Lazarus, Home from the War

Wisconsin Gothic #4

by E.H. Lupton

It's Good? to be Home

Lazarus Lenkov has been a civilian for almost two months, and it's going great. Sure, he's working at an art gallery instead of flying planes. Sure, his brother is preoccupied with his new husband, his sister is busy with her new baby, and he's plagued by nightmares and his malfunctioning foresight. But there are good things, too. He's got a new car. And just today, he got hit over the head with a bottle and then stitched up by a cute neurologist. Who then rejected his advances, but you can't have everything.

Eli Sobel has never met anyone quite like Laz. He's smart and handsome in a scruffy way. He's also a mess. From the first time they meet, it's clear that Laz needs someone to take care of him, even heal him. And while Eli's a doctor, he's not interested in taking on any patients in his personal life. But Laz is funny and generous, and Eli can't help but get drawn into the investigation surrounding the attack he stitched the man up from.

There's bad magic afoot, though neither of them quite understands it. From a similar crime at a Minneapolis art gallery to dead bodies in Edina, Minnesota, each step of the inquiry seems to pull the two of them closer together. But when they finally uncover the surprising motives that tie the events together, will they be able to move past their history into an uncertain future together?

Lazarus, Home from the War is the fourth book in the Wisconsin Gothic series. It contains some spoilers for Troth, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Queer, M M Romance, LGBT, Historical Fiction

370 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2025

About the author

E. H. Lupton (she/they) lives in Wisconsin. She is a writer, playwright, artist, runner, and experimental baker. She is the producer/co-host of the hit podcast, Ask a Medievalist. Visit her website at ehlupton.com.

Reviews

[Kathleen in Oslo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an unapologetic fangirl for this smart, fully thought-through, emotionally compelling, and bafflingly under-read series -- Sam and Ulysses, the MCs of books 1-3, are one of my favorite couples from the last few years -- so I was excited to dive into Lazarus's story. Laz was Ulysses's off-page younger brother in books 1 and 2 -- "off-page" here meaning "a cog in the US's war machine in southeast Asia" -- before turning up in book 3, struggling with trauma of both the ptsd and magical varieties. Prickly, closed-off, extremely suspicious of Sam, self-medicating (alcohol), suffering bizarre episodes and memory loss, and refusing help, it's clear in book 3 that there is a lot to unpick with Laz -- both magically and in terms of his physical and emotional wellbeing.

Into the picture steps Eli, a mild-mannered British-Jewish neurologist, who has (what's the opposite of a meet-cute? A meet-morbid?) with Laz and is instantly intrigued by the vulnerable, standoffish, mysterious hot dude draped across his lap. As you should be, Eli! While the drama of their initial meeting is a product of Laz's war-related rather than magical trauma, Eli soon gets pulled into magical machinations that Laz, himself, is very much an unwitting victim of, seemingly a product of circumstance rather than deliberate targeting. These magical machinations pull in Ulysses, Sam, and the wider Lenkov family -- we get substantial page time for Ulysses and Sam, to my glee -- which enables us to see how Laz navigates both the magical and emotional politics of his loving but demanding and emotionally distant family, as well as to see how this family looks through the eyes of the most normal (non-magical, non-god) MC yet.

I've noted before that I basically never understand the magic in magic books, and the same is true here. This time, though, it seems more of a deliberate choice by the author: Laz, for all that he possesses a specific magical ability, has never made a study of magic, and non-magical Eli is entirely new to it. So we are getting the magic stuff filtered through the POVs of two characters who, unlike Ulysses (and to a lesser extent Sam), are not particularly conversant on what the fuck is going on, magically speaking. While I shared Laz and Eli's magical confusion, this approach didn't entirely work for me: the end result is Ulysses and Sam doing a lot of (mostly off-page) research and taking the lead on the investigation, making Laz and Eli seem somewhat passive and sidelined. It also ended in one of my personal pet peeves, which is "outsider shaming another into acting based on outsider's moral code, which is a perfectly fine moral code insofar as it goes, but is not at all informed by the intricacies of the situation at hand, which makes outsider seem moralizing and, let's be honest, kind of patronizing, and of course the moral code ends up saving the day because this is fiction, but is it really a triumph for the moral code when you have to emotionally browbeat someone into using it?" Pithy, I know.

