Blue Blazes - Softcover

"Trailer-park tension, horrified hilarity, and sheer terror mixed with deft characterization and razor plotting. I literally could not put it down." - Lilith Saintcrow, author of Night Shift and Working for the Devil "Balls-to-the-wall, take-no-prisoners storytelling at its best." - Bill Cameron, author of County Line. "Blackbirds is a horror story, a traveling story, a story of loss and what it takes to make things right. It's a story about fate and how sometimes, if we wrestle with it hard enough, maybe we can change it. Blackbirds is the kind of book that doesn't let go even after you've put it down and nobody else could have made it shine like Chuck Wendig." - Stephen Blackmoore, author, City of the Lost and Dead Things "fast, ferocious, sharp as a switchblade and fucking fantastic" - Lauren Beukes, author of Zoo City and The Shining Girls "Mean, moody and mysterious, Blackbirds is a noir joyride peppered with black humour, wry observation, and visceral action. Fans of Chuck Wendig will not be disappointed." - Adam Christopher, author of Empire State "A gleefully dark, twisted road trip for everyone who thought Fight Club was too warm and fuzzy. If you enjoy this book, you're probably deeply wrong in the head. I loved it, and will be seeking professional help as soon as Chuck lets me out of his basement." - James Moran, Severance, Doctor Who and Torchwood screenwriter "A deliciously morbid road movie waiting to happen, Blackbirds takes an ingenious central concept and riffs on it like some souped-up mutant conglomeration of Angus Young, James Hetfield and Keith Richards. Chuck Wendig should be both delighted and thoroughly ashamed of himself>" - Jason Arnopp, scriptwriter of Stormhouse and Doctor Who: The Gemini Contagion. "Enchanting and drowned in blood, Blackbirds is a meaty piece of fiction, a non-stop mind-job where the first hit hurts and you keep going back for more. It's the kind of gritty, unapologetic story that grips you long after the book's done; dark, intense, utterly without mercy. Chuck Wendig spins one hell of a tale." - Karina Cooper, author of the Dark Mission series "Truly the dark fantastic. Blackbirds is one of the most amazing, gritty, gruesome, witty, terrifying, wonderful books I've been lucky enough to read this year." - Kat Richardson, author of the Greywalker Chronicles "Gritty and raw, Blackbirds sports a unique heroine in the form of Miriam. Both sympathetic and pitiable, she dances through Chuck's brilliant turns of phrase and crisp writing to an illuminating ending which begs the question: Are we truly masters of our own fate?" - Allison Pang, author of A Brush of Darkness "Chuck Wendig unloads with both barrels and Blackbirds hits you like a shotgun blast to the torso at close range." - Matthew McBride, author of Frank Sinatra in a Blender "Wendig's lean, muscular prose powers through a twisty page turner without wasting a word. His take on the classic prophesy tale is clever, fun and drops a new surprise on you every few pages, making it very hard to put down. A deliciously entertaining read." - C. Robert Cargill (AKA Massawyrm of Ain't It Cool News and co-writer of Sinister) "If you're looking for a sassy, hard-boiled thriller with a paranormal slant, Wendig has established himself as the go-to man." - Keith Brooke, The Guardian "Wendig has taken the American roadside story and turned it into a tale supernatural terror. Fans of movies such as True Romance and Final Destination will find a lot to like here, and this is a treat for those of us who like their horror vampire-free and swear-word heavy." - Ed Fortune, Starburst Magazine "The writing is absolutely outstanding, it's 100% my kind of narrative, there's just not a single ounce of fat, it's all muscle, that's the best way I can describe it. Not a single word is wasted, every one of them packs a punch." - Fantasy Nibbles "Chuck Wendig has raised the bar of the urban fantasy genre and introduced a dynamic new character who, if left to her own devices, will most likely steal more than just your heart." - New York Journal of Books " - the characterisation is without a doubt the real highlight of the novel, managing to create living breathing people with a few deft strokes of a pen." - Anthony Jones, SFBook.com "[Blackbirds is] the kind of book that has the potential to put Wendig on the map as a 'must-read' author - I know he's made my list. Highly