Nicholas Bruechle
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Nicholas Bruechle
Freedom is the prison we built for ourselves
by Nick Bruechle
We make the reality here.
In our oxygen-soaked future, the three F's of Fear, Freedom and Fame reign supreme, surveillance is a way of life, and the Gobblers are tightly controlled by the Sharps.
In this dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, Necker experiences a war like no other, Bock lives through the peaks and troughs of transient fame to become a revolutionary, and Biz is drafted into the ranks of the Sharps, destined to rule.
But Biz is different from the other Sharps, and he has the key to restoring true freedom to the people. Will he liberate the minds of the Gobblers, or does fate have something else in store for him?
The Psyman will have you questioning the nature of freedom, the art of propaganda, and the dangerous distraction of fame.
In the world of the future, society is divided into Gobblers; oxygen-addled and fame-addicted citizens; and Sharps, the ruling elite who live in a secret city called the Bastion, where they imbibe a high carbon dioxide atmosphere.
The Gobblers work 15 hours per week, mostly in surveillance, and spend their spare time watching and interacting with YouStar in their Cocoons.
The Psyman traces the lives of three friends, Biz, Necker and Bock, and their teacher Gneiss, in the years immediately after the trio finish school.
We join Bock as she experiences the highs, lows and stresses of a month in the Fame House on YouStar and then reluctantly enters a life of drudgery and YouStar immersion.
Necker enlists in the army and heads off to prosecute the "pesky war in the east" only to find that fighting has been replaced by endless rounds of football matches.
And Biz is inducted into the Bastion under his mentor, Knead. Biz struggles to keep up with his new peers in the Bastion, but he perseveres and makes his way in conflict spin.
Later we find out that Biz has been ‘made’ a Sharp under false pretences by his teacher Gneiss, who has an agenda. He wants to reduce the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere so ordinary people can reclaim their minds and their freedom.
When Biz finds out, he is enraged at the manipulation, and to find that Gneiss and Bock are in a relationship. Yet Biz promises to consider Gneiss's plan, and covertly interrogates Particle, the atmospheric engineer, as to what might be done to reverse the oxygen imbalance.
When Bock dies, the promise that Biz has made to protect the Gardeners - the secret society in which Gneiss is involved - becomes void. In a climactic scene at Bock's funeral, Biz has the Gardeners violently arrested and sent on the Freedom Ride. He returns to the Bastion a hero, but must also face some questions about his actions. The story ends with one final twist for Biz, and leaves the reader wondering - does this mean he will or won't carry out the Gardeners' ambitious plan for his own ends?
“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.”
Jamie Michele, Readers Favourites
i surf, i write, i abhor war and i adore my wife
Having wasted his youth earning a living, Nicholas came to be an author relatively late in life, publishing his first book in his early 40's. His first two books were science fiction, and he has since concentrated on contemporary fiction. He has also written a quite a number of short stories (some of which can be read for free on his website) including numerous surfing stories. His published works include a book of surfing stories. When not chained to his computer Nicholas enjoys surfing, travelling with his amazing wife Rachel, and endlessly throwing a frisbee for their demanding blue heeler, Munty.
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