The larger issue is that Eli doesn't really have much to do and, compared to Laz and Ulysses and Sam, is kind of a basic bitch, albeit one who sportily throws himself into this rather bizarre situation. So him taking his big stand, at a point where Laz is just desperately trying to figure out how to survive the situation and help the other people affected, seems more manipulative than ethically-driven. And even though it worked, I have to think that this will come back on them in the future, because Eli's code comes into pretty fundamental conflict with Laz's history. Laz has, to put it mildly, ambivalent feelings about this history, but that does not mean he should reject it entirely: work through his current feelings about it, yes, and determine how if and how he can make amends, but shoving it away and condemning it wholesale is doing himself and his future healing a disservice. Not that Eli is requiring this self-denunciation, but there is definitely tension here, which this book nodded to but really only scratched the surface of.

Even though I seem critical, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment -- but part of the enjoyment is appreciation of what is, hopefully, the seeding of future storylines and conflicts, and anticipation of how those will play out. By the end of the book, Laz shows signs of wanting to take more control of his magic and develop more knowledge about the magical community -- something that could bring him closer to, but potentially also in conflict with, his more experienced brother and brother-in-law. Eli is figuring out how to navigate this new relationship and new world -- but again, that may involve tradeoffs that don't fit into his understanding of how to move ethically through the world, potentially bringing him into conflict with Ulysses and Sam's more "ends justifies the means" approach, and stranding Laz between his brother and his lover. This book did a great job in moving two new players onto the board, and I'm excited to see how their storylines mesh with the overarching magical and familial arcs going forward.

Final note: while this is technically a standalone, it's probably a pretty high degree of difficulty for readers to start here. And there is literally no reason to deny yourself books 1-3, because they are bangers. Get thee to book 1, friends!

I got an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lupton does it again, bringing magic to Madison, WI. As someone who lived in Madison for many years, it is so fun to envision the places I know so well with the different adventures that have occurred in this book as well as the series. When I realized this was Laz's story, I was very excited because I really wanted to know what happened to him based on his actions in Troth. For fans of Sam and Ulysses, don't worry, they're still here too! Lupton does an excellent job blending several religions with magic and addresses Laz's PTSD with the utmost care. And we get to meet the neurologist, Eli Sobel, who will steal your heart with his adorableness and steadfast soul. As Eli and Laz navigate the magical happenings around them, they are also trying to figure out what they have found in each other. Highly recommend the read. It's so cute, well devised, and will bring the Midwest gothic to you. Many thanks to Lupton for the ARC!

P.S. Everyone needs to picture someone saying "whipping a sh!tty" in a posh British accent. It will bring you joy.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t really like Laz in the previous books so I wasn’t sure going in to this one. Laz turned out to be a great MC though and he and Eli were lovely together. The overall plot was super entertaining

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

talking to cats set a bad precedent, and it made the cats think they were important.

my controversial opinion is that the plotting &&&&&c. of a series should get better as it progresses, even if the author is very small, and unfortunately, this one feels messier in comparison with previous installments and therefore didn't work as well for me. the motives in this one are....foof. and a fair number of symbolic resonances that really needed to have, like, so much more done with them. for example: the painting being a jungle? groovy, as long as you actually do something with it, but lupton largely doesn't, to which I have to say: come on, man. which, haha, this wasn't even intentional, but here's my next bookmark, which I did like a good deal:

"it's all groovy, man," he said, aware that he sounded like the type of man for whom nothing had ever been groovy.

re: the messiness, though, it probably doesn't help that laz's ambivalence/unexaminedness (albeit more in the sense of 'dead dove do not touch' than anything) about his role in the vietnam war gets pretty close to butting up against some of my personal hard lines. (and lest anyone say that this is a case of me not doing enough Touching of Grass, as it were, allow me to say that, as the child of a vietnam vet—an air force captain just like laz, even!—and the sibling of a white buddhist—again, with buddhist tattoos like laz's, no less—I am intimately familiar with both concepts.)

there's just too much mess! to give one example of many: are we talking snakes in humans or humans in snakes? make up your mind!!!!!

