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Amberlough

(The Amberlough Dossier #1)

Lara Elena Donnelly (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 1,722 ratings · 537 reviews

Librarian note: an older cover for this edition can be found here.

A double-agent sacrifices all his ideals in order to save his smuggler lover before a government coup takes over their decadent city in Lara Elena Donnelly’s glam spy thriller debut, now a Nebula finalist for Best Novel!

Introducing…

The Smuggler: By day, Aristide Makricosta is the emcee for Amberlough City’s ...more

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Kindle Edition, 398 pages

Published April 2018 by Tor Books (first published February 7th 2017)

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Jul 25, 2018 Elise (TheBookishActress) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: elise-s-audiobooks, 4-star, read-2018, released-2017, favorite-characters, favorite-relationships, genre-high-fantasy, genre-histfic-past, genre-scifi-dystopias, that-lgbtq-rep-tho

This was like watching a slow-motion train wreck, and I loved it.

Amberlough follows a city set in a world paralleling 1920s counterculture as it slowly falls under the power of a fascist sect. But rather than focusing on the power plays of that fascist movement, this novel goes a lot more in-depth; it focuses on just three of the characters affected by the new regime, and how they react to the disappearances, the burgeoning fear.

And I think this is the narrative choice that makes the whole boo ...more

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Jun 05, 2018 Philip rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-releases, female-author

1.5ish stars.

I understand why authors choose to set their stories in alternate worlds with invented names and places. It makes their stories seem universal, like they could take place anywhere, at any time. However, this so obviously parallels the Weimar Republic that I couldn't think of it as being anything else. All of the confusing info dumps of cities and events could have been avoided by just using the word Nazi. I have a hard time with the branding of a book as fantasy when it takes place ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtqia, my-books, read-in-2017, male-protag

Wow, what a read. I will have a whole video up on Monday (fingers crossed) but look for this release on Tuesday, the 7th! It is tense, sexy, complex, and definitely a super intriguing read.

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Jun 13, 2017 Althea Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read for book club.

An extremely impressive debut novel! Imagine if Ellen Kushner's 'Riverside' novels were set in an analogue of 1920's Germany?

I do think that all fans of Kushner's 'Swordspoint' &c. will love this book. It also does a great job of introducing its world and characters without unnecessarily driving home the parallels between the fantasy setting and that of the Weimar Republic and the impending rise of fascism. It's not a 1:1 correspondence; there are also elements of the Bal ...more

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May 06, 2017 Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ & MANTIES Champion rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: au, boys-who-like-boys, unicorns, historical, torture, lgbtq, gay-lit

Stunning

True story. I chose this book because the blurb sounded like MMF with espionage and what's better than that? It is not MMF, just so you know. I think Amberlough should be categorized as gay lit which typically connotes to me a lack of romance. It's true, Amberlough doesn't focus on a romantic plotline per se, but the relationship between Cyril and Aristide is one of the most heartbreakingly romantic and timeless ones I've ever read. They're rarely together but tethered regardless of time ...more

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May 17, 2017 Lindsay rated it liked it · review of another edition

An interesting study in ambiguous characters of the nightclub scene in an alternate world similar to 1930s Europe as the Nazis come to power.

Cyril DePaul is an intelligence operative working for the Amberlough government. One of his roles is to investigate smuggling, which is a bit unfortunate because his lover, Aristide Makricosta, has a side job as a local kingpin in the smuggling racket. Aristide's other job is as a stripper and performer at the Busy Bee nightclub where he's a local celebrity An interesting study in ambiguous characters of the nightclub scene in an alternate world similar to 1930s Europe as the Nazis come to power.

Cyril DePaul is an intelligence operative working for the Amberlough government. One of his roles is to investigate smuggling, which is a bit unfortunate because his lover, Aristide Makricosta, has a side job as a local kingpin in the smuggling racket. Aristide's other job is as a stripper and performer at the Busy Bee nightclub where he's a local celebrity. Also at the Busy Bee is Cordelia Lehane, a stripper and drug-dealer who is sleeping with the owner of the Bee as well as the Bee's comedian.

