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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Psyman by Nick Bruechle is set in a dystopian society shaped by a century of conflict, with three classmates—Biz, Necker, and Bock—on divergent paths. Biz, who carries the "Leadership Gene," is destined for government, while Bock, the smartest among them, fears a surveillance role and seeks out YouStar fame. Necker, driven by patriotism, enlists in the military, which leads to a startling discovery when his unit is sent to war. Biz enters the Bastion and learns to manipulate public perception in a society recovering from environmental collapse, now powered by Higgs Energy. After his mother's death, Biz seeks guidance from the trio's former teacher Gneiss, who reveals where Biz's cognitive strength stems from, and how Bock is conversely impacted. Gneiss makes a proposition, leaving Biz to question his true purpose, and if it includes being a Gardener.
It's almost impossible now to find an environmental dystopian novel that offers something fresh, and so we tend to accept recycled fare, waiting for something more substantive to come along. By flipping the typical lack of oxygen on its head, Nick Bruechle gives us that special something in his book, The Psyman. Bruechle does exceptionally well in blending components of eco-terrorism, fascism, and mass population gaslighting through an ultra-modern form of the Roman bread and circuses, by giving us creative cocoons, caste systems, and high-tech manipulation. The writing is clean and crisp, and there are a few swerves in there that I didn't see coming at all, particularly at its jaw-dropping finale. I think if Sartre's The Childhood of a Leader and Crossan's Breathe had a literary baby, it would resemble Bruechle's The Psyman. This is easily in the top three novels I have read this year. Very highly recommended.
