Bleak History

By John Shirley

Book Overview

Already optioned for feature film, an original dark and gritty urban fantasy novel from acclaimed and award-winning author John Shirley!

In near-future New York City, bounty hunter Gabriel Bleak, a man blessed and cursed with the ability to communicate with the dead, is relentlessly hunted by a clandestine government organization with mysterious links to his past. Now Bleak and the Shadow Community--a slowly growing underground group with supernatural abilities--must uncover the looming danger brought about by those at the upper echelons of power, or else risk a return to the dark ages...where an unimaginable evil awaits.

Vivid, surreal, and suspenseful, Bleak History is an intensely thrilling read from an author whose stories "give off the chill of top-grade horror" (The New York Times Book Review).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416584129
• ISBN13: 9781416584124
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

One of the most unique, haunting tales of our time

Gabriel Bleak is being hunted down by the CCA (part of Homeland Security called Central Containment Authority), for Gabriel possesses a unique ability the CCA intends to use for their own purpose. Gabriel has access to "The Hidden", a place of spirits, otherworldly powers both malevolent and benevolent, unusual visions, hightened senses, and paranormal powers. With so many others in possession of this gift, why is it they pursue Gabriel with such aggression? New to the CCA is still uncorrupted Agent Loraine Sarikosca, using a brand new electronic, hand-held device obviously intended on tracking down those with the gift. Gabriel escapes from Loraine but not without a sense of being connected to her in some way - and also with the knowledge that he must tell the others of his kind (who call themselves the ShadowComm) about the new device. Together with close friend and fellow ShadowComm member Shoella - who uses a familiar in the shape of a strange bird) they inform the others. CCA seems to be stepping up their search for the ShadowComm and Gabriel must find out why. His only possible key to the knowledge is Loraine. Gabriel must rely heavily on The Hidden to accomplish his goal. There's something new about The Hidden, something very dark, and it's breaking the dam in the north that holds back the murky evil. Add to the mix inmate Troy Gulcher and his friend and fellow inmate Jock - violent men who suddenly feel the power of the Hidden in a shadowy being who calls himself Moloch. Moloch has plans for Troy and Jock, and through him the inmates make a bloody escape from the prison. Now Moloch will guide them to carry out his own dark, evil intentions; events that will hinder or even undo the work Gabriel must perform. 'Bleak History' features fantastical glimpses and events through The Hidden, some horrifying and some even comical (such as spirits who have lost their way). John Shirley has written an excellent urban fantasy, one with all the elements in place for an exciting, fast-paced read. The characters are well fleshed out and real, and you'll believe in the Hidden before you finish. With a stupendous storyline, excellent writing, fantastical incidents, and a fully plausible futuristic establishment, 'Bleak History' is a book you'll find hard to put down. The story hits the pavement with feet pounding right from the beginning as it takes off, hurdling you into one close encounter to another. Ten Stars! I can't wait to read Shirley's cyberpunk novel Black Glass next! Enjoy!

Visionary and prophetic

If you're looking for a good thriller, this is one. After all, John Shirley wrote the original screenplay for the cult movie The Crow, and he knows his job. He also wrote many of Blue Oyster Cult's songs and is himself a rocker, whose music vents much violence. But there's more to this novel than just a great horror story. John Shirley has a talent for combining fantasy and social insight. The story takes place in a very, very near future -- nearer than we may expect. This implies highly informed social and political critique,so acute that it sounds like prophecy -- on reading John Shirley's earlier novels, it appears that many figments of his imagination have already turned real. As for the fantastic dimension, here it has an incredibly vivid, lively quality, as well as a visionary one that makes it subtly mystical(much more subtly than Stephen King's manicheian vision -- with all due respect for King's talent). This curious alchemy of realism and fantasy is riveting. And you'll see which of the two you find more horrific. Let me know when you've read it!

Bleak History, hopefully not-so-bleak future.

Bleak History, hopefully not-so-bleak future. The story follows Gabriel Bleak, ex-war vet who had discovered at an early age that he had a talent for seeing into "hidden" worlds, including the spirit world. Bleak is shown early on pursued by a covert government agency, who appear to have their own conspiratorial agenda. One new recruit to this agency is Loraine Sarikosca. Through her perspective we get a glimpse of the agency as their plans start to unfold and if she can remain loyal. In the meantime other people are also gaining in supernatural power. The novel opens with Troy Gulcher using newfound power to initiate a prison break and going out to wreak some havoc on the world. These all come together in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. In the meantime, Bleak tries to keep his relatively lonely life together as a skip tracer or bounty hunter of bail runners. He tries to bury his bad war memories by visiting with one of his few friends, the father of one of his team and a war survivor himself. He also keeps a distance from the rest of the Shadow Community, other people around New York who have had various powers utilizing "The Hidden". As the story continues, we learn more about some of these other characters and their powers. Meanwhile we also see into the other side of this conflict via Loraine and Gulcher. It is great to see how each side attempts to utilize people's powers to their own benefit, sometimes in disturbing ways. This all works incredibly well to make a suspenseful story. We have a nicely developed alternate US, a developing conflict centered around Bleak and good supporting characters. We get to see into Loraine's bosses and associates and also how they interact with Gulcher. Some characters like Bleak's old associate Zwieg are not that visible but you can still get a sense of the troubled past. Love interests and family issues contribute to the story. Even some of the dead ghosts get to have their characters developed. Interesting themes of real love, magic, afterlife, conspiracies potentially going way back and evil are placed into a gritty, realistic environment where the covert CCA given power by homeland security will stop at nothing to Contain all available power! As the story gets more intense and a prophecy gives you a hint of what is to come, it is impossible to put the book down through the action packed ending. Definitely give it a read!

