The Bastard's Grimoire

I have read a lot of fantasy books, and I don't shy away from grisly battles or violence, but generally I like some storytelling between the violence and the violence needs to actually advance the story. I had to give up on this book though because it seems to be nothing but gratuitous violence and graphic rape scenes. The whole mission of one of the book's protagonists is to literally just go around violently raping women so they spawn demons. The scenes in-between the rapes consist of men thinking about rape, killing or thinking about killing, and a giant thinking about and acting on eating people. I debated giving this book one or two stars, and I gave it two because it is well written, but the content leaves a whole lot to be desired.

I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before! The larger story was incredibly cool, and I wish everyone could read a distilled version of it. I fear the violence (which wasn't too over the top), and the graphic, and sometimes very, very strange sex scenes, might put people off.

It was great fun to read, would happily buy a copy for a few of my friends.

From the first chapter I knew this book would exceed my expectations. This book is rich in fantasy, gore, and sex. It is told from multiple perspectives with an adult style that was shocking, at first. I personally do not enjoy reading countless fantasy tales that surround a young adult’s angst ridden quest of self-discovery. That being said, this was exactly one of the story lines in the book! However, the main difference is that the book is written for adults and the young adult’s quest is merely one storyline in an intricate web of others. This style change was refreshing and realistic. The world is full of fear, hatred, violence, and injustice. This story does not shy away from describing, sometimes in depth, the gore and inequality.
Overall, the plot is complex with elements of magic and mystery. The characters are funny, quirky, and nuanced. They are rich with history, lore, and unanswered questions. The ending was abrupt, I was convinced that this book would be a series, but the conclusion wrapped up quickly at the end. Within this colorful world, full of unusual under dogs was a hodge podge of theology, religion, and enchantment. I am unaware of many religious references and there were various moments when I became lost in the allusions. The world in the story is one where authority should not be trusted and the possibility of justice remains. The story teaches you to never underestimate someone’s potential.

I didn't quite know what to expect from this fantasy novel, but really liked the story. It starts out as a series of stories centering on a different character- a band of pillaging pirates who meet their match in a tower assault, a dwarf seeking a giantess in a dragon cave, a sinister archbishop who lords it over his community and hides dark secrets, a bastard who serves in an abbey/brothel.

We don't meet the "bastard" till a few chapters in, and by that time I had no idea how each of the stories fit together. However, they were each enjoyable in their own right, as a sort of "Grimm's fairy tales" collection. Each story is dark, and explicit sexual language and encounters are throughout the novel. Of course, when you see the word Grimoire, you know it's going to be dark, after all. However, in each tale their is a bit of light that peeks through, and as the disparate elements come together, it reaches a very satisfying conclusion.

Be aware that sex of all kinds is at the forefront of almost every chapter, which is not really my thing, but I really enjoyed how the novel wove characters and legends of several different cultures' mythos, as well as magic and religion, into a cohesive, entertaining whole.Recommended.

Fantasy is also an interesting genre to pick specially when the reader takes a chance with an author and his work for the first time. For me, this book was really beyond what I expecting in a positive way.

This is definitely a book for mature public. From the fantasy, the sex scenes, the death scenes and the gore it shows the darkest and the most violent reality of the world. Joseph Hirsch didn't hold anything back on this book.

The medieval environment and atmosphere with the old English language was definitely one of the things that got some so much into the story in the beginning. Not only that but Hirsch doesn't make the reader wait too long before the action starts which for me is perfect since I'm an impatient reader.

I have to admit that in some parts I had to take a break since some of the scenes got to me, but I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

But again, definitely needs to be pointed out that it's for mature public.

Try to imagine a mixture of Rabelais, S. Clay Wilson (look him up!), and Mark Lawrence - yeah, I know, a strange one, but this is a strange book indeed. Set in a devil-beset mythical Northern Europe, this is the story of a Christian convert dwarf, a bastard youth, and a voluptuous witch-whore, versus a satanic Archbishop, a demon-possessed rapist, and a renegade monk turned black magician. The opening chapters are not for the squeamish - sex and violence doesn't begin to cover it, but they certainly gets the reader's attention.
The quest by the dwarf, Roderick, and Martin the Bastard is straightforward enough in its realisation, but full of diverting grotesqueries and a mythology largely of the author's own making. Indeed, there is much originality in this world - including Hirsch's own devil-may-care way with language wherein he endows words with meaning based more on their sounds than any etymology - priests reading "missiles" for God's sake - not to mention what he does to the Germanic phrases employed from time to time by his protagonists. However, I suspended pedantry as soon as I realised I was enjoying myself thoroughly. The magnificently endowed Lyudmila, and Martin's obssessive heroine-worship, leaven the darkness of the main plot and inject notes of humour - as well as a desire that the publisher employ an illustrator!
All in all, tremendous, larger-than-life fun and games, but not, I repeat, for the squeamish!