The One State Party (referred to as the Ospies) have just risen to power in a neighboring country/state and clearly hope to come to power in Amberlough as well. The Ospies are ultra-conservative and their rise in Amberlough would make Aristide and Cyrl's relationship a problem and put Cordelia and the Busy Bees whole operation out of business. What follows is a careful study of what you do to survive, what you'll do to defend the things you love and ambiguity at all levels.

The prose is beautiful and the characters very interesting, but I really don't understand why this book exists. To be honest, I think it's because the actual real world features that this book draws on so heavily didn't all quite line up properly the way the author wanted to tell the story. The Ospies for instance, are so clearly Nazis that actually calling them Nazis wouldn't have felt out of place. They even have a symbol which is reminiscent of a swastika. The nightclub scene could be 30s Paris, although the language is New York or Chicago. There's even an analogue to Jewish people for the Ospies to hate. So it's a world that isn't our world, but is exactly like our world with no fantastic elements.

It kind of feels like the author had a story in mind for a hypothetical German 1930s nightclub epic but on researching couldn't find anything that matched the story she had in mind, so just decided to rename everything.

I can appreciate that it might be a good book, and it is an interesting story, but it really wasn't for me. ...more

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Feb 07, 2017 Seth Dickinson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fascism's come to glittering cosmopolitan Amberlough, and as the One State Party looms over the city of long good nights, all the dancers and smugglers and politicians face a choice: bargain to survive, or fight and die?

Amberlough is a tryst between John le Carre's grey-coated spies and Cabaret's end-of-an-era seedy delights: the whole city's going to have one drink too many, because it doesn't want to go to sleep and face the jackboots tomorrow. Read this book if you love smugglers, strippers, Fascism's come to glittering cosmopolitan Amberlough, and as the One State Party looms over the city of long good nights, all the dancers and smugglers and politicians face a choice: bargain to survive, or fight and die?

Amberlough is a tryst between John le Carre's grey-coated spies and Cabaret's end-of-an-era seedy delights: the whole city's going to have one drink too many, because it doesn't want to go to sleep and face the jackboots tomorrow. Read this book if you love smugglers, strippers, spies and smoky bourbon in a city like Weimar Berlin, everyone desperately passionate and horribly hungover, all of them trying to keep their footing in a world that's changing too fast.

Cyril dePaul is a spy who's not just compromised but well and fully leveraged, thanks: caught between his duty to his masters in Amberlough, his affair with glamorous smuggler Aristide, and other, darker allegiances. Cyril's a fascinating dude, because he's caught right where every one of us would be if we realized fascism was coming - trying to protect his people, trying to be better than he is, tortured by the fear that he's giving his soul away to save his comforts, certain that he'll be destroyed in an instant if he makes one error. Cyril's lover Aristide's coworker at the Bumble Bee Cabaret - and maybe the key to Cyril's salvation - is Cordelia Lehane, a born-to-nothing dancer and drugrunner who wants more than she's got and knows how to use people to get it. As the cold creeps in, Aristide, Cyril, and Cordelia have to turn to - and against - each other to survive in the new regime.

Amberlough is a lush, lovely crawl through the high society parties, dockside dens and smoky headquarters of a city as real as yours - Donnelly's prose is (to steal from the jacket copy) ravishing. I never knew there were so many perfectly specific words for luxury! And under the glitz there's a steel bar of terror, a lever pushing everyone to the edge - because some people see Amberlough's effusive corrupt decadent liveliness as rot, and they won't stop cutting until the city and the nation are theirs.

Sit at the dark end of the bar, tip the tuxedoed woman who mixes your cocktail, and wait for your contact to pass you a brown envelope with the names of the friends you're going to betray tomorrow. Consider: which people on that list can you afford to save? And what's it going to cost you?

Read this book, look up, and think about what you'd do if you were Cyril or Cordelia. Pray you don't have to find out. ...more

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Jun 18, 2018 BrokenTune added it · review of another edition

On the face of it, I should love this novel: spies, cabaret, a setting that is an alternative take on the Weimar Republic... What's not to love, right?

However, the book just isn't working for me. I've tried to read this several times, but just get lost in the endless names and descriptions that seem to lead nowhere.

This morning, I spent a good hour and a half trying one last time if there was a way to get into the story, but all I am left with is a hankering for some original1920s/30s literature ...more

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Aug 07, 2017 Rachel (Kalanadi) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-releases, fantasy, favorites

This had a slow beginning that took its time exploring the characters and building the plot. Then the second half hits and the world is on fire and it's beautiful and hurts. No happy ending. Can't wait for the sequel!

