Atlanta Burns: Nothing good's gonna come out of this, Atlanta Burns. Nothing

I picked up a copy of Chuck Wendig's Atlanta Burns when it was on sale without actually reading what it was about because there is a level of trust there. I've yet to be disappointed in anything of his that I have read* so if I see something come up, I'm going to give it a whirl.

Once again, I'm glad I did. Atlanta Burns is about the titular teenage girl dealing with some high school bullies. Lest you think that sounds very after-school-special, know there are also neo-nazis and dog fighting and a fair amount of violence because this is Wendig we're talking about.

Atlanta Burns has had some horrors in her past and she is determined to not be a victim. She hopes to just keep her head down and just get through school, but she can't abide by others being tormented either and thus she finds herself helping out a few of the school outcasts. And without getting into plot details, let's just say things escalate. There's tension, there's excitement. Edge-of-your-seat kind of stuff.

Wendig has a skill in making characters feel fleshed out. They don't always make smart choices but they feel like real people making real choices in extreme situations. Atlanta is tough but she's still a teenage girl and there is a vulnerability behind her actions.

Warning that the book is violent and that there is dog fighting so there is some violence around the dogs so if that bothers you steer clear. Why did violence against a dog bother me more than violence against people? Well, because dogs are way better. Obviously.

This wasn't my favorite Wendig (Miriam Black, you are the BEST) but I did really enjoy it. Kick ass, teen girl who kicks all kinds of ass, yes please.

(Also, I love that cover. Wendig has some good covers.)

Gif rating:

*What's that? A link roundup of all of the Wendig I have read and reviewed? If you insist.
Blackbirds
The Blue Blazes
Mockingbird
Invasive
Zer0es

Title quote from page 196, location 2392

Wendig, Chuck. Atlanta Burns. Skyscape, 2015. Kindle

Invasive: When the going gets weird, the weird needs Hannah Stander

What do you think of ants? They always seemed like they were probably the best option in the bug world, even if you are not a fan of creepy crawlies. I mean, think about ant farms. And an ant was a hero in Honey I Shrunk The Kids. Sure, there are those bullet ants that will mess you up for at least a day if they bite you, but overall ants almost seem cute.

YOU ARE WRONG. YOU ARE SO WRONG.

OK, so maybe not cos most ants are FINE (even if some are taking over the planet and we should probably be concerned about that). But if you're in the Invasive world, there's a very good case to be made for why these things are horrifying.

A bio-tech thriller set in the same world as Zer0es (though you don't need to have read it to enjoy this), the book opens with a strangely mutilated corpse. Because let's start the weird right out the gate. FBI consultant Hannah Stander is called in to try to figure out what could have done this, which leads to a compound in Hawaii. There are worse places to have to investigate, even if your investigation involves GMO ants.

Hannah has to figure out what is going on, how did these ants get loose, and how much damage could some ants really do? (Spoiler, OH MAN so much damage.)

I don't want to give away too much in regards to the plot, cos, you know thriller. But I will tell you that the story was suspenseful and creepy and I was engaged. If you've read anything by Chuck Wendig before, you have an idea what you're getting into. And if you haven't, what are you waiting for? His stuff is great (as long as you're cool with thrillers and some-to-a-good-amount of violence). The books are so much fun and he can write female characters who actually seem like real people.

I realize this is a short review but I also feel like I hit upon all the key points.
You may have thought ants were sort of cute but WRONG SO WRONG
Suspenseful bio-technical thriller
Female main character (who was raised by doomsday preppers. I forgot that bit but I'm addressing it here)
Hawaii!
Chuck Wendig

Gif rating:

Wendig, Chuck. Invasive. Harper Voyager, 2016. Kindle

Dream Book Panel

I'm working on my Hawaii post (cos hey, I was just in Hawaii and that was swell) but in the meantime I got an email from Eventbrite, with a post topic about my dream book panel and after not finding a catch I thought that was a pretty cool topic and I'm looking for writing prompts so yeah, let's do this thing. And also you guys should write up your panels cos I am super interested to hear who you would have or what questions you'd ask. Everyone play!

