By Chuck Wendig

Saga, out now

The ultimate Miriam Black tale. In more ways than one.

It’s fascinating returning to Miriam Black’s world after reading Chuck Wendig’s tour de force, Wanderers (which if you’ve not yet got, go out and read now!) That novel is told on a sweeping canvas. Miriam’s… is not. This final tale for her (at least for now – there’s plenty of potential for stories set within the saga, at the very least if Wendig chooses to tell them) focuses tightly on Miriam herself, and her friends and enemies.

It draws together threads stretching right back to Black’s first appearance in Blackbirds, and for those of us who’ve followed her adventures, there are some incredibly satisfying payoffs – as well as explanations that feel as if they’ve been part of Wendig’s planning for this series from the off, rather than been forced on to a load of disparate ideas in an effort to reconcile them.

It’s profane, scatological, and as down and dirty as ever, and you wouldn’t want Miriam any other way. She calls it as she sees it, knows that sometimes she can be her own worst enemy – but she’s learning. Learning to accept some help, learning not to instantly push away anyone who’s getting close. And learning that when you’re dealing with shit, you can’t keep your own hands lily white. There are some horrifying images (the despatch of one particular individual is told in such detail that you can’t help but see it as clearly in your own mind as if it had been shot in IMAX 3D!) and moments of utter despair – but Miriam has always been a fighter.

Verdict: Every aspect of Miriam you’ve loved/loathed/feared/respected is present on display – as I said above, it’s the ultimate Miriam tale. 9/10

Paul Simpson