There is a lot going on in Bleak History and there is no gentle introduction to the characters or the world itself, between the conspiracies, the Hidden and the Shadow Community it's pretty complex and as it races along its hard to catch your breath and figure out exactly what is going on. Initially I felt a bit lost in the action and could't find a way to identify with the story or Bleak but that changed gradually.I think that Shirley has created a unique world with an interesting cast of characters but I couldn't get wrapped up in in the way I would have liked ahd I found some way to find an emotional connection. I think Bleak History is probably more appealing to a masculine than feminine audience. ( )

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 story unfold before us and allowed us to learn as Gabriel did. Now, I have mentioned throughout that many aspects of BLEAK HISTORY are detailed and complex. The plot can get confusing at times. There are some aspects of the story that Shirley really did have to show us instead of telling us. For this reason, I found that I occasionally was confused at first. It helps to take your time with the book and really try to understand each new concept that Shirley throws at us before moving on. Even if something is confusing at first though, by the end of the book I felt that Shirley had thoroughly explained everything that needed explaining. That bit of learning and trying to figure out how Shirley’s world worked actually made for a better reading experience and contributed to the entertainment value of the book.I would have to say that BLEAK HISTORY is a book that everyone should pick up and at least give a try. This book was refreshing in that it was something different. I hadn’t yet been acquainted with a book that involved the supernatural in the way that Shirley’s world did. Nice ghosts, mean ghosts, spirits, sprites, devilish beings – all working together with gifted humans for one purpose or another. I wouldn’t change anything about the book, but if there was anything that would make it ten times better for me, it might be the pacing. There were occasionally fast parts that I felt might have gone a little too fast for comprehension. Great book – that about sums it up; a great book that I would highly recommend to any lovers of Paranormal fiction out there. Already BLEAK HISTORY is sitting on my nightstand, waiting for a few spare days where I can go back and revisit the story. ( )

Gabriel Bleak is more than the mere bounty hunter he first appears to be. He is also a former military sergeant, a victim of a governmental conspiracy and a strong, strong psychic with telekinetic and ghost whispering abilities. When both the ShadowComm (people of otherworldly powers) and the CCA (governmental agency) start to forcibly try to recruit him Bleak knows that whatever trouble he has felt brewing in "the other" is about the come to a head, and he seems to be in the center of it.

Bleak History uses many familiar themes but in such a way it all felt fresh. The characters were well written, the plot was smooth and, most unusual of all, I get the impression that this book is a one shot deal in a genre chock full of series, which is kind of refreshing. I could be wrong but as it stands that was my impression. I generally enjoyed the book but found it necessary to continually compare it to other books I've read (not sure why). I will say that I prefer Gabriel Bleak over, say, Odd Thomas, but not nearly as much as Harry Dresden. Although we watch the characters do a lot and get a good look into the inner thought processes of both the main characters of Bleak and Lorraine along with some of the bad guys, I had a hard time connecting with them. There is definitely a conspiracy theme here and that with it being set in NYC with strong references to terrorism and what happens when Homeland Security goes crazy, it didn't feel preachy to me about our own time, more like an alternate universe view.

Overall a very decent urban fantasy that keeps you interested and has some great psychic effects. I'd recommend it! ( )

Bleak History by John Shirley

A young man with special skills and mysterious connections to another plane of existence searches for both his identity and his brother in an urban fantasy. Gabriel Bleak spends his life on the run avoiding entities and agencies that want to take advantage of his special skills. His experiences and the people he meets help him to define his own purpose. Ghostly apparitions both plague and guide him on his quest. A near future terrorist attack fuels the paranoia that creates a government long on control and light on the Bill of Rights. That paranoid government creates an agency that seeks to gain control of any paranormal assets.

I liked Gabriel Bleak. He was a reluctant hero facing daunting odds. His unwillingness to use deadly force in every confrontation made him see more real and less two dimensional Marvel comic material. The Chinese puzzle of interlocking government agencies with questionable oversight was frightening, precisely because we have seen such manifest fiascos spread over the front page for the less few decades. I'm not an occult fan or fascinated with the supernatural and I liked this book anyway.

I recommend the book. ( )

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 or takes a breath, but there are a few moments of quiet reflection for the characters. Though there is a small love connection, the book isn’t a romance at all, which is refreshing when so much of the paranormal genre is half as much romance as it is supernatural. With an open ending, we are left to wonder what becomes of Gabriel and Loraine as they embark on another journey together. ( )