Krampus

October 15, 2012

Returning home to his trailer one night, Jesse Walker is surprised to see some goons attacking Santa Claus as he tries to fly away in his sleigh. In the melee Santa's magic sack falls out of the sleigh and through Jesse's roof. Of course, possessing the sack only leads to trouble as Santa and the sack's original owner, the trickster demon known as Krampus, are both trying to get it back. Krampus seeks vengeance against Santa and enlists Jesse's help. Jesse is busy dealing with the corrupt cop trying to steal his wife and daughter and the local drug lord trying to kill him, but one doesn't say no to the Yule Lord. VERDICT This illustrated horror novel by acclaimed gothic fantasy artist, illustrator, and novelist Brom (The Child Thief) is perfect for anyone who disdains a cozy, sentimental holiday story.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2012

One Christmas Eve in Boone County, WV, songwriter manque Jesse intervenes when he sees men in black attacking a white-bearded gent in a sleigh. Yes, it's Santa, but he's the bad guy. According to Krampus, an age-old trickster demon who punishes wrong-doing, Santa locked him up and stole his magic 500 years ago. Brom's The Child Thief went through four printings. With a 40,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
At first glance, this novel's premise is a bit of a stretch. Krampus, child of Loki and spirit of Yule, is imprisoned by Santa Claus. There's no love lost between the two. Krampus hates Santa for the betrayal that led to his imprisonment, while Santa Claus believes that Krampus is a relic, far past his time. Enter the hapless Jesse, who witnesses a fight between Krampus' followers (the belsnickels) and Santa as he's cursing himself for failing to get his daughter what she wanted for Christmas. His wife has already left him, and he's sinking into despair. Then he finds Santa's sack in his bedroom, where it fell through the roof of his trailer. Yes, he gets his daughter what she wanted. Then his wife accuses him of stealing it, the belsnickels track him down, and we get to the meat of the plot: Krampus' revenge on Santa, which will reveal Santa's true history and maybe give Jesse hope. This is a surprisingly good story, told with entertaining style and some unexpectedly sympathetic characters, and the illustrations are a treat.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)