The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart
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Darkly funny, profane, erudite, bawdy, and wickedly original, Jesse Bullington's The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart marks the debut of an amazing new talent. I loved it (Jeff VanderMeer )
A pair of the vilest, meanest, most murderous thugs ever to grace the pages of a fantasy novel ... This is not for the faint-hearted or the queasy - imagine Tarantino crossed with Rabelais (Guardian ‘This is a tale grimmer than the grimmest of the Grimms, redolent of blood, excrement, vomit and putrefaction … As the antithesis of conventional fantasy, this is a tour de force’ )
Telegraph (‘Raucous, lewd, and grisly’ )
Esquire (‘The mix of grimmer-than-Grimm fairy tale tropes […] and medieval history is striking and often funny’ )
A pair of the vilest, meanest, most murderous thugs ever to grace the pages of a fantasy novel ... This is not for the faint-hearted or the queasy - imagine Tarantino crossed with Rabelais (Guardian ‘This is a tale grimmer than the grimmest of the Grimms, redolent of blood, excrement, vomit and putrefaction … As the antithesis of conventional fantasy, this is a tour de force’ )
Telegraph (‘Raucous, lewd, and grisly’ )
Esquire (‘The mix of grimmer-than-Grimm fairy tale tropes […] and medieval history is striking and often funny’ )
Book Description
A bloody, grim and thoroughly engaging tale of philosophical grave-robbers on the run in Mediaeval Europe.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Written in the form of a medieval folktale compiled from various manuscripts and accounts, The Sad Tale recounts the true fate of the Grossbart Brothers, Manfried and Hegel, two of the meanest villains central Europe has ever seen. Their family background of petty thieves and graverobbers is nothing to be proud of, but having been abandoned by the uncle who brought them up, the brothers remain convinced that their family heritage and fortune lies in the sandy deserts of Gyptland and start their journey. Not without first settling accounts with a local farmer who once beat them in their youth for stealing turnips from his field, but taking revenge a little too far on his family, they end up being pursued by the farmer and other townfolk.
That's the least of their worries as the Grossbarts encounter all sorts of medieval horrors on their journey, both human and supernatural, plague-infested villages, lustful witches, man-eating half-man-half-beasts, devil-possessed hogs and the foulest demons of hell. The foul-mouthed, blasphemous, dim-witted brothers may not be the most pleasant of company throughout this journey, and their conversational skills leave as much to be desired as their manners, but they ain't stupid about knowing when something's a coming to kill 'em, and they make sure to strike first.
A sad tale it is indeed then, one of misfortune compounded by stupidity and self-delusions of near-sainthood to the extent that you almost feel sorry for these two ugly, murderous, heretical scum (though not quite as sorry as for the unfortunates they come into contact with), but it's also frequently amusing, the author taking full advantage of the fantasy-medieval setting to deliver an occasionally grim, brutal and shockingly profane adventure that's highly entertaining.
That's the least of their worries as the Grossbarts encounter all sorts of medieval horrors on their journey, both human and supernatural, plague-infested villages, lustful witches, man-eating half-man-half-beasts, devil-possessed hogs and the foulest demons of hell. The foul-mouthed, blasphemous, dim-witted brothers may not be the most pleasant of company throughout this journey, and their conversational skills leave as much to be desired as their manners, but they ain't stupid about knowing when something's a coming to kill 'em, and they make sure to strike first.
A sad tale it is indeed then, one of misfortune compounded by stupidity and self-delusions of near-sainthood to the extent that you almost feel sorry for these two ugly, murderous, heretical scum (though not quite as sorry as for the unfortunates they come into contact with), but it's also frequently amusing, the author taking full advantage of the fantasy-medieval setting to deliver an occasionally grim, brutal and shockingly profane adventure that's highly entertaining.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well this book is truly macabre, grotesque and perhaps even a bit sick! I loved it!
Welcome to the brutal and warped world of Hegel and Manfried. The brothers Grossbart.
Somewhat unhappy with their lot they set off to take their profession (grave robbing) to sunnier shores (Gyptland). Of course there is nothing to stop them indulging in a spot of score settling, thievery, murder and thuggary along the way. Not that they let this low down behaviour dissaude them of the view that they are doing the work of the virgin Mary! The explanation of this is best left to the brothers, but trust me it is darkly hilarious!
Along the way they come accross witches, demons, an alcaholic priest and a deranged sea Captain. If you decide to undertake this journey with them be prepared to be amused and horrified by turns or sometimes at the same time. As Manfried and Hegel earn your loathing and begrudging respect!
