Lost Gods
- Carolyn Fernández
- May 18
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
By Gerald Brom
Summary:
"Lost Gods" follows Chet, a young man looking to start a new life. Finding himself in Purgatory, Chet discovers that death is not an escape and that the souls of his wife and unborn child are in grave danger. Driven by love and desperation, he must embark on a perilous descent into this chaotic realm, navigating unimaginable horrors and the battles of gods and demons, in a desperate quest for a sacred key that might restore life and save his family from eternal damnation.
Thoughts from the reader:
Since I read "Slewfoot" from Brom in 2024 I have been a massive fan of his work due to his unique and original stories with just the right amount of disturbing imagery. "Lost Gods" is grotesque without being over the top (without purpose). The fact that no one is safe in his stories adds a great element of suspense that I love. That was certainly the case here, I was actually caught off guard by a few of them which is hard to do! Be warned there is plenty of language and violence throughout so if that is not your thing you may want to skip this one.
First, I have to praise Brom's character building - Chet felt likable in that he wasn't afraid to get s**t done yet still remained passionate in his mission of fighting for those who needed his help. There were some despicable villains in this story and I appreciate the willingness to commit to dealing with them in some truly satisfying ways. His supporting case was interesting without taking the spotlight. By the end of the story I felt a real concern over his fate along with his family.
The real stand outs outside of Chet were the cast of god characters. I thought they were fleshed out terrifically and created a imposing figures amongst the other side characters to out main star. Selfishly I wish we could have learned more of their lore along with the others that appeared in name only.
I felt that Brom has improved upon his establishing descriptions of events and people in "Lost Gods" as compared to "Slewfoot". While I appreciate his willingness to keep his stories moving, sometimes a setting can go by too briefly to leave a lasting impact despite the typically interesting events that unfolded. This was still at times the case in "Lost Gods" but not as frequently so I appreciate the improvement as I found myself getting more engrossed in the world this time around.
Personal Pros:
Great world building! Between Purgatory's landscape, cast of side characters, and dangers I felt a real sense of the space that was easy to picture.
A very satisfying last half with a complete conclusion.
Personal Cons:
We dive right into the action early on so I felt that we didn't have very much time to get to know our main character in his "human life". He carried us through the story well and I did care about his outcome, however I didn't get a feel for his personality as much as I had hoped.
As much as Chet's main "mission" is tied to the "human world" we hardly spent any time there. I felt that the stakes could have been just a tad higher had we established this setting a little more.
Conclusion:
I didn't think I would like this story more than "Slewfoot" in the beginning, but by the last few chapters I determined that I preferred it! Chet, Ana, Gavin, and others that I won't name for fear of spoiling anything, held my attention throughout.
If you are a fan of Brom 100% check out this story. Or, if you like supernatural stories this is a gem that you'll likely want to buy a hardback copy of due to it's beautiful artwork and quality storytelling. I highly recommend "Lost Gods" to any and all who appreciate demonic horror!
Learn more about Brom's novels and artwork here.
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