The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

by Jesse Bullington

Overview

Hegel and Manfried Grossbart may not consider themselves bad men - but death still stalks them through the dark woods of medieval Europe.

The year is 1364, and the brothers Grossbart have embarked on a naïve quest for fortune. Descended from a long line of graverobbers, they are determined to follow their family's footsteps to the fabled crypts of Gyptland. To get there, they will have to brave dangerous and unknown lands and keep company with all manner of desperate travelers-merchants, priests, and scoundrels alike. For theirs is a world both familiar and distant; a world of living saints and livelier demons, of monsters and madmen.

The Brothers Grossbart are about to discover that all legends have their truths, and worse fates than death await those who would take the red road of villainy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316049344
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	11/16/2009
Pages:	453
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.12(d)

About the Author

Jesse Bullington spent the bulk of his formative years in rural Pennsylvania, the Netherlands, and Tallahassee, Florida. He is a folklore and outdoor enthusiast who holds a bachelor's degree in History and English Literature from Florida State University. He currently resides in Colorado, and his blog, as well as fan art, news and exclusive content can be found at www.jessebullington.com.

Editorial Reviews

With liberal inclusion of vomit, gore and turnips, Bullington's bizarre debut follows two monstrous siblings across 1364 Europe and the Middle East as they seek ever-richer graves to rob. The Crusades, the papal schism and the Black Death all make appearances, as do the obligatory witches, priests and knights. In addition to robbing, torturing and murdering innocent peasants, the brothers dispatch demons and imitation popes while debating theology and the nature of mercy, e.g., finishing a victim off rather than leaving him for the crows. The mix of grimmer-than-Grimm fairy tale tropes, spaghetti Western dialogue (“Yeah, can't suffer no traitorous churls to keep on bein traitorous”) and medieval history is striking and often funny, but it may not be compelling enough to keep readers slogging along with the brothers' endless travels and copious letting of bodily fluids. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Fantasy debut plunges viscerally into the depths of medieval nightmare. Hegel and Manfried Grossbart are sincere (albeit highly unconventional) Mariolaters as well as murderous grave robbers. The German siblings travel across 14th-century Europe toward Egypt, where they believe a multitude of rich infidel tombs await them. Along the way, they confront plague-bearing demons, assorted other evil creatures and treacherous locals. Gaining enemies wherever they go, they beguile their journey with heavy drinking and profanity-laced, profoundly heretical theological debate. A dementedly vengeful farmer whose family the Grossbarts slaughtered follows in dogged pursuit. Deeply rooted in history and folklore, the novel is both earthier and far more cynical than the original versions of Grimms' fairy tales; it's a perverse Dark Ages anti-Candide, drenched with bodily fluids-blood, vomit, semen and plague bubo discharge, among others. Whether readers enjoy this amusing, skillfully distasteful experience depends on the strength of their stomachs and the extent of their tolerance for intimate acquaintance with unpleasant characters. Discomfiting, disgusting and at times as grotesquely pleasurable as picking at a scab.

Kirkus Reviews

This book fits into no neat category. The brothers (twins) wander through Europe during the Black Plague, robbing graves as they go. They’re crude and vulgar in action as well as language. They also have a devotion to the Virgin Mary and engage in various unique religious rituals, including cannibalism. Christopher Lane gives a rousing narration. He uses accents with skill and provides depth to the characters. Further, his strong pace keeps the book moving, and his engaging tone highlights the occasional black humor in a way that distracts the listener from the essentially dismal nature of the story. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2011 - AudioFile