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Oct 13, 2016 Book Riot Community added it · review of another edition

Shelves: swords-and-spaceships-recs

Even though this book isn’t coming out until next Winter, it needs to be on your “To Buy,” list ASAP! John Le Carre and Cabaret set in a secondary fantasy world, Donnelly’s debut novel is set in the decadent, whirlwind city of Amberlough, whose lifestyle of luxury and indulgence have fueled the fire of the One State Party (Ospies), a new radically conservative fascist faction on the rise, looking to pluck Amberlough’s sweetness away and reclaim the city for their nationalist vision. Cyril DePaul ...more

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Feb 10, 2017 Nathan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: author-female, historical-fantasy, rated-5-star, read-2017

I was blessed with the oppurtunity to do a Q & A with Lara Elena Donnelly. She talks the timeliness of the story and inspirations among other things. Check it out!

Booknest

Both timely and timeless. Wonderful yet heartbreaking. Completely fucking awesome. Oh, and debut of the year.

A nationalist fervor has empowered the One State Party though they still lack the votes to control Amberlough City. Cyril DePaul once enjoyed the spy game but is now a man who doesn't quite want to admit he may be b I was blessed with the oppurtunity to do a Q & A with Lara Elena Donnelly. She talks the timeliness of the story and inspirations among other things. Check it out!

Booknest

Both timely and timeless. Wonderful yet heartbreaking. Completely fucking awesome. Oh, and debut of the year.

A nationalist fervor has empowered the One State Party though they still lack the votes to control Amberlough City. Cyril DePaul once enjoyed the spy game but is now a man who doesn't quite want to admit he may be broken. Called back into field work he is sent to investigate the One State Party (better known as Ospies) and quickly finds himself way over his head. Soon enough he must make some tough decisions as the 'game' puts everything (and everyone) he cares about in danger.

Amberlough City sits on the cusp. At the Bumble Bee Cabaret Aristide Makricosta dances, flirts, and runs a small smuggling empire. His known relationship with Cyril will put them both in danger for many reasons; not the least of which is the Ospies lack of tolerance for their lifestyle. To provide cover Aristide helps introduce Cyril to fellow dancer Cordelia. All three start to play their own games; even as allies none dare share all of their cards. As Amberlough slides toward the fascist Ospie rule tough decisions are made. People are played, betrayed, and other wise used in a frantic attempt to survive in a changing world.

Think something like KJ Parker set in a cabaret club. Less fantasy than secondary world this is a spy thriller with strong characters and a heavy political influence. Also a cautionary tale, historical simile, and yet completely original. Nothing unique; many Ospie tactics are ripped straight from the history books. But original in set up and Amberlough City breaths its own life seen through the eyes of it's diverse cast of characters; spies and dancers, smugglers and police, revolutionaries and true believers.

The book is driven by the constant quest by those most quickly affected by lands quick decent to save something. Many are actually trying to save someone they love yet show no hesitation to throw someone else to the fire. One person's plan can get in the way of another; even if both have a similar end goal. And in the end it shows some of the true horror of a fascist landscape as people willingly engage in the worst in order to save their own (or themselves). In a totalitarian world life doesn't stop but fear takes over.

What makes Amberlough shine is in the way it weaves hope throughout a dreadful tale. At time it is false hope of course, but our main cast holds out that there is always an escape, or a way out, or one last chance to make a difference. That the reader is mostly left heartbroken is just a positive side effect.

Amberlough City stands strong right alongside the characters; setting and people holding equal billing in this robust world. Quickly enough the lands language and political differences become clear even if the characters motivations remained veiled. The Bumble Bee is a perfect setting; a natural place for characters to meet and plots to be hatched. It also sadly a volatile spot to watch during a drastic change; a free wheeling club of ill repute that is exactly everything the Ospies want out of society.

Debut of the year has already been stated and will be stood by, February release or no.

