Mercy: I can’t write omegaverse on the American Revolution, the premise is too weird.
Twin: people mix fantasy tropes and genre premises into similar time periods all the time!
Ahem. Which brings me to The Corpse War of 1793, by Brandon Fisichella.
I’m a little biased in that I am a fan of the author’s Youtube Channel, which does a lovely job explaining how the British Army was organized in the 18th Century and critiquing that damnable movie called The Patriot. So I went into it hoping the story would be good, which to be fair, I always do for everything I read.
What I Liked/Loved:
I found it delightful how well the book gets into the verbiage and style of the eighteenth century. Even the title page is fashioned after the style of the times: “The Melancholic WAR of CORPSES containing a Complete & Authentick account of the Desolation of Stowlham and the Great Battle between the LIVING and the DEAD.” Beautiful.
Second, the action grabbed me from the beginning – the slow building tension as John (whom I’ve decided to adopt) warns his skeptical comrades, their march to Stowlham, and the inevitable arrival of the “devils,” which is genuinely visceral and horrifying and… emotional. (The teeth chattering wound up in my nightmare the next night, so thanks for that, Mr. Fisichella).
Characters: Ensign Tell is barely there, and yet, he had my heart as well as the narrator’s. Captain Lawrence and the unnamed woman and her husband pack an emotional punch. And Captain Penn is a bright, sparkling gem.
Then there’s John, John, John, my sweet summer child and the standout character for me. Suffice to say he’s incredibly sympathetic and complex, and the narrator’s description of why he calls him John when everyone else is called by their surname moved me to actual tears.
What I was left wanting:
– More descriptions of the individual soldiers. What do they look like? What are their backstories? Each dying redshirt (haha, get it) got their small distinguishing shout-out, but what about while they’re living? I wanted to distinguish John, Bennet, Wilkes, and everyone beyond just ‘soldier’ or ‘weeping’ or ‘stubble.’ What color are their hair and eyes? Is their visage round, square, oval? Have they a bulbous nose, a narrow one? Etc.
– Character development. Aside from John, there’s not much, and even the narrator is not as explored as much as I wished. (Where did he come from? Why did he join the army?) However, that may be in keeping with the fact that this is written as a “true telling” – in other words, this is a story within a story. In the novel, our narrator is publishing his account for the public to read. Thus it may make sense for our narrator to restrain himself from revealing everything about his past.
– The ending. Was it, and the lack of complete answers, fitting for a grim tale of bloodshed experienced by a common soldier? Sure. Was it the ending I personally wanted or enjoyed? Absolutely not. But that’s my personal taste.
All that being said, I couldn’t put it down. It gave me nightmares and made me cry. So, ultimately, I shall highly recommend The Corpse War of 1793.
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