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Ferryman
Some people can fly. Some can see impossible distances. Some can change their appearance, control the elements, or run at incredible speed. Charlie Ferris can kill with a touch. Contrary to what the superhuman government believes, Charlie has no dreams of world domination or mass murder. Neither does he wish to pretend his powers don't exist. He wants to use his abilities for good, but how? As the immortal years pass, Charlie fears that villainy is the only option for the master of death. But when an undying army appears at their doorstep, the superhuman authorities have no choice but to call on a professional killer. Charlie wants to believe that this is his chance to prove he's a good guy, but sparks fly at every encounter. When harassment mounts and prejudice backs him into a wall, The Ferryman must decide what is more important: a good reputation...or goodness?
127 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2017
8 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Blaylock
3 books9 followersMichael is a writer of fantasy and whatever idea sounds good for the next ten minutes. He lives in Southern Idaho with his wife and two boys.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 2, 2017
Ferryman, by Michael Blaylock, is told from the first-person point of view of Charlie Ferris, a seemingly normal man by appearance, but a man who can kill with a mere touch... But superhuman abilities don’t necessarily make someone a superhero, a lesson we learn from this insecure anti-hero.
Throughout the pages you turn, you find Charlie gripped by indecision. What is right and what is wrong? What should he do? Who should he be? He tries to use his powers for good, but he wonders, how good can killing ever really be?
Charlie has ostracized himself from the world, understanding that, if they knew about his abilities, they would ostracize him. Or worse… imprison him.
Ferryman blurs the lines between hero and villain, and highlights just how much evil “good people” can do.
It is a spectacular book that will appeal to readers across many genres. Packed with superheroes, action, passion, and so much emotion, this is a book you won’t be able to put down. Ferryman is a page turner from start to finish. Every one of the one hundred and twenty-seven pages earns its right to my five star review.
I highly recommend Ferryman to anyone who is looking for a fast read that is sure to keep you hooked.
Throughout the pages you turn, you find Charlie gripped by indecision. What is right and what is wrong? What should he do? Who should he be? He tries to use his powers for good, but he wonders, how good can killing ever really be?
Charlie has ostracized himself from the world, understanding that, if they knew about his abilities, they would ostracize him. Or worse… imprison him.
Ferryman blurs the lines between hero and villain, and highlights just how much evil “good people” can do.
It is a spectacular book that will appeal to readers across many genres. Packed with superheroes, action, passion, and so much emotion, this is a book you won’t be able to put down. Ferryman is a page turner from start to finish. Every one of the one hundred and twenty-seven pages earns its right to my five star review.
I highly recommend Ferryman to anyone who is looking for a fast read that is sure to keep you hooked.
May 12, 2018
Michael Baylock's FERRYMAN kept me up reading, interested to see what happened next.
The story's universe is a little reminiscent of the X-Men, containing 'evolved' people with extraordinary powers. Interestingly, the powers also relate to Greek/Roman mythology.
The protagonist, Charlie, has inherited a power that no one else wants- he can kill with a touch. Unfortunately, everyone assumes that since death is his gift, he MUST be a villain at the core. When danger threatens the people who've scorned him, will Charlie embrace his gifts and save the day?
The story is written in first person, from Charlie's POV. The author does an excellent job of capturing Charlie's voice and immersing the reader in his world. The story arc is tight, with some interesting twists and turns.
Family friendliness: Charlie's best friend is Venus, named for the goddess of love, or maybe more accurately, lust. The story contains some "adult content" and some profanity.
The story's universe is a little reminiscent of the X-Men, containing 'evolved' people with extraordinary powers. Interestingly, the powers also relate to Greek/Roman mythology.
The protagonist, Charlie, has inherited a power that no one else wants- he can kill with a touch. Unfortunately, everyone assumes that since death is his gift, he MUST be a villain at the core. When danger threatens the people who've scorned him, will Charlie embrace his gifts and save the day?
The story is written in first person, from Charlie's POV. The author does an excellent job of capturing Charlie's voice and immersing the reader in his world. The story arc is tight, with some interesting twists and turns.
Family friendliness: Charlie's best friend is Venus, named for the goddess of love, or maybe more accurately, lust. The story contains some "adult content" and some profanity.
July 28, 2017
3.5 (I really wish you could vote half stars!)
I like to read a lot of blogs and articles and I stumbled upon this author through a mutual twitter friend. The premise snagged me. How could I resist an X-Men meets Avengers, meets Greek mythology story? It's a short read and a fun, action packed adventure.
