For Adult eyes only: Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Miriam Black is a drifter, and she has a strange power. She witnesses the death of every person she touches, and she knows exactly how long it will be until they pass. The power isolates her from society, and it embitters her to life.  She survives by scavenging the possessions of those who die. Chuck plays with her power to great effect. He effectively develops side characters throughout the series by describing their eventual fates, and he fleshes Miriam through her reactions to their death.  Much of the novels power comes from Miriam herself. Many supernatural fiction titles focus on the induction of the character into the supernatural, and the character itself becomes lost amidst the introduction of new supernatural elements. Not Miriam. She is a believable, imperfect and broken person. 

At the start of the story, Miriam survives by avoiding attachment to others. She believes that our deaths are set in stone, and that free will is a lie. Until she hitches a ride from Louis Darling, a sweet but troubled truck driver.  When Miriam makes contact with him, she is surprised by his death. Because she is present and it happens soon. Louis’s death touches her, and it makes her wonder about something she had long given up on. It makes her wonder if she can stop the inevitable.

This is not the beginning of a paranormal romance novel. Chuck avoids the trappings of the popular genre through colorful side characters and Miriam’s own broken nature. It is the beginning of an action packed, gritty plot that mixes the aesthetic of Poe with the pacing of film noir.  Miriam never bemoans her fate. She not only accepts it, but she sells you that her attitude on life is the right attitude.

The characters are engaging, the plot advances quickly without sacrificing character development and there is a constant sense of dread that compels you to discover how it all ends.  Borrow Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig now from Patchogue-Medford Library.

My Soundtrack for Blackbirds

The Dope Show by Marilyn Manson

Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson

A Warm Place by Nine Inch Nails

What’s the use of wondering by Amanda Palmer

Right Where it belongs by Nine Inch Nails

Razed In Blacked by Damaged

Chop Suey by System of the Down

The Bed Song by Amanda Palmer