You’re running out of time!
Only a few more shopping days left, and you’ve got no idea what to give that cousin, buddy, or neighbour (if you’ve got no idea what to give your Mom, Dad, or spouse, you’ve got bigger problems than I can help you with). So ask yourself this question: Would they like a book about a demon trying to kill Santa Claus, set among meth dealers in West Virginia? If the answer is “Boy, howdy!! They darn sure would!” then Krampus is for you.
I will leave it to you to google the history of Krampus. There are some amazing YouTube videos of Krampus parades in Austria and Switzerland that have to be seen to be believed. The quick tutorial is this: Krampus is a pre-Christian Germanic god of the Yule season who was later appropriated to be a companion/antagonist of Santa Claus. If you were a good child and left your shoes by the front door Krampus would leave you a gold coin. But if you were naughty, no lumps of coal for you. Oh no. If you were a bad child, Krampus would throw you in his bag and beat you with birch switches. Kind of like Christmas at Christian Grey's house.
In the novel Krampus, author and illustrator Brom has taken that old myth and updated it with the skill of a Guillermo del Toro or a Neil Gaiman. In fact, Krampus could comfortably exist in the world of Gaiman’s American Gods. Think hillbilly noir crossed with Pan’s Labyrinth. It's as Christmas-y as you can get when your protagonist is helping Krampus in his attempts at murdering Santa Claus (as it turns out, that can be pretty Christmas-y). The funny is hilarious. The danger is real. And the violence is hilarious and real. I realize that sounds awful, and I’ll admit Krampus isn’t for everyone. But it definitely is for fans of Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett, Glen Duncan, Charlaine Harris, or anyone who loves the TV shows Grimm, Once Upon a Time, or Supernatural. If that’s you or anyone you love, pick up Krampus.
And leave your shoes by the door. You never know!