Review of “A Path of Possession” by Charles LeBrasseur

Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)

Demons aren't always red, horned creatures from hell.
Sometimes, we are the real demons.

A Path of Possession is an ambitious fantasy novel by Charles LeBrasseur. The novel follows a teenage girl named Lake-Ellen Redwood who seems to live in a rather fascinating, complex, naturalistic, spiritual world that reflects aspects of our own. It is barbaric, cruel, savage, and incredibly superstitious. There is no greater fear in this world than being deemed a vessel of a demon—possessed. In a bloody, violent, superstitious hysteria akin to the Spanish inquisition or Salem witch trials, this society hunts and persecutes demons, those identified to be possessed by them, or people deemed to be enemies of their gods.

Lake-Ellen is a “Lady of Leaves.” She seems to be a living, breathing hybrid between plants, flora, and humanity, having green skin and gradually sprouting more and more twigs, branches, flowers, and leaves as the tale progresses. Apparently, there are others like her. Some are identified to be demonically possessed and brutally executed by burning as a form of ritualistic exorcism (in a sense).

Two cycles (presumably years) before the start of this book, she was hit by lightning while in the presence of a legendary, accursed tree in the Heart of the Forest. Not only is she injured and frightened by the strike itself, but she is terrified by the prospect of having been possessed by the infamous demon said to have been trapped in the tree. Well, to be specific, it's not just any demon. In fact, it's something even worse: A DEVIL!

In response, Lake-Ellen is banished and forced to flee to the relative sanctuary of her Uncle Fross's house in a distant town we think was called Myrono, sadly having to put her dream career of being an accountant on hold. And, yes, apparently, being a Lady of Leaves makes you an accountant—a kind of town/tribal treasurer with some sentimental, cultural significance.

It is kinda funny to hear her refer to her dream job/role as being an accountant because of the connotations that has to a modern audience. When you hear the word “accountant” you probably imagine a person in a suit and tie working in a cubical or in an office, crunching pennies and working on spreadsheets. However, in this book, we're in a bit of pseudo-medieval/pseudo-fantasy society. Also, it is kinda ironic that Lake-Ellen is a bizarre plant-lady with actual, physical leaves growing out of her, but the “leaves” in her title more than likely refer to the currency and not her physical appearance/characteristics.

To be honest, this book is pretty complicated, convoluted, and confusing. So, that's the best explanation we could come up with.

We're not sure if she was struck by lightning and became like this or was born a strange plant-lady. We thought that, in the context of this book, being struck by lightning was thought to be associated with a release of N'ergy, which is associated with demonic possession. We didn't know that it turned you into Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. Actually, how does the lightning thing make sense?

Speaking of confusing, frustrating things, we're not quite sure why she has the strange name of “Lake-Ellen.” Did her parents conceive her next to a lake called Ellen? Did her mom give birth to her next to a lake called Ellen? Is she the manifestation of a lake... a lake that happens to be called Ellen? Is she the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian lore, whose name was possibly also Ellen? Cause we saw little to no evidence of any of that. We did see that she's called Lake-Ellen 1,100+ times in this book, and it does get cloying and annoying after a while. There are times when she's called Lake-Ellen 5+ times on the same page. There were one or two times when a close friend or loved one just called her “Lake” or “Ellen” like a normal person would, but that was few, far, and in between.

Going on a bit of a sidebar for a second... another thing that's really funny about the writing in this book is that the phrase “hands on hips” is used repeatedly, referring to multiple characters. We think was used at least 20 times. Maybe, you could argue, it's a societal/cultural thing like when people in our society hunch over to look at their phones all the time, but we honestly thing it's probably just an oversight. It seems like the phrase “hands on hips” is just used as a placeholder to fill space (almost like an ellipses) while the author—an admitted pantser—is thinking of what to say or write next.

Anyway, when people in the book refer to Lake-Ellen as a Lady of Leaves, they usually aren't referring to her being a plant-lady. It's usually in reference to her presumed role in society—her occupation. And there are times when no one bats an eye at her being a plant-lady despite other green/bluish plant people being viewed as demons and burned at the stake. Either she's extremely good at blending/fitting in like some sort of chameleon creature, her condition is actually surprisingly common (like being a certain race), or people in that society are super selective about what makes a demon-possessed person and what doesn't.

Moving on, in the process of escaping to her uncle's town, Lake-Ellen has many experiences and meets a lot of new people, some of whom become allies and even close friends. That includes Abbix, who becomes like a surrogate sister to her, and Tammon, a seer (or Citysee'er) who seems to be a kindred spirit with whom Lake-Ellen can relate. Tammon kinda mirrors Lake-Ellen in the sense that they're both intended to hold a special place in their society and are considered strange and unusual.

Lake-Ellen also befriends Radishal Wren, Kelpri, and a chexerman (dog creature) named Puffies. While these supporting characters themselves are quite forgettable, their interactions with Lake-Ellen help to establish her natural charisma and magnetism as well as her kind heart.

Ultimately, Lake-Ellen is a pretty good character. Putting aside her weird name and the strange gimmick of her being a green, budding plant lady with confusing and questionable origins and an arm/weapon/tool/pet (???) named Dandelion that she uses to accomplish various tasks... Lake-Ellen is a good person. She really is. She's kind, caring, friendly, and compassionate in a world and society that seems neither kind nor compassionate. Whenever she meets someone, she greets them and introduces herself in a genuine, friendly, respectful manner. Ok, well, there are a few times when she's caught off guard and surprised, and reacts accordingly, but that's few, far, and in between. She's usually very conscientious and considerate. She's also very grateful and gracious, constantly thanking people for their help, assistance, advice, and courtesy.

This is especially admirable considering her situation and the society that she's in. She also has very human and relatable moments like the constant need to “relieve” herself (we're assuming this means to pee).

The other thing that's really admirable about this book is the world-building. It's incredibly ambitious and detailed.

There are so many aspects of this world that are different yet familiar enough to make sense of. For example, there's a special breed of canine in this world called chexermans. Young plant-people like Lake-Ellen are called Budlings. Lake-Ellen is identified as a Ghesh. There are different kinds of sprites (spirits) who are categorized by numbers.

“Sir” or “Mister” is written as “Seur.”

There are times when the writing can be quite beautiful and eloquent. For example:

“He collapsed against the couch cushions. An eruption of realizations exploded from the murk along the back of his mind—bright, brilliant, all clashing.”

In that passage, you can catch the alliteration (in “couch cushions” and “bright, brilliant”) as well as the thought process of the character in the midst of chaos.

Speaking of chaos, that kinda describes this book. For better or for worse, this book is a bit chaotic. It's one of those books that you could call a “beautiful mess.”

It's complicated, confusing, and convoluted, and yet it's ambitious and admirable in what it's attempting.

Check it out on Amazon!