Urban fantasy with a dark edge

Gabriel Bleak is part of the Shadow Community, a group of humans infused with special powers granted from a Hidden world. Some of them can enter minds, some see the future, some carry familiars, and some, such as Bleak, control energy to make it both weapon and tool. He also has a talent for seeing and speaking to ghosts. The CCA, a division of Homeland Security, investigates people like Bleak. They are following him closely, trying to capture him and bring him into their facility. Very troubling is that the wall up North, a barrier against the flood of supernatural that could enter the living world, has weakened and is letting in things unseen before. New powers are cropping up in the hands of people who will not use them for good. A dark force is gaining strength and searching for a way to enter fully, only able to extend tendrils used to control others. Loraine Sarikosca works for the CCA, but the more she sees them in action, the more doubts she has. She also feels a strange compulsive force towards Gabriel Bleak, just as he does to her. Locked within the fortified walls of their fortress, the CCA imprison and experiment on members of the Shadow Community. They want to capture and control, use the Shadow Community to their own wishes. But a darker plot is at hand when it is discovered that the darkness behind the wall has one of its tendrils in the CCA and his plans are quite different and far more threatening. I very much enjoyed Bleak History because the concept is so unique. Rather, we have recently been experiencing an influx of `humans with powers' stories because of the popularity of comic book adaptations, but Shirley has managed to make a distinctive and interesting world of his own within the genre. I liked reading about the different Shadow Community members and their specific talents. I only wish that we could have entered that world a bit deeper and met more of the people, or had more people around Gabriel helping with their own special talents. Most of the Shadow Community members are secondary and have their specific, defined roles that come and go. Characters like Scribbler could be much deeper and more defined, and very interesting. Shirley puts a lot of detail into his descriptions of the Shadow Communities powers and visions. When Shoella creates her own world, we are given a beautiful picture of it. I was fascinated, too, by the way Scribbler is portrayed in the small part he plays. His obsession and nature comes through very clear. I suspect that Shirley's knack for detail is derived from his background as a screenwriter, but it also comes from natural talent. Shirley has an easy, clear way of writing, though sometimes the lengthy descriptions, especially when they speak of more spiritual and less tangible matters, got me a bit lost. There is a lot of action in the book between getting chased, darker forces committing crimes, and seeking out the truth of what is happening. The book barely lags o

Unique and Intriguing

I could tell just from the blurb on the back that BLEAK HISTORY by John Shirley was going to be one heck of a story. I certainly was not disappointed. This book was full of tension, suspense, and a wonderful touch of the paranormal. Throw in a little romance as well as a little self discovery and we get a thrilling story with enough adrenaline pumping action to get every heart pumping. Gabriel Bleak is a "skip tracer" or bounty hunter. He has an above average ability to draw power from the Hidden and can occasionally use UBEs (ghosts, spirits or other ethereal beings) to help him track down his prey. Although his past is dark and his attitude might not be the greatest, Gabriel is a good person. Why then is the CCA, a top-secret division of Homeland Security, chasing after him? With the ability to see himself through the eyes of anyone watching him, Gabriel has managed to evade CCA for the time being, but it's only a matter of time until they catch up to him. Throwing a wrench into the mix is the beautiful Agent Sarikosca, one of the CCA members out to track him down. Something about her draws in Gabriel Bleak which is never a good thing when one is trying to hide. The romance adds an additional layer of color to the book, and gives something for the heart to hold on to. Also serving to add depth and complexity is the world of the Hidden. Ghosts, spirits, and other much more frightening entities reside here. Bleak and others of the Shadow Community can use the power of the Hidden as well as work with (and sometimes against) the beings in the Hidden. Shirley adds quite a bit of complexity to BLEAK HISTORY with this aspect and uses it to constantly give the story a new and unique feel. My favorite aspect of BLEAK HISTORY would definitely have to be the characters. Shirley did a great job of giving personality to each of his characters, especially Gabriel. Suffering from his own bit of PTSD as an ex-soldier, Gabriel is a character full of emotion. Shirley's ability to pull this emotion off of the page and wrap it around the reader is quite intense. I am a fairly non-emotional reader and it takes a high quality story to get me riled up. BLEAK HISTORY did just that. There were moments where I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, racing through the pages as I fought alongside the characters on the page. Other times, with Gabriel, I found my heart twisting and tearing as my emotions mingled with his. I loved that Shirley created characters that, although often had a supernatural element, we could relate to. A story can be good if you tell it to me but fantastic if you show it to me. BLEAK HISTORY has a fairly detailed plot and it's easy to get confused about what is going on, but Shirley somehow managed to show us the story without having to tell us a lot of the details. It might have been easier for him to give us a quick briefing and description of all the supernatural elements taking part in the story, but instead, he let Gabriel's s