I do like laz as "old country doctor," mending the neighborhood's various electromechanical gadgets in exchange for gratitude, apples, etc.

alas. I didn't dislike the book and enjoyed significant portions of it and will keep reading the series, but, yeah, this one just...didn't quite cohere for me.

enjoy the ride, take the pain when it arrived; that was the human condition, and there was nothing to be done about it.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking a little detour to follow Lazarus to find himself post war

The 4th book in the Wisconsin gothic series doesn’t follow Ulysses and Sam, but U’s brother Laz. And as much as enjoyed the other books it was nice to take a little break and have this little side quest.

This one could be read as a standalone because it doesn’t really touch on the subjects of the other books much at all, there are obviously some very small spoilers though I don’t think it would ruin anything if you read this one out of order.

Laz’s struggles and Eli’s patience with him were sweet. Even when he eagerly agreed to throw tennis balls at him without his consent.

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to arc read this novel. I look forward to more!!

[Talya · Rating 5 out of 5]

adding EH lupton to my holy trinity of MM authors along with KJ charles and wendy palmer

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I can either be your doctor or your boyfriend,” Eli said. “And if I have to choose, I don’t want to be your doctor.” [p. 165]

Lazurus Lenkov first appears in Troth as an angry, unstable war veteran with PTSD, jealous of his older brother Ulysses' relationship with ex-demigod Sam Sterling and plagued by occasional flashes of foresight. Laz, unsurprisingly, is the focus of Lazarus, Home from the War, a novel which not only explores his character in more depth but also gives a different perspective on Ulysses.

Laz experiences a PTSD-related flashback at the local store, and is tended by Eli Sobel, a British neurologist. Things escalate quickly (Laz breaks into Eli's car and fixes the timing belt; Eli tells Laz that there's more to life than being useful, and perhaps Ulysses is being less than reasonable asking Laz to risk himself) but peril, magical and otherwise, threatens their fragile relationship. Though there's a resolution, there are plenty of unanswered questions to be picked up in future novels in the series.

I really warmed to Laz, and indeed to Sam (who tells Eli 'you're family'): Laz never intended to go to war, and the details of his military experiences are minimal, but he met a Buddhist monk in Thailand who seems to have been a powerful influence. (Hopefully we'll find out more about him, too.) Eli was a good foil for Lazarus, but perhaps not as richly characterised. He's clearly got some ideas about how to reach out to the community of magic-users, who typically avoid non-magical healthcare options. And he's good at dealing with Laz's lack of self-confidence, and fascinated by the neurological underpinnings of his foresight.

Looking forward to the next in the series, due later this year!

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve really been enjoying this whole series. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a move away from Ulysses and Sam to focus on Laz, but the romance between Laz and Eli was very sweet, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Rebekah Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little details of the book are super fun- Laz’s mechanical skills, Eli’s clinic and the descriptions of places in Madison.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read (I've read books 1 and 2 twice each at this point) and read of (this is book 4 in a planned 9 book series) Lupton's Wisconsin Gothic series, the more I love it.

Lazarus, Home from the War follows Ulysses' newly-returned-from-Nam brother, the eponymous Lazarus, and new character Eli, a British-Jewish neurologist. This book has everything I love about the series—crackling dialogue; clever, nerdy humor; the general braininess of Lupton's writing; would-be scary vibes softened by lots of quiet moments; bonkers magical mischief; and magic that I don't understand in a fun way—while also being nicely suited to Laz and Eli in the ways their characters and growing relationship are different from Ulysses and Sam's.

Eli is our least magical MC yet and Laz, who's been away from the Lenkov family for a decade, now has a complicated relationship with his own magical ability from the ways it's become tied up with his PTSD. Our protagonists are thus rather reluctantly drawn into the aforementioned magical mischief in stark contrast to the intrepid Ulysses we know and love (unlike Eli, who side-eyes U quite a lot). Lupton develops an increasingly nuanced portrayal of the already interesting Lenkov family with relative outsider Laz's and even-more-of-an-outsider Eli's perspectives. Both characters seem primed to become more involved with magic by the end of the book, and I'm eager to see where that takes our characters.

There are some plot threads/questions that are currently sitting in something of a limbo space in my brain that I'm hoping will be addressed in future books. For example, who is S. Rochester? Presumably this all has something to do with Julie Strickler since the name surely wasn't mentioned for no reason?

