It opens with a tale of an Artifact found in New Mexico And then all over New Mexico young kids stepped outside their homes and just started running From their beds and even their cribs The kids stood around the Artifact for days Their parents tried to bring them home but it was like they were anchored into the ground and then a few days later they sank into the ground and disappeared. Then the focus shifts to a leisurely conversation around a breakfast table which then transitions to a leisurely conversation at a beach and I had trouble understanding how anything being said related to any of the premise which had been set up so I skimmed forward Every chapter seems to be a leisurely conversation Most of the book is a bunch of leisurely conversations dallying over what food the characters are eating while they chat I felt like I was eavesdropping on a couple of kids while I waited for them to mention something interesting. There may be a captivating idea within this book but I wasn t able to find it This feels like a draft It needs to be tightened up and there s at least one place where the tense slips from past to present for a few sentences It needs an editor Marshall Smith Bluebird by Marshall Smith is a thought provoking escape into a magical yet realistic world created by chaos the arrival of the Artifacts. The hopeful aspects of humanity most especially when revealed through the eyes of Marcus a likeable and compassionate young man searching for truth in a strange new world that has changed so much that it s unrecognizable to the elders What connected me to this story almost immediately was the narrator s strong voice and wise insight along with his unusual friendship with a larger than life character Sister Maria I just love her When she arrives it s in rock star style and from then on our reality is left behind and there is a sense of magic that permeates a world with many dangers some seen and others not so much The wit and intelligence behind some of the most memorable scenes had me laughing out loud At the root of this story is the importance of community finding your why as you come of age and staying hopeful even when things are extreme Well done Marshall Smith I m afraid I didn t enjoy this book I didn t enjoy it at all It deceived all my expectations and left me completely baffled I really don t know what to say I found everything from the cover of the book to its title to its blurb completely misleading The story moves at a brisk pace carried off by simplistic dialogues and unburdened by descriptions which doesn t really give much to work with The concept itself is interesting and intriguing Unfortunately I cannot say the same about its execution I d rather not rate it Marshall Smith

Bluebird By Marshall Smith

English

160

Kindle Edition

The three Artifacts revealed themselves when the children fell through the earth All of humanity changed forever with their arrival causing the Great Divide The final generation gap Those who were born after the Great Divide can see things how they truly are and can control the universe in ways that some of the old timers call magic But with the great gift that the Artifacts have given them they all lack many life skills to get them through the day Some even forget to eat and drink to the point of death which is why the Western Sisters and Brothers mentor the aloof young people to help them get by in life Marcus takes classes at the local university by the sea and is sometimes ridiculed for his major in Fire But as strange creatures begin showing up his passion for the elements begin to come in handy And when Sister Maria arrives to mentor him for her annual visit she shows him that a great tragedy is about to befall upon the world Together they investigate the source of the strange creatures the great tragedy and the Artifacts themselves all while learning life lessons and meaning along the way Bluebird.

:

I tried a few times but I honestly could not make it very far into this book: It s now fifty years later and magic exists and the main character is in school majoring in Fire and minoring in Ice