The prompt is "What if you could plan the perfect panel of authors or characters to speak at a conference?" OK here's my panel

Christopher Moore, Jasper Fforde, and all of my favorite authors get together to talk about how cool I am and also send me all of their future books as they're released. Oh also Bill Watterson decides to write new Calvin & Hobbes and that is how society will begin to heal. Right? That sounds fun for everyone.

OK FINE, let's do this thing for real.

Since I am deep into my feminist rant reading, let's take the topic of feminism with maybe some intersectionality thrown in there because yeah, we need that. And since this is my perfect panel, I'm thinking this can include both dead authors as well as characters. LET'S SEE HOW THIS GOES

Up first: Octavia Butler. I need to hear her thoughts on everything really, but particularly her thoughts on gender and race because she has some thoughts here, if her books indicate anything. Plus she was a black female author writing science fiction starting in the '70s, which I know, sounds like THE most welcoming environment.

Next Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie because have you read We Should All Be Feminists yet? Or seen her beautifully shut down the idea that Drumpf is not racist including the line 'As a white man, you don't get to define what racism is." And also all of the other line and laughter. It's wonderful.

How about some Sarah Vowell to add some history to the mix? Plus I feel she would bring some levity to the proceedings, cos things could get real heavy.

Speaking of people who can balance the serious and the funny, let's have Roxane Gay join as well. She will have lots of insightful things to say and then she can bring up House Hunters when we need a break. (But seriously, her live tweeting of HH is amazing.)

And then let's add Hermione because one, wouldn't it be awesome for Hermione to be on a panel? Also I think she could learn something. Yes, maybe she would bring some interesting thoughts to the mix but I would also like her to learn a bit about maybe not seeing herself as a white savior (thanks, Witch, Please)

Then let's include Celeste Ng because while I haven't written it yet I very very much enjoyed Everything I Never Told You and think she could bring some interesting thoughts about race and family and what is expected/allowed of women.

Crap, should there be a dude here? Umm, OK, Chuck Wendig cos from his blog and social media he seems like he gets it. He can come too.

Alright, I should probably stop here. But yeah, this seems great and if this could happen, that would be SUPER KEEN.

Thanks for the post prompt, Eventbrite, and hey people, if you need to manage an event or conference, they seem like a way to help with that so maybe check them out.

Trick is figuring out which of us are ones and which of us are zeroes

Chuck Wendig books are always so much fun. He's one of those dependable authors. After a few successes* I'm pretty confident that whatever he writes I'll enjoy and don't really bother reading the summaries. He may not be my favorite author (though he might one run of my favorite blogs and overall seems like a lovely person), and I'm a bit on the fence about his latest Star Wars book, but that has far more to do with hesitations towards SW and not what he's written. Hell, the only reason I'd considering reading a SW book** is because he wrote it. Well that and the fact that he pissed off a bunch of homophobes by making one of the main characters (the main character? I dunno, for you see, haven't read it) gay and that is just swell.

But I did read his book Zer0s about government conspiracy and hackers and some sci fi-y elements and honestly when I picked it up I didn't really know anything about it beyond "hackers" (see above re: not even bothering to read summaries). It was just a fun book, one that I couldn't wait to jump back into.

I don't want to get too much into the plot because well, I didn't really know it before going in and I don't know if it makes a difference to go in blind or not, but I had fun so yeah, let's recommend that. But one thing I do want to talk about is the characters and how they are awesome. Because that is definitely an area where Wendig thrives. His characters are believable as characters. They appear to have actual, for realsies motivations, react to situations in ways that make sense for actual people (even when those situations are super crazy) AND in this book are diverse. Diverse without being stereotypes, which shouldn't be that difficult, but there are enough examples out there to prove that can be a sticking point for many writers. This is not a world populated by a bunch of white guys with maaaaaaaaaaybe one girl and/or one POC guy to claim inclusiveness.