recommended." - SQT, Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews "Everyone dies eventually and the way it happens isn't fair; the way you check out is the way you check out. Wendig appeals to the slightly nasty part of us that we don't want to admit to but know is there. Who amongst us doesn't secretly want to know how it all ends for us? And who amongst us doesn't want to know how others die so that we can hope for something a little easier for ourselves?" - Graeme Flory, Graeme's Fantasy Book Review "Blackbirds is a high energy, whisky-fuelled ride, that will pull you along for the journey and have you questioning whether we can change destiny. A must-read book by an author that is worth watching." - Hannah Mariska, Fantasy Faction "This is urban fantasy, but done in a fresh, bloody, broody, exciting and exhilarating new way. Blackbirds is one of the best books of the year so far, and a real must read." - I Wish I Was a Book "Not only is it dark and brutal, but it's also funny, and sweet in parts. It runs the gamut of human emotion, and Miriam will draw you in almost despite yourself." - Just One More Page "Chuck Wendig is one of those rare authors with such masterful use of language, and such a good ear for dialogue, that he engages the reader from the first page and never lets go." - David Brzeski, British Fantasy Society. "Chuck Wendig has managed to take the best of urban fantasy and crime noir, twist 'em together like barbed wire, and drag you right over the barbs. Blackbirds is gritty and violent, yet never loses sight of the light that might be at the end of the tunnel." - My Bookish Ways "Through scenes of awful things and vile villains, Chuck Wending succeeds in painting morbid and violent landscape and even though sometimes we felt we reached the point of unease, we just couldn't keep our eyes away until we reached a stunning finale." - Upcoming4.me "It's a cliche in reviewing to say that you couldn't put a book down, that you ended up reading all night because you couldn't bear to leave the story. In reality there haven't been that many books written - ever - that have that indefinable quality that demands your full attention. Blackbirds is one of the few I've come across in recent years." - Paul Simpson, SciFi Bulletin "There's plenty of dark humour, thrills and things you would want your kids to read about like foul language and sex. Bad assed characters, slick and original awesomeness!" - Lou Prendergrast, More2Read "Blackbirds is urban fantasy at its gory and violent best, 5 bloody stars." - Stefan's Bookself "Miriam's narrative voice is infectious. Wendig evokes a palpable mood of gritty redneck Americana; if you've ever stayed in a horrible roadside motel or eaten at a greasy spoon, you know this world. The villains will make your skin crawl. The plot moves quickly and builds to a satisfying end with plenty of emotional oomph." - Kelly Lasiter, FantasyLiterature.com "Chuck Wendig was one to watch beforehand, but with this twisted little treat he cements an already-estimable reputation. Blackbirds is dirty, filthy, nasty - fantastic. If you can stand the sight of some awfully ugly stuff, you're exceedingly likely to love it." - Niall Alexander, The Speculative Scotsman "Blackbirds is a tightly clenched fist just waiting to sock you one. In the solar plexus - I give it big, fat A+. Read it. As soon as possible. Go, now." - J.M. Blackman, Semi-Educational Reviews "Joe Lansdale, Dave Zeltserman, Tom Piccirilli, and Norman Partridge are all great writers who blend crime fiction with horror and the supernatural. With Blackbirds, Chuck Wendig deserves to join them on that list." - RoughJustice at Crime Fiction Lover "Blackbirds is a shocking, dark read that pulls you deep into its story and simply won't let go until you've blown through. I can't wait to see what happens next." - Andrew Liptak, SF Signal "I never would have guessed where this story would head when I first opened the front cover, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Aspects of the book, primarily the dark tone of the story and some of the less than sane characters reminded me of some of Mr King's less epic stories, though perhaps more of Joe Hill's Locke & Key. Highly recommended." - Robots & Rogues

Meet Mookie Pearl. Criminal underworld? He runs in it. Supernatural underworld? He hunts in it. Nothing stops Mookie when he's on the job. But when his daughter takes up arms and opposes him, something's gotta give -