Blackbirds (Miriam Black, #1) in Fantasy-Faction.com

Apr 01, 2016 Dyrk Ashton rated it it was amazing

Sick, hilarious, no holds barred insanity! Incredibly well written contemporary psychic action-horror from Chuck Wendig, who obviously has no shame, no filter, and no flaws in his writing style either. Wendig doesn't fear taking incredible risks with language, potential political incorrectness (yeah maybe I made that up, whatever), downright nastiness or narrative style. Heart-thumping, in-your-face present tense, swiftly shifting POV and a seriously kick-ass (and totally f-ed up) main character ...more

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May 02, 2015 Joel rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobooks

I've been keeping an eye on Chuck Wendig books for a while - he seems like a nice dude, and is omnipresent in pictures and articles I see about the various fantasy conventions, etc. I was looking for a quicker, urban fantasy style book to bridge between epic novels, so now seemed as good of a time as any to pick up one of his.

Miriam is a young woman with a chip on her shoulder, and an odd ability - just by touching skin with another person, she sees a vivid image of when and how they die. At the I've been keeping an eye on Chuck Wendig books for a while - he seems like a nice dude, and is omnipresent in pictures and articles I see about the various fantasy conventions, etc. I was looking for a quicker, urban fantasy style book to bridge between epic novels, so now seemed as good of a time as any to pick up one of his.

Miriam is a young woman with a chip on her shoulder, and an odd ability - just by touching skin with another person, she sees a vivid image of when and how they die. At the start, she's busy using this ability for her own personal gain - casual contact with people, find out they will be dying soon, and then she appears on the scene to rob them of their money and move onto the next. This begins to come crashing down, when she meets a trucker whose ending of life involves her. She's soon arranged with an equally crooked individual who sees her as a way to make money and stay on the move, using her ability for his own game. However, after being approached by hitmen disguised as FBI agents, Miriam discovers that her new partner has his own secrets, which lead her down a spiraling path.

In concept, the book is interesting. The writing is fine, the story moves along, and the character growth is present enough, watching as Miriam, as well as her costars all evolve and change based on what happens. However, despite that, this book just didn't work for me. From the start, I just could not 'get into' it, I felt disconnected from the book and characters, felt a growing disdain for Miriam, even when I normally can connect with just about any protagonist/anti-hero in a story. I never once feared for her - which was an apt thing, as she takes an absolutely absurd amount of abuse, while having almost zero side effects that last more than a few minutes. She gets the beating of her life, then is suddenly shooting blindly with marksman accuracy, or going on a long walk, performing acrobatics.

So my summary of the book is basically that: Decent story, good enough writing, smooth plot movement. Yet, nothing drew me in, nothing kept me interested, and the overall style just ground against me the entire time. I could 100% understand why people would really enjoy this book - I just didn't. ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 Lianne Pheno rated it really liked it · review of another edition

http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...

Un livre qui m'a grandement surpris au début, il n'était pas du tout ce que j'en attendais, trop chaotique pour moi, mais que j'ai finalement réussi à apprécier sur la fin.

Quand Miriam Black touche quelqu'un, elle peut voir le moment de sa mort, et en détail. Cela rend ses relations très difficiles. Et le pire la dedans c'est qu'elle ne peut rien y changer. Si elle essaye d'intervenir c'est son action qui va déclencher la mort de la personne en question, e ...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Lewis Dix rated it it was amazing

I literally read this book front to back in about five hours. I could not put it down, much to the chagrin of my wife, children, and dogs. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but a great page-turning read non-the-less.

I'm not sure that I'd consider it urban fantasy. More of a paranormal thriller in line with works by Steven King and Dean Kootz....that's not to say that Chuck Wendig writes like them, for he has a voice and style all his own! Something like a strange but wonderful combination ...more

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Oct 10, 2015 Roland rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2015

3.75⭐️ Really cool fast paced read! As my first Wendig book I'm not disappointed. Great detail but left me wanting a bit more. Was flat in some parts and actually found myself skipping ahead. I did have one LOL moment dealing with Harriet and her husband. Miriam is intriguing with the horrible gift she has. I have already bought the second book and will probably get the whole series but I'm not diving right in. I would recommend it though. ...more

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