A review by andrewbenesh1
Thunderbird, Volume 4 by Chuck Wendig
5.0
Thunderbird, the fourth novel of Chuck Wendig’s Blackbirds series, follows anti-hero Miriam Black as she barrels haphazardly down another path of personal growth and destruction. We’ve followed Miriam down these paths before – in Blackbirds Miriam discovered herself as a person with agency rather than purely a victim of fate; in Mockingbird Miriam began to learn the value of caring for others unconditionally; and in Cormorant Miriam began to understand forgiveness. Now, in Thunderbird, Miriam must wrestle with self-acceptance and commitment to others. The results, as always, are painful; but following Miriam along the journey is always rewarding.
Thunderbird does depart from the themes of the prior Miriam Black novels in few ways which may be of interest to readers. First, and perhaps most important, is that this is the first novel driven entirely by Miriam herself. While fate still plays a hand, the conflicts Miriam is embedded in are those that she has chosen – not that she has been guided to by friend, lovers, or past ghosts. The result is a story that feels more linear than previous books. There are still unexpected plot twists, and Miriam’s newfound autonomy makes these disruptions feel more forceful. The second is a shift in the character of Miriam’s powers. The new active powers we witness in Cormorant continue to develop in this novel, resulting in Miriam becoming a very literal force of nature. This growth results in the book’s most powerful images, but makes me question what could possibly oppose her in book five.
Chuck Wendig’s writing continues to delight. His gift for capturing the vivid sensory experiences of the world around his characters, of playing with perspective and perception to tell dramatic moments in surreal ways, and kinetic writing style are all on display and masterfully used. Readers will feel the weight of each punch, the taste of dry sand in Miriam’s mouth, and the sensory horror of death itself. The new, almost universal lens of Miriam’s life in birds adds an unexpected dimension to all of this. As always, Wendig peppers humor and attitude throughout the book to excellent effect.
I was worried in how Miriam’s interpersonal relationships would be handled in this novel; while Wendig writes relationship anxieties well he’s been able to dodge sustained relationships due to Miriam’s unstable nature. However, I think he ultimately did well on this, bringing Miriam to place that feels both like a somewhat healthy dynamic that’s still grounded in her feelings of distrust and guilt. We see compelling embers of commitment that I hope will continue to develop.
In the past I have criticized the Miriam Black novels for being a bit unrealistic in the level of injury Miriam sustains; there’s no way she should have survived book one in a world of realistic medicine. Thunderbird addresses those issues head on, with Miriam sustaining major injuries that require both medical and supernatural intervention. These solutions don’t feel forced, and provide some of the more moving moments.
My only complaint about this book is that there are so many characters I wish we’d have seen more of. We are treated to a veritable buffet of troubled people with unique powers, but we only get a small sample of each. I do appreciate the continuity that’s brought about by appearances from Miriam’s past acquaintances.
I normally conclude a review like this by talking about my hopes and excitement for the next book, but this time I’m a little anxious about what the future holds. We’ve seen incredible growth in Miriam – she’s gone from a metaphorical tumbleweed to a person who cares for others, values herself, and has a meaningful support system. I trust Wendig to tell her story well and bring the series to a meaningful and satisfying conclusion, but I also wouldn’t complain if he decided to just write another 10 books or so…
Thunderbird does depart from the themes of the prior Miriam Black novels in few ways which may be of interest to readers. First, and perhaps most important, is that this is the first novel driven entirely by Miriam herself. While fate still plays a hand, the conflicts Miriam is embedded in are those that she has chosen – not that she has been guided to by friend, lovers, or past ghosts. The result is a story that feels more linear than previous books. There are still unexpected plot twists, and Miriam’s newfound autonomy makes these disruptions feel more forceful. The second is a shift in the character of Miriam’s powers. The new active powers we witness in Cormorant continue to develop in this novel, resulting in Miriam becoming a very literal force of nature. This growth results in the book’s most powerful images, but makes me question what could possibly oppose her in book five.
Chuck Wendig’s writing continues to delight. His gift for capturing the vivid sensory experiences of the world around his characters, of playing with perspective and perception to tell dramatic moments in surreal ways, and kinetic writing style are all on display and masterfully used. Readers will feel the weight of each punch, the taste of dry sand in Miriam’s mouth, and the sensory horror of death itself. The new, almost universal lens of Miriam’s life in birds adds an unexpected dimension to all of this. As always, Wendig peppers humor and attitude throughout the book to excellent effect.
I was worried in how Miriam’s interpersonal relationships would be handled in this novel; while Wendig writes relationship anxieties well he’s been able to dodge sustained relationships due to Miriam’s unstable nature. However, I think he ultimately did well on this, bringing Miriam to place that feels both like a somewhat healthy dynamic that’s still grounded in her feelings of distrust and guilt. We see compelling embers of commitment that I hope will continue to develop.
In the past I have criticized the Miriam Black novels for being a bit unrealistic in the level of injury Miriam sustains; there’s no way she should have survived book one in a world of realistic medicine. Thunderbird addresses those issues head on, with Miriam sustaining major injuries that require both medical and supernatural intervention. These solutions don’t feel forced, and provide some of the more moving moments.
My only complaint about this book is that there are so many characters I wish we’d have seen more of. We are treated to a veritable buffet of troubled people with unique powers, but we only get a small sample of each. I do appreciate the continuity that’s brought about by appearances from Miriam’s past acquaintances.
I normally conclude a review like this by talking about my hopes and excitement for the next book, but this time I’m a little anxious about what the future holds. We’ve seen incredible growth in Miriam – she’s gone from a metaphorical tumbleweed to a person who cares for others, values herself, and has a meaningful support system. I trust Wendig to tell her story well and bring the series to a meaningful and satisfying conclusion, but I also wouldn’t complain if he decided to just write another 10 books or so…