Like I said, I won't go too much into the plot but I will give you a bit. A bunch of hackers are arrested for various online crimes and are given a choice: go to jail or come work for us for a year and have the slate wiped clean. This is how we get a country boy, an inner-city kid, an aging conspiracy theorist, a troll, and a social justice hacker shoved together, looked after by an agent who really does not understand this computer stuff. OF COURSE there are personality clashes and a shady government program, deceptions and alliances.

The book is fun (which I know I've said a few times but IT IS) and suspenseful and thrilling and funny and yes, sometimes violent and involves some creative cursing, because if you read Wendig you're going to get those things. Grade A work, Wendig.

Gif rating:

*Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Blue Blazes and I'm surprised there aren't more.
** I'm sorry, Star Wars fans. I know you are awesome and love the stuff and I don't think there's anything WRONG with it, it's just not super my thing.

Title quote from page 67, location 1396

Wendig, Chuck. Zer0es. Harper Voyager, 2015

Yeah, I'm kind of a lone wolf type

Now that I got my Kindle all charged, I was going to start this post saying it had been too long since I'd read a Wendig. Then I remembered I had read The Blue Blazes in May. And I finished this book in June. BUT it has been awhile since I read the first book in the Miriam Black series Blackbirds so there you go. Either way, TIME FOR MORE MIRIAM/WENDIG.

Heads up, that there might be some spoilers from Blackbirds here. But hey, look, Miriam is back so you already knew she was going to make it out of the first book. And further spoiler, there's a third Miriam book so yeah, she'll make it out of this one. So what I'm saying is any spoilers below are going to be fairly obvious ones, and ones you'd get if you read a basic summary of the book.*

Miriam is back again in Mockingbird still being herself. She still sees how a person is going to die when she touches them. She's still foul-mouthed, cynical, tough, hurt. Just the best. She's settled down with Louis, as best she can anyway. So, not that well at all. She's living in LBI, NJ (She never thought pine trees belonged at the beach but here they are. Of course, she never thought medical waste belonged at the beach either, but that's New Jersey for you) at a trailer park and working at a grocery store. Exciting stuff. She still hates her gift but at the same time she needs it. She NEEDS to be able to see how people are going to die. It's like an addiction.

Louis is trying to help her and actually gets her a job using her psychic abilities. Someone wants to know how they're going to bite it, Miriam can help. A teacher at a school for troubled girls thinks she might have cancer. Sure, she could go to a doctor and find out if she's sick, but that won't answer the question of if this possible disease will kill her and when. Miriam could help there. But of course, if that was all that happened the book would be very short. And boring.

Miriam is again put in the position where she sees how a death (or several) is supposed to happen and decides she's going to try to change fate. It's happened before. It could happen again.

She's a fate-changer, and fate has a funny way of pushing back hard. Real fucking hard.

As with the last book, there is a lot of violence here. And like last time, it doesn't feel gratuitous. It serves the story. Everything about this book is MORE than Blackbirds. More action, more suspense, more violence, more Miriam. And I enjoyed it more. It's a book you fly through because you HAVE to see what's going to happen. I will definitely be picking up the third Miriam Black book The Cormorant. Not sure when but it will happen.

Because it (sadly) happens so infrequently, kudos to Wendig for creating a strong female character. And not a strong female character that's actually just a dude character but with boobs. Not a female character that is just super tough and violent but not actually a fully formed character. An actual, strong female character. YAY Wendig.

Gif rating:

*ALSO there was an interesting PBS Idea Channel about spoilers and I haven't bugged you guys about watching this channel in awhile. So here you go.

Title quote from location 3406

Wendig, Chuck. Mockingbird. Angry Robot, 2013. Kindle.

Blood on his fists. Rage in his heart.

You guys are already familiar with Chuck Wendig, right? If not you need to fix that. His blog is great, his Twitter feed is great, and his books, at least the two I've read, are also pretty great. About a year ago I read Mockingbird and decided I had let too much time go by (and also the book was on sale) and I picked up his urban fantasy book The Blue Blazes.

The Blue Blazes takes place in NYC, although only a small part takes place in the NYC I know. Most of it takes place in this NYC under our feet, somewhere filled with demons and evil creatures invisible to those on the service that aren't blazing. Meaning those who have taken this drug, a blue powdering substance, and applied it to their temples which lets them experience this secret world. Those that control the Blue are in a position of power, and Mookie is the brawn for such an organization. Mookie is a brick wall of a man with a love for charcuterie and a contentious relationship with his daughter.

Things are changing in Mookie's world. The boss is sick and the question is who's going to take control? Mookie's daughter Nora seems to have some big plans. The boss's grandson also has some plans, and asks Mookie if he could find the rumored Death's Head pigment to help his grandfather get better. Mookie may not believe in the other pigments but he has a job to do so he goes to scour the Great Below. Of course nothing can be simple so Mookie deals with gobbos and ghosts/undead (but not zombies) and snake demons and roller derby gangs and all kinds of things both on his side and trying to destroy him.

This is urban fantasy but also noir. It's violent and action packed. It's also touching. Mookie isn't a genius but he's not all brawn and no brains. His relationship with his daughter is complicated, as is Nora's relationship with him. The Great Below and the denizens that reside there are creepy and treacherous.

If you already know Wendig you have an idea of what you're in for. And what you're in for is wonderful. It was such a good story and one that surprised me at several turns. And at the heart of the story is Mookie Pearl. He's far from perfect but he wants to do what's right to his daughter and to the organization. He's loyal and caring and not someone to be crossed. And of course there's Wendig's writing. Don't let the violence and vulgarity get in the way of how good the writing is. (And really, it's not that the writing is good in spite of the violence and vulgarity. It all works together in beautiful, bloody harmony.)

You don't control an explosion so much as politely suggest what you want it to do and then pray.

Survivors are like amputees: a part of them cut off, a phantom feeling and false limb put in place as a piss-poor replacement. Hobbling around. Never quite whole again. He doesn't know how death is for the really truly dead, but for those left standing in its wake, it's the worst thing in the world.

If you like crime fiction, if you like noir, if you like Wendig, you should check this out.

Title quote from location 3249

Wendig, Chuck. The Blue Blazes. Amazon Digital Services, 2013. Kindle edition.

I'm a wait and see kind of girl. More vulture than falcon

I've followed Chuck Wendig's blog and Twitter for awhile now. I can't quite remember when I started, but then again I usually can't remember what I had for dinner the night before so I mean, not unusual. I followed him for a long time before reading Blackbirds and I don't know exactly why I took so long.

Miriam Black can see death. One skin-on-skin touch and she knows when, where and how a person is going to bite it. So she's seen a lot of deaths, both gruesome and mundane, but she's never been a part of it before. That is until her name is the last thing on a dying man's lips. A man that didn't know her until she hitchhiked into his truck. What does she have to do with his death? Can fate be changed?

Miriam is a great character. She's cynical, foul-mouthed, and crass. Is she damaged? Sure. Did I mention she sees how people die? All the time. And she's found that whenever she tries to save someone she makes things worse. So yeah, if she wasn't damaged that would probably make her a sociopath. The book has enough of those, I'm glad the main character has feelings hidden underneath her tough exterior.

This book is suspenseful and violent and gritty and dark and twisted and violent. Oh did I mention violent? It's not gratuitous  it's what makes the story. And it's not to the extent of American Psycho as in, this one didn't make me feel physically ill. And the suspense. There were a bunch of those nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat moments, which can be dangerous to listen to on the train if you want to make your stop.

If you're familiar with his blog and Twitter (and if you aren't, you should fix that) then you already have an idea of his tone, his style. This isn't to say Blackbirds is anything like his blog. That was actually something I needed to get over at first. I knew this was a work of fiction, but it doesn't have his humor that is so prevalent on his other sites. That's not to say this book doesn't have humor in it. You need something to cut the violence (it has pleeeenty of that) but it's not the same laugh-out-loud stuff I was expecting. That said, the laugh-out-loud stuff would have seemed out of place. It took me a little while to stop looking for the humor, but once I accepted the story for what it was I was much happier.

Side note, do you see the cover for this book? It's AMAZING, isn't it?

Title quote from location 86

Wendig, Chuck. Blackbirds. Angry Robot, 2012. Kindle edition.