5 Stars

Copy for review provided by publisher. ...more

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Feb 03, 2017 Mel rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

From the very beginning this book was a struggle for me. Places, names, parties, countries are dropped in every other sentence without any explanation whatsoever. Even whole paragraphs like this are not a rare thing:

“Be serious, DePaul. The Ospies want Amberlough knocked down—they think we’re impeding trade, sacrificing Gedda for the sake of state interest. Pinegrove and Moritz have already endorsed Acherby, and intelligence out of both capitals says they won’t stop there. They want to impeach J

“Be serious, DePaul. The Ospies want Amberlough knocked down—they think we’re impeding trade, sacrificing Gedda for the sake of state interest. Pinegrove and Moritz have already endorsed Acherby, and intelligence out of both capitals says they won’t stop there. They want to impeach Josiah.”

And I didn’t understand anymore than you just did… Whom are they talking about? It’s just names with no meaning. Nothing is explained and the way it is done, world building doesn’t happen because all I’m left with are question marks. I found the first 10% especially tiring because of this.

After the 120 and something pages that I have read, I still have no idea what the world is like. How is the climate, for example? How do the buildings and streets look? Is there any green or parks? How does it smell? What clothes do people wear and what’s the food like?

The same superficial treatment can be found in the creation of the characters. At least concerning their inner perspective. They have nearly to no history. I don’t know what motivates them and their actions. I can’t get a grasp on the relationship between Cyril and Ari, either. Cordelia, while a promising, take-no-shit female character, so far remains obscure as well.

Now, the plot. I hear this book is a thrilling spy novel. It is not. It is a bore. There is absolutely nothing thrilling about it, reason being that the reader doesn’t know enough of what is going on to actually care about anything. It seems there is some political intrigue going on, but whatever… There are maybe three short scenes here that kept me going because I could glimpse a little bit of spark between the characters and after 25% it seemed that finally something was happening, but, alas, promises, promises…

It’s been an ordeal, a struggle, and I simply cannot bring myself to pick this book up again.

__________________________________
Genre: Spy Thriller, Romance
Tags: M/M Pairing, Gay Character, Bisexual Character, Heterosexual Character, Alternate Universe
Rating: dnf @34%
Blog: Review for Just Love
Disclosure: ARC for Review

...more

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Apr 04, 2017 Emily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

Fantastic! I have no idea where I heard about this book, but it was amazing. Think, "art-deco-era meets spy-thriller meets big-brother/1984." It's a fantasy book but no magic - set in a world that is could be ours, but isn't (corrupt elections, dirty government officials trying to make everyone conform to their moral standards, racism , etc.)

The book started out a bit confusing - a lot of names, geography and terms that are unfamiliar, but stick with it, it all comes together pretty quickly. By ...more

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Jun 14, 2018 Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

THIS. IS. SO FUN.

It feels strange to say that about a book that chronicles the rise of a fascist regime, but it's true.

In this we follow three characters--a spy, a smuggler, and a cabaret dancer--and all of them are deeply, deeply flawed. I can see how that could be off-putting to some readings, but personally I think Donnelly hits it out of the park.

Aristides, the smuggler
Ari is a performer at heart, despite his underground empire in which he runs drugs, guns, and secrets. He's vain, arrogant THIS. IS. SO FUN.

It feels strange to say that about a book that chronicles the rise of a fascist regime, but it's true.

In this we follow three characters--a spy, a smuggler, and a cabaret dancer--and all of them are deeply, deeply flawed. I can see how that could be off-putting to some readings, but personally I think Donnelly hits it out of the park.

Aristides, the smuggler
Ari is a performer at heart, despite his underground empire in which he runs drugs, guns, and secrets. He's vain, arrogant, and I love him.

Cyril DePaul, the spy
Cyril is a coward. He's the epitome of white boy cowardice. But he's still an incredibly compelling character!!! And his character arc... WHEW BOY! A problematic fave

Cordelia Lehane, the cabaret dancer
I LOVED Cordelia. like Cecil, she gets a GREAT character arc. As she becomes more involved in the seedier elements of the underground, we watch her succeed, but also make some rookie mistakes. Watching her learn was a delight to read. She's tenacious, stubborn, loyal, and my favorite.

