Temporary Newton Library
http://www.stillnewt.org/library


"With the help of a blind swordswoman, tattooed Spyder begins a gleefully dark journey from the alleys of San Francisco to the depths of Hell, from the Bardo Lounge to the Bardo Realm...."


Blind Shrike is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You are encouraged to pass it around to your friends, either electronically or on the printed page. However, you are not licensed to change it, create other works based on it, or charge others money to read or distribute it. Blind Shrike is copyright 2005 by Richard Kadrey.

Richard Kadrey is the author of Accelerate, a four-part series from Vertigo Comics. His graphic novel Angel Scene is available from Eraserhead Press. His previous novels are Metrophage, (1988) and Kamikazi L'Amour, (1995). Metrophage and the short story Horse Latitudes are also available on the Web. His Viperwire series of 64 short-shorts is still up on the Infinite Matrix.

Originally published at http://www.infinitematrix.net/stories/novels/blindshrike.html -- 2005.


Turned into a Newton ebook by Dan, rising to an ebook challenge by DJ Vollkasko (http://marc.10east.com/?t=111272300500005&r=1&w=2) -- thanks, Dan (and of course Clayton, who'd helped with formatting)!


Note: Contains harsh language. If such language is offensive to you, we would suggest not downloading it.  But if that does not bother you, enjoy.


###################################

Letter from the Author:

Dear Everyone,

Back around 9/11, when I saw such disparate fantasies as Hellblazer and Preacher, American Gods and Carrie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Donnie Darko living together in happy harmony in friends' homes, I thought it would be a swell idea to write a little fantasy novel in a modern American prose style.

Damn, was I wrong.

A series of misadventures, misunderstandings and missteps later, I have an orphan book on my hands. Rather than let the gnarled little thing sulk in the corner, getting fat on pilfered cat food and dust bunnies, I've decided to send it out into the world to seek its own good times or oblivion. Toward that end, I'm putting the entire text of the novel online as a free, downloadable PDF. It's in a lovely package designed by type-god John D. Berry.

The book is titled Blind Shrike. It's not a rotten book, I think. In fact, it's a pretty traditional fantasy quest, just one that, to me, makes sense in George W. Bush's America. The hero of the story is on a quest for his own lost ignorance and innocence. He really doesn't want to know too much because, as many of us have learned, too much information is a soul-sucking pain in the ass. In the book you'll also find magic and monsters, angels and demons, magical swords and forbidden books. And blimps. Every fantasy novel should have at least one blimp.

So, with a last blurt of carnival barking, I now give you Blind Shrike. You might like it or you might hate it. I hope that you download it and enjoy it. But if you don't, tough. It's free. Don't write me any stupid emails. Instead, go write your own damned book.

Love & kisses,

Richard Kadrey