Feb. 28
5:31 PM
The Most In-depth Reviews of the Brothers Grossbart Yet
come from Strange Horizons and Interzone 226. The Interzone piece ran last month and I thought I had already mentioned it here but evidently not, so we'll start there. The reviewer, Iain Emsley, really, really gets what I was going for, and his review is dead on throughout. It also gives away just about every twist in the book, as is necessary with such an academic approach, so only search it out if you're already familiar with the text. I can't thank Monsieur Emsley enough for the time and attention he gave to my book, and truly appreciate his effort. The full review is only available in the physical issue but draws comparison to Nick Cave (!), as well as reading in part:
“Dancing through the grotesque and shit-stained beauty of the medieval, the story cavorts in its possibilities…Bullington’s book expresses joie de vevere throughout, as well as giving periodic knowing winks to the audience. It reminded me of my initial excitement at reading China Miéville or Jeff VanderMeer and the possibilities that they outlined for the reader. The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart asks the reader to continually question what they are expecting from different varieties of the fantastic, in the same way that any of the post-modern fantasy writers have done, whilst also being an engrossing read.”
Again, thanks Iain!
The other academically thorough and in-depth review comes from Abigail Nussbaum and appeared on Friday at Strange Horizons. This review, while less favorable than Mr. Emsley's, is all the more fascinating for coming from a critic who didn't really enjoy the novel at all. I had noticed that on a list of her three worst books of 2009 Ms. Nussbaum included the Brothers Grossbart as a "Dishonorable Mention" so I will confess to being a bit nervous upon realizing she was to be the one reviewing the novel for Strange Horizons, but she does what so many lesser critics fail to do and focuses on the work instead of her personal distaste for it. The result is, as I said, fascinating, and an entirely new perspective on the novel--she gets some of what I was going for on a level that I think even some of the book's fans may not have, and other elements she doesn't get at all.
But that's all authorial intent rot and doesn't mean anything, of course--the point is she gives an intelligent critique of a novel that she decidedly didn't care for instead of simply trashing it, which is, in my experience, the much more common response, and one that we're all guilty of at some point. As with the Interzone piece, Nussbaum gives a lot of the game away so steer clear until you've read the book but once you have give it a read--would that all critics explained the reasons for their disliking a text as thoroughly and fairly as Nussbaum has. She concludes her review with the hope that with my next book I "use (my) powers for good"--The Enterprise of Death is a very different project than the Brothers Grossbart and, while I don't know if it will fit the bill as far as that goes, I do hope she gives it a go and finds it more to her taste--I can't thank her enough for taking the time to read my debut novel, and for the additional time she took to critically examine a work she didn't personally care for. Big thanks!
Oh, and the Brothers Grossbart was selected by the UK edition of Esquire magazine as one of their "Three To Read" for the month of January, so my thanks to them as well--and really, everyone who gave the book a go. I can't tell you how happy it sees me to see the book getting rated on Amazon, Goodreads, blogs, etc., even if the book did make some readers throw up in their mouths. Sorry for that, Mel, and thanks for reading!
Jesse, glad that you liked the review. I think there is more to be said about the book (I hit the word count fairly hard and had to throw out some stuff). For some reason that I now forget, Nick Cave seemed an appropriate comparison at the time. Intrigued to see what you do next, Iain
Iain Emsley on Mar. 4, 2010 at 12:45 PM