The Translation of Father Torturo [Paperback]

Brendan Connell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

In 1263, when the vault containing the body of St. Anthony was opened, thirty-two years after its original interment, the flesh had turned to dust, but the tongue was in a perfect state of preservation. For almost eight-hundred years it was kept mounted on a pin. But now it has been stolen. Padua, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome. . . . Father Torturo, the neo-decadent anti-hero, moves through a modern Italy reeking of incense and filth. In an adventure stained with magic and garnished with cruelty, he travels on an ambitious journey to popedom, where the only laws that restrain him are those of his own artistic taste.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Black magic and thuggery assist a Machiavellian priest's ascent to the papal throne in this predictable but gleefully subversive modern gothic. Xavier Torturo, a quiet but ambitious seminarian in rural Italy, gets entrusted with an ancient occult text about the translation of powers from the dead to the living. Soon thereafter, a relic of Saint Anthony disappears from its shrine, and Xavier—coincidentally?—shows the power to heal by the laying on of hands. Combining his newly developed talent for miracles with secular skills of blackmail and manipulation, Torturo secures his ticket to the Vatican, where his underlings' excesses and his own past indiscretions ultimately precipitate his swift and gruesome downfall. Connell paints a scabrous portrait of the Vatican as a site of absolute power that corrupts absolutely, but there's little to his story that hasn't been seen in more inventively plotted works. Its transgressive spirit notwithstanding, the novel is a highly moral tale of sins avenged and wrongs redressed, played out in a setting reeking of incense and decadence. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

The Translation of Father Torturo has to be the most original book I have ever read - no exceptions. --Lesley Mazey, Eternal Night

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Prime (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809500434
• ISBN-13: 978-0809500437
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,553,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brendan Connell was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1970. He has had fiction published in numerous places, including McSweeney's, Adbusters, Fast Ships, Black Sails (Nightshade Books 2008), and the World Fantasy Award winning anthologies Leviathan 3 (The Ministry of Whimsy 2002), and Strange Tales (Tartarus Press 2003). His published books are: The Translation of Father Torturo (Prime Books, 2005), Dr. Black and the Guerrillia (Grafitisk Press, 2005), Metrophilias (Better Non Sequitur, 2010), and Unpleasant Tales (Eibonvale Press, 2010).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark but Humorous, March 12, 2010

By 

Richard J. Cohen "Richard" (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Translation of Father Torturo (Paperback)

A strange tale about the future Pope. This book seems more gothic than horror. There are supernatural elements which the plot depends on, but there is a lot more going on than that, such as the politics of the Vatican, elements of suspense, and a constant flow of both silly and horrible characters. It reads a lot like a travelogue through Italy. An enjoyable read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brutality and Catholicism, October 6, 2007

By 

Sam - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Translation of Father Torturo (Paperback)

This is a bizarre tale about the rise and fall of an Italian priest. The Catholic Church is brimming with corruption, deceit, sex, and violence, to an almost gratuitous degree. The protagonist fills an oddly unsympathetic role--we watch him proceed through childhood, the uppermost ranks of the Church, and a fate which may or may not be fitting for him, depending on whether you like him or not. I was somewhat put off by his ruthless tactics, though there are indications that his goals are purer than his methods of obtaining them. If you're looking for something dark and unflinchingly brutal, this is your book.