This is the kind of book where anything can and will happen. It's graphic and at times deeply shocking. I read the first chapter in a series gasps and profanity and most of the books I read are pretty blood splattered. There is ultra violence, sex, religeous sacrilege and the very strongest language. So you might want to avoid this if you are the kind of person who writes outraged letters to the Daily Mail.
The story is a dark comedy/horror that is not without excitement as well as shocks and laughter.
What is more remarkable is that this highly original and brilliant book is a debut novel. I will be awaiting with great interest and quite a lot of impatience for Jesse Bullington's next offering. This a stunning peice of work!
Welcome to the brutal and warped world of Hegel and Manfried. The brothers Grossbart.
Somewhat unhappy with their lot they set off to take their profession (grave robbing) to sunnier shores (Gyptland). Of course there is nothing to stop them indulging in a spot of score settling, thievery, murder and thuggary along the way. Not that they let this low down behaviour dissaude them of the view that they are doing the work of the virgin Mary! The explanation of this is best left to the brothers, but trust me it is darkly hilarious!
Along the way they come accross witches, demons, an alcaholic priest and a deranged sea Captain. If you decide to undertake this journey with them be prepared to be amused and horrified by turns or sometimes at the same time. As Manfried and Hegel earn your loathing and begrudging respect!
This is the kind of book where anything can and will happen. It's graphic and at times deeply shocking. I read the first chapter in a series gasps and profanity and most of the books I read are pretty blood splattered. There is ultra violence, sex, religeous sacrilege and the very strongest language. So you might want to avoid this if you are the kind of person who writes outraged letters to the Daily Mail.
The story is a dark comedy/horror that is not without excitement as well as shocks and laughter.
What is more remarkable is that this highly original and brilliant book is a debut novel. I will be awaiting with great interest and quite a lot of impatience for Jesse Bullington's next offering. This a stunning peice of work!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Great Book !
A Dark, graphic morbid fictional tale set in plague ridden Europe chronicling the adventures of the brothers Manfried & Hegel Grossbart. It's pretty brutal in some of its descriptions, humorous in places and wildly captivating, I simply could not put it down. I've definitely not read anything like it before.
Let's hope the two brothers somehow make a return
Absolutley worth reading.
A Dark, graphic morbid fictional tale set in plague ridden Europe chronicling the adventures of the brothers Manfried & Hegel Grossbart. It's pretty brutal in some of its descriptions, humorous in places and wildly captivating, I simply could not put it down. I've definitely not read anything like it before.
Let's hope the two brothers somehow make a return
Absolutley worth reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What's the fuss all about???
Personally I didn't think this was particularly gross, or for that matter particularly entertaining. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. W. Gill-collis
Unusual and brave historical fantasy that didn't quite work for me
It's 1364, when life was nasty, brutish and short and Europe was filled with horrors from plague and witchcraft to murder and demon raising. Read more
Published 6 months ago by quippe
Writings of a particularly nasty adolescent
Being a huge fan of Karen Maitlands work and having read reviews comparing this work to Maitlands, I was eager to give it a go. Read more
Published 9 months ago by pigsmayfly
Cruel and unusual!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, strange as it was. The humour was subtle and dark, not often laugh-out-loud but as a concept, a vile medieval fairytale for grownups I thought it... Read more
Published 13 months ago by hyperconformist
A rollercoaster ride through Middle European Folklore
Never lovable, but always compelling, the grave-robbing Brothers Grossbart murder, cheat and rob their way through Central Europe on the way to their promised land, the Pyramids... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mark Stammers
It was the worst of times, it was the darkest of times...
This was one of those rare occasions where I took a punt on a book purely due to its eye-catching front cover - and was utterly glad I did! Read more
Published 18 months ago by Sam Woodward
Yuck
I have to agree with Munchkin's review. This was totally awful. The characters were repulsive and the story stumbled along from one gory killing to another. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. B. J. Jones
Don't read this
Look I love historical fiction, having just finished the Owl Killers by Karen Maitland. However, where that book was able to provide characters I could care about against the... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Munchkin
Something different, a dark brutal read
I had picked up this book on a whim, not having come across anything quite like it before. The style of the writing draws you in and is presented in a fantasy/historical fact... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mr. S. Turner
medieval horror
A medieval horror novel about two brothers Manfried and Hegel who are the heroes/villains of the tale. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Rubbah
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