One thing that felt missing to me: colonialism. This book draws heavily on German history, particularly wartime history. The most obvious comparison would be to the rise of Naziism, and the culture of Amberlough City felt very reminiscent of Weimar-era Berlin. The book also draws on late 19th century and WWI history, which is particularly obvious in the fascist party. Their main goal is the union of all of the states of Gedda (which seems to be a loose confederation of states that mirrors the German principalities of the Holy Roman Empire).

Seeing these comparisons, I would have expected Donnelly to engage more with ideas of German colonialism. We see bits of white supremacy, which makes sense given this book is about the beginnings of a fascist regime where often overt racism and fear of ethnic cleansing still seem far-fetched to most citizens (see Jewish newspapers from the 1930s). However, rhetoric around colonization, expansionism, etc. was very present during the rise of nationalism during the periods from which Donnelly draws inspiration. We don't see that in the book. Perhaps Donnelly will engage with this more in book two, but I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see it here given colonialism's ties to German nationalistic rhetoric and politics. ...more

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Apr 24, 2018 Roy rated it liked it · review of another edition

1930s Europe, nazis, spys, deceit, ambiguity, sexuality. I guess this is what Donnelly had in mind when writing this book. Well written, slow plodding pace, a slow burn if you will but I felt it never got out of 3rd gear. Obviously not a historical account as this novel is a spy thriller/science fiction story, but very limited scifi. Its really just placed in a ficitional world because it wss easier to give the readers the authors viewpoint of what may have happened at that time. Not plot or cha ...more

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Mar 13, 2017 Crini rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: diversity, read-2017, read-again-soon-and-often, ladies-kicking-ass, most-precious-in-the-seven-seas, my-precious-boys, protect-at-all-costs, sex-positive, should-probably-try-renial, squad-goals

I absolutely ADORED this book. Very close to a 5-star read!

While I'm usually not big on more political stories, this one totally got away with it because the characters are just the best (more of the "unlikable" and very flawed kind which made me love them all the more and OMG shipping it so hard, MY FEELS) and it's very character driven.

It's set in a fictional, historical world that was a bit confusing at first but that was SO easy to ignore because I was already in love with these characters f ...more

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Feb 12, 2017 kari rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I'll try to review it when heartache stops, okay?

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May 01, 2018 Acqua rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: db, q, adult, qm, best-mcs, love-triangle, loved-it, mystery-th-su, ymm

...I have a lot of feelings.
This was painful. And fun, but mostly painful.

Amberlough is the first book in The Amberlough Dossier, and it has three main PoVs: Aristide, who is a smuggler and emcee at the Bee Cabaret, Cyril, his lover, who is a double agent and spying on him, and Cordelia, a stripper at the Bee.

The beginning isn't exactly easy to get into - there's a lot information about politics, because this novel is about the rise of a fascist government - but after I understood what was happe ...more

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Jun 01, 2017 Victoria rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2.5 stars

Amberlough is an alternate vintage world with gender equality in which a gay spy has to protect his smuggler/cabaret performing lover while trying to stop a fascist group from taking over his country.

Read that sentence again.
I mean... THAT IS EXACTLY MY AESTHETIC OKAY.

Which is why I'm so disappointed. The writing is absolutely fantastic but in the first ten chapters the infodump is real. Names, places, conflicts, groups and more where constantly mentioned at an alarming rate.
If I hadn't ...more

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Oct 14, 2017 James Chatham rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, genre-fantasy, lgbtqia, i-loved-it

Amberlough is a stunning, fresh take on the fantasy genre. It takes place in a fantasy world, but the story and setting never feels all that fantastical - there’s no magic and the society within is reminiscent of the western 1930s, with cabarets, absinthe bars, and the like. The plot itself is one of espionage. Main character Cyril DePaul is caught in political strife and in working both sides of the conflict he also must try to protect his lover, Aristide, who happens to be a smuggler (as well ...more

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Mar 13, 2017 Bridget Mckinney rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017

Amberlough is a brilliantly inventive and gorgeously accomplished first novel for Lara Elena Donnelly, who manages to both test the limits of the fantasy genre and craft a whip smart and timely political thriller at the same time. Comparisons to Cabaret and Le Carré are accurate enough (and certainly intriguing enough for marketing reasons), though I always think we do a disservice to fresh, original work by using such comparisons to shape reader expectations. Amberlough is a fine novel on its o ...more

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Mar 06, 2017 Em Lost In Books rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, 3-star, stand-alone-read, 2010-19

3.5 stars.

