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The Enterprise of Death
As the witch-pyres of the Spanish Inquisition blanket Renaissance Europe in a moral haze, a young African slave finds herself the unwilling apprentice of an ancient necromancer. Unfortunately, quitting his company proves even more hazardous than remaining his pupil when she is afflicted with a terrible curse. Yet salvation may lie in a mysterious tome her tutor has hidden somewhere on the war-torn continent.She sets out on a seemingly impossible journey to find the book, never suspecting her fate is tied to three the artist Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, the alchemist Dr. Paracelsus, and a gun-slinging Dutch mercenary. As Manuel paints her macabre story on canvas, plank, and church wall, the young apprentice becomes increasingly aware that death might be the least of her concerns.
456 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2011
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3343 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Bullington
43 books342 followersAuthor. Dream Weaver. Visionary. Plus Actor. So long as you're cool with discovering just how dull I really am, I welcome adds here, on FB, LJ etc.
My novels The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart and The Enterprise of Death are available in a variety of languages. I have it on admittedly shaky authority that they are charming. My third novel, The Folly of the World, will be released in December of 2012--no word yet on how charming it will be, but I'm sure I'll be the first to know. I have short fiction free for the reading at Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Brain Harvest, among sundry other places--a full (-ish, depending on how slack I've been about updating it) list of my published works can be found on this here website.
As for Good Reads, I'm only going to include books that I review, even briefly, to prevent myself from spending all day online assembling a massive list of beloved books. I tend to only review books I finish and only finish books I like, so my ratings tend to be on the high side.
My novels The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart and The Enterprise of Death are available in a variety of languages. I have it on admittedly shaky authority that they are charming. My third novel, The Folly of the World, will be released in December of 2012--no word yet on how charming it will be, but I'm sure I'll be the first to know. I have short fiction free for the reading at Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Brain Harvest, among sundry other places--a full (-ish, depending on how slack I've been about updating it) list of my published works can be found on this here website.
As for Good Reads, I'm only going to include books that I review, even briefly, to prevent myself from spending all day online assembling a massive list of beloved books. I tend to only review books I finish and only finish books I like, so my ratings tend to be on the high side.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
August 9, 2016
So not only is our heroine a competent black woman, she's a competent gay black woman. She's also not the only gay or bisexual character in the book, and "alternate" sexuality is never portrayed as something weird or bad. Monique and Awa are probably the strongest characters in the entire book, and what's better is they don't wind up in a romance with each other. That's right, there are two lesbians in the book, but they're allowed to decide they're not romantically suited to one another and move on. Had the premise not intrigued me in the first place, I'm pretty sure that would have been enough to convince me to pick up the book. (On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure this book passes the Frank Miller test.)
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be uneven. There were some really strong parts that almost make me want to overlook the weaker parts, but this sadly isn't a case where one can make up for another. I love that while Awa is a gay black woman who deals with racism and the assumption that everyone is straight, neither of those parts of her dictate her character. They're allowed to be facets of her rather than standing in as an excuse for character traits, and I'm positively gleeful about that.
So what were the less than giddy bits? Well, let me pull out a passage for further discussion:
The genre-savvy of this passage entertains me to no end. I'm pretty sure I giggled out loud when I came to it. The sudden jump to omnipotent narration, though, doesn't particularly fit in with the general tone of the book, which tends to third person limited.
That's actually one of my issues with the book. It's all over the place. The only thread drawing everything together is Awa herself, as the story meanders from one setting to another. It tries very hard to make our protagonist a well-rounded character, and therefore wants to show everything in great detail. We get long chapters featuring Awa as a young slave, then the story changes completely to show her under the tutelage of the necromancer, and another shift to her on the road, running from religious folks intent on killing her as a witch. Whether she's searching for a way to break her curse with a pair of ghosts in tow or living in a brothel (as a doctor of sorts, not a whore), it's presented in great detail and while the lengthy passages are interesting on their own, they don't so much feel like they fit in together so well. It felt like reading a series of stories rather than one long narration, and as a result this book took me forever to get through. A few of them could have been trimmed or cut completely and very little would have changed plot-wise. That's right, there are long sections in which nothing happens to move the plot forward.
It's also not the smoothest prose I've ever read. In the two paragraphs above, there are at least two nitpicky things I could get petty over, but since this is a review and not a critique group, suffice it to say the prose manages to get the point across but never approaches anything like beauty.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be uneven. There were some really strong parts that almost make me want to overlook the weaker parts, but this sadly isn't a case where one can make up for another. I love that while Awa is a gay black woman who deals with racism and the assumption that everyone is straight, neither of those parts of her dictate her character. They're allowed to be facets of her rather than standing in as an excuse for character traits, and I'm positively gleeful about that.
So what were the less than giddy bits? Well, let me pull out a passage for further discussion:
Two individuals of the opposite sex will, if forced to go on a journey together, fall in love. Often begrudgingly, and with a great deal of reluctance by at least one of the parties, to be sure, but love will fall as surely as night after day. In the unlikely event that one of the two is homosexual, asexual, already in a loving relationship, or otherwise disinclined from romancing their traveling companion, love will fall all the harder, like cannon fire upon a charging cavalry: indeed, the less likely the two are to fall in love naturally, the more certain it is that the sojourn will bring them together.
Somehow, preposterous though it may sound, Awa and Manuel did not fall in love on their journey together, in spite of the wife at home who adored Manuel, in spite of Awa's lack of sexual interest in men, in spite of their mismatched personalities, and in spite of their growing and mutual fondness for one another. The best they could muster was a lessening of fear on Manuel's part and the honest --if painfully disinterested-- observation on Awa's part that Manuel was not so bad-looking, and that was only observed as the result of some self-deprecating jibe the artist had made about his own downward-angling nose. Pathetic.
The genre-savvy of this passage entertains me to no end. I'm pretty sure I giggled out loud when I came to it. The sudden jump to omnipotent narration, though, doesn't particularly fit in with the general tone of the book, which tends to third person limited.
That's actually one of my issues with the book. It's all over the place. The only thread drawing everything together is Awa herself, as the story meanders from one setting to another. It tries very hard to make our protagonist a well-rounded character, and therefore wants to show everything in great detail. We get long chapters featuring Awa as a young slave, then the story changes completely to show her under the tutelage of the necromancer, and another shift to her on the road, running from religious folks intent on killing her as a witch. Whether she's searching for a way to break her curse with a pair of ghosts in tow or living in a brothel (as a doctor of sorts, not a whore), it's presented in great detail and while the lengthy passages are interesting on their own, they don't so much feel like they fit in together so well. It felt like reading a series of stories rather than one long narration, and as a result this book took me forever to get through. A few of them could have been trimmed or cut completely and very little would have changed plot-wise. That's right, there are long sections in which nothing happens to move the plot forward.
It's also not the smoothest prose I've ever read. In the two paragraphs above, there are at least two nitpicky things I could get petty over, but since this is a review and not a critique group, suffice it to say the prose manages to get the point across but never approaches anything like beauty.
December 17, 2013
5 Stars
Enterprise of Death is my cup of tea. I loved it…I had so much fun reading and eating up every word. I will remember the heroine Awa for a long time, she is something else. Bullington has created a really cool, dark, dirty, and not very nice world, where 3 young people are kidnapped by a horrible necromancer. I was already a Jesse Bullington fan as I thoroughly enjoyed his first novel The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart which I read a couple of years ago. This book would be a better launching point for those unfamiliar with his style as it is not nearly as graphic as the Brothers, and it is more fully realized.
Bullington has created a unique story about necromancy, raising the dead, eating the dead, and torturing the living. He casts our heroine into an unimaginable situation and has a routing for her the whole way through. I loved all the world building around the necromancy. It is a fascinating type of magic that is done just right in this book. I loved much of the banter between young Awa and her captor the necromancer.
A conversation between the two discussing a major aspect of necromancy:
““You’re dead,” the necromancer breathed in her ear. “But you’re not. It’s how we can prolong our lives—instead of sleeping I let myself die for a little while, so that the days granted my mortal flesh are extended. Yes, days. Picture your life as a day, Awa, with dawn your birth and sunset your death, and everything in between a single, impossibly long day. The sun keeps its pace regardless of whether we are waking or sleeping, and eventually twilight comes for even the most long-lived creature. You already know several means for healing yourself, for slowing the sun, as it were, but now I’ll teach you something better —how to freeze the sun in the sky of your life, to bring it to a standstill. The only way to cheat death is to die first, to give yourself willingly, and with the methods for revival.””
There are some really deep themes that are explored in this book. What is Good? Or Evil? Is there a God? Heaven? Hell? Is there a balance that we must stive for??? The characters are all flawed, and they know it, yet it is that which makes them likable and real.
