Review - Dionysus in Wisconsin by E. H. Lupton

Ulysses talks to ghosts. Well, actually, they seem to do most of the talking. He can sense the mood of buildings, too. Ulysses also tries to help those magic users whose powers have made them a little less capable of dealing with life's little challenges. It's one of these friends who first warns Ulysses that ”Dionysus is coming” just before disappearing. It's never a good thing when one of the gods returns to earth, so Ulysses manages to find a man called Dionysus, although he prefers to go by Sam. Together, the two men race against the clock to try and figure out how to prevent the god of wine from taking over Sam's body.

“Dionysus in Wisconsin” is set in late 1960s Madison, with references to the war in Vietnam, the Manson trial, and other events of the time. However, in this alternate Wisconsin, magic is real. Some people have magically abilities and some don't. For the most part, the magic depicted is low-key, such as Ulysses talking to spirits. It's relatively easy to suspend disbelief and just go with the flow of the story.

The point of view switches between Ulysses and Sam. Ulysses, and in fact, his entire family, are quite interesting characters. You definitely get the feeling that there's a lot more to him than what we learn in this book. This is the start of a series centered on Sam and Ulysses, so we'll probably learn more about both of them as other books come out.

Sam is more of an “average” guy. He is not magical, at least as far as he knows, and leads a relatively mundane life outside of his family's business empire. While he is a more relatable character than Ulysses, you get the feeling that the machinations of Sam's family will provide more fodder for the pair's further adventures.

“Dionysus in Wisconsin” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).