Books

Krampus the Yule Lord

By Andy Frisk
December 19, 2012 - 17:15

Jesse Walker has lost the things most precious to him: his daughter Abigail and his estranged wife Linda. Fed up with Jesse's lack of self confidence (Jesse is a brilliant singer/songwriter but is afraid to send his music to a Nashville DJ), Linda has packed up Abigail and left him for Dillard, the local Chief of Police. Dillard is a dirty cop though, and Jesse's minimal ties to the local drug traffickers of Boone County, West Virginia could care less about Jesse's problems, that is until Jesse, his wife and daughter, Dillard, the local Dixie Mafia boss, and Santa Claus himself get mixed up in the war that Krampus, the Yule Lord, is finally about to begin to wage against Santa to recapture the true spirit of the season...

Packed with brilliantly subtle references to Old Norse mythology and not so subtle metaphorical examinations of the good, and evil, inherent in the continually commercialized time of year we all call Christmastime, that originally began as the pagan Yuletide, Krampus the Yule Lord by BROM is not only not your usually holiday read, it's a thrilling (if at times graphically violent) adventure story about one man's decision to follow his dreams, as well as the rebirth of wonder and hope that often accompanies the holiday season. Krampus, along with Santa, is one of the few survivors of Ragnarok and has been longing to be free of his imprisonment at the hands of Santa in order to not only get revenge on Santa for betraying him (in the name of his new religion: Christianity), but to renew the broken land of not only the strip mined hills and mountains of West Virginia, but the whole world. BROM brilliantly sets up a conflict, that he smartly gives no solid answers to, between the blind commercialism of the Christmas holiday and the back to nature esthetic of Krampus' Yuletide. Neither being, Santa nor Krampus, are both 100% in the right though, as they both have their flaws as well as their strengths. Santa is seriously motivated to truthfully engage in Christian charity and Krampus is wholly dedicated to the rebirth of man's connection to nature and the benefits to one's spirit that it brings. BROM has portrayed both the Christian Christmastime and the pagan Yuletide as both sides of the same coin, but a coin that mankind should spend wisely each year.

Krampus the Yule Lord is more than a literary musing on the nature of our Western Solstice Holiday traditions though. It's an action packed adventure full of memorable, as well as highly realistically portrayed characters (even of Krampus' Belsnickels-his servants/helpers) . Think dark fantasy with a heart crossed with Winter's Bone and you'll come close to the characters and setting. Krampus the Yule Lord is at times laugh out loud funny, harrowing, at times though provoking, and throughout simply a joy to read. BROM's illustrations really help to bring the characters alive. Particularly the colored ones in the center of the book where BROM gives us his imaginings of Santa Claus and Krampus, as well as the other main characters, in all their glory.

For those looking for a smart, fast paced, and well written Christmas (Yuletide! as Krampus would undoubtedly correct me) story, Krampus the Yule Lord is for you. Being a fan of both Dickens' A Christmas Carol AND dark fantasy in the vein of The Dresden Files, Krampus the Yule Lord was the perfect holiday read for me. From here on out, it'll be taking its place next to A Christmas Carol as one of my yearly Christmas reads (and re-reads).

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12