I really enjoy Jesse Bullington’s writing style and feel that this is the perfect book for people to get to know him. His books are real page turners. They are original. They are damn fun to read. The first of his books The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart is a much more graphic novel that some will be turned off by. His novels really are not for the faint of heart or the squeamish…To me he is an author not to be missed and The Enterprise of Death is one of my favorite reads of 2013….Highest recommendations!!!
Enterprise of Death is my cup of tea. I loved it…I had so much fun reading and eating up every word. I will remember the heroine Awa for a long time, she is something else. Bullington has created a really cool, dark, dirty, and not very nice world, where 3 young people are kidnapped by a horrible necromancer. I was already a Jesse Bullington fan as I thoroughly enjoyed his first novel The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart which I read a couple of years ago. This book would be a better launching point for those unfamiliar with his style as it is not nearly as graphic as the Brothers, and it is more fully realized.
Bullington has created a unique story about necromancy, raising the dead, eating the dead, and torturing the living. He casts our heroine into an unimaginable situation and has a routing for her the whole way through. I loved all the world building around the necromancy. It is a fascinating type of magic that is done just right in this book. I loved much of the banter between young Awa and her captor the necromancer.
A conversation between the two discussing a major aspect of necromancy:
““You’re dead,” the necromancer breathed in her ear. “But you’re not. It’s how we can prolong our lives—instead of sleeping I let myself die for a little while, so that the days granted my mortal flesh are extended. Yes, days. Picture your life as a day, Awa, with dawn your birth and sunset your death, and everything in between a single, impossibly long day. The sun keeps its pace regardless of whether we are waking or sleeping, and eventually twilight comes for even the most long-lived creature. You already know several means for healing yourself, for slowing the sun, as it were, but now I’ll teach you something better —how to freeze the sun in the sky of your life, to bring it to a standstill. The only way to cheat death is to die first, to give yourself willingly, and with the methods for revival.””
There are some really deep themes that are explored in this book. What is Good? Or Evil? Is there a God? Heaven? Hell? Is there a balance that we must stive for??? The characters are all flawed, and they know it, yet it is that which makes them likable and real.
I really enjoy Jesse Bullington’s writing style and feel that this is the perfect book for people to get to know him. His books are real page turners. They are original. They are damn fun to read. The first of his books The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart is a much more graphic novel that some will be turned off by. His novels really are not for the faint of heart or the squeamish…To me he is an author not to be missed and The Enterprise of Death is one of my favorite reads of 2013….Highest recommendations!!!
April 4, 2011
I’d never heard of Jesse Bullington before stumbling across The Enterprise of Death, so I had the pleasure of entering into it with no expectations. To be honest, I’m not sure having heard of him previously (or having read The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart), would have made a lick of difference. This is the kind of book that beats you over the head, robs you of your expectations, and then forces you to watch as it tears those expectations to shreds, stomps upon them, and gleefully urinates upon the mess . . . all while you nod delightedly and ask to do it all again.
Yes, this is a wonderfully messed-up book, set in a wonderfully messy world, that comes across as a mixture of Terry Gilliam’s most surreal, Tim Burton’s most unusual, and Clive Barker’ most sexual . It’s a book of nightmares and fantasies that are as much the Brothers Grimm as they are the Marquis de Sade. This is a darkly cynical tale of human history, told not by the historians (and not even by the victors), but by the sad souls forced to live out its cruelties and delights, armed only with an unflinching eye and a very dark sense of humour.
As readers, this is a story that demands of us an empty stomach and an open mind, as it repeatedly gives rise to open eyes and open mouths – as often in delight as in disgust. The world of The Enterprise of Death is one populated almost entirely by the scum of society - soldiers, slaves, eunuchs, prostitutes, and criminals without an ounce of morality between them. Even those characters who don’t revel in evil and brutality are often casually cruel, and at least amoral, if not immoral.
Of course, when the choices available are between the supernatural horrors of zombies and vampires, and the all-too-human horrors of necrophilia, bestiality, and cannibalism, it’s really hard to fault the characters for not being paragons of virtue. They are, however, disturbingly endearing characters (particularly Awa and Monique) with whom we are more than happy to tag along on this journey through the horrors of the Inquisition, even if we’d prefer not to shake hands at the end of said journey.
The only thing that initially bothered me about the book was the writing style. The story regularly leaps between past and present, a narrative device that is further confused by frequent jumps in viewpoint from one character to another. As far as the language goes, it’s a story that’s written in a 15th century style (with some quirky turns of phrase), but full of very 21st century dialogue (that, at one time or another, is guaranteed to make every reader blush at least once). Yet, despite the contradictions and confusions, it all works . . . once the story comes together in your head, it holds fast for the duration.
Quite possibly the strangest book I’ve read in a very long time, it’s also one I find myself thinking about reading once again (something I rarely do). I’d love to get my hands on a physical copy, to smell the ink, to feel the paper, to suffer the weight of it in my hands, and to get lost in the experience of reading. Perhaps too dark and morose for a beach read, I suspect it would be an entirely fitting read for a hot, stuffy, candlelit room during a violent summer thunderstorm. While not for everybody, if the subject matter and storytelling style present any appeal, then it’s worth investing the time in a read.
Yes, this is a wonderfully messed-up book, set in a wonderfully messy world, that comes across as a mixture of Terry Gilliam’s most surreal, Tim Burton’s most unusual, and Clive Barker’ most sexual . It’s a book of nightmares and fantasies that are as much the Brothers Grimm as they are the Marquis de Sade. This is a darkly cynical tale of human history, told not by the historians (and not even by the victors), but by the sad souls forced to live out its cruelties and delights, armed only with an unflinching eye and a very dark sense of humour.
As readers, this is a story that demands of us an empty stomach and an open mind, as it repeatedly gives rise to open eyes and open mouths – as often in delight as in disgust. The world of The Enterprise of Death is one populated almost entirely by the scum of society - soldiers, slaves, eunuchs, prostitutes, and criminals without an ounce of morality between them. Even those characters who don’t revel in evil and brutality are often casually cruel, and at least amoral, if not immoral.
Of course, when the choices available are between the supernatural horrors of zombies and vampires, and the all-too-human horrors of necrophilia, bestiality, and cannibalism, it’s really hard to fault the characters for not being paragons of virtue. They are, however, disturbingly endearing characters (particularly Awa and Monique) with whom we are more than happy to tag along on this journey through the horrors of the Inquisition, even if we’d prefer not to shake hands at the end of said journey.
The only thing that initially bothered me about the book was the writing style. The story regularly leaps between past and present, a narrative device that is further confused by frequent jumps in viewpoint from one character to another. As far as the language goes, it’s a story that’s written in a 15th century style (with some quirky turns of phrase), but full of very 21st century dialogue (that, at one time or another, is guaranteed to make every reader blush at least once). Yet, despite the contradictions and confusions, it all works . . . once the story comes together in your head, it holds fast for the duration.
Quite possibly the strangest book I’ve read in a very long time, it’s also one I find myself thinking about reading once again (something I rarely do). I’d love to get my hands on a physical copy, to smell the ink, to feel the paper, to suffer the weight of it in my hands, and to get lost in the experience of reading. Perhaps too dark and morose for a beach read, I suspect it would be an entirely fitting read for a hot, stuffy, candlelit room during a violent summer thunderstorm. While not for everybody, if the subject matter and storytelling style present any appeal, then it’s worth investing the time in a read.
July 27, 2012
It started brilliantly, then lost itself in a wash of emotional outpourings and muddled, confused and somehow unlikeable new characters. Book One was almost reminiscent of the Larry Niven Warlock series - fantasy that essentially creates the environment and the tools for a puzzle - and then leads you to the resolution of it using only those same rules. At its heart, its an intellectual exercise - how would we do this - and in Books Two and Three, The Enterprise of Death loses that focus.
How? Here's a hint. In a book dealing with necromancy, necrophilia, slavery, torture, casual murder, cannibalism, and massacre, the most icky thing I found was the stew of emotional upheavals that seemed to haunt everyone, all the time, endlessly hemorrhaging out in inner monologues.
So there you go.
Don;t get me wrong - it's a decent read, especially if you can tune out the drama, but a bit unwieldy to get through.
How? Here's a hint. In a book dealing with necromancy, necrophilia, slavery, torture, casual murder, cannibalism, and massacre, the most icky thing I found was the stew of emotional upheavals that seemed to haunt everyone, all the time, endlessly hemorrhaging out in inner monologues.
So there you go.
Don;t get me wrong - it's a decent read, especially if you can tune out the drama, but a bit unwieldy to get through.
March 14, 2011
The Enterprise of Death is the second of Jesse Bullington’s novels.
The first - The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart was likened to a cross between Tarantino and Rabelais by the Guardian and Jenne Bergstrom from the Library Journal described it as:
‘A zestfully grotesque adventure; not for the squeamish or faint of heart’.
