quippe | Entries tagged with chuck wendig

The Blurb On The Back:

Miriam Black has gone off the map.

Miriam is on the road again, having transitioned from “thief” to “killer”.

Hired by a wealthy businessman, she heads down to Florida to practice the one thing she’s good at, but in her vision she sees him die by another’s hand and on the wall written in blood is a message just for Miriam.

She’s expected …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Chuck Wendig’s MIRIAM BLACK SERIES is another hard-boiled, foul-mouthed noir affair that neatly brings in some of the loose ends left from the earlier books and provides an interesting set up for the concluding volume. Whether you like this series really turns on your attitude to Miriam, a foul-mouthed, self-destructive and at times completely infuriating woman who doesn’t know what she wants or where she’s going. I love the fact that she’s not perfect (and doesn’t care) just as I like the fact that she’s also made some attempts to make herself a better person (but only on her own terms). Louis doesn’t appear in this book but I didn’t miss him and it’s made up for both with the appearance of Miriam’s mother and the depiction of their relationship and the arrival of a figure from Miriam’s past. I would nit pick some of the violence in the book – notably Miriam’s incredible ability to take beating after beating without long term affects – but ultimately, it’s a dark and violent delight that kept me turning the pages from beginning to end and I will definitely check out the next book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Miriam Black has a terrible talent.

The first time she touches someone, she will see the moment of their death. Still in her early twenties, she’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. It is all she can do to keep her talent – her curse – in check.

But when Miriam touches a woman while standing in line at the supermarket, she foresees that this woman will be violently killed – right here, right now.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Chuck Wendig’s MIRIAM BLACK SERIES is another dark, foul-mouthed, noir fantasy ride with razor-sharp dialogue and a female main character who’s finally found a role for her terrifying gift. I loved how Miriam’s developed from being a witness to death to a bringer of it and Wendig does well at showing the impact this has on her – both as a temptation and as a terrible consequence. I also loved that there’s no happy ever after here – the relationship between Miriam and Louis feels realistic and though I was disappointed by it, it does completely fit Miriam’s self-destructive, contrary character. The supernatural elements are well handled and creepy and the plot cracks along at a breakneck pace. Again, my only real gripe is with the antagonists who I’d have liked to see more of because Wendig gives them a terrifying motivation but they still feel a little underdeveloped on the page. That aside though, I think this is thoroughly entertaining, dark fantasy fiction and I’ve already bought my copy of THE CORMORANT.

The Blurb On The Back:

Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days he will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people – that only makes their deaths happen. No matter what she does, she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Chuck Wendig’s hard-boiled contemporary fantasy noir is a foul-mouthed, rollercoaster ride with a damaged, self-absorbed main character. Whether you like the book depends on whether you like Miriam and I thought she was terrific – a broken narcissistic cynic who’s in dire need of rescuing. Her relationship with the decent, hulking Louis who’s still traumatised by the death of his wife is touching and Wendig does well in having you dislike Miriam for what she’s doing while also understanding why she does it. It’s also a nice counterpoint to the hot sex and cold manipulation that ties her to the venal Ashley. The story’s split between what’s happening to Miriam now and a flashback interview she gives where she describes how her gift works and how she came to have it. My only real criticism is that the villains of the piece are underdeveloped and I’d have liked to have seen a more fleshed out motivation for their actions.