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Mar 05, 2017 Fabulitas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

*It's somewhere between 4 and 5 stars, but I'm giving it 5 for giving me all the feels.*

***minor spoilers maybe***

There was a cabaret and there was a master of ceremonies and there was a city called Berlin... oh sorry, wrong book.

Where to start then? There was a cabaret and there was a master of ceremonies (and he was a handful) and there was a city called Amberlough... long story short, in Amberlough the tensions are raising. One State Party (think: Nazis) is gaining support and power, but the *It's somewhere between 4 and 5 stars, but I'm giving it 5 for giving me all the feels.*

***minor spoilers maybe***

There was a cabaret and there was a master of ceremonies and there was a city called Berlin... oh sorry, wrong book.

Where to start then? There was a cabaret and there was a master of ceremonies (and he was a handful) and there was a city called Amberlough... long story short, in Amberlough the tensions are raising. One State Party (think: Nazis) is gaining support and power, but the colorful and debauched demimonde of Amberlough isn't worried just yet.

The plot centers around three characters - Cyril DePaul (a spy and a broken man after a brush with death), Aristide Makricosta (an emcee and a smuggler) and Cordelia Lehane (a streetwise cabaret performer and small-time dealer). Cyril and Aristide are lovers, but they are far from being honest with each other... however it won't stop them from going to extraordinary lengths to protect one another when things go south.

Let’s talk first about a minor quibble I have with this book, ok? I don’t mind that it starts slow (and at first political threads are not very clear for the reader – that’s believable though, they are clear for the characters), because all the exposition pays off big. There are however a few moments that are not entirely believable or the author cuts the scene short, clearly unsure if she can execute it. The biggest one is of course when Cyril learns that he’s cover has been blown and what happens after that. Mostly I mean here how seemingly quickly he accepts his new reality, instead of struggling to find another solution. The author really could have used the long train journey back to Amberlough for that.

And now to the things I’ve loved. First, the world. Not only it resembles twenties and thirties of 20th century in Europe (and I’m completely fascinated by this period), but it’s so rich that you really feel like you could step right into it. The flowery language (it takes a moment to get used to it, but it’s not excessive, it fits with the decadent lives the characters lead or aspire to) and the attention to detail don’t hurt, but it shows best in small, inconsequential (or not) scenes, like Cordelia listening to some bystanders commenting on the current political situation. The characters’ language is clearly influenced by their culture, upbringing (and aspirations) and faith, and it’s very refreshing after piles and piles of books where everyone speaks general bland fantasy lingo.

Second, the characters. Oh, the characters! However morally compromised the heroes are (and they are, let me tell you), it is clear from the beginning that they are the good guys. And we know because with all their flaws they are fighting tooth and nail for the people and values in their lives that they deeply care about, not unfrequently risking their lives. So what, if they show the world are rather cynical faces. Cyril, weak and scared as he is, struggles to keep people he cares about safe, same could be told about Aristide (who, being the king of schemes, can be the most honest of the characters at times), and light-hearted Cordelia just. Grows. So. Much. And then there are Malcolm (weakness is an interesting theme in “Amberlough”), Sophie (a not quite heiress), a certain young copper-headed accountant with penchant of telling the uncomfortable truths… Like it or not, we end up very invested in everyone’s wellbeing.

And third. How all goes to hell. The last third of the book is really really dark, and I loved it.
...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Leseparatist rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

In a country in which Ospies - Nazis - are taking over, three characters are finding out just what they are made of. Aristide, a self-made drag queen and smuggler, Cordelia, a dancer, and Cyril, a spy who'd much rather not do too much spying, see their paths cross in ways they couldn't have predicted.

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. Coming in, I'd expected to enjoy the spying and star-crossed romance between the spy and his mark, and to be annoyed by the demimonde. Instead, I fo In a country in which Ospies - Nazis - are taking over, three characters are finding out just what they are made of. Aristide, a self-made drag queen and smuggler, Cordelia, a dancer, and Cyril, a spy who'd much rather not do too much spying, see their paths cross in ways they couldn't have predicted.