So with Tarantino’s foray into pseudo-history (Inglourious Basterds) firmly in my mind I set out to read.
And it was a good thing to have such a sign post to prepare me - this book, like the first, requires a certain degree of fortitude.
The Tale
The Moors have been kicked out of Granada by the Spanish and the Spanish Inquisition(who nobody expects) are beginning to stoke their fires. Against this backdrop we are introduced to Awa, a young African slave who along with her mistress and eunuch are on the receiving end of a number of unfortunate events -the worst being that they are all ‘apprenticed’ to an evil Necromancer.
Awa, eventually becomes the recipient of the Necromancer’s knowledge, but being a Necromancer and an evil one at that, he lays a curse on her. The Necromancer he will return after ten years and claim her body as a vessel for his mind and soul unless she can find his Grimoire or figure out by some other means, a way of breaking the curse.
It’s Awa’s search for this book that brings her into contact with the mercenary and artist Niklaus Manuel Duetch of Bern(a historical character whose art is used as the cover image for the book) who is entrusted with transporting her to the Inquisition for roasting.
The story is chiefly one of friendship, when you get past the cannibalism resurrection and necromantic lesbian love scenes.
What I liked
Jesse Bullington as well as having a degree in History and English Literature is also a folk lore enthusiast and I can see this aspect of his personality coming out in this novel. The Enterprise of Death reminds me a little of Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels, the later being more folkloric, but each having a dark, mature tone.
Bullington’s first book has been compared to Tarantino and I think that’s apt for The Enterprise of Death too. There’s language (of quite modern construction)violence, and grotesque scenes of cannibalism, and copulation with resurrected corpses. Bullington, however, has done a good job of playing on reader discomfort to develop character and character motivation – the privations Awa is forced to endure, the acts she performs are perfectly reasonable within the context of the story and in making her a believable and loveable character. In other words the grotesque is not overworked.
Bullington doesn’t play as fast and lose with history as Tarantino does in Inglourious Basterds, and I really appreciate the level of research and the use of history in this story. Quite a few of the characters are plucked from the pages of history Niklaus Manuel as mentioned above, Albrecht von Stein and the concluding battle to mention just a few. I think this beds the story down in a familiar surrounds and contributed to my suspension of disbelief.
What I didn’t like
If there was only one let down for me it was the vanquishing of the Necromancer. I felt that things were resolved too easily, considering what Awa had already gone through. I was convinced that she was not going to make it through unscathed, that there would be a dark and nasty twist at the end. The Enterprise of Death is somewhat of a fairy tale (albeit a very adult one) however and those tend to end with happy ever afters.
Summary
If you like historical/fantasy fiction with a dark edge then I think you’ll enjoy it. Despite my flippant remarks about necromantic lesbian love scenes the treatment of Awa’s sexuality is quite reasonable and while early scenes might be somewhat titillating, it’s an important part of the development of the story i.e. the romantic but non-sexual love between Awa and Niklaus.
Bullington’s writing drew me in and had me to the last page. I really did fear for Awa and secretly wished that she would make it through to the end. The author is to be commended for creating a illusion of impending doom but giving the reader a happy ending.
Dark, gritty and likely to put you off your lunch. A pleasure to read.
This book was provided to me by the publisher Hachette/Orbit at no cost to myself
The first - The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart was likened to a cross between Tarantino and Rabelais by the Guardian and Jenne Bergstrom from the Library Journal described it as:
‘A zestfully grotesque adventure; not for the squeamish or faint of heart’.
So with Tarantino’s foray into pseudo-history (Inglourious Basterds) firmly in my mind I set out to read.
And it was a good thing to have such a sign post to prepare me - this book, like the first, requires a certain degree of fortitude.
The Tale
The Moors have been kicked out of Granada by the Spanish and the Spanish Inquisition(who nobody expects) are beginning to stoke their fires. Against this backdrop we are introduced to Awa, a young African slave who along with her mistress and eunuch are on the receiving end of a number of unfortunate events -the worst being that they are all ‘apprenticed’ to an evil Necromancer.
Awa, eventually becomes the recipient of the Necromancer’s knowledge, but being a Necromancer and an evil one at that, he lays a curse on her. The Necromancer he will return after ten years and claim her body as a vessel for his mind and soul unless she can find his Grimoire or figure out by some other means, a way of breaking the curse.
It’s Awa’s search for this book that brings her into contact with the mercenary and artist Niklaus Manuel Duetch of Bern(a historical character whose art is used as the cover image for the book) who is entrusted with transporting her to the Inquisition for roasting.
The story is chiefly one of friendship, when you get past the cannibalism resurrection and necromantic lesbian love scenes.
What I liked
Jesse Bullington as well as having a degree in History and English Literature is also a folk lore enthusiast and I can see this aspect of his personality coming out in this novel. The Enterprise of Death reminds me a little of Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels, the later being more folkloric, but each having a dark, mature tone.
Bullington’s first book has been compared to Tarantino and I think that’s apt for The Enterprise of Death too. There’s language (of quite modern construction)violence, and grotesque scenes of cannibalism, and copulation with resurrected corpses. Bullington, however, has done a good job of playing on reader discomfort to develop character and character motivation – the privations Awa is forced to endure, the acts she performs are perfectly reasonable within the context of the story and in making her a believable and loveable character. In other words the grotesque is not overworked.
Bullington doesn’t play as fast and lose with history as Tarantino does in Inglourious Basterds, and I really appreciate the level of research and the use of history in this story. Quite a few of the characters are plucked from the pages of history Niklaus Manuel as mentioned above, Albrecht von Stein and the concluding battle to mention just a few. I think this beds the story down in a familiar surrounds and contributed to my suspension of disbelief.
What I didn’t like
If there was only one let down for me it was the vanquishing of the Necromancer. I felt that things were resolved too easily, considering what Awa had already gone through. I was convinced that she was not going to make it through unscathed, that there would be a dark and nasty twist at the end. The Enterprise of Death is somewhat of a fairy tale (albeit a very adult one) however and those tend to end with happy ever afters.
Summary
If you like historical/fantasy fiction with a dark edge then I think you’ll enjoy it. Despite my flippant remarks about necromantic lesbian love scenes the treatment of Awa’s sexuality is quite reasonable and while early scenes might be somewhat titillating, it’s an important part of the development of the story i.e. the romantic but non-sexual love between Awa and Niklaus.
Bullington’s writing drew me in and had me to the last page. I really did fear for Awa and secretly wished that she would make it through to the end. The author is to be commended for creating a illusion of impending doom but giving the reader a happy ending.
Dark, gritty and likely to put you off your lunch. A pleasure to read.
This book was provided to me by the publisher Hachette/Orbit at no cost to myself
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2017
For the most part, Enterprise of Death holds on to everything that made Brothers Grossbart great and improves tremendously on character building. The monsters are visceral, pungent horrors that feel medieval in a way that manages to sidestep the familiarity of the fantasy aesthetic. None of them match the witch, or the manticore, or the plague demon of Grossbart, and they’re a fair bit sparser, but they’re still just great. Bullington has a knack for potent textures and imagery that feel really transgressive, and that really shows in the necromancy here, breathing a vital new tone into something that’s been trodden to death by a million derivative fantasy works.
The Brothers Grossbart are fun and shocking characters, but they’re also foreign and offputting and unflappably awful. They feel more like forces of nature, drivers of the plot, than emotionally vital characters. Awa, Manuel, and the gang in Enterprise are a massive improvement, with some of the same transgressive sensibilities (the things Bullington did to Manuel and his wife’s relationship, especially given they are real historical figures, are just wonderful) but a lot more heart and vulnerability and humor. Awa goes through some powerful, unique experiences, especially in the first third of the book.
Like Grossbart, Enterprise starts to feel a bit thin towards the end, but this time it doesn’t feel like it’s padded with extra vignettes so much as threads of plot and character are resolved in a more perfunctory way that doesn’t make good on their promise or potential. I was kind of underwhelmed by the Schwarzwald, for instance, as well as the resolution of the necromancy arc. And Awa could have had a bit more internality on the impending mortality arc. I was not entirely fond of the way magic was handled, either. It quickly evaporated the mystique of necromancy in favor of some pretty simple abilities and didn’t replace it with any particularly compelling ideas or flavor.
But overall I was really impressed and just fucking excited by this book, especially at the beginning. There are some things that could be better in the execution, but for the most part Bullington’s producing exactly what I want in a contemporary fantasy book. It’s smart and kind on the social justice angles (though the obsession with prostitution is a bit questionable?), charts out a new medieval-horror aesthetic, and it’s based on solid historical research! How can you not love a fantasy author who includes a bibliography in each of his books? That’s great.
