Where to Start with Gerald Brom: The Recommended Reading Path
Gerald Brom, known simply as Brom, is a master of gothic horror and dark fantasy. Because his entire catalog of fiction consists of standalone stories, there is no strict reading order or continuous narrative continuity that you need to follow. You can pick up any of his books in any order you choose without worrying about missing plot details from prior releases.
However, for readers looking for the best entry points, three books stand out depending on your preferred subgenre flavor:
1. The Folk Horror Start: Slewfoot (2021)
If you love historical fiction, witchcraft, and atmospheric tension, start with Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery. Set in 1666 colonial Connecticut, it tells the story of Abitha, a strong-willed widow fighting for survival in a rigid Puritan community, and her alliance with a mysterious, ancient forest spirit named Samson. It is currently Brom's most popular and highly rated novel, praised for its emotional depth, feminist themes, and incredibly satisfying climax.
2. The Dark Fairy Tale Start: The Child Thief (2009)
If you prefer gritty retellings of classic stories, start with The Child Thief. This is a dark, visceral reimagining of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Peter is not a harmless boy who won't grow up; he is a ancient, fae creature who recruits desperate street children to fight a brutal war in a dying, nightmare version of Neverland. It is the perfect showcase of Brom's talent for turning childhood whimsy into folklore-grounded horror.
3. The Underworld Odyssey Start: Lost Gods (2016)
If you want a grand, myth-driven adventure, start with Lost Gods. The story follows a young father, Chet Moran, who descends into Purgatory to retrieve an ancient key that can save his pregnant wife and unborn child. The book is an epic, action-packed tour through a dark afterlife where forgotten deities, demons, and lost souls clash. It is best described as Dante's Inferno meets Neil Gaiman's American Gods.
Gerald Brom Books in Publication Order
If you want to read through Brom's catalog chronologically to watch his development as both an illustrator and a novelist, follow the order below. This list groups his work into his early illustrated novellas/graphic novels, his major novels, and his art books.
The Illustrated Novellas and Graphic Novels
- The Plucker (2005): A dark, twisted toy story. When an ancient, sinister toy called the Plucker escapes from a mysterious chest, a forgotten stuffed jack-in-the-box named Thomas must rally the other toys to defend their child from the demon.
- The Devil's Rose (2007): A hellish, fast-paced graphic novel about a dead outlaw motorcycle rider who is sent back to the mortal realm to hunt down an escaped demon, blending horror, westerns, and heavy metal aesthetic.
The Full-Length Novels
- The Child Thief (2009): Brom's first full-length prose novel, reimagining Peter Pan as a complex, grey antihero.
- Krampus: The Yule Lord (2012): Set in rural West Virginia, this holiday-themed dark fantasy pits Krampus, the ancient Norse Yule Lord, against a modern, corrupt Santa Claus in a battle for the soul of Christmas.
- Lost Gods (2016): A descent into the underworld featuring classic mythology, gods, and purgatorial politics.
- Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery (2021): A historical folk-horror story set in colonial Connecticut exploring witchcraft and pagan nature spirits.
- Evil in Me (2024): Brom's latest release. Set in the American South, it follows Ruby Tucker, a young punk-rock band member who becomes possessed by a bloodthirsty demon after touching a cursed ring, and must use her music to fight for her soul.
The Art Collections
If you are a fan of his visual style, these books contain compilations of his commercial and personal paintings, complete with annotations and short stories:
- Darkwërks: The Art of Brom (1997): His first retrospective art book, covering his early gaming and commercial illustration work.
- Offerings: The Art of Brom (2001): A collection focusing on his transition to dark fantasy and gothic portraiture.
- Brom's Little Black Book (2001): A pocket-sized art booklet containing sixty paintings and a short story. Note that online databases sometimes list a 2020 digital cataloging or reprint date, but the work originally debuted in 2001.
- The Art of Brom (2013): A comprehensive, high-quality retrospective book covering his decades-long career across books, movies, and games.
What to Know Before You Start: The Brom Signature
Before diving into Brom's books, there is one crucial thing to understand: you are buying both a novel and an art gallery. Because Brom is primarily an acclaimed illustrator—having shaped the visual design of TSR's Dark Sun setting, Diablo II, and Magic: The Gathering—he fills each book with nearly two dozen full-color paintings of his characters and environments. Reading his work is a deeply visual experience where you can see the exact design of the creatures and protagonists as you read about them.
Thematically, his work always champions the outcast. The monsters, witches, demons, and devils in his stories are rarely pure evil; instead, they are complex, tragic, and often more honorable than the hypocritical human authorities or religious fanatics who oppose them. If you appreciate moral ambiguity, folklore, dark humor, and lush gothic atmosphere, you will feel right at home in his bibliography.