First of all, this isn't a full-length, world-building novel. It is a novella/a small glimpse into a very big world. It is written in first person (which usually drives me crazy, but Blaylock pulled it off very well), really only fleshes out two characters, and covers a very specific set of events (think one or two episodes of a TV show rather than a full season). But within that narrow scope Blaylock pulls things off nicely.
Now I'd like to get a few critiques out of the way:
I was a bit disappointed that none of the secondary characters got fleshed out. But this story really wasn't about them.
As another reviewer pointed out, there isn't much background information and there are a lot of questions. But he gives you the information you need to know for the story, so don't be distracted by that.
I would have enjoyed the story more with a little less adult content (my preference). But I was grateful it wasn't graphic.
Finally, the climax of the story (and the preceding run up) all seem to hinge on a blind prejudice against the main character by pretty much everybody at Olympus. Either they were all poisoned by Zeus (which wasn't sufficiently demonstrated) or they are all jerky egomaniacs (which wasn't sufficiently demonstrated). And if they really are all jerky egomaniacs, that's more than a coincidence and seems worth explaining.
All that being said...
This is a good writer, people. Blaylock's got all the tools in his toolbox and he is learning to master them. As I said before, he pulls off a limited first person narrative well. His prose was concise, varied, and very intelligent. I frequently found myself stopping and thinking: "That was cleverly worded." And though the piece was clearly plot and action driven, there were some really beautiful moments of descriptive narrative:
"The setting sun spreads a warm butter color over everything. Lemon-lime grass tumbles down the hill and catches fire in the lake. Sparks spray from the fountain."
Furthermore, his plot construction was clever and inventive. The general arc of the story is obvious (and hinted at in the summary). But Blaylock really only tells you what you need to know so his plot twists and reveals are a real surprise, but perfectly in line with the characters and the story. Foreshadowing is a great tool, but in the wrong hands it becomes boring and heavy-handed. That's not the case here. Blaylock's foreshadowing hints are subtle as they should be.
The two main characters are anti-heroes, coping with the heavy burdens they carry in the best way they know how. Blaylock does not apologize for them or endorse their behavior. He just describes them as they are (friends with benefits). The complexity of the main character held my interest. Some of the reveals at the end completely changed my perspective on him and his choices. His shape-shifting friend was harder to understand (that's probably the way she likes it). But at one point there was a flashback that was really quite moving and I became much more emotionally involved than I thought I would.
Over all it was well-crafted entertainment, although a bit outside my usual reading. I hope Blaylock keeps writing and challenging himself because I think he could really produce some great fiction. It was evident he put a lot of care and thought into this one. I think it is probably a story that needs to be read at least 2x (partly because of the reveals at the end). So I will have to do another review when I re-read it.
I like to read a lot of blogs and articles and I stumbled upon this author through a mutual twitter friend. The premise snagged me. How could I resist an X-Men meets Avengers, meets Greek mythology story? It's a short read and a fun, action packed adventure.
First of all, this isn't a full-length, world-building novel. It is a novella/a small glimpse into a very big world. It is written in first person (which usually drives me crazy, but Blaylock pulled it off very well), really only fleshes out two characters, and covers a very specific set of events (think one or two episodes of a TV show rather than a full season). But within that narrow scope Blaylock pulls things off nicely.
Now I'd like to get a few critiques out of the way:
I was a bit disappointed that none of the secondary characters got fleshed out. But this story really wasn't about them.
As another reviewer pointed out, there isn't much background information and there are a lot of questions. But he gives you the information you need to know for the story, so don't be distracted by that.
I would have enjoyed the story more with a little less adult content (my preference). But I was grateful it wasn't graphic.
Finally, the climax of the story (and the preceding run up) all seem to hinge on a blind prejudice against the main character by pretty much everybody at Olympus. Either they were all poisoned by Zeus (which wasn't sufficiently demonstrated) or they are all jerky egomaniacs (which wasn't sufficiently demonstrated). And if they really are all jerky egomaniacs, that's more than a coincidence and seems worth explaining.
All that being said...
This is a good writer, people. Blaylock's got all the tools in his toolbox and he is learning to master them. As I said before, he pulls off a limited first person narrative well. His prose was concise, varied, and very intelligent. I frequently found myself stopping and thinking: "That was cleverly worded." And though the piece was clearly plot and action driven, there were some really beautiful moments of descriptive narrative:
"The setting sun spreads a warm butter color over everything. Lemon-lime grass tumbles down the hill and catches fire in the lake. Sparks spray from the fountain."