The Brothers Grossbart are fun and shocking characters, but they’re also foreign and offputting and unflappably awful. They feel more like forces of nature, drivers of the plot, than emotionally vital characters. Awa, Manuel, and the gang in Enterprise are a massive improvement, with some of the same transgressive sensibilities (the things Bullington did to Manuel and his wife’s relationship, especially given they are real historical figures, are just wonderful) but a lot more heart and vulnerability and humor. Awa goes through some powerful, unique experiences, especially in the first third of the book.
Like Grossbart, Enterprise starts to feel a bit thin towards the end, but this time it doesn’t feel like it’s padded with extra vignettes so much as threads of plot and character are resolved in a more perfunctory way that doesn’t make good on their promise or potential. I was kind of underwhelmed by the Schwarzwald, for instance, as well as the resolution of the necromancy arc. And Awa could have had a bit more internality on the impending mortality arc. I was not entirely fond of the way magic was handled, either. It quickly evaporated the mystique of necromancy in favor of some pretty simple abilities and didn’t replace it with any particularly compelling ideas or flavor.
But overall I was really impressed and just fucking excited by this book, especially at the beginning. There are some things that could be better in the execution, but for the most part Bullington’s producing exactly what I want in a contemporary fantasy book. It’s smart and kind on the social justice angles (though the obsession with prostitution is a bit questionable?), charts out a new medieval-horror aesthetic, and it’s based on solid historical research! How can you not love a fantasy author who includes a bibliography in each of his books? That’s great.
October 31, 2014
Jesse Bullington's follow-up to The Sad Tale Of The Brothers Grossbart is just as energetic, muscular, horrific, violent, inventive, fast-paced and icky as his debut. What wrong-footed me slightly was the sympathetic lead characters when I had mentally braced myself for more in the way of entertainingly sociopathic monsters wreaking havoc on the innocent and the guilty and the spectacularly evil alike. Instead we get Awa, an ex-slave forced into an apprenticeship by a necromancer, as nasty a piece of work as any Bullington has yet invented, and Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, an artist turned mercenary who, against his better judgement and self-interest, rescues said trainee necromancer from the attentions of some of his fellow soldiers. The unlikely pair become friends and, with the aid of a another mercenary, a female gunner, set out to thwart the ultimate and extremely horrific schemes of the necromancer. Touring the battlefields, graveyards and whorehouses of a war-torn Renaissance Europe, pursued by a rogue witch-hunter, the ambulatory corpse of Awa's former mistress, a doctor of questionable ethics hungry for hidden knowledge and a particularly horrific corpse-hungry monster.
With corpses galore, in various degrees of decomposition, the grue and gore and ghastly fluids are plentiful, and with war raging all around and the inquisition in full flight there's violence and injustice and poverty and inhumanity to spare, but the warm heart of the book is the friendship between Deutsch and Awa and the things they do to help each other find some measure of redemption and salvation in a savage world. A strong, satisfying second novel that manages to revisit many elements of the Brothers Grossbart and yet remain utterly different. Recommended.
With corpses galore, in various degrees of decomposition, the grue and gore and ghastly fluids are plentiful, and with war raging all around and the inquisition in full flight there's violence and injustice and poverty and inhumanity to spare, but the warm heart of the book is the friendship between Deutsch and Awa and the things they do to help each other find some measure of redemption and salvation in a savage world. A strong, satisfying second novel that manages to revisit many elements of the Brothers Grossbart and yet remain utterly different. Recommended.
January 30, 2013
This is historical fantasy like I’ve never read before. When a ship wreck leaves teenagers Awa, a Moorish slave, Omorose, her harem girl master, and Halim, a eunuch, stranded on what is probably the Rock of Gibralter, they are found, imprisoned, and trained by a necromancer. His attendants- including his mistress- are animated corpses ranging from the recently dead to skeletons and they prevent any escape. In the end, only Awa is left alive as the necromancer’s protégé. He leaves her for ten years to await a horrible fate, which she hopes to avert by finding the necromancer’s book- which could be anywhere.
Set around 1500, Awa has three strikes against her as she searches Europe for the book: she’s Moorish, she’s a lesbian, and she’s a necromancer. The Spanish Inquisitors don’t like any of those things, and neither does the general population of the time. But thankfully not everyone has these prejudices, and she finds a few friends who help her along the way as she searches graveyards, fights a demon, is hunted by Omorose and an Inquisitor, and gets caught up in battles.
I really enjoyed the story, but I suspect not all will. There is lots of vividly described gore, lots of sex (including with the dead), and most of the characters can’t utter a sentence without swear words in it, most often the F bomb and frequently the verboten C bomb. But watching the characters grow- especially Awa- through the story is engaging and it’s a fine comrades-in-arms chanson de geste. A few of the characters are plucked from history, such as Paracelsus, and Awa’s friend the artist and mercenary Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, and that, along with reference to the rulers and battles of the time, allow the reader to have a sense of the time and place. I stayed up late reading this one.
Set around 1500, Awa has three strikes against her as she searches Europe for the book: she’s Moorish, she’s a lesbian, and she’s a necromancer. The Spanish Inquisitors don’t like any of those things, and neither does the general population of the time. But thankfully not everyone has these prejudices, and she finds a few friends who help her along the way as she searches graveyards, fights a demon, is hunted by Omorose and an Inquisitor, and gets caught up in battles.
I really enjoyed the story, but I suspect not all will. There is lots of vividly described gore, lots of sex (including with the dead), and most of the characters can’t utter a sentence without swear words in it, most often the F bomb and frequently the verboten C bomb. But watching the characters grow- especially Awa- through the story is engaging and it’s a fine comrades-in-arms chanson de geste. A few of the characters are plucked from history, such as Paracelsus, and Awa’s friend the artist and mercenary Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, and that, along with reference to the rulers and battles of the time, allow the reader to have a sense of the time and place. I stayed up late reading this one.
April 12, 2011
I loved this book to death!
I really enjoyed how uncomfortable this book made me feel and how I got to read about some truly different and difficult ideas. It was a truly mind expanding book, insofar as it put a whole slew of ideas in my head that I'd never encountered anywhere else before.
It's a very intellectually confronting book- hooray! Despite the generally grisly subject matter it's also a surprisingly tender book. I really came to love the main character, Awa, and I absolutely enjoyed reading about every horror, privation and sadness that she went though. I actually wanted her to suffer much more than she did because her suffering was so instructive and so exquisite.
This book isn't for the squeamish, for prudes, for people with faint hearts or tender stomachs, but if you're after truly immersive escapist fiction that will expose you to truly different situations and ideas, this book is for you.
I really enjoyed how uncomfortable this book made me feel and how I got to read about some truly different and difficult ideas. It was a truly mind expanding book, insofar as it put a whole slew of ideas in my head that I'd never encountered anywhere else before.
It's a very intellectually confronting book- hooray! Despite the generally grisly subject matter it's also a surprisingly tender book. I really came to love the main character, Awa, and I absolutely enjoyed reading about every horror, privation and sadness that she went though. I actually wanted her to suffer much more than she did because her suffering was so instructive and so exquisite.
This book isn't for the squeamish, for prudes, for people with faint hearts or tender stomachs, but if you're after truly immersive escapist fiction that will expose you to truly different situations and ideas, this book is for you.
May 15, 2011
Not done reading yet, but this dude needs to read Strunk and White. The overuse of adjectives is driving me crazy. Just a very immature writer, technically speaking. A little lazy and self indulgent, too. And only four chapters in!
Alright, so i finished it. The guy is a talented writer, or could be with a more discerning pen. The book was just unnecessarily crass. The main character was sort of weak, enough so that i didn't really care what happened to her.
It read too much like a deadwood episode in the second act, which seemed out of place. I think the word ' cunt' is fantastic and can be entertaining, but it poisoned every other paragraph and it wore on my tolerance. Also, it's a cop out for creative dialogue.
Overall an interesting book, though i will pass on this author in the future.
Alright, so i finished it. The guy is a talented writer, or could be with a more discerning pen. The book was just unnecessarily crass. The main character was sort of weak, enough so that i didn't really care what happened to her.
It read too much like a deadwood episode in the second act, which seemed out of place. I think the word ' cunt' is fantastic and can be entertaining, but it poisoned every other paragraph and it wore on my tolerance. Also, it's a cop out for creative dialogue.
Overall an interesting book, though i will pass on this author in the future.
August 16, 2017
Well then. I was worried that the book might be too dark for me. It might have given me a couple nightmares? But I stuck with it and thoroughly enjoyed its best moments. Though I must give credit to the death positive movement and my budding interest in medieval images for some of that enjoyment. Ain't no dance like a danse macabre! The resolution was on the "meh" side, but the plot and characters mostly worked for me. It helps to do some background reading on the historical figures, for the obvious reasons but also because you realize that *somebody* had to write historical fiction about this stuff. It's nuts! In the best way.
