Not a story but a drawing. (Brom "Lost Gods")

Can an artist become a writer?

Gerald Brom is an American gothic fantasy artist and illustrator. If you are an inveterate gamer, you`ll detect his work in such video games as Doom, Diablo, Dungeons & Dragons, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Prefer to spend evenings in front of the TV? Mr Brom worked as a concept artist in Van Helsing (2004), Scooby-Doo (2002), Sleepy Hollow (1999) and others. But today we are going to talk about one of his books, "Lost Gods".

The story takes place in Purgatory where the main character descends into to safe his wife and unborn daughter. Purgatory in this book is a border place for souls who are unable to go to heaven or try to escape hellfire. To make his "Underworld" unique, the author fills it with Gods of different religions, creating an elaborate hierarchy between them. Besides the major religions of the world, Brom demonstrates us divinities that people have forgotten over time condemning them to oblivion. They are weak, embittered and desperate. Moreover, their right to exist is threatened because of the covetous sinners and demons lusting for power. And in this chaos our main character, Chet Moran, fights for Love and Life against Hate and Death.

Which came first: the text or the drawing?

It is worth mentioning that the book is illustrated by Brom himself. His works are eerie, creepy, uncanny... but you can't move your gaze. They help to understand the author`s view on the mythology, visualize his ideas. But is the story equivalent to the breathtaking illustrations? Frankly speaking, it is not. The concept is promising but for a non-professional writer it is almost impossible to create the whole new universe and inhabit it with «living» characters. Brom is a master of descriptions; you read his narratives and draw with him a portrait in your mind. But the plot itself is rather primitive and predictable, with lots of plot holes. Dialogues are childish and do not in any manner befit scenes of a bloody battle.

Read or not to read?

If your goal is to enjoy «a film without sound» - this book is for you. If you are seeking for plot twists – just keep on moving.

Rating: 6/10