SBWright reviewed Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
Review of 'Enterprise of Death' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
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 …
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
