Jesse Bullington

Jesse Bullington spent the bulk of his formative years in rural Pennsylvania, the Netherlands, and Tallahassee, Florida. He is a folklore enthusiast who holds a bachelor's degree in History and English Literature from Florida State University. His novel The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart was one of Amazon's top ten Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 2009.

His new novel is The Enterprise of Death.

Last month I asked Bullington what he was reading. His reply:

The three books that have made the biggest impression on me lately are all from smaller presses, but one thing they all have in common is that they’re gorgeous editions. Stephen Graham Jones’s The Ones That Got Away, from Prime, is a stellar collection of short stories—some of the most literary, intelligent horror I’ve come across, and the pieces veer from the mundane to the allegorical to the wildly fantastical, so there’s something for everyone. Where else will you find a story that puts a knot in your throat at the power of a parent’s love for his child sharing space with a piece that pits a werewolf against an orca?

Another collection I’ve just finished and loved was Livia Llewellyn’s debut Engines of Desire, from Lethe Press. These stories are highbrow yet awesomely raunchy, horrifying yet…well, mostly horrifying. A great book that pretty much guarantees a bright future for Llewellyn.

Finally, I can’t say enough good things about J.M. McDermott’s Never Knew Another, a brilliant dark fantasy from Night Shade Books. If McDermott’s brilliant, evocative prose doesn’t capture you his whip smart plot and rapier sharp characters will—this should be required reading for anyone who doesn’t think second world fantasy can be very bit as intelligent and important as so-called literary fiction. Plus, it has one of my favorite covers in ages.

Read an excerpt from The Enterprise of Death, and learn more about the book and author at Jesse Bullington's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart.

The Page 69 Test: The Enterprise of Death.

--Marshal Zeringue