Let's get this over with straight out of the gate: this reads like bad YA. Every sentence, every situation, every plot "twist," every element of fantasy, and especially every character is rendered in the broadest, most simplistic strokes possible here. That language is hammy, insistent on telling you rather than showing you what the characters are like, what's going to happen. There are so many over the top expository lines about plans and schemes and hate that you couldn't possibly roll your eyes at all of them. Conversely, the dialogue is (whale) bone dry: if there is a distinctive voice among any of these characters I did not see it. When characters talk their lines are either so unimaginative they might as well not even have been put down, or so hackneyed it seems impossible a real person could ever voice them aloud. So many times I felt compelled to double check the ages of these characters because it felt impossible to me that these inauthentic, stilted conversations were meant to be had by adults. But then, considering that these characters were little more than traits occasionally listed off to the reader in asides I guess it does actually check out that a not fully realized character would have a not fully realized conversation.

This quality, of not being fully realized, exists also in the central conceit the book is founded on: that Ronan, who hates Hudson, decides to save Hudson. We are given a lot of lines about Ronan's hate - towards the homophobes that made his life hell as a kid, but more so towards the invaders for invading his town - but there is nothing truly compelling, or frankly logical, about the leap Ronan makes from avoiding Hudson for decades to deciding to save it. I needed something more than his entitlement as the "butcher shop prince" or whatever to believe that those two hates wouldn't ultimately cancel each other out. I needed him to do more than just list off the establishments he used to like in town; I needed to see what it was that made Hudson special, instead of just being told time and time and time and time again that Hudson is special. Above and beyond all that, I needed Hudson to be a character in its own right. I needed for Miller to do more than just list off what felt like every. single. street. name. every. single. time. a character was walking around Hudson (side bar: why do authors writing about small cities like to do this? a street name, unless it's very famous, does not confer the descriptive quality you think it does, gang). I needed to understand the principle motivation of these characters, so that I would actually care about all the damage that was being done.

As for the supernatural elements: honestly, those were the most believable parts of the book. You can buy a creature like Tom saying the lines he does, and you can roll with whales in the sky (even though the reasoning behind their magical connection with Hudson is so thin it's transparent) much more easily than you can connect with a character whose only discernible personality trait is how much he likes to repeat how full he is of hate. I can't say I ever fully bought into the supernatural things here either, but of all the elements in the book they were far and away the best written.

There's more I could go into (like the way Dom is obviously bi or pan, but is only ever called gay; like the ridiculous blow up over the open marriage - which again, read like a spat between teens; like the OTT turn the book took with Jark Trowse; like how I was supposed to believe this town would rally around the death of a black queer kid) but it's probably better if I cut myself off here. Wouldn't want a blade to form between my ribs or anything.

Definitely a disappointing, lackluster read. I'd give this one a miss.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because a friend of mine was absolutely raving about it. I’m glad that I requested it because I flew through this book. I don’t know that I would say I enjoyed it, but it was definitely and experience.
So, I want to mention first that the writing was incredible. There were so many great lines and fantastic description in this book. I cannot say enough good things about Miller’s writing. He managed to make it a creepy and atmospheric story, but also convincing us to love these very flawed characters. I think there were some really interesting topics covered in a thoughtful way. This story follows Ronan as he returns to his home town of Hudson, a place he has no fond memories of. But his father is dying and it’s time he finally returns. But things escalate and suddenly he’s fighting against the gentrification of a town he grew up hating. I really liked this aspect of the story. Ronan has so many mixed feelings about his hometown, but he still does his damnedest to save it. I also loved all of the antics that Ronan and his friends participate in to ‘save’ the town. I think there were definitely some moments that were a bit extreme, but the author did a really good job showing character motivations that were almost understandable. It wasn’t hard to sympathize with these characters.
I also think the author did a really great job of creating different and interesting characters. Even though the story sort of jumped around with who it was following, I had no issues distinguishing between any of them. They were all unique and interesting. Now, the plot was fascinating. I loved the fantasy elements that were included in the story. The bits about the whales was absolutely creepy, but only got creepier with the inclusion of the ghosts that play a role in the story.
Overall, I think this was an horrifying and excellent story. I will absolutely be reading more books by this author. Miller’s writing was exceptional and memorable. I think the characters were easy to love, even when they were doing shitty things. I just couldn’t put this book down. I highly recommend this one for fans of horror or darker fantasy books.

The Blade Between is easily the most unique and unorthodox 'horror' novel i've read in a while. Sam J. Miller takes blends American realism and social critique, with an emotional excavation of a small town (on a very Stephen King-esque canvas), whilst also factoring in ancient whale ghosts that observe humanity with the dispassionate eyes of gods.

