LOST GODS
Author: Brom
Date released: 2016
Category: Horror
Synopsis: A young man descends into Purgatory to save his wife and unborn child in this gorgeous, illustrated tale of wonder and terror from the mind of master storyteller and acclaimed artist Brom
Fresh out of jail and eager to start a new life, Chet Moran and his pregnant wife, Trish, leave town to begin again. But an ancient evil is looming, and what seems like a safe haven may not be all it appears . . .
Snared and murdered by a vile, arcane horror, Chet quickly learns that pain and death are not unique to the living. Now the lives and very souls of his wife and unborn child are at stake. To save them, he must journey into the bowels of purgatory in search of a sacred key promised to restore the natural order of life and death. Alone, confused, and damned, Chet steels himself against the unfathomable terrors awaiting him as he descends into death’s stygian blackness.
With Lost Gods, Brom’s gritty and visceral prose takes us on a haunting, harrowing journey into the depths of the underworld. Thrust into a realm of madness and chaos, where ancient gods and demons battle over the dead, and where cabals of souls conspire to overthrow their masters, Chet plays a dangerous game, risking eternal damnation to save his family.
The UnReel Take:
Story: 7.0
Writing: 8.0
Characters: 7.0
Setting: 9.0
UnReel AR: 7.8
Bottom Line: Lost Gods is the second book by Brom I've read, and I went in with almost no idea what it was about, which I think is the best approach. Just know this book has multiple POVs, crosses a variety of atmospheric landscapes, and is populated by characters so real they basically jump off the page. There are multiple callbacks to the deities/afterlife stories of numerous religious and mythological traditions but doesn’t feel at all like a retelling. I tend to race through books, but I read Brom's really slowly. I'm not sure why, but I'd guess it's because his books feel so real, despite being morbid and brutal. In what I'm coming to learn is his trademark, Brom included several of his illustrations in this novel and they are GORGEOUS. Also terrifying.
(Can we take a moment now to appreciate Yevabog and how, despite being a literal spider-goddess-monster who keeps a harem of men for eating or mating or some weird in-between thing, I absolutely adored her?)
On the negative side of things, the pacing is a bit slow, and the cast was too large. Both of these are minor issues and didn't hamper my overall enjoyment.
Ideal Reading Location: For Lost Gods, the “where” doesn’t matter so much as the “when.” Whether it’s at night or during a storm, the sun shouldn’t be out when you read this book.
Drink Pairing: Whiskey neat. I prefer a nice bourbon, but you do you.
Maybe your experience will be different!