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. Coming in, I'd expected to enjoy the spying and star-crossed romance between the spy and his mark, and to be annoyed by the demimonde. Instead, I found the demimonde compelling: well-written and emotionally believable. And the spying... incompetent, and annoying, and dependent on coincidence. The star-crossed romance would have been much better if I wasn't so put-off by Cyril. I really wanted to like him, I was sure I would: a spy with PTSD who fears for his life sounds like the definition of an interesting character for me. Alas, the novel failed to make me care about him at all; instead I wanted him to just grow a spine. (And I could talk a lot more about it, and about the ending in particular, but it would end up spoilerish in the extreme.)

I was in two minds about the worldbuilding. I think the choice to set this in an alternate world with Nazis who are not Nazis is understandable, but it should have occasioned more world-building detail. Why do the Ospies hate difference (why this particular type)? What is the sameness they want? What drives people to support them? When using Nazis, one gets the answers to those handed in by history (they are using post-WWI resentment to stir nationalism; antisemitism has a long history in this part of Europe; they have an ideology to sell and Lebensraum to covet and enemies to fight and construct). In Amberlough some of the answers are implied, but a little too vague, a little too same-y, without providing the world with depth beyond the two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs whose shapes are close enough to attach to real-world equivalents but can't stand on their own. The villains have no depth. And the beginning of the book was full of information I found difficult to retain; and yet, the world didn't really feel terribly lived in; I didn't get the feel of its history and politics.

Where the novel does excel is the micro level, the personal level. The scenes of Cordelia becoming angry; Ari putting on his make-up, or taking off his make-up; the morning in the city, with crowds walking to their jobs or from their lovers' places; Mueller making his choices; the smells and tastes and the cabaret. I wish the spy plot had been half as good as those elements, because I would have been all over that book.

I do recommend this novel, but not unreservedly; still, I am very happy to have the ARC of the sequel waiting for me. I really and truly want to know what happened next. ...more

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Mar 30, 2017 Michael Hicks marked it as quit · review of another edition

Shelves: advanced-review-copy

Cripes sakes. Another DNF title. I'm not sure if I'm just picking books unsuitable to my tastes of late, or if it's just a string of bad luck. Maybe I'm getting unbearably picky in my old age. This one is just boring the crap out of me, though. After a couple hours into the audiobook, I have no idea who these people are, why the locations they talk about are the least bit important, or what the fuck the plot is even supposed to be. Blah. No rating.

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Nov 10, 2016 Allison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

10 stars??? 10? yes?

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Jun 29, 2018 Lauren Stoolfire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, thriller, lgbtq

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly is a brilliantly executed John le Carre meets Cabaret LGBT+ fantasy spy thriller set in a Weimar Republic, Germany-esque world. I had read many fantastic and gushing reviews of this story before going in (and just look at that awesome cover, to boot!) and, luckily for me, the story totally lives ups to it! I couldn't get enough of their world and the spies at the center of the story - Amberlough City is practically a character in its own right. All in all the st ...more

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May 18, 2017 Sarah (CoolCurryBooks) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, lgbtq-protagonists, other-world, protag-multiple, strong-female-character, 2017-releases

The best comparison I can make for Amberlough is that it’s a cross of Orwell’s 1984 and Kushner’s Swordspoint. It’s fantasy without magic, set in a world based on Weimar Berlin and experiencing the rise of fascism. Oh, and the three central characters are a gay spy, his smuggler lover, and a stripper who acts as his beard. Amberlough is both dark and somehow delightful.

Amberlough City is a corrupt but cultured city, the bustling heart of Gedda. But the One State Party (“Ospies”) want to unite Ge The best comparison I can make for Amberlough is that it’s a cross of Orwell’s 1984 and Kushner’s Swordspoint. It’s fantasy without magic, set in a world based on Weimar Berlin and experiencing the rise of fascism. Oh, and the three central characters are a gay spy, his smuggler lover, and a stripper who acts as his beard. Amberlough is both dark and somehow delightful.

Amberlough City is a corrupt but cultured city, the bustling heart of Gedda. But the One State Party (“Ospies”) want to unite Gedda’s four provinces into one centralized, socially conservative nation, and they are making increasing strides in shaping Gedda to their vision. Cyril DePaul is a spy who’s masters are growing concerned with the Ospies’s rise, but when Cyril’s cover is blown, he makes the decision to work with the Ospies for his own survival and that of his lover, smuggler Aristide Makricosta. Into this delicate dance of politics and survival, Aristide brings Cordelia Lehane, a dancer and drug dealer who works alongside him at the Bumble Bee club. As their way of life is threatened, these three will have to decide what they are willing to do to ensure their own survival and at what costs.