May 2, 2013
I blew through this book in 2-3 days. It was an amazing historical fantasy novel. The narrative voice and dialog are almost perfect and fit every character like a glove. The main protagonist's character arc is long and full of change, yet something that somehow seems "core" to her remains. I cared about what happened to her and the other two I would consider to be protagonists. They each had a unique voice and outlook that the author did a great job of "showing" rather than "telling" me. What violence and sex is in there does not feel shoehorned in or out of place.
November 19, 2014
Wow, what a ride! I did not expect to enjoy this book near as much as I did. I've read all of Jesse Bullington's books now and have to say this was probably his best in my opinion. It has everything- war, death, the undead, romance, completely believable and tangible characters that you genuinely care for and much more. Despite the few uncomfortable issues the story deals with (which is what great books do) I genuinely loved this story and am sad that it's over. I highly recommend this book if you're in the mood for an action packed adventure that makes you squirm!
December 28, 2021
I LOVED this book. Jesse is probably one of my favorite authors for the gritty stories he tells. This story was gritty, gruesome, and gross and it was perfect. I finished this book so fast and couldn’t wait to pick it back up again every time I put it down.
November 30, 2014
First and foremost: OMG PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!! I wish I could give this book out for presents and random celebrations and just because it's a day in the week and you could use a little bit of adventure. It is fantastic! Both in the complimentary sense and in the style. And it's great.
Ok so here's the story of a young magical Moor girl named Awa. I really like how the prologue even sets up the circumstances surrounding her birth, so that you get a sense of her not being meant to be major in her life. She was born almost into servitude and was tasked with caring for her mistress Omorose, a beautiful young woman from a harem. After being captured with her mistress and companion eunuch, they soon adapt and grow under the cruel tutelage of a mountain-top necromancer, and Awa excels beneath his domineering hand. At the same time, the author begins to spin the tale of the mercenary artist Manuel who wants to focus on his family and his art, and this last task is all that's between him and the idyllic life of his dreams. These are the building blocks of a story that is so much more than this (I'm giving it short shrift in summarizing the start like this). Trust me--it's super-fantastic.
I LOVE the main protagonist, and not just because she's a queer black woman although that didn't hurt. Though I have to make this one note about this: Reading this story with Awa as the protagonist really makes me feel saddened and disappointed when authors claim that introducing a person of color or an LGBT person as a main character is "pandering", that it's too hard, or that it would cause too many problems for the readers, mainly the ability to empathize with a character and whether or not people would read it. While her race or sexual orientation is never glossed over, and is included very often in the narrative, it never detracts from who Awa is. It also doesn't add to who Awa is, as if her being a "blackamoor" grants her superhuman strength or power. Most of the times it's mentioned is when other people comment on it or have a problem with it or are confused by it. Honestly, this is the best way to portray it (because that's most accurate), and this fledgling author managed to master an element of character creation that eludes so many other practiced authors. This man, a white man at that, was able to create and portray an empathetic character who is very far from who he is--and yet, he is so successful at this that you almost forget how rare it is or how many authors/writers claim they cannot do it. He really shames them and makes it look like they're not even trying to create diverse stories and characters, as if they're blankly banging their hands on a keyboard and shrugging. And this really sucks, because I like reading about different kinds of people. More characters like this please!
And that's the thing of it. He never hides it. The world he's created/adopted (Spanish Inquisition) isn't colorblind or even tolerant. It's mentioned often how people would be uncomfortable with a "Moor" or a woman who likes girls. It's mentioned the numerous disguises she has to use in order to get around in Renaissance Spain, France, and Germany. It's also mentioned in several conversations with Monique, her friend and road warrior, that there is racial bias even with the prostitutes, that she "might" be able to find a prostitute or two who could be paid to have sex with her, even though she was black. Like, the book NEVER shies away from that. And yet, Awa is such a fantastic character, so triumphant and conflicted, that you accept it, embrace this part of her narrative, and let it create an empathetic bond between you and her. Really well done.
Bullington is also very skilled at presenting the fantastical elements in such a way that you almost forget this is fantasy. During Awa's internment with the necromancer, she is surrounded by practical applications of necromancy, which I found delightful. I love fantasy. Give me some mage spells and blue fire and I'm all about it. Raise an undead army of the damned, and I'm right there for you. But it tickled me to think of practical necromancy, like raising the dead for entertainment value, or to fulfill basic household chores like washing clothes or fetching dinner. Or serving as a bed like in the case of the bear that the necromancer slept in during the day. Or serving as a lover, the undead concubine of the necromancer. Or even as a friend, like Awa's undead friend Alvarez, who taught Awa how to spar in battle and was her advisor and confidante. One of the times I was aware that I had just accepted "practical" necromancy was when the dining set assembled itself from a collection of undead soldiers' bones. And while it might strike you as odd, the next feeling is, "Well, I mean, why wouldn't you?" And like that, you're in.
Awa is beautiful, though never described that way in the book except through Manuel's eyes when he wants to paint her. She's protective, shy, nervous, sweet, intelligent, empathetic. When she approaches spell-casting, it's from a place of making deals and bargains and asking favors of the spirits in the objects around her, as opposed to commanding them the way the necromancer does. I always felt like her magic was better, even when she was raising the dead, because she asked permission and fulfilled requests of the dead she asked favors of. Even as her power grew, Awa's approach was always humble, and I think that actually made her a more powerful witch. However it's not as if she was perfect. She killed Manuel the first time they were in the cave together in order to prevent him from running, knowing that it was only a "little death" (not orgasm) and she could bring him back. She never disclosed what was in her "stews" that magically restored broken bones and missing body parts (it was people hahahaha). She didn't tell people she was a witch in order to keep their company. And sometimes, even though she was trying to do what she thought was best, she denied a few someones the option of choice in favor of what she thought was best, often with disastrous results (like in the case of changing Chloe into a vampire in order to give her eternal life while being restored to her most perfect form). There were times when Awa's relationships with people were strained by her lack of alive friends during her formative years. Like watching a child who's never made friends before. And watching her struggle through her guilt over raising Omorose broke my heart. Here was a girl who the whole world overlooked and all she wanted was to be loved in a world that wasn't meant to love her. She felt ashamed of her needs, a very human thing to do, and struggled with internalized hatred over bringing Omorose back to be her lover, even though Omorose was nothing short of vain, petty, jealous, and contemptuous and completely unworthy of the love Awa had for her. All of these things endeared her to me. She was incredibly powerful but her outside life was muted. It was an amazing balance and a pleasure to read. I feel like I really understand who she is and it made me love her.
Still, she's not the only remarkable character in this book. Her two companions, Manuel and Monique, are just as awesome and the bond she shares with them is heartwarming. I wish there was a bit more about Monique because she just an amazing character. Described as being a veritable "giantess", Monique is a brawling, fighting, foul-mouthed prostitute (later Madame) with a heart of pure gold. And after Awa heals her of the "spirits" in her ladybits, they become friends for life. I really appreciated their friendship and the way it was portrayed. While both were lesbians, and even tried to have a go at it once or twice, the main core of their relationship was a deep respect and profound love for each other as people, as friends. They went into business with each other. Monique didn't care that she was "a blackamoor" or a lesbian. Monique was able to see right through all the bullshit to Awa's heart and couldn't be swayed against her no matter what. And people tried. Dr. Paracelsus tried to spoil her affection by disclosing that Awa was really a witch. But that didn't matter to Monique, because Awa was one of the first people to treat Monique as a person and that meant more to her than any hearsay or gossip against Awa. And while the end of the book glosses over a few stories that I wish the author fleshed out in a series of books (*begs* please please please *begs*), it was nice to note that Awa and Monique's bond lasted into the ages. I wish I had a friend like Monique.
The story is really compelling, so compelling in fact, that you don't realize until you get to Awa's curse that the main dilemma hasn't even been introduced to the narrative. The necromancer's dirty trick and 10 year curse on Awa is pure fairytale and I love it. 100 pages in and now there's a race against time with impossible odds to save Awa's life. And I love it. The story is really fast-paced from that point, and even though a lot happens in 10 years, you still have this aching in the back of your mind, like, "Awa....you're running out of time....you need to find that book and break the necromancer's curse!" And I like that. I mean, it's still a fantasy book. There should be incredible elements weaved into the story.
And yet, it's "bawdy", which is a great word. It's lewd. There are off-color jokes and plenty of plain speaking. There's lots of sex, with both living and dead people. Lots of booze and base scenarios. This was an era when people could buy "indulgences" but I appreciate the narrative including the reasons why indulgences were purchased. It wasn't this sterile environment most people make the Med/Ren period to be--this was vibrant, with selfish, vain characters; greed and gluttony; jealousy, anger, cowardice. So while you knew it was happening in the time of the Spanish Inquisition, there was no bullshit. These were people. Regular people thrust into a magically unbelievable situation.
