Lost Gods audiobook

Okay, so this book terrified me so much that when I was half and half in a sleep paralysis state, I saw all sorts of shadows swirling around me. This is a truly terrifying, existential crisis-inducing book that covers how corruption can trickle into the after life. Taking place in purgatory, this novel is shows how corruption trickles into the afterlife too. Full review to come.

"Quest?" Ana said. "What's it going to take for you to understand that this isn't some adventure from one of your storybooks?""Know what?" He gave her a wicked grin. "Peter Pan once said, 'Death is a might big adventure.' I'm going with that."I always love hard contrast. Lost Gods has the contrast of beautiful and dark fantasy in spades. Brom created a unique vision of purgatory. Within the cast of purgatory you have your lost souls, those looking to take their souls, slaves, demons, military like factions, old gods and their followers. To make this vision work, Brom had to do some world building. This is high level world building through mythology all the way to creating currency. What do people do in purgatory? What happens if you die there? How do you kill someone who is already dead? Why are the old gods there? He answers all of these with the world building in a thoughtful way in order to make a story like this work.While it's not difficult to picture this world in your head while reading, it's difficult to picture the characters and more so the actions. Why? Well, for example, lets say you lose a limb in purgatory... you don't die. The limb is just gone and the pain remains. However, Brom has divided what remains of a person in purgatory with "ka" and "ba". The ba being something like your soul which only exits the body you are in through a traumatic head injury. You can slice someone's head off and the head can still talk (and this happens often) and will remain like that for all eternity unless ka is used. Ka is the flesh, the body you reside in, not always the body you left with but how you saw yourself in your prime. An 80 year old man will see himself in his 30's again in purgatory. The ka is used as trade; mounds of flesh turned into coins. The coins are eaten and can regenerate your body. So as you can imagine, it's hard to picture this in a real world context. Luckily you have Broms amazing art to give you context. If you don't buy the actual book, look up the few pictures he's provided of some of the god characters. Not only are they beautiful, but they will give you a guide on how to create the other characters and scenery in your head while reading this. Looking at it like that... a graphic novel of sorts using imagery in your head mixed with what Brom provides and maybe a little David McKean made the novel work for me. The things that were impossible became possible to picture. Plus, we're talking about people running around shooting muskets in an underworld at giant gods and demons so it's only fitting!! I think this novel could go wrong for many people because of that part of it. However, if you can get the right picture in your head and allow the impossible to be possible it's quite a fun ride. A very dark, disturbing, devilishly good ride. There are some throw away characters but the key characters in the story are wonderful and surprisingly likeable. The story is interesting and ultimately has a lot of heart... even if there's no blood pumping through that heart.

so I've flooded GR today with reviews and updates so I apologize but I'm a streaky reader. and assuming this isn't my first review you've read you know I'm not huge on synopses.so my rating 4.5 stars rounded up.Brom is a very visual storyteller. and there are many illustrations including some gorgeous full colour plates.that's just the icing on the cake.and with this title the reader gets their cake and can eat it too. it's an awesome mash-up of horror, dark fantasy, action thriller and mythology. Brom draws from mid and far eastern and imagination with elements of dante and homer.I subtracted one star because his human characters were a little thin but I didn't get this book for deep character studies so much as some sweet escapism which is what it served.

This book was the best Brom book I have read so far, the imagination, the art , the storytelling, everything worked in unison and the outcome was perfection itself. Purgatory comes alive and you can feel yourself traveling along with the characters. This story will make you want to be there with them , never mind that the story takes place in hell. It is that good , I highly recommend this book to anyone with a desire of exploring mythological themes in a current setting .

4.5 ⭐️ Dark fantasy set in purgatory. Loved it! Great world building, interesting characters, stunning artwork. Thoroughly enjoyed this! 🖤

It's everything you’d expect from Brom. Creepy, horrifying and beautiful. His artwork is on another level of phenomenal. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star rating was because it lacks a lot of attention to detail when it comes to the characters. Also the build up to the ending and the ending itself was a little bit of a bummed. I just wanted/expected more. But all in all, I did love it. Love me some Brom and I can wait to see what he has for us in the future.

This is a deeply weird book and I loved it. Demons, gods, ghosts and a twisted version of Purgatory that will live in your mind for a long time. I would go in knowing as little as possible, since part of this book’s charm is discovering all the twists and turns of the underworld. This is a journey you won’t regret taking!4/5 stars

Dark, evocative, and enthralling. A very enjoyable read! Full review to come.

Loved it. Not quite a five star but another amazing novel by Brom. Beautiful writing, lush worldbuilding, complex characters and an intriguing story about life and death, demons and gods and everything in between. Brom has become a must-read author for me. Highly recommend!

