Customer Reviews

Shaken Allegiances

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Quebec has always felt as the outcast of Canada, but there are points of taking it too far. "Shaken Allegiances: Two Days from the Continuum Of Nonsense" tells the story of Quebec and its attempts at secession and Mother Nature's say in the matter. An earthquake cuts off Montreal Island from the world, and a whole circus of Canadian politics, media, and so much more erupt around it. A cynical and humorous look at the Quebec issue and modern Canada, "Shaken Allegiances" is uniquely Canadian and deserves a place in world fiction collections.

"Shaken Allegiances" begins in a world turned upside-down by a catastrophic earthquake in Montreal, but the true catastrophe is one of human incompetence. In the aftermath of the disaster, the reader is presented with a glimpse into the chaos that follows through the eyes of a hodgepodge of bungling characters. From immature politicians to incompetent medical students; overzealous radio operators to a homeless man lost in a fog of alcoholism, Bruneau covers the gamut of human flaws with such skillful satire that you will be laughing out loud.

Bruneau's writing is full of wit, his characters are believable yet ridiculous, and he presents Canadian politics and history in a way that is both entertaining and accessible (if not always flattering.) Definitely a must-read! It's no wonder this novel did so well in the 2010 Indie book awards.

A keen sense of the politics behind politics. Gracefully exposes the best of the worst of human nature. The exchange between the US and Canadian leaders and Bruneau's translation is dead on. That alone makes the book worth it. A must!

Bruneau draws on his experience in radio, as a technical and political leader of an earthquake engineering research centre, and as an observant human to tell a fictional storey about interesting and moderately dysfunctional organizations and people. With themes similar to Allison's "Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis", Bruneau explores the way crisis decisions can be made based on national, organizational and personal priorities. The background is a significant earthquake in Montreal. The media are trying to get news - any news - and to find out who is responsible. The national and provincial governments and their organizations have conflicting priorities. They are trying to hide their incompetence, appeal to their own constituents, as well as possibly doing some good. As part of, and amidst, these conflicts we meet a number of modern-day characters whose strong self-belief and self-concern significantly affects their own decisions. These characters represent a number of personality types. None are perfect but all are interesting. In them, it is not difficult to recognize a number of our colleagues, and perhaps too, a little of ourselves. Bruneau uses his quick, direct and pointed writing style to describe this earthquake scenario, to provide us with some diverse perspectives of the history of the Quebec region and an appreciation of some of the things that could go wrong in post-disaster response.

What do you get when an earthquake expert pens a disaster novel? In Michel Bruneau's "Shaken Allegiances," we are treated to a civil engineer's perspective on catastrophe. Currently an engineering professor at SUNY Buffalo and formerly the director of the school's Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, Bruneau writes with a combination of imagination and savoir-faire only a professional could muster. "Shaken Allegiances" drops us into a world that has credibly gone cockeyed, right into the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake.

Bruneau good-naturedly tears politicians and the media to shreds for their dilapidated response without ever letting go of his droll sense of humor. The inept and self-serving cast of this novel resonates with realism. Despite Bruneau's reassurances that his characters are purely fictional, you might feel the urge to "google" certain personages you encounter throughout the story. His post-catastrophic world resonates with truth in all the right places.

It's not often in this day and age that a well-known engineer also turns out to be a gifted novelist and satirist. The result is truly a gem. "Shaken Allegiances" is a once in a lifetime read you cannot afford to miss.

"Shaken Allegiances" is a fresh and satirical spin on a typical disaster novel. The story takes place in Quebec, during the aftermath of a deadly earthquake that hits Montreal. Out of the wreckage emerge many unlikely heroes from all walks of life. Unfortunately, they turn out not to be very good heroes. The characters quickly get hamstrung by their own incompetence and ambition as we follow them in their comical efforts to take advantage of the chaos. The twist: the earthquake happens shortly before a vote on Quebec's bid for independence from Canada. Don't miss this fast-paced and ironic tale-- Michel Bruneau's knack for black humor had me laughing out loud. This novel is also an entertaining way to get a vibe for French Canadian politics, as Bruneau writes from his own experiences of "le patrimoine".

Instead of relying on the tried and true protagonist/antagonist approach, Shaken Allegiances relies on, as stated in the title, a "continuum of nonsense", in which one only finds antagonists. The proposition seems to spell disaster, yet Michel Bruneau manages to fashion his book in such a way as to keep the reader intrigued and engaged. Combined with an excellent sense of humor, Shaken Allegiances is an superb novel: full of wit and subtleties that can be enjoyed even after the first read. This book's out of the ordinary approach combined with Bruneau's craft makes Shaken Allegiances a must read for any fiction lover.

In his novel "Shaken Allegiances," Michel Bruneau deftly mixes the disaster genre with political satire, the product of which is unique and inimitable. Set primarily in Quebec, the novel manages to encompass both the complexities of French Canadian politics and the universal ridiculousness of human ambition.

After a deadly earthquake hits Montréal, the provincial government of Quebec and the national government both struggle to respond to the disaster. The twist is that the latest referendum for Quebec's independence will be put to vote in a week. Each side is fantastically incompetent and shamelessly exploitative of the disaster. This stark opportunism continues as we are introduced to a three-ring circus of failed med students, engineers, and a washed up radio DJ, all trying to get a little something for themselves. As we are wryly warned in the beginning: "there are no heroes."

Bruneau is a keen observer of human stupidity, and his characters are both laughably absurd and uncomfortably believable. I would highly recommend "Shaken Allegiances" for its straight-faced ironic humor and imaginative plot. It's an amusing introduction to Quebec for the uninitiated. I found it clever, sarcastic, and often hysterical. Definitely a must-read.

Michel Bruneau's confident novel, SHAKEN ALLEGIANCES, is a wonderfully clever satiric exploration of the events following a catastrophic earthquake which absolutely devastates Montréal and all of its surrounding areas. Bruneau masterfully uses this natural disaster scenario to symbolize what some call the current downward spiral into which the human race is rapidly plummeting. Every character represented sheds their ego and super-ego, reverting back to their id state. Each struggles to survive, either trying to find shelter and warmth or desperately clinging to a foothold on a rung of the extant bureaucratic ladder. Bruneau eloquently juggles his plethora of antagonists with keen timing and cynical wit, creating a novel that not only entertains but also educates. It wouldn't at all be surprising to see this book assigned as required reading for sociology classes in years to come.

This book will compel you to think: Do we, collectively as a race, do anything that is completely altruistic without a hidden agenda or expectation of a reward? Why has our focus shifted from the societal canopy to the individual unit? What would I do should that situation arise? Well, in regard to that last question I hope that I would consider the sound philosophy of Clément, "Hey chill man, there's enough booze for two here." (Bruneau p. 313).