters to see if it's for you. I think almost everyone will be hooked by that point and unable to put this brilliant book down until the last page. So you better not pout, you better not cry because Krampus is coming to town and he will judge your loyalty to him and his Yuletide traditions.

Entertaining read. I believe the author is also an illustrator, and the book contains beautiful plates of the characters. I loved the Yule Lord, and was gunning for him to do Santa in. Also the idea of putting the naughty children in a sack and beating them with a stick wasn't as sickly sweet as the modern Santa Claus has become. Something for everyone here. Well written with drug running mobsters, corruption, unlucky wretches, a magic sack and the Yule Lord's belsnickels. A story based on an old german folk tale. Some thoughts about the way we treat the gifts nature endowed us with that haven't left me. Belsnickel?, you ask. Well the book was worth reading for that word alone!