I discovered the existence of this book on goodreads and thought the artwork was absolutely beautiful. Any fictional work relating to gods lures me in so I read the blurb and couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. I could not find one hardback copy in Australia! Not one 😭 so I reached out and managed to find an ex library copy from a public library in Illinois (thankyou amazon). It was actually in perfect condition and I dug in as soon as it arrived. My God I could not tear my eyes from its pages. Most of the book is set in purgatory, a place we tend to think of as full of nothingness and helplessness. Which, don't get me wrong, there was a lot of, but it was also full of such mystery, intrigue and dark beauty. Earthly death leads into a new life and from there its all about choice mixed in with a bit of luck. There are hierarchies of gods, both ancient and new, who have to live similar to those of lost souls. They are divine, yet mortal in so many ways which drew me to love them so much. Though there were many unjust circumstances, all beings in purgatory were subjected to the same trials. It pulled me in so much I was picturing myself there along with the characters, trying to figure out what choices I would make in their situation. I also fell in love with Brom's ideas of the afterlife and what eternal torment means to him. I cannot shake the feelings of awe that this book has left me with. Since finishing this, I have added every other book of his to my TBR and they are of my highest priority to get. Can't wait to start my collection 😁😁🥰

For a dark tale about the afterlife that reads like epic fantasy fiction, “Lost Gods” by Brom is my favorite. The book is largely set in purgatory, where the old gods of mythology linger and are slowly being forgotten. Even more, there is a cadre of souls who are hellbent on ending the gods’ reign. The story’s hero finds himself in the middle of this war. His efforts to maneuver through the conflict while trying to find a way to escape purgatory and save his family makes for a gripping and satisfying read. The world-building in this novel is spectacular, and Brom’s haunting illustrations throughout the book are a delightful added touch. If you like mythology and have an interest in fiction about the afterlife, you will love “Lost Gods.”

Brom does best when he doesn't focus on happy endings. It's why I loved The Child Thief and not The Yule Lord. It may be a spoiler to say that, with that point in mind, I loved this book.Now, as I've stated before with Brom, was there some cheesiness? Yes. Were there some underdeveloped or nearly throw-away characters? Yes. Were some plot-threads abandoned? Of course. But what was good here was good.There are plenty of people who will not like this book. Like, Inferno, you get to read a lot of paragraphs of some really terrible things. Purgatory is not a nice place in just about any narrative, and Brom's stories are usually quite hostile and depressing and gruesome as well. It's a perfect mix for those that enjoy the dark and depraved.Brom outdid himself in the world-building for this. Every bit of scenery is interesting, and all the details that come together of Purgatory feel real. Nothing feels too outlandish once you've dove in to the meat of the story.Senoy, Ado, Gavin, and all the gods and their faithful are fully-realized and fascinating characters. Chet goes through a full, satisfying journey with character growth.Dare I say I liked this one better than The Child Thief? I did! The Child Thief was literary junk food. Delicious, but you know you're eating some crap. It makes you happy, but it's crap. This was much more savory, more satiating. I'm taking it off my guilty-pleasure shelf. No guilt here!Oh, and to prove I am human, with a heart and all, (view spoiler)[poor, poor Trish! My god! My god! Sure, Chet, "move on" is good advice and all, but, Jesus, that girl is in for so much therapy and so much grief from her parents. I know it's not really his fault, but, damn, her life is all but ruined (hide spoiler)].How can you not love an author/illustrator, especially one that produces things like this:This has nothing to do with Lost Gods. It's just pretty.Read this and talk with me about it, please. I'm looking at you, friends!["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Brom is an author of unimaginable skill. The stories he weaves, along with detailed illustrations, forge real life and nightmare into an amalgam of epic proportions. This is my second read and I am anxious to get my hands on more. Lost Gods is not only a voyage, it is a soulful experience. Chet Moran is freshly released from jail and on a mission to win back the heart of his girl Trish. Two things are standing in the way of his true happiness: Trish's father, a very influential judge in the town of Jasper and his foolish past. But when they decide to flee, looking to hole up at Chet's grandmother'shideaway home, there's an accident. Add that he's later killed by an ancient horror and you have the beginning of Lost Gods. The story puts Chet on a mission in, of all places, Purgatory. He isn't waiting idly for a spiritual decision either, he has a pure purpose where everything's at stake-- not just his soul. A war is about to erupt in a land where grisly creatures seek to end a soul's existence and gods are itching to be remembered.I love big books and this one is definitely BIG. Near 500-pages, Lost Gods puts you through trial, after dreadful trial. Chet begins as loser, hoping for change, but becomes the embodiment of a hero. That's the sort of story I love. The tale isn't on Chet alone either; there are gods stewing in Purgatory. They're all looking for supplicants, days of old, and maybe a sacrifice or two. Lastly, there are factions looking to free Purgatory- as if it can be a good place for souls to wander. All Chet wants is to save his family...Lost Gods is a strong story, laced with love, family, painful deaths, gore and betrayal. It's multi-faceted, rich in lore and all the negative aspects of faith and religion. It's dark and so fast-paced, you never receive an inkling of boredom. Purgatory is so fleshed out, you see it- you experience it! Any reader and lover of horror will find a great appreciation in Brom's words, as well as the illustrations that bring it all to life. Many times I found myself looking back at the pictures, seeing what the characters saw, making the read a legendary undertaking. I'm so grateful to Monster Librarian for sending this novel to me. I highly suggest checking out Lost Gods and other books by Brom. I'm a fan now. Cheers to you; I'm off to the next read!https://www.areneehunt.com/the-review...