At its core, Amberlough is about the choices these three protagonists make and how the rise of a fascist government shapes them. What are they willing to do to survive? At what point are they willing to put their life on their line and fight? Each character ends up walking a different path, learning something about who they are under the pressure of the Ospies.

I adored all of the characters, even if I was frustrated by the decisions they made. Cyril admits that he’s a coward, and it becomes increasingly clear that he’s willing to put his own survival ahead of others… except maybe when it comes to Aristide. Aristide is a smuggler and drug king, but he may have more ethical compunctions than Cyril. While he values his own survival, he won’t cooperate with the Ospies to do so. I’d be hard pressed to chose between him and Cordelia as my favorite character of the novel. Cordelia’s a firecracker. Like all the others, she’s done morally questionable things to survive, including currently selling the same drug that killed her mother in order to make ends meet. But Amberlough is her home through and through, and she begins to realize that she’d rather stay and fight than run and live.

From the description, it may be obvious why I compared this book to Ellen Kushner’s Riverside novels and George Orwell’s 1984. Like Riverside, Amberlough is a fantasy story set in its own world but without magic and with a highly historical feel. Also like Riverside, queer characters proliferate. Like 1984, Amberlough deals with totalitarianism and cooperation versus resistance. However, Amberlough is completely its own story, and while the atmospheric setting may have clear parallels to Weimar Berlin, it’s different in other ways. For one, it is a lot more gender egalitarian than the time period its analogous to, and it’s actually much less patriarchal and better with female characters than either 1984 or Swordspoint. Working women seem common, referred to as “razors” for their short haircuts. Female generals are referenced offhandedly, and Cyril’s boss and the head of the spy agency is a woman. Of course, all this may change if the Ospies get their way.

Amberlough was just incredibly well written. From characters to world to plot to thematic material to emotional impact – Donnelly excels at all of these. I would never have guessed that this was a debut novel. While it may have started slow, by the end my eyes were gripped to the page. I’ll be incredibly surprised if this book doesn’t garner any award nominations – I think it’s clearly one of the best new releases of 2017. I’m also incredibly grateful for the announcement that Tor’s publishing two companion novels. I want more of Donnelly’s writing and of the world of Amberlough, and I encourage everyone else to read it. I doubt Amberlough will disappoint.

Originally posted The Illustrated Page. ...more

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Apr 28, 2017 georgia ☽ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, age-adult, favourites, lgbt, read-2017, start-of-a-series, t-characters-i-love-a-lot, t-colour-me-suprised, t-couldnt-put-it-down, t-great-romance

“Among the brooks and gorse and muddy stone, he let the façade fall. His own weakness broke his heart, and frightened him.”

this started off slow. i don't mean that in a negative way; the slowness of the beginning really allowed for the author to develop the characters and the setting.

the best word i can think of to describe this book is atmospheric. i felt like i was in amberlough- the cabarets, the crime, the politics of it all is all so well-developed that i was wholly immersed in the story. ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Lucille rated it liked it · review of another edition

A solid 3 or 3,5
While I struggled with the first half because I wasn't expecting so much politics and sexual activities, the second half had me very invested on the fate of the three main characters. It took me two weeks to read the first half and one evening for the second one, my heart beating alongside them and horrified in a can't-look-away way for everything happening.

content warning: torture, suicide, sex

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SciFi and Fantasy...: "Amberlough" Buddy Read	20	41	Jan 17, 2019 06:26AM

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About Lara Elena Donnelly

Lara Elena Donnelly

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The all-singing, all-dancing Lara Elena Donnelly is the author of AMBERLOUGH, a vintage-glam spy thriller, and a graduate of the Alpha and Clarion writers’ workshops. Her work has appeared in venues including Strange Horizons, Escape Pod, Nightmare, and Uncanny (forthcoming). A veteran of small town Ohio and the Derby City, Lara now lives in Manhattan. You can also find her online at @larazontally ...more