It's a heady mix.

I was disoriented throughout by the shifting tones and flexible notion of genre, but I was never underwhelmed. The prose is exquisite, never straying into verbiage for its own sake, but always finding new and interesting angles for offbeat description and atmosphere. The central characters are each flawed, but never in a cliched manner. They are loveable because of their all too human frailty, and it's one of the strongest elements of the novel that you genuinely have no real idea who falls on which side of the moral divide. There are very few heroes or villains in Miller's small town, but a lot of heart and soul. It's there from the very first, hugely evocative chapter.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend anyone who wants an alternate take on small town American fiction to read The Blade Between.

I interviewed Sam for my podcast, Talking Scared - you can find the link below.

<i>"We don't get to choose our cages." "For better or for worse, this is home".</i>

I wish I had clicked with Blackfish City more, but I'm glad I did with The Blade Between. It's a risky novel, full of symbolism, which packs a great overload of intentions, as if Sam Miller were writing a short story in novel form.

Disjointed identities and broken people trying to deal with a collective trauma called Hudson, a city built upon the blood that flows from the ribcages of whales. The city's description (which I had to look up, because in Europe we have a different concept of that word) is incredible, paragraph after paragraph you get every sense of its history and Sam Miller manages to take you by the hand and show you Warren Street without the need of Google Street View.

And like any city, the real life comes from its inhabitants. The cast of characters is diverse, touching many of the differences that makes cities so complex. Differences of class, sexual orientation, marital status, race, religion, old jobs vs. new jobs... Sam Miller manages not only to flesh out three incredibly deep characters that you care for, but also he paints the amazing chorus that any tragedy needs: billionaires, gay BIPOC aspiring artist with his conservative pastor mother, struggling 3rd generation Irish with some drug problems... Even the I'm-here-because-of-gentrification-hipster extra is incredibly fleshed out in 3 sentences. Not to mention the real greek chorus, a collective made of ghost whales that are central to the narration of the story... just wow. such risk. And well executed.

All these ingredients serve Sam to talk about gentrification and eviction free zones, being raised in a depressed zone in which everyone is a bully and a victim, racism, homophobia, hyperconnected societies, the allure of social media and its instant gratification, our addictions to drugs, to sex, to self-loath. And emotions. Emotions are LIVELY. The anger, the hate, the impotence, the desire to be better. Everything on top of an enthralling mystery that hops from noir to horror with fantastic elements. And lots of whales metaphors.

<i>It's okay to love something that you hate.
Just like it's okay to hate something that you love.
And we all have to learn to love the cages we're in, because we carry them with us wherever we go.</i>

Extra whale of love:
🐳 Ms. Jackson as a framing device for feelings and to provide soundtrack to some passages. 📻📻📻

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheBladeBetween

Sam's most lyrical work I read so far. It is one of those books that resonates. He writes so eloquently and you would find yourself carried away and lo and behold, it is 3 AM in the morning.

As many reviewers mention, this book is ALOT. Variety of themes and issues, from social justice ones e.g. Eviction and displacement (the author's an activist), LGBT+ discrimination (own voice), racism, class warfare, to technology and social media invasive nature and how to weaponize them. The novel reads like magical realism imbued with horror. It is feverish in parts but never boring. What I loved the most was that it delves deep (no pun intended) to the characters (even side ones) psyche. With all the themes surrounding the characters struggling with their hopes, fears, love, insecurities, down to buried fetishes, I think you did a tremendous job, Sam, in capturing and framing them into one hell of a story.

I did however would love a more deliberation of the supernatural aspects of it. I can deal with lack of real whales (sobs) but I needed more than the back story provided and how it affected the characters. Even my past reads of whaling history - admittedly Nantucket-based - did not give much context.

Yet again, Sam Miller knows how to write a city. Heck, China Mieville now got a strong competitor. In urban SFF sometimes I struggled with the immersion. NK Jemisin's The City We Became - which I liked - was one example. In The Blade Between, I lived and breathed the city of Hudson.

I got this through NetGalley. My first Miller read. A little confusing as to the genre. At times it wanted to be Gay romance and others it seemed science fiction or horror. A photographer returns to town due to ill father. He teams up with his first loves wife in a scheme to run out the newcomers of the town.

One of the great things about Speculative Fiction is that an author can personify and give literal breath to a concept. Metaphors walk in the pages alongside the characters an author summons. Miller’s new book turns Gentrification into actual characters.

The depressed, Rust-Belt city of Hudson NY is the setting of