In the same vein, I deeply hope Lupton continues the exploration of morality, survival, and (the illusion of) choice introduced here and the conflict between Eli's moral code and Laz's experiences as someone shunted into an unpopular war he didn't want to be in in the first place. There's a lot to unpack here, in a very interesting way, and it would be a real shame if the somewhat limited exploration we're treated to here were all we got. Especially since one of the best things about this book is how the addition of these new characters, and the dynamics between the two of them and between them and the rest of the Lenkov family, enriches and complicates the world Lupton's built.

Overall, though, any potential niggles or criticisms pale in comparison to how much I love Laz and Eli.

I guess this technically could be read as a standalone, but I do think it would be a pretty difficult place to start. Perhaps more importantly, why would you want to skip books 1-3 to start here, anyways?

Side note: I still think Tim the cat may be my favorite character.

Rating: 🧡 (loved)

Big thank you to the author for an advance copy of this title!

[Maryann Kafka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lazarus Lenkov, wanted to fly and he did. He worked hard and became a Captain in the Air Force and flew a helicopter during the Viet Nam war. Even though this is what he loved to do, it left him with a struggle when he returned home. It seems PTSD would forever be a burden for him, but he dealt with it. He now has found a job in Carla’s art gallery and doing really well. He doesn’t look at it as a big deal, but he took a chance with Oran when he brought some of his art to sell. Laz made a wall for “Outside Art” that Carla even accepted.

Laz being from the Lenkov family has a true magical bloodline. He’s living in his Babushka Ekaterina’s house. He has many family members: sister, Celeste, her husband Obe and their new baby Lila, which Ekaterina adores and his Aunt Cassandra and Tim the cat.

He also has his brother Ulysses who is a professor and married to Dionysus Samuel Sterling. Their relationship is very unique and caused a problem in the family. Laz and Ulysses also seem to do a lot of head butting. Ulysses has warned Laz to be careful of sharing his history in Madison.

With a client coming in Carla needs Laz at this meeting. So he takes a lunch at the Supperette. Looking for lunch he finds something more interesting and the flirting begins. But then a disturbance causes Laz’s PTSD to kick in. When he finally comes too, he finds his head in the lap of Eli Sobel a neurologist doctor.

Eli thinking he would never see Laz again happens by the gallery one evening and finds Laz injured after he’d been attacked. Eli get’s to meet the bossy brother Ulysses. Laz has his reasons for refusing to go to a hospital. Against his better judgement, Eli takes Laz back to his office to sew up his head wound. Laz really starts to feel comfortable with Eli.

The more Eli starts to learn about Laz, he finds himself falling for this wild and dangerous man. Laz still has a fear that the more Eli learns about him, he will walk away. Eli doesn’t realize what he’s getting into with Laz, Ulysses and Sam. The new painting that was brought to the gallery seems off to Laz and creates a strange electrical feeling and precognition. That leads Eli to test Laz and that has Eli feeling bad.

Eli starts to fall for Laz, a little too quickly. He doesn’t like that Ulysses seems to get Laz caught up and hurt in some strange occurrences. Eli knows that Laz, Ulysses and Sam all have the magic in their bloodlines and when they get hurt they refuse to go to hospital. Eli has become more of a physician to clean up their injuries.

The more Laz, Ulysses and Sam look into the case of the S. Rochester painting, Eli get’s just as involved. Besides the bodies that keep dropping from previous S. Rochester owners, will they be able to solve the investigation and survive?

E.H. Lupton brings another exciting tale from “Wisconsin Gothic” series. “Lazarus, Home From The War”, places a clearer light on Lazarus and what he’s been through. He was away from home from the time he turned seventeen and went into the Academy, college and pilot training and was called to the Viet Nam war. He’s seen many things and now suffers with PTSD. He’s a little odd but I like him much more now then I did in “Troth”.

I also love that he and Eli found each other. Eli had his reasons for not wanting to get involved with Laz but he couldn’t resist him. I like how Eli felt he needed to protect Laz from Ulysses. He didn’t care for seeing Laz hurt and he would do anything to help him. Even with all the danger Eli still found a way to help in the investigation.

Besides a great mind melding, murder mystery there is: a Serpent, Standing Stones, old magic, crossing to a different realm, magic, sigils, and at times a brotherly feud. The story brings out the time of the 70’s, a heartless war and the paranormal. There’s plenty of characters that make appearances again, right down to Laz and Ulysses parents. The romance is not just between Ulysses and Sam but Laz and Eli who take center stage. I need to mention, Luria and Oliver, two new additions.

“Lazarus, Home From the War” is the fourth book of the “Wisconsin Gothic” series. I highly suggest reading all the books “Dionysus in Wisconsin”, “Old Time Religion”, and “Troth”, to really get to know all of the characters and there’s always the paranormal and history from the 70’s. I hope E.H. Lupton has more stories in the works. I would like to hear more about Laz and Eli or whatever E.H. Lupton decides to entertain the masses with next. Excellent!

[ancientreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself reluctant to start "Lazarus." Once you read a book, you can never read it for the first time again, you never again get that delicious pleasure of being surprised by odd and illuminating turns of phrase, of watching the principals' relationships grow, of finding out, in the case of a mystery, what happens next and what the resolution will be. I did, somehow, manage to drag "Lazarus" out over four solid days, what with walking away repeatedly even from the climactic drama on account of its being, you know, close to the end.

OK yeah anyway. Laz is, of course, Ulysses Lenko's temperamental, hard-drinking, traumatized Vietnam veteran brother, and Sam Sterling's brother-in-law, and this is the book in which, as the title suggests, he finally, mostly, comes home from the war. At the beginning, he's doing better than he was during "Troth." He's working at an art gallery and repairing appliances for whoever asks, and he's not drinking to excess -- well, not drinking to excess as much. Still, the bar remains pretty low: "He lit a cigarette, then juggled the lighter and pack away without spilling any coffee. It was going to be a good day."

However, things on the emotional front begin to improve after Laz has a flashback in a food shop and thereby introduces himself to Eli Sobel, self-described as small, skinny, and hairy, who's a neurologist and -- as it turns out, this is important -- Jewish. On the material plane, difficulties arise when someone who makes an after-hours appointment to view a particular painting at the art gallery turns out to be not a someone but several dangerous people who assault Laz. And then, of course, cue the intrusion of unpleasant manifestations of the supernatural plane.

I suppose if I was going to get super persnickety about the suspense plot I'd complain about a couple of seemingly dropped threads: Who's S. Rochester? Do the conspirators get funding from Julie Strickler, one of the villains from the previous book? But those points pale, next to how much I enjoyed watching Laz and Eli find their footing (A+ declaration scene, by the way), and also watching Ulysses and Sam through Eli's eyes, because his perspective complicates their characters -- U's especially.

The general braininess of E.H. Lupton's writing, and my pleasure in how things wrapped up between Laz and Eli, as well as in a heroic turn by the small hairy neurologist, led me to forget my one substantive criticism. It's to do with a scene in which Eli chastises Laz for his involvement in the war; I thought the conflict came a bit out of nowhere, and Lupton could have done more to address it, as a matter of both characterization and plotting -- though at the same time, I don't quite see when, during the rest of the action, Eli and Laz would have had time for that conversation. Maybe a late-night-in-bed chat after the villains are undone? My pal @Kathleen offers a fuller and more thoughtful discussion in her review, and reading it reminded me that -- since I'm grading Lupton on the curve reserved for the very best writers, which is distinct from the general curve -- "Lazarus" gets 4.75 stars rounded up, not quite a full 5 stars.

Book 5, due later this year, is going to bring the focus back to Ulysses and Sam, Lupton says, and conclude their long story arc. I'm looking forward to that, sure, but I do hope Laz and Eli are in on the party too.

Thanks to the author for the ARC. Considering how much I've loved all the books in the Wisconsin Gothic series, it didn't come as a surprise that I was smitten with this one too. Yes indeed this is my honest opinion.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This latest installment in E.H. Lupton’s engrossing alternate history/fantasy/romance series Wisconsin Gothic focuses on Laz Lenkov, Vietnam vet and younger brother of Ulysses. Now back in Madison, Laz is coping with PTSD and working in an art gallery. When he’s attacked by five men who then leave the gallery without stealing anything—not even a newly arrived landscape worth an estimated $25,000—Laz is flummoxed as well as injured. Luckily his new acquaintance/crush, neurologist Eli Sobel, is there to stitch him up.

Laz finds this valuable painting sinister, even before he discovers that there have been similar attacks at other art galleries carrying works by the artist—the mysterious S. Rochester. And when buyers of another painting by S. Rochester die suddenly, Laz is determined to figure out what’s going on. Soon Laz, Ulysses, Ulysses’s husband Sam, and Eli have uncovered a murderous plot against military mathematicians—a plot that involves art, magic, and (ugh!) snakes.

The fantasy element is satisfyingly creepy, and as in the rest of the series, Madison, Wisconsin is depicted with great affection and confidence; I have not been this interested in the state since reading The Westing Game in fifth grade. And Lupton provides a satisfactory resolution to this episode while leaving some questions unanswered, setting the stage for future adventures.

Laz is a sympathetic character, a dashing but emotionally erratic former pilot who thinks about equations to relax and is determined to be of use to others. However. I think the relationship between Laz and Eli could have been more developed—Laz meets Eli and almost immediately decides he’s serious about him. It wasn’t clear to me why Laz feels so strongly, other than Laz is an impulsive guy. This is compounded by the fact that we don’t see a lot of complexity in Eli. He’s clearly competent, cautious, and kind—believable, sure, but as yet Eli doesn’t display any of the kind of quirks and/or contradictions that make Laz so compelling.

Additionally, the sex scenes are circumspect and kind of obscuring, as if Lupton wanted to give the couple their privacy. (The sex scenes in the previous installments are not particularly graphic, but they are straightforward. They’re also wildly romantic, by which I mean focused on sensation and the yearning pleasure of lust, but not cringey… these scenes are also more frequent in earlier books.) My sense is that more sex scenes in the vein of Dionysus in Wisconsin et al would have shown us a less composed, more demonstrative Eli, and also gone a ways towards justifying Laz’s nearly instantaneous conviction that Eli is the man for him. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for explicit romance? Either one. At any rate, it's not a dealbreaker, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

[DL Heim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, EH Lupton concocts a weird, cozy, creepy stew of magic, nostalgia and queer lust in the fourth of the “Wisconsin Gothic” series. Even though this is the next book in the series, the reader can safely enter the world through the “Lazarus, Home from the War” portal. Of course, the actual portal in the book is not safe at all. What is so odd about the reading experience is that I kept thinking I should be scared, what with ruthless bad guys harnessing an ancient magic to advance their anti-corposystem revenge fantasy agenda and all. But the tension is softened by all the quiet moments fostered by tea breaks and introspection.

This time we follow Lazarus, younger brother of Ulysses, as he grapples with the impact on post-Vietnam war trauma on his uniquely wired magical brain, while falling in love with Eli, a kindly neurologist. Unlike in Dionysus in Wisconsin, where the war and social unrest provide a muted backdrop, the impact of the US involvement in Vietnam on American society is a catalyst for the plot. Like so many soldiers from that war, Lazarus returns to a nation that is openly hostile to those who were thrust into a conflict they did not choose. This fuels the underlying theme of the novel: the struggle between survival and morality when faced with an impossible choice. Can kindness, honesty, and sacrifice prevail in the face of evil prevail? Or is fighting fire with fire the only option? Very heady themes, served in a warm biscuit of a novel.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the characters, both members of this new couple and the sense of place. A bit startled to learn Babushka is only 73 when I thought she was a decade older. Nice to get a brief glimpse of Ulysses and Lazarus’s mother being herself in Paris.

I was surprised though at how long it took, the 73% mark I think, to get to any discussion of the cons of the vietnam war. That discussion is remarkably even handed and less involved than expected, and kind of felt like Laz’s choice to go to a military school and serve was no big deal morally. I was only a little kid at the time the book was set in, but I remember the cultural and ethical rift between people who supported the war and those who did not. It was nearly at a trump vs progressive level now. It’s absolutely inconceivable that my parents or their friends would have dated or fallen for an officer in the armed forces at that time. Wanting to fly planes would not be an acceptable excuse for a military career at that time. It’s shocking and a bit off putting. I wonder if the author, who wasnt born I think until pro-military propaganda was becoming a cultural thing, realizes just how weird this lack of discussion or stress between the couple in the book would have been.

[E.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started out as an attempt to get a handle on Laz before I wrote Troth and took on a life of its own. It's about loss, it's about coming home and the family you left behind on both sides, it's about what you value, it's about art, and it's also about neurology. It's a romcom set in the (personal) aftermath of the Vietnam War. It's about liberation, and things we can't be liberated from.

Having lived in Vietnam myself, it feels very personal, even though it's entirely set after Laz comes home. And of course I'm really excited to introduce Eli to everyone.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great time with this one.

[Sarah Hoodlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in the Wisconsin Gothic series focuses not on Ulysses and Sam, but on Lazarus (Laz) and his love interest, Eli. While the MCs are different, the vibes are the same, and I loved it just as much.

The magic is lighter than in previous books, but it's arguably more intriguing. I won't spoil it, but I found the way magic is woven with art to be fascinating. (There are a couple of characters in this story who might argue that magic IS art, but that's neither here nor there.)

Lupton, as always, does a great job at tying the fantastical—and often spooky, and mildly unsettling—into our otherwise normal, everyday lives. The characters are dynamic, real, and relatable, and the setting is vividly described. A great continuation of a great series!

[Saskia Veldhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book in this series, but the first not focusing on Ulysses and Sam, although they were definitely involved. Lazarus is struggling badly with PTSD after being involved in the Vietnam war, and this is messing with his precognition on top of that. He wasn't a likable character at all before this book, so it was really enjoyable to see him grow. Eli tries to help and becomes involved in their magical problems as well. I really appreciated the other dimension. I'm really looking forward to the next book.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This one is hard for me to rate. I wasn't particularly invested in this story or these characters, but I really like this author's writing. For that reason, I found it enjoyable and entertaining but it's 2 days later and I'm already forgetting what happened.

Also, near the end Eli and Laz get in a fight because Eli suddenly has ethical issues with Laz's choices - about the current situation but also going all the way back to him joining the military/Vietnam War. It comes out of left field and seems to only be there to force Laz into a situation he normally would have avoided.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much and wish I could start it all over again to love it some more. Expected to like it, because the first 3 in the series are wonderful, but wasn't certain this "outlier" (book about Laz, not Sam and Ulysses, etc.) would be as great, but it's- maybe better? A tremendous read from start to finish, so full of tenderness, humor, sadness, scary things, everyday things, old time things, and yearning. Yes, that's it, 370 perfect pages of all kinds of yearning.

[Emily Telizzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series keeps getting better!

I really enjoyed Lazarus and Eli’s story, and hope the series will continue. I love that these books take place in WI during the Vietnam War. The time period is only partly relevant (probably more in *this* book than the others because Lazarus is a vet with PTSD), but it sets a mood that is, I think, unique and original. The writing is also very good! I loved Eli’s character, and of course Ulysses and Sam are back.

[tillie hellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good addition to a great series! i liked this book, it was very solidly doing what the other ones did. what i especially liked is the jewish aspects in the form of the new LI. 1) the worldbuilding that jews do magic less bc of religious prosecution… actually so real in an awful way 2) i liked how a jewish character showed up and therefore the monster of the week was a dybbuk LOL. anyways fun time and excited to read the next ones!

[Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I love these lads. Laz & Eli are very different from Sam & Ulysses. I'm constantly impressed by Lupton's ability to present such fleshed out, realized characters who are so different in such human and recognizable ways. These two have a fresh story, that naturally intersects with the ongoing adventures of Sam and Ulysses, and they're adorable and I just love them.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like Eli and Lazy as much as Sam and Ulysses, though their characterization got better later in the novel. Unclear what Laz's main conflict was supposed to be until very late, although he became a very interesting character. Excited to see the future of this series.

[lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely the best one yet!! everyone is really coming into themselves and it was nice to leave the demigod situation alone for a bit.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet gem of a book. I loved it! I read it as a standalone and it did fine, but now I want to go back and read the other three. Criminal that this hasn’t gotten more attention.

[Alexandra Almond]

After the first three books building out Ulysses and Sam’s relationship, it was good to see them from a different perspective. Laz and Eli are lovely, and this was a very easy read.

[Lani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one!

[ReadWithE · Rating 3 out of 5]

The paranormal aspect didn’t work for me; possibly works better for folks who read the series in order.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so Laz and Eli are my faves. What a fantastic series.