‘Tis the season to be… punished? While St. Nicolas is stuffing his sack with toys for all the good boys and girls, Krampus is busy at work punishing all the misbehaved children instead. With folk tales from all over the globe featuring this holiday heathen, it’s the adaptation from Brom that has this reader all spun up. In his classic sinister and eerie voice, Brom’s Krampus gives us the backside story of our favorite holiday elf, Santa, and who he might really be instead of the happy go lucky toy maker we all seem to think he is.

krampus

How caught up on Norse mythology are you? Baldr, an ancient Norse God and son of Odin was known for his aura of peace, love and light. Little old Santa Clause may just be his reincarnated form, but is our perception of Santa an utter lie? Did Santa capture and incarcerate the Yule Lord, Krampus?! Steal his magic sack and claim it as his own?! Your whole world will be turned upside down as Brom weaves his magic and shows the true colors of our favorite holiday super hero. The lines of good guy/ bad guy are blurred as we learn more about Krampus and his arch enemy. Enslaved for 500 years by Santa and freed only to discover no one celebrates Yule anymore, the battle is on and only one holiday can win.

krampus

Full of rapid page turning and late night reading this 351 page tale will keep you glued to your seat. There’s no better holiday read than this soon-to-be classic. Woven with folklore, mythology (plot twist: Krampus might be Loki’s grandson!), gore, fantasy and even a little bit of holiday cheer, Brom enthralls you with dynamic characters you’ll fall in love with, without realizing it until it’s too late. Maybe not better than the story itself but certainly worth your time are the illustrations by Brom himself. True to his artistic nature the portraits in this story are spooky and haunting and are worth the gander even if you don’t read the book.

krampus

If you haven’t felt compelled to read pick this chilly tale up there’s no hope for you this holiday season! Perhaps you will be happy in your Jolly ‘Ol Elf illusions, so be it. However, if you’ve started questioning everything you believe about the Christmas you grew up with, stop by today to look for your copy; even better, check out our Folktale or Mythology sections to read up on the histories of these two notorious characters. We also have other art books by Brom as well as his numerous other fiction tales. If you read the book and love it you’ll also want to watch the movie, Krampus. While it isn’t based on the book, it’s another lovely alternative to Christmas cheer!