Lucas Blogs About Amberlough

Huh, what's that on the back cover bottom right? Could it be a picture of the next book in the series?

So, what's this book's deal?

Well, Amberlough is the first novel by Lara Elena Donnelly. It's a sort of "sex and violence"/"trust no one" spy thriller. It takes place in a fictional country called Gedda that's on the verge of a fascist coup. We start with Cyril DePaul waking up in the apartment of his lover Aristide Makricosta. Cyril works a desk job at the "Foxhole" – Amberlough's branch of the Federal Office of Central Intelligence Services – and he probably shouldn't be sleeping with Ari since Ari's the boss of a local smuggling outfit, that is when he's not emceeing at the Bumble Bee cabaret. Also working at the Bee is Cordelia Lehane, she's a stripper who moonlights as a drug-dealer and is currently two-timing the Bee's owner with his best friend, the Bee's stand-up comic. The plot kicks into gear when Cyril's boss sends him back into the field to spy on the One State Party (disparagingly nicknamed the Ospies) that's trying to grab up seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Oh, let's stop for a moment to talk politics.

Wait, real world politics?

Well, no, Geddan politics. But, I mean, you know. . . Okay, so this whole thing takes place in Gedda, which is a loose confederation of four states. Amberlough and Farbourgh generally favor regionalist policies that allow the states more control. Tatié and Nueskland are generally pro-unionist, favoring a stronger central government. And hey, the One State Party also favors a strong central government, but they also favor a strict curtailment of personal freedoms, restrictions on people's personal freedoms (particularly in regards to sexual morality), and, of course, disapprove of Gedda's religious and ethnic minorities. Got it?

Yeah.

Okay, so Cyril is sent to spy on industrialists in Nueskland who might back the Ospies in the upcoming elections. However, his cover is blown and the Ospies give him two options: !) go back to Amberlough City in a body bag, or B) help them take power with the vague promise that they'll allow Cyril and Ari to leave the country.

Wait a minute. So, the book is about a protagonist who collaborates with a fascist party and helps them stage a coup?

Hmm, without getting into spoilers, kinda, yeah. The character arcs of Cyril, Ari, and Cordelia center around each character growing a conscience and being pushed to the point where they have to fight back. But, yeah, for most of the book, the character's actions largely revolve around them aiding (under duress) in the fascist takeover of their country. Though, I should mention this is the first book in a series, (something that is clearly indicated on the back cover of the book).

You really need to let that go, Lucas.

NEVER! Anyhow, this a spy novel, the moral ambiguity is a feature, not a bug. The front cover even says: "What will you sacrifice for love?" What makes working for the Ospies so difficult for Cyril is the fact that he has to cut ties with Ari due to the One State Party's disdain for same-sex couples.

It seems like this is one of those books that runs the risk of being a bit too on the nose.

Well, there are obvious parallels to the rise of fascism (the Nazi Party in particular) in the novel. Which I assume is why Donnelly set it in an invented world. Amberlough suggests New York in the Roaring 20s and Weimar Germany without being specifically either. I'm of two minds on the setting. Because on the one hand, the setting is all that makes it a speculative piece. There's no magic, no technology that didn't exist. It could just have easily been set in the real 1920s or 30s, except that the rise of the Ospies doesn't correspond perfectly with the rise of any real fascist government.

So you're saying that the setting is just for that 20s aesthetic?

Yes and no. Giving a novel a setting that suggests, rather than duplicates, the conditions in which fascism arose in our reality means that readers have a readily available context to interpret the story. At the same time, it frees Donnelly to have events in Gedda progress at a rate that coincides with character and plot developments, rather than forcing her to tie those to real world history. It also means that she's not bound by early 20th century European social mores regarding women's rights and attitudes towards LGBT people. Who, the Ospies aside, seem to be largely accepted in Gedda.

I think I get it. So, do you think this pays off?

Mostly, although, if I may offer a quibble . . .

What, you quibble?

I guess I deserve that. Well, it's just everyone has real world Earth names. Like ones that are specific to real Earth languages. Mostly Celtic or German or Slavic, but it's just that Gedda clearly has its own invented history so it seems kind of strange for everyone to have these real world names. It wasn't enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the book, but it was always at the back of my mind.

You're a weirdo, Lucas.

I know. But still, the only other detail like that I remember is the fact that someone makes reference to "the return of the prodigal" which doesn't make as much sense in a world without Christianity.

Fair enough, but on the whole?

On the whole I like it. I'll probably check out the second volume (available now) and the third (coming soon) in the near future. And if you're a fan of morally ambiguous spy novels or novels set in what's basically the 20s, I'd recommend checking it out. Though if you're a little prudish or squeamish (no judgment . . . okay, a little judgment) or say, under 14 (?) maybe look elsewhere.

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly, TOR Trade Paperback edition, February 2018, 395 pages, pairs well with a gin fizz and jazz records from the 20s

Links:

Lara Elena Donnelly's website, if you're into that kinda thing.

Okay, confession time, I've never had a gin fizz, I only recommended it as a pairing because it seemed appropriate, Wikipedia lists several variants, a number of which include egg some reason.