Scan barcode
A review by palmkd
Absynthe by Brendan Bellecourt
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This Sci-Fi tale takes place in an alternate 1920s Chicago where there's a lot of guns (plus robots and augmented humans) along with the prohibition and big brother. It's a bit alternate history, a bit cyberpunk and a lot thriller. Starting in 1928, the story follows Liam, a former soldier of Irish Decent who is missing some memories after a major world war.
I didn't think I had many expectations for this story, but it turns out I was expecting a 1920s inspired historical fiction SFF tale, but I was not expecting a gun slinging post-war thriller with only a few scenes of the titular beverage. The concept was clever but the execution was not a fit for me. There are some despicable characters, but some good ones too and a lot of mind games. In this case, while I prefer the Head of Zeus/Goldsboro cover I wish I had taken a closer look at the US cover by Daw books as I feel it better represents the story.
Content warnings: violence, death, murder, blood, war, guns, rape, mental illness, suicide
I didn't think I had many expectations for this story, but it turns out I was expecting a 1920s inspired historical fiction SFF tale, but I was not expecting a gun slinging post-war thriller with only a few scenes of the titular beverage. The concept was clever but the execution was not a fit for me. There are some despicable characters, but some good ones too and a lot of mind games. In this case, while I prefer the Head of Zeus/Goldsboro cover I wish I had taken a closer look at the US cover by Daw books as I feel it better represents the story.
Content warnings: violence, death, murder, blood, war, guns, rape, mental illness, suicide
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Suicide, and Alcohol