Furthermore, his plot construction was clever and inventive. The general arc of the story is obvious (and hinted at in the summary). But Blaylock really only tells you what you need to know so his plot twists and reveals are a real surprise, but perfectly in line with the characters and the story. Foreshadowing is a great tool, but in the wrong hands it becomes boring and heavy-handed. That's not the case here. Blaylock's foreshadowing hints are subtle as they should be.
The two main characters are anti-heroes, coping with the heavy burdens they carry in the best way they know how. Blaylock does not apologize for them or endorse their behavior. He just describes them as they are (friends with benefits). The complexity of the main character held my interest. Some of the reveals at the end completely changed my perspective on him and his choices. His shape-shifting friend was harder to understand (that's probably the way she likes it). But at one point there was a flashback that was really quite moving and I became much more emotionally involved than I thought I would.
Over all it was well-crafted entertainment, although a bit outside my usual reading. I hope Blaylock keeps writing and challenging himself because I think he could really produce some great fiction. It was evident he put a lot of care and thought into this one. I think it is probably a story that needs to be read at least 2x (partly because of the reveals at the end). So I will have to do another review when I re-read it.
January 9, 2018
This was an incredible read. I can't say enough about it, but something about it completely captured me from the start. I can say with confidence that this is one of the best indie reads I've had the pleasure of reading.
In Ferryman, we meet Charlie Ferris, an evolved (Ferryman's own term for superheroes) with a dangerous "gift." We get to take a peek into a well-fleshed out world that feels very much like it was already happening long before we start reading and will continue long after we stop. It truly felt like a slice of deeper fiction, but the short format was refreshing and approachable. Sure, it's not without some typos, but that's easy to look past with a story this compelling. Stop what you're doing and pick up Ferryman today!
In Ferryman, we meet Charlie Ferris, an evolved (Ferryman's own term for superheroes) with a dangerous "gift." We get to take a peek into a well-fleshed out world that feels very much like it was already happening long before we start reading and will continue long after we stop. It truly felt like a slice of deeper fiction, but the short format was refreshing and approachable. Sure, it's not without some typos, but that's easy to look past with a story this compelling. Stop what you're doing and pick up Ferryman today!
March 6, 2018
I really liked this Superhero story. It's darker than the usual comic-book heroes - more akin to Watchmen or the Boys. I loved the main character and his reticence to display his powers, and keep out of the limelight. Secondary characters were very interesting and I want to know more about them. I read the story in one sitting and wished it was much longer, with more exposition on where the powers came from and the superhero/villain world in general.
February 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this read! It was quick and more of a novella, but I often found myself chuckling, and admiring some of the really beautifully written imagery and other thoughts of the main character (it’s written in first person). I am a fan of mythology and other supernatural types of books and found this to be an entertaining spin on some of those characters. All in all, I think this was a great read.
June 17, 2020
Good, needs structural work
I enjoyed the book! It was quick and fun to read. There were just a few structural issues that could have made it a LOT more satisfying in the end. Either way, I enjoyed it!
I enjoyed the book! It was quick and fun to read. There were just a few structural issues that could have made it a LOT more satisfying in the end. Either way, I enjoyed it!
March 2, 2017
The main character is a death-dealer, who can kill with a touch. His paramour and sidekick can shape her form into any other female she cares to, but the two are caught up in dangerous events when Zeus, the big "bad" who thinks he's so good among the gifted targets the hero, who struggles to find a "useful purpose" for his "curse" (what good can he do with death?).
This reminded me of a cross between Greek mythology, the X-Men franchise, and the Avengers, only this time the hero has powers of death and struggles to fit into a society that fears his touch. It's a super cool idea, as is his female companion's shape-shifting abilities, and well-executed (it took me two nights to read, and I couldn't stop at each chapter ending) but I was left with questions about the logic of this world, how these powers developed, and curious about the back stories of the secondary characters. There wasn't a lot of build-up before introducing popular names / abilities, so I never got a sense of the villain's motives, nor much foreshadowing for the hero's incredible powers.
Granted, I don't always retain details, so I might have missed something along the way. Still, it was a fun, quick read.
This reminded me of a cross between Greek mythology, the X-Men franchise, and the Avengers, only this time the hero has powers of death and struggles to fit into a society that fears his touch. It's a super cool idea, as is his female companion's shape-shifting abilities, and well-executed (it took me two nights to read, and I couldn't stop at each chapter ending) but I was left with questions about the logic of this world, how these powers developed, and curious about the back stories of the secondary characters. There wasn't a lot of build-up before introducing popular names / abilities, so I never got a sense of the villain's motives, nor much foreshadowing for the hero's incredible powers.
Granted, I don't always retain details, so I might have missed something along the way. Still, it was a fun, quick read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews