MICHAEL FIEGEL
MICHAEL FIEGEL is a writer and designer best known as the creator of Ninja Burger, an Internet cult classic that spawned a series of books and games. In addition to his work in the game industry, Fiegel has written and designed for a number of online outlets. Blackbird is Michael Fiegel’s first novel. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two cats.
BLACKBIRD
Skyhorse Publishing – November 7, 2017
“When I was eight years old, I was abducted from a fast food restaurant by a man who took me, in all likelihood, because of a small splotch of mayonnaise on his hamburger. And so I believe in neither free will nor predetermination. I believe in condiments.”
A cold-blooded killer-for-hire, Edison North drifts across America from city to city, crime scene to crime scene, leaving behind a world in flames. But during a random bloodbath at a fast food restaurant, Edison meets Christian, a young girl who mirrors his own vacant stare and stink of “other.” Though it’s been a long time since he felt anything resembling a human connection, something about this desperately lonely child calls to him. Edison feels certain she deserves better. And while he is not convinced that he can give her that, he can make her stronger. So begin the chronicles of Edison North—and his protégé.
As Edison begins Christian’s strange apprenticeship, Christian looks back upon her fractured upbringing and the training that made her into the killer she’s become. What follows is a brilliant—and ultimately tender—character study of two outsiders whose improbably forged bond unleashes a new facet of the human experience between them—and a jagged slash of violence on the world around them.
A dark, biting literary debut for fans of Caroline Kepnes, following the unlikely bond between two sociopaths—and the destruction left in their wake.
Praise for BLACKBIRD
“I loved Blackbird from the gripping first scene. It has fascinating characters, dark humor, social commentary, and plenty of action. I don’t think we’ve seen a book quite like it before, and I’m thrilled to be publishing it.”—Chelsey Emmelhainz, editor at Skyhorse Publishing
“A caustic crime thriller with a daringly pitch black sense of humor, and a literary examination of alienation in the age of terror and conspiracy. Like Oates’s Zombie and Brite’s Exquisite Corpse, Blackbird pulls you into a world you’d rather not inhabit and fascinates as often as it repels. A scathing and singular debut.“—Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of Skullcrack City
“Blackbird is a harrowing and original journey unafraid to explore the darkest corners it can find.”—Zack Parsons, author of Liminal States