This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 5, 2014.

Blackbirds

By Chuck Wendig – S&S/Saga Press – May 5, 2015

Review by Robin Marx

Apart from all the vampire stories I've read through the years, urban fantasy isn't really my thing, but I picked this book up because of Chuck Wendig's interesting writing blog and the fact that he's worked on some roleplaying games I've enjoyed. Blackbirds was a quick, mostly fun read, but ultimately I felt it lacked substance, suffering from characterization and plotting issues as well.

Blackbirds introduces Miriam Black, a woman in her mid-twenties who possesses the ability to touch another person and see the moment of their death. For obvious reasons, this power causes her considerable distress, inspiring her to avoid becoming too close to others, leading a reckless life as a drifter. Things are further complicated when she has a premonition of a vicious murder in which the victim's final word is her name.

Miriam is an interesting character, but I also found her slightly off-putting. Wendig goes to great lengths to shake up stereotypes of what female characters can be like (as if challenging some imagined sexist reader) by making her a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed brawler that sleeps around. That's fine, I can get behind that, but I think that combination of traits would be equally obnoxious in a male character, especially exaggerated to the extent they are here. Flawed anti-heroes and anti-heroines are great, but unrepentant losers are less appealing.

Miriam's dialogue frequently grated as well. I enjoy Quentin Tarantino's work, but all too often it felt like Wendig was likewise trying too hard with the profanity, like a gleeful junior high school nerd trying to look cool in front of older kids. A line like “Fuck off and die, fuckpie!” doesn't really strike me as a cutting display of defiance, it's more like something from one of South Park's lamer episodes.

There were some other more minor issues as well. While the female thug is fun (with two great chapters written from her perspective), the antagonists are basically cartoon characters, way too psychopathic to be the organized crime figures they're described as. And despite all the buildup, the end was a little unconvincing as well (“You can't change fate...wait!”).

I suspect that devoted urban fantasy fans would enjoy this book more than I did. It wasn't bad, per se, just not my preferred thing. I also don't have heart palpitations when I encounter women (gasp!) that drink and swear, so perhaps that particular selling point was lost on me.

I'm not compelled to rush out and purchase the next book in the series, but I might give the STARZ TV series a shot if that becomes a reality.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #Blackbirds #ChuckWendig