So yeah. I'm sure I've spoiled enough of this but I think most people should read this book. It's a fast read with a great story and compelling characters. A total pleasure to read. In fact, I kept taking breaks from it, because whenever I picked it up, I was usually reading 50-75 pages at a time and I wanted to slow it down so it wasn't over too fast. And now, I want to read the other book Jesse Bullington wrote, because I like how he writes. The other one takes place in the 1300's which is great (I love Med/Ren stuff) but knowing how he tells a story, I totally understand why it was described as "Grimm's fairy tales as described by Chuck Palahniuk (sp?)" and I'm totally on board for that!!
Ok so here's the story of a young magical Moor girl named Awa. I really like how the prologue even sets up the circumstances surrounding her birth, so that you get a sense of her not being meant to be major in her life. She was born almost into servitude and was tasked with caring for her mistress Omorose, a beautiful young woman from a harem. After being captured with her mistress and companion eunuch, they soon adapt and grow under the cruel tutelage of a mountain-top necromancer, and Awa excels beneath his domineering hand. At the same time, the author begins to spin the tale of the mercenary artist Manuel who wants to focus on his family and his art, and this last task is all that's between him and the idyllic life of his dreams. These are the building blocks of a story that is so much more than this (I'm giving it short shrift in summarizing the start like this). Trust me--it's super-fantastic.
I LOVE the main protagonist, and not just because she's a queer black woman although that didn't hurt. Though I have to make this one note about this: Reading this story with Awa as the protagonist really makes me feel saddened and disappointed when authors claim that introducing a person of color or an LGBT person as a main character is "pandering", that it's too hard, or that it would cause too many problems for the readers, mainly the ability to empathize with a character and whether or not people would read it. While her race or sexual orientation is never glossed over, and is included very often in the narrative, it never detracts from who Awa is. It also doesn't add to who Awa is, as if her being a "blackamoor" grants her superhuman strength or power. Most of the times it's mentioned is when other people comment on it or have a problem with it or are confused by it. Honestly, this is the best way to portray it (because that's most accurate), and this fledgling author managed to master an element of character creation that eludes so many other practiced authors. This man, a white man at that, was able to create and portray an empathetic character who is very far from who he is--and yet, he is so successful at this that you almost forget how rare it is or how many authors/writers claim they cannot do it. He really shames them and makes it look like they're not even trying to create diverse stories and characters, as if they're blankly banging their hands on a keyboard and shrugging. And this really sucks, because I like reading about different kinds of people. More characters like this please!
And that's the thing of it. He never hides it. The world he's created/adopted (Spanish Inquisition) isn't colorblind or even tolerant. It's mentioned often how people would be uncomfortable with a "Moor" or a woman who likes girls. It's mentioned the numerous disguises she has to use in order to get around in Renaissance Spain, France, and Germany. It's also mentioned in several conversations with Monique, her friend and road warrior, that there is racial bias even with the prostitutes, that she "might" be able to find a prostitute or two who could be paid to have sex with her, even though she was black. Like, the book NEVER shies away from that. And yet, Awa is such a fantastic character, so triumphant and conflicted, that you accept it, embrace this part of her narrative, and let it create an empathetic bond between you and her. Really well done.
Bullington is also very skilled at presenting the fantastical elements in such a way that you almost forget this is fantasy. During Awa's internment with the necromancer, she is surrounded by practical applications of necromancy, which I found delightful. I love fantasy. Give me some mage spells and blue fire and I'm all about it. Raise an undead army of the damned, and I'm right there for you. But it tickled me to think of practical necromancy, like raising the dead for entertainment value, or to fulfill basic household chores like washing clothes or fetching dinner. Or serving as a bed like in the case of the bear that the necromancer slept in during the day. Or serving as a lover, the undead concubine of the necromancer. Or even as a friend, like Awa's undead friend Alvarez, who taught Awa how to spar in battle and was her advisor and confidante. One of the times I was aware that I had just accepted "practical" necromancy was when the dining set assembled itself from a collection of undead soldiers' bones. And while it might strike you as odd, the next feeling is, "Well, I mean, why wouldn't you?" And like that, you're in.
Awa is beautiful, though never described that way in the book except through Manuel's eyes when he wants to paint her. She's protective, shy, nervous, sweet, intelligent, empathetic. When she approaches spell-casting, it's from a place of making deals and bargains and asking favors of the spirits in the objects around her, as opposed to commanding them the way the necromancer does. I always felt like her magic was better, even when she was raising the dead, because she asked permission and fulfilled requests of the dead she asked favors of. Even as her power grew, Awa's approach was always humble, and I think that actually made her a more powerful witch. However it's not as if she was perfect. She killed Manuel the first time they were in the cave together in order to prevent him from running, knowing that it was only a "little death" (not orgasm) and she could bring him back. She never disclosed what was in her "stews" that magically restored broken bones and missing body parts (it was people hahahaha). She didn't tell people she was a witch in order to keep their company. And sometimes, even though she was trying to do what she thought was best, she denied a few someones the option of choice in favor of what she thought was best, often with disastrous results (like in the case of changing Chloe into a vampire in order to give her eternal life while being restored to her most perfect form). There were times when Awa's relationships with people were strained by her lack of alive friends during her formative years. Like watching a child who's never made friends before. And watching her struggle through her guilt over raising Omorose broke my heart. Here was a girl who the whole world overlooked and all she wanted was to be loved in a world that wasn't meant to love her. She felt ashamed of her needs, a very human thing to do, and struggled with internalized hatred over bringing Omorose back to be her lover, even though Omorose was nothing short of vain, petty, jealous, and contemptuous and completely unworthy of the love Awa had for her. All of these things endeared her to me. She was incredibly powerful but her outside life was muted. It was an amazing balance and a pleasure to read. I feel like I really understand who she is and it made me love her.
Still, she's not the only remarkable character in this book. Her two companions, Manuel and Monique, are just as awesome and the bond she shares with them is heartwarming. I wish there was a bit more about Monique because she just an amazing character. Described as being a veritable "giantess", Monique is a brawling, fighting, foul-mouthed prostitute (later Madame) with a heart of pure gold. And after Awa heals her of the "spirits" in her ladybits, they become friends for life. I really appreciated their friendship and the way it was portrayed. While both were lesbians, and even tried to have a go at it once or twice, the main core of their relationship was a deep respect and profound love for each other as people, as friends. They went into business with each other. Monique didn't care that she was "a blackamoor" or a lesbian. Monique was able to see right through all the bullshit to Awa's heart and couldn't be swayed against her no matter what. And people tried. Dr. Paracelsus tried to spoil her affection by disclosing that Awa was really a witch. But that didn't matter to Monique, because Awa was one of the first people to treat Monique as a person and that meant more to her than any hearsay or gossip against Awa. And while the end of the book glosses over a few stories that I wish the author fleshed out in a series of books (*begs* please please please *begs*), it was nice to note that Awa and Monique's bond lasted into the ages. I wish I had a friend like Monique.
The story is really compelling, so compelling in fact, that you don't realize until you get to Awa's curse that the main dilemma hasn't even been introduced to the narrative. The necromancer's dirty trick and 10 year curse on Awa is pure fairytale and I love it. 100 pages in and now there's a race against time with impossible odds to save Awa's life. And I love it. The story is really fast-paced from that point, and even though a lot happens in 10 years, you still have this aching in the back of your mind, like, "Awa....you're running out of time....you need to find that book and break the necromancer's curse!" And I like that. I mean, it's still a fantasy book. There should be incredible elements weaved into the story.
And yet, it's "bawdy", which is a great word. It's lewd. There are off-color jokes and plenty of plain speaking. There's lots of sex, with both living and dead people. Lots of booze and base scenarios. This was an era when people could buy "indulgences" but I appreciate the narrative including the reasons why indulgences were purchased. It wasn't this sterile environment most people make the Med/Ren period to be--this was vibrant, with selfish, vain characters; greed and gluttony; jealousy, anger, cowardice. So while you knew it was happening in the time of the Spanish Inquisition, there was no bullshit. These were people. Regular people thrust into a magically unbelievable situation.
So yeah. I'm sure I've spoiled enough of this but I think most people should read this book. It's a fast read with a great story and compelling characters. A total pleasure to read. In fact, I kept taking breaks from it, because whenever I picked it up, I was usually reading 50-75 pages at a time and I wanted to slow it down so it wasn't over too fast. And now, I want to read the other book Jesse Bullington wrote, because I like how he writes. The other one takes place in the 1300's which is great (I love Med/Ren stuff) but knowing how he tells a story, I totally understand why it was described as "Grimm's fairy tales as described by Chuck Palahniuk (sp?)" and I'm totally on board for that!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2017
I wanted to like this book... I wanted to like it so much! I still really like aspects of the plot. The subject matter is dark, sometimes darker than anything else I've read, but that isn't what bothered me. Every aspect of the description was appealing to me, honestly, which made the actual book all the more disappointing.
It was so tedious.
The writing is sometimes brilliant and sometimes funny, but so much of it is so wandering and tedious that it's painful to read. One sentence feels like an entire page, and definitely not in a good way. The reader has to painstakingly unearth the narrative from the writing -- only to be disappointed, because the narrative and the characters are both weak.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book is unnecessarily crass. Crudeness isn't something I'd automatically consider a fault, but this book will literally beat you over the head with it, often to the detriment of the plot.
I gave up after a couple hundred pages. Maybe one day I'll go back and finish it, but for now, I couldn't stand it.
It was so tedious.
The writing is sometimes brilliant and sometimes funny, but so much of it is so wandering and tedious that it's painful to read. One sentence feels like an entire page, and definitely not in a good way. The reader has to painstakingly unearth the narrative from the writing -- only to be disappointed, because the narrative and the characters are both weak.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book is unnecessarily crass. Crudeness isn't something I'd automatically consider a fault, but this book will literally beat you over the head with it, often to the detriment of the plot.
I gave up after a couple hundred pages. Maybe one day I'll go back and finish it, but for now, I couldn't stand it.
September 4, 2014
The jacket is what originally caught my eye - an intriguing cover, an interesting title, and good quality binding all lead me to hope that this would be worth a read. But once again, I'm reminded that you can't judge a book by it's cover.
I had high hopes for this one. The jacket description promised something of a rollicking adventure. Necromancy, swords, muskets, some comedy, and more! However, what was contained therein fell quite flat. Far too long with little or no pay-off, I wouldn't recommend this one; after reading it, I see why I found it in the discount section. However, if you really want to give it a shot, you can have my copy.
I had high hopes for this one. The jacket description promised something of a rollicking adventure. Necromancy, swords, muskets, some comedy, and more! However, what was contained therein fell quite flat. Far too long with little or no pay-off, I wouldn't recommend this one; after reading it, I see why I found it in the discount section. However, if you really want to give it a shot, you can have my copy.
April 15, 2022
Rep: Black lesbian mc, lesbian mc, Black side characters
CWs: gore, cannibalism, mentions of rape, antiblack racism, torture, lesbophobia, violence
CWs: gore, cannibalism, mentions of rape, antiblack racism, torture, lesbophobia, violence
March 27, 2024
Ça n’a pas été le roman qui m’a le plus touché, mais qu’est-ce qu’il a été divertissant! C’est vraiment un livre unique; l’absence de manichéisme, les personnages complètement déjantés, les dialogues savoureux, le contexte historique de la Renaissance, qui à l’évidence a été très étudié par l’auteur… sans parler de l’ambiance glauque due aux mentions de cannibalisme, nécrophilie, bestialité et j’en passe! Le fil narratif est le point faible de ce roman, on s’y perd un peu parfois, mais le tout est cohérent, au final. Le plaisir de cette lecture résidait plus dans l’exploration de ce sombre univers dans lequel l’auteur nous plonge où les protagonistes ne sont pas de grands personnages historiques, mais des gens du commun qui traversent des temps tourmentés.
February 9, 2022
Ok...so. it's super slow. I feel it jumps around a lot. I bought this book sometime in 2016(ish), and have been taking this long to finish it. The ending, or rather the last 100 pages or so, were the best part of the book. I know most books are that way, bit this stands true in that I'd rather read those 100pages than the rest of the book. Glad to have read it, but not likely buying another of the author any time soon. The imagery was very detailed, historical relation was contextually valid, but the core time line of events and story as it relates to the characters just sort of missed me.
June 9, 2025
Booktube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6XAQ...
Absolutely phenomenal. Turns out I like all of Jesse Bullington's work, even and especially when I don't know it's Jesse Bullington. An insightful and immersive meditation on grief, death, trauma, and the agency we have in those things.
Absolutely phenomenal. Turns out I like all of Jesse Bullington's work, even and especially when I don't know it's Jesse Bullington. An insightful and immersive meditation on grief, death, trauma, and the agency we have in those things.
July 30, 2011
c2011. Now, I love fantasy and history and I readily admit that I must be a closet ghoul - but this book? Nah, no way, huh?? It has such good reviews which invegieled me into ordering the book in the first place. The plot didn't put me off but the style of writing was not to my taste. I really did not like the attempt at regional accents by means of apostrophes or misspelling - but that is a personal dislike of mine - I find it hard to pass such a sentence without sounding it out to get an idea of the accent that it is meant to convey much to the discomfort of anyone that happens to be around. I kept reading it as I know that sometimes you have to put some effort in...sadly....a whole lot of effort for very little result. Admittedly, Awa is not at all a normal heroine and the baddy is very very bad. Necromancy -always dark - is the main thrust of the novel together with a "different" take on intolerancies of various types. I reread some of the reviews on my favourite book blogging sites and its almost as if I read a different book! I am clearly in the minority on this one which funnily enough gives me room to recommend and judge for yourself. "She stopped herself, knowing that such paths were unhealthy, and anyway, who were goats to judge?"
September 24, 2011
This book gave me pause. What is Bullington trying to achieve with his characters? How does a white man create a protagonist who is black, gay and a slave with authenticity? Indeed, Bullington has two primary lesbian characters in addition to their lovers. As other reviewers have noted the book is filled with extreme violence, physically, sexually and emotionally. Awa, the main character, leads a doomed life. As much as I wanted to put the book down, I kept reading in hopes that her soul would find peace and rest. Surely its the least Bullington could provide to her after unearthing her from the depths of hell.
July 19, 2025
Compared to The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, this is a very uneven and difficult read. All the right elements are here, and compared to Grossbart the ending of this book is much more positive and wholesome for the story's protagonist, Awa, the reluctant necromancer. The first trouble is that the tone of the story can be uneven. The prologue "Pity Boabdil" is one of the most sarcastically brilliant pieces of historical fiction ever written. As far as a story setup goes, it's a 12/10, world-class introduction that really establishes the demented but very realistic setting of the novel's time (1492-1530). But immediately afterwards that tone sat wrong and clashed when I read about the suffering poor Omarosa and Awa go through at the hands of the old necromancer. When I first tried to read this novel years ago back when it was new, I put the book down in disgust because I missed the subtlety and clues that would let a reader know that this ISN'T some bizarre, sadistic torture fantasy. In the Grossbart book its clear much earlier on that despite the horrible events afoot, the author likes the characters, that no matter who they are in the story they hold some redeeming humanity making them worth reading and that the author has a constructive purpose for them in the tale. Here the author holds his cards a little too close to his chest, so to speak. It wasn't until sometime after Omarosa meets Niklaus Deutsch that I started to get the sense that there might be some light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. Again, to Jesse Bullington's credit, Awa and Niklaus's friendship is one of the best and most satisfying I have ever read in literature, a platonic love that for me turned around ALL the oppressive negativity of the first third of the novel. A girl that survives years of pure hell finds true friendship and acceptance, but only after she scares the actual shit out of him.
The narrative jumps in time or place sometimes quite startlingly. There is a character, Monique, whose dialogue is so disruptive that her lines felt as though they were blasted in capslock across each page. It is of course essential to her character, which is loud, disruptive and totally unique and even sometimes funny. But again, difficult and disruptive to the flow. There's even an underground cult of vampire scholars(?) living under the Black Forest of Germany, though exactly wtf is going on with them or how or why they really fit into the tale was a bit of a stretch too far for me. Also the evil demon hyena was a thing, eerie and terrifying and I cheered to its gruesome fate at the hands of Paracelsus. Oh yeah, Paracelsus is in this novel, and he was a bit of a duffer. The evil hyena was cool and all but by the time that whole episode hijacked the narrative I was REALLY angling for this novel to be heading towards something. It did, and I will say it came together fairly well by the end. The last chapter mirrors the tone of the "Pity Boabdil" intro and was quite brilliant at wrapping things up a way that felt meaningful but man this was a long tough read. I totally enjoyed it for sure, but it was a very herky-jerky sort of thing. Trying to tell my friend at work about it made me wish it was more accessible.
The narrative jumps in time or place sometimes quite startlingly. There is a character, Monique, whose dialogue is so disruptive that her lines felt as though they were blasted in capslock across each page. It is of course essential to her character, which is loud, disruptive and totally unique and even sometimes funny. But again, difficult and disruptive to the flow. There's even an underground cult of vampire scholars(?) living under the Black Forest of Germany, though exactly wtf is going on with them or how or why they really fit into the tale was a bit of a stretch too far for me. Also the evil demon hyena was a thing, eerie and terrifying and I cheered to its gruesome fate at the hands of Paracelsus. Oh yeah, Paracelsus is in this novel, and he was a bit of a duffer. The evil hyena was cool and all but by the time that whole episode hijacked the narrative I was REALLY angling for this novel to be heading towards something. It did, and I will say it came together fairly well by the end. The last chapter mirrors the tone of the "Pity Boabdil" intro and was quite brilliant at wrapping things up a way that felt meaningful but man this was a long tough read. I totally enjoyed it for sure, but it was a very herky-jerky sort of thing. Trying to tell my friend at work about it made me wish it was more accessible.
October 18, 2025
So... Wow this book needs a content warning label. And the label should be the size of a poster. The hero rapes a girl who gets revenge by hiring a man to rape the hero's girlfriend while they watch? The hero secretly turns all their friends into cannibals, which is portrayed as a good thing? The hero catches the bad guy having sex with a corpse and decides, that's a good idea, let's spend multiple chapters taking place over several years raising the dead to make them go down on me. There's a lot of oral sex in the book, some masturbating on hookers, a few pages of the cheating wife's love of using the rosary as anal beads and the hero makes their first friend by bonding over porn. The picture on the front cover is a corpse being forced to finger a girl (in the book, the girl makes her friend watch and take pictures). That's the image they chose to lead off with. Perhaps someone should check to make sure the author is okay?
I'm not a big fan of necrophilia porn, which is why I never read Twilight or those Charlene Harris novels, but this book was well written. The story is unusual, goes places and takes twists I didn't expect and there's a creepy ventriloquist hyena. There's some plot armor and lucky coincidences but several major characters die off throughout the book. It's not like any book I've read before, but how many other goth lesbian magic power stories are there in the world? Oh, a few? Well this one isn't funny, a murder mystery or in space.
The plot: The king of Spain rape the previous king's daughter and rubs it in his face so he buys the prettiest sex slave he can and gives her some black slaves and then the pirates come... You know what? Don't worry what it's about. If you like 15th century papal wars, the inquisition and necromancers, this is a book you can read. I'm not sure if you should, and it's certainly not suitable for anyone under, oh, let's say 57, but it is a book.
I'm not a big fan of necrophilia porn, which is why I never read Twilight or those Charlene Harris novels, but this book was well written. The story is unusual, goes places and takes twists I didn't expect and there's a creepy ventriloquist hyena. There's some plot armor and lucky coincidences but several major characters die off throughout the book. It's not like any book I've read before, but how many other goth lesbian magic power stories are there in the world? Oh, a few? Well this one isn't funny, a murder mystery or in space.
The plot: The king of Spain rape the previous king's daughter and rubs it in his face so he buys the prettiest sex slave he can and gives her some black slaves and then the pirates come... You know what? Don't worry what it's about. If you like 15th century papal wars, the inquisition and necromancers, this is a book you can read. I'm not sure if you should, and it's certainly not suitable for anyone under, oh, let's say 57, but it is a book.
July 6, 2025
I loved this and rated it five stars, but the book is not without its flaws and it isn't going to appeal to everyone.
What I like about Bullington's writing is its enthusiasm. Everything is lightly larger than life and more vivid. It feels to me as if the book bubbles with energy. There is also a lot of sly humour in the book, which I loved. I read the book to pass the time on a long train journey and the first half of the book flew by. However I felt the second half of the book, after Awa escapes from the mountain, slowed down a bit and was more work to read. The Schwarzwalders felt like an unnecessary plot device, and the ending felt a little bit contrived.
You need also to be aware that Bullington pulls no punches when it comes to the seamier side of his world building. There is a great deal of murder and rape in the the book, though it is presented in a rather cartoonish way that blunts its impact a bit. His characters also swear in great enthusiasm, though again in an unrealistically colourful way. It may feel as if Bullington is deliberately trying to shock, though my guess is that this isn't the case and he is just making his world as vividly colourful as he can.
I think whether you will enjoy the book or not is going to depend on whether you like Bullington's writing style, because that dominates the book. The story is actually rather straightforward. If you enjoy graphic and frequently vulgar writing then you're in for a treat, but if not you should probably look elsewhere.
What I like about Bullington's writing is its enthusiasm. Everything is lightly larger than life and more vivid. It feels to me as if the book bubbles with energy. There is also a lot of sly humour in the book, which I loved. I read the book to pass the time on a long train journey and the first half of the book flew by. However I felt the second half of the book, after Awa escapes from the mountain, slowed down a bit and was more work to read. The Schwarzwalders felt like an unnecessary plot device, and the ending felt a little bit contrived.
You need also to be aware that Bullington pulls no punches when it comes to the seamier side of his world building. There is a great deal of murder and rape in the the book, though it is presented in a rather cartoonish way that blunts its impact a bit. His characters also swear in great enthusiasm, though again in an unrealistically colourful way. It may feel as if Bullington is deliberately trying to shock, though my guess is that this isn't the case and he is just making his world as vividly colourful as he can.
I think whether you will enjoy the book or not is going to depend on whether you like Bullington's writing style, because that dominates the book. The story is actually rather straightforward. If you enjoy graphic and frequently vulgar writing then you're in for a treat, but if not you should probably look elsewhere.
June 17, 2017
The beginning of this book was FANTASTIC. It was horror such as I have never seen done: grotesque and nightmarish, but balanced with this almost cartoon-ish, tongue-in-cheek humor to take the edge off. The first 180 pages or so I would equate to a Grimm's fairy tale on crack: X-rated and twice as twisted, yet...magical with fun dalliances in historical re-imagining to boot.
The second half of the book, however, began losing traction pretty quickly. The tone completely changed and the timeline jumped around quite a bit with scenes that didn't add anything new or interesting to the plot. I thought it was a little far-fetched that a skilled, highly dangerous necromancer would spend the better part of a decade working in a brothel as a "cunt-cleaner" as the character Monqiue so delicately puts it instead of finding a way to break her curse and defeat her master. Then when crunch-time comes, they find a solution in a pretty harebrained fashion that ends the book kind of anticlimactically.
I felt like everything ended just a little too neat and prim, considering how twisted and convoluted the book started. Still enjoyed it immensely, though and would recommend to anyone looking for a shamelessly irreverent sort of horror.
The second half of the book, however, began losing traction pretty quickly. The tone completely changed and the timeline jumped around quite a bit with scenes that didn't add anything new or interesting to the plot. I thought it was a little far-fetched that a skilled, highly dangerous necromancer would spend the better part of a decade working in a brothel as a "cunt-cleaner" as the character Monqiue so delicately puts it instead of finding a way to break her curse and defeat her master. Then when crunch-time comes, they find a solution in a pretty harebrained fashion that ends the book kind of anticlimactically.
I felt like everything ended just a little too neat and prim, considering how twisted and convoluted the book started. Still enjoyed it immensely, though and would recommend to anyone looking for a shamelessly irreverent sort of horror.
October 23, 2024
I wouldn't say this was the masterpiece level that Bullington achieved in The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart: 5.5 or A Crown for Cold Silver writing as Alex Marshall, but still a hell of a lot of fun. If I only had one word to describe it, I would say "quirky". The 2nd word would be dark. It's filled with necromancy, humor, witchcraft, necrophilia, monsters, violence, and great, memorable characters. This could have been horrifying, but while the plot was serious, the tone of the writing was more that of adventure.
My only complaint is that he/his characters sometimes used modern phrases like "I'll end you" and that took me out of the story temporarily. It wasn't that often though.
My only complaint is that he/his characters sometimes used modern phrases like "I'll end you" and that took me out of the story temporarily. It wasn't that often though.
September 5, 2024
Vivid characters, living and dead, adorn this fable of dubious morality about a necromancer's quest for eternal life. Awa, a Moorish slave, is helpless against the tsunami of events that leaves her shipwrecked and ensorcelled. She doesn't remain helpless for long, her wits and empathy sharpened in crises both magical and emotional, and the multiply named Niklaus Manuel Deutsch of Bern proves an able and entertaining narrative compliment.
Bullington has some obvious fun with this story and so do we, though The Enterprise of Death is not for folks who are queasy about cannibalism, which is a central plot point.
Bullington has some obvious fun with this story and so do we, though The Enterprise of Death is not for folks who are queasy about cannibalism, which is a central plot point.
April 6, 2020
Knihu jsem dostala darem a upřímně dlouho mi ležela v knihovně. Název i obálka mě jistým způsobem odrazovaly. Nakonec jsem se do ní ale pustila a nelitovala jsem. Román je napsán čtivě, je plný děje a akce, dalo by se říci, takže stránky ubíhají jedna za druhou. Líbilo se mi, jak si autor pohrál se skutečnými historickými postavami a pozadím, a využil je pro potřeby svého vyprávění. Takže - pokud se zajímáte o nekromancii, nekromanty, čarodějnice, Maury, inkvizici, lehké děvy, švýcarské žoldnéře, válku v Lombardii na počátku 16. století a nebojíte se pár kostlivců, zahnívajících mrtvol a jedné hodně protivné hyeny, tak knihu rozhodně doporučuji :-)
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