Lost Gods

**This book was reviewed for San Francisco Book Review**

Brom's Lost Gods is a dark, gripping tale of the power of love, the wickedness of men, and the power of alchemic forces always at work in our lives. Chet Moran is a man with a new lease on life. Recently released from prison, Chet elopes with the live of his life, who is carrying his child. Impending fatherhood has made a new man of Chet, and he vows to be the best of fathers to his unborn child.

Chet and Trish flee from her father, going nearly a hundred miles away to where his grandmother lives. Chet hopes to get on his feet, and make a new life for himself and his fledgling family here on remote Moran Island. He never gets the chance. Not even one day back and Chet learns the show more sinister truth behind his mother's family. Not one day back and he finds himself dead. The only way to save Trish and his unborn daughter the same fate is to traverse the Netherworld, searching for his grandfather, Gavin.

Chet's travels carry him across the River Styx, and all the way to Lethe and back. Along the way, he meets some once-human friends, such as Ana and Ado, and makes the acquaintance of several gods, from Sekhmet to Veles. He also earns the enmity of several once-human souls, and their demon masters. In his quest to find Gavin, Chet helps thwart a hostile coup of humans and demons against the twilight gods who dwell in purgatory. After all that, he still needs to get back to the surface and confront the threat to his family.

One part Dante's Inferno, one part the journey of Orpheus, Lost Gods is an alchemic journey quite unlike any other. I have yet to read a novel by Brom that wasn't richly complex, and this was certainly no exception. Filled with exquisite description, this book follows Chet Moran through seven distinct phases, mirroring the phases of alchemic transformation. At the beginning of each section is a unique, detailed drawing depicting a beastie or being relevant to that section. I loved Chet’s determination. Even after death, he fought to keep his promise of being there for his fledgling family. Through his underworld travels, he lived a veritable lifetime, growing into the full manhood his death had cut short.

This story mirrored a belief I hold personally, that we shape our own afterlife. Here, the twilight gods make a note that it is our beliefs in life that lead a soul to be damned or not. It was only those who had a dual belief in heaven and hell, and who committed some deadly sin that ended up in hell. Those who followed other paths did not, though they may still suffer death at the hands of demons or other underworld beings. And souls can die. Once a soul crosses over, if the ba is released from the ka's frame, through damage to the skull, then there's no coming back. A soul whose ba is still safe can heal damage to the ka, either over time or through ingestion of ka coins. This story speaks to me on an even deeper level, in relation to the subjugation by the Book religions, called here the One God faiths, of so many of the myriad faiths that once flourished. So much lost because of what? Jealousy? Intolerance? If you want a book guaranteed to make you think, look no further.

🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻 Highly recommended because Brom. 'Nough said. show less

Brom is a master storyteller. I enjoyed this book quite a bit! The story was unique and the setting was superb. I can imagine DnD games set in this world! It did get a little slow in the middle but I really enjoyed it!

4.5

If a hick Constantine was in Dante’s Inferno.

Gods, demons, angels and ab ex-convict fight in the depths of purgatory while he tries to make his way back to his wife, daughter and granny dearest.
Sekhmet is a mother fucking boss bitch.

The whole unbaptised babies go to purgatory thing was a bit shite though. Also some gendered tropes/sexism in this.

“The rabbit pushed beneath the iron fence and into a small cemetery.”

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I originally picked Lost Gods by BROM up to be part of a Spooktober read. Then, discovered it wasn’t so much spooky as it was just a really great dark fantasy book full of interesting mythology. Pacing was a little off at times, but the story was amazing. It reminded me of the Greek tragedies where heroes are sent on a quest in the Underworld only to reach an end they were not expecting. What Brom captures in Lost Gods is eerily close enough to what I’ve always pictured an underworld type place to be after death.

The story starts off with a bang. Well, multiple bangs. We meet protagonist Chet who, fresh off a stint in prison, is back to reunite with his pregnant girlfriend, promising to do show more right this time. They run off, Chet “accidentally” killing someone in the process, and arrive at his grandmother’s house. This is when everything goes to hell, literally. But, it’s also when the most fun is had. Chet makes friends and with them, they travel through the various parts of hell to find his grandfather, who supposedly, has the key to saving his unborn daughter and girlfriend from the horror that took him.

Along the way, he meets various gods and it is just so interesting. I loved this concept, that pagan gods still exist, in their own tiny place, welcoming whatever worshipers happen to arrive in the modern day. However, as more people take up the “modern” religions and forget the ancients, the less power they seem to have. The world is just so interesting and fantastic. I’d love to read more adventures of souls maneuvering their way through the underworld. Follow stories of townies that live there and haggle. Pirates in the underworld. All of it, I want it.

Character development and personal growth, we see a bit of that with Chet, but also Ana and a few of the gods. But honestly, it’s just the great plot and amazing world building that really makes Lost Gods by BROM a standout read.

// I received this title for free in exchange for an honest review // show less

Lost Gods doesn't fit neatly into any one genre. Purgatory being its main setting, there are demons and gods and whatnot, but here in the real world on Moran Island live both a witch and a Lilith, (all in one), as well as a fallen angel and the demonic ghosts of children. I guess Dark Fantasy would be the closest one could come to an accurate label.

Young Chet, fresh out of jail, sells the automotive love of his life to claim the actual love of his life, who is pregnant with his child. He breaks her out of the jail her home has become and heads to the home of his grandmother who he hasn't seen for years. However, his grandmother is not who she seems, and Chet soon finds himself in the depths of purgatory, faced with the challenge of show more getting back to Moran Island, his wife and child. Will he be able to make it? You'll have to read this to see.

The world-building in this novel is outstanding. Not only did Brom create a world using all kinds of religious and mythological touchstones, he created monetary systems and a grand quest. At times, this novel feels like a western and at others, a horror story. With hints of Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Clive Barker's version of Hell, somehow Brom makes it all work. The only issues I had with this story were the pacing, (which slowed down to glacial once or twice), and the length, (it could've been shortened a bit, I think, without losing anything truly important.) Those are the only negative things I can say about this book.

Even though my digital advance review copy did not have them, I would be remiss if I did not mention the incredible illustrations within. I've seen them online and they're flat-out GORGEOUS.

Lost Gods was my first Brom, but it won't be my last. It was imaginative and the author's knowledge of all of these gods, mythologies, and religions is just...impressive. The way he weaves it all together is even more so. Recommended for fans of dark fantasy, Neil Gaiman and horror/fantasy/quest mash ups.

Buy your copy here: Lost Gods: A Novel

*Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for my review. * show less

I always enjoy Brom’s novels. This ended up being a well done and dark epic fantasy novel. It does get a bit long at times, but overall I enjoyed it.

The novel deals with a story about purgatory, religion and lost gods of old. Our anti-hero Chet ends up in purgatory after being murdered by an evil being and goes on an epic quest to stop this evil and save his wife.

The world was well put together and Brom’s artwork was amazing, although I wish there had been more of it.

My biggest gripe about this book is that it is told from so many different viewpoints. I think there seven or eight different viewpoints and many of the chapters were only a couple pages long. This made the story really disjointed and resulted in somewhat poor show more characterization.

Overall this is a well done dark epic fantasy. I enjoyed the world-building but through the constant (and brief) viewpoint switches were distracting. I also thought many of the characters were underdeveloped (probably because there were so many of them). If you are a Brom fan you will probably enjoy this. However I liked “The Child Thief” a lot better than this book. show less

This was a lot of (dark) fun. About 80% of it is set in Purgatory, filled with magic, monsters and gods. The beginning starts off in the real world, in the south, and for a bit I was worried it might be a rehash of Krampus, but once they got to Purgatory it was completely different.

Not mind-blowing or anything, but definitely my kind of stuff.