Book Review: Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom

Aspiring musician Jesse is caught up in the war between Krampus the Yule Lord and Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

“Then let us go and be terrible.”

Well, colour me impressed. I’m not entirely sure what I had expected from this book, but I certainly didn’t think Krampus would be such a complex, well-developed and, at times, sympathetic character! Brom effortlessly blends his storytelling capabilities with a lot of the mythology that surrounds the origins and history of Yuletide and Father Christmas. I learnt a lot about Norse mythology and Brom even includes a little section towards the end where he details some of the research he came upon whilst writing Krampus.

It’s a fun read! And for the most part, it moves along at a consistent pace. Some parts did feel like they dragged on a tad, but I wonder if this is because I read it over quite a busy time and so I just felt like I was reading it forever? Brom is not only a talented writer, but also a fantastic illustrator and each chapter is accompanied with a delightfully devilish illustration.

I absolutely loved the portrayal of Santa Claus as an evil character and the battle between himself and Krampus was quite enthralling. Brom creates a fantastic backstory explaining the antagonism between the two. It was sad when Krampus was trying to understand why Yuletide traditions have died out - but also fucking awesome when he goes on a gruesome killing rampage... didn’t I say he was complex?!

All in all, a lot of fun, and one I’d suggest for reading over the festive period if you’re into mythology, fantasy and horror! What a combination of all three! 3.5 stars!

Johann

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