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A review by willrefuge
Absynthe by Brendan Bellecourt
3.0
6.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/absynthe-by-brendan-p-bellecourt-review/
Liam Mulcahey remembers little of the Great War. Having sustained a head injury at the outset, the memories are all jumbled up, coming in bits and fragments. What little he does remember manifest as dreams, or nightmares.
The United States triumphed over the members of the St. Lawrence pact—consisting of Great Britain, Germany, France, and Canada—but at a terrible cost. Crumbling infrastructure, ruined economy, and massive casualties delayed the inevitable, but eventually the East was defeated. Liam’s squad, the Devil’s Henchmen, were integral in the victory, though he can’t recall how, or why.
Now employed as a mechanic for the Aysana family—one of the State’s richest—Liam is a fast friend of Morgan, the family heir and scion. In a Chicago speakeasy, everything goes awry when, over a bottle of absinthe, Morgan collapses and the mysterious Uprising arrives. Established post-war, the Uprising has a few stated goals: undermining the US government and exposing its misdeeds. While several of his friends and patrons are killed, Liam manages to save Morgan with the help of Grace, an alluring heiress able to cast illusions.
Soon after the attack, when Morgan’s state worsens, Liam is forced to take him to the doctor, whereupon the government show up and separate the two. Liam’s only hope of retrieving Morgan lies with Grace and the Uprising, though he is uncertain on allying with them. But with more of his memories coalescing—particularly in the presence of Grace—Liam soon realizes that they very well may be the lesser of two evils, and his only true hope of seeing his friend again alive.
—
You think the wheat field is the only sort of hallucination you can have with absinthe? I’ve felt myself falling apart and being rebuilt by dwarves. Dwarves, Liam. Little ones with long beards, and golden hammers. I’ve had extended conversations with alpacas—and they did most of the talking. I’ve felt myself inside a dozen people at once. Then none at all, which is a lot scarier than you think.
—
For one of the few times I simplified my blurb to fit in all the craziness of the plot without it turning into a full-blown ramble. Now, it’s not that the story is confusing—at least, not initially—it’s just that there’s so much going on. If I were to explain everything that’s happening and the plots and mysteries and motives behind it, I feel like you might as well continue straight from my review into the book itself, else it all will go over your head. Which is the exact opposite of a review; that is, the ability to discover whether or not you WANT to read a book, without actually having to read it.
The world itself is different, that much is clear. There are mechanica—both for servants and for war, and adapted to fit everything in between. The United States now faced off against the St. Lawrence Pact members, as noted above, and won. The world itself is intricate and fascinating, though I was a bit disappointed in the scale. Bradley P. Beaulieu (here, writing under the pseudonym Brendan P. Bellecourt) usually does an excellent job with his world-building, but in this I felt that the worries of the Great War weren’t ever fully realized. It’s mentioned that the infrastructure and economy were hit hard by the War, but this is never really conveyed. As a mechanic to one of the wealthiest families in the country, Liam is privy to little enough of how the lower-class lives. I feel like more background, more on the ground, and a better overarching plot would’ve helped.
While the plot itself isn’t bad at first, I felt that it really starts to fray when the illusions came to dominate the story. It does add a wrinkle to the otherwise dime-a-dozen tale of a little rebellion out to take down the big, bad government—I felt that it all was a bit too confusing and a bit too drab when everything came together. The ending itself was interesting, though by that time I was hoping for it to pass, as I’d given up on anything truly exciting happening.
Now the characters, the atmosphere, and the setting is where the meat and potatoes of the story is (i.e. my favorite bits) (okay, mostly just the potatoes). Alastair the mechanica, Morgan the scion, Grace the heiress, Bailey and Clay the sidekicks, and Liam the lead were all excellent characters—not to mention Liam’s lovely nan—though I was especially taken with the first three we’re introduced to, in Alastair, Morgan and Liam. I would’ve read about their adventures published in a weekly, newsprint or radio serial and lapped it up.
In fact, while I had reservations about the plot, I would read any handful of stories set in this world. The Great War, mechanica, Tesla/steampunk-esque stuff has always fascinated me. Something like Wolfenstein or Absynthe, if only well, um… better? Love that. Or I feel like I would. But as ever my unrealistic expectations see the downfall of another decent read. And yet… everything that I’ve seen or read about this one says that it really is a decent read. And it is. It’s not bad, by any stretch. A little too confusing, a little too illusion-dependent, with a little too much going on for its small size. But at the heart of Absynthe lies a good story and a great cast and an excellent world. Just not all these things came together well.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/absynthe-by-brendan-p-bellecourt-review/
Liam Mulcahey remembers little of the Great War. Having sustained a head injury at the outset, the memories are all jumbled up, coming in bits and fragments. What little he does remember manifest as dreams, or nightmares.
The United States triumphed over the members of the St. Lawrence pact—consisting of Great Britain, Germany, France, and Canada—but at a terrible cost. Crumbling infrastructure, ruined economy, and massive casualties delayed the inevitable, but eventually the East was defeated. Liam’s squad, the Devil’s Henchmen, were integral in the victory, though he can’t recall how, or why.
Now employed as a mechanic for the Aysana family—one of the State’s richest—Liam is a fast friend of Morgan, the family heir and scion. In a Chicago speakeasy, everything goes awry when, over a bottle of absinthe, Morgan collapses and the mysterious Uprising arrives. Established post-war, the Uprising has a few stated goals: undermining the US government and exposing its misdeeds. While several of his friends and patrons are killed, Liam manages to save Morgan with the help of Grace, an alluring heiress able to cast illusions.
Soon after the attack, when Morgan’s state worsens, Liam is forced to take him to the doctor, whereupon the government show up and separate the two. Liam’s only hope of retrieving Morgan lies with Grace and the Uprising, though he is uncertain on allying with them. But with more of his memories coalescing—particularly in the presence of Grace—Liam soon realizes that they very well may be the lesser of two evils, and his only true hope of seeing his friend again alive.
—
You think the wheat field is the only sort of hallucination you can have with absinthe? I’ve felt myself falling apart and being rebuilt by dwarves. Dwarves, Liam. Little ones with long beards, and golden hammers. I’ve had extended conversations with alpacas—and they did most of the talking. I’ve felt myself inside a dozen people at once. Then none at all, which is a lot scarier than you think.
—
For one of the few times I simplified my blurb to fit in all the craziness of the plot without it turning into a full-blown ramble. Now, it’s not that the story is confusing—at least, not initially—it’s just that there’s so much going on. If I were to explain everything that’s happening and the plots and mysteries and motives behind it, I feel like you might as well continue straight from my review into the book itself, else it all will go over your head. Which is the exact opposite of a review; that is, the ability to discover whether or not you WANT to read a book, without actually having to read it.
The world itself is different, that much is clear. There are mechanica—both for servants and for war, and adapted to fit everything in between. The United States now faced off against the St. Lawrence Pact members, as noted above, and won. The world itself is intricate and fascinating, though I was a bit disappointed in the scale. Bradley P. Beaulieu (here, writing under the pseudonym Brendan P. Bellecourt) usually does an excellent job with his world-building, but in this I felt that the worries of the Great War weren’t ever fully realized. It’s mentioned that the infrastructure and economy were hit hard by the War, but this is never really conveyed. As a mechanic to one of the wealthiest families in the country, Liam is privy to little enough of how the lower-class lives. I feel like more background, more on the ground, and a better overarching plot would’ve helped.
While the plot itself isn’t bad at first, I felt that it really starts to fray when the illusions came to dominate the story. It does add a wrinkle to the otherwise dime-a-dozen tale of a little rebellion out to take down the big, bad government—I felt that it all was a bit too confusing and a bit too drab when everything came together. The ending itself was interesting, though by that time I was hoping for it to pass, as I’d given up on anything truly exciting happening.
Now the characters, the atmosphere, and the setting is where the meat and potatoes of the story is (i.e. my favorite bits) (okay, mostly just the potatoes). Alastair the mechanica, Morgan the scion, Grace the heiress, Bailey and Clay the sidekicks, and Liam the lead were all excellent characters—not to mention Liam’s lovely nan—though I was especially taken with the first three we’re introduced to, in Alastair, Morgan and Liam. I would’ve read about their adventures published in a weekly, newsprint or radio serial and lapped it up.
In fact, while I had reservations about the plot, I would read any handful of stories set in this world. The Great War, mechanica, Tesla/steampunk-esque stuff has always fascinated me. Something like Wolfenstein or Absynthe, if only well, um… better? Love that. Or I feel like I would. But as ever my unrealistic expectations see the downfall of another decent read. And yet… everything that I’ve seen or read about this one says that it really is a decent read. And it is. It’s not bad, by any stretch. A little too confusing, a little too illusion-dependent, with a little too much going on for its small size. But at the heart of Absynthe lies a good story and a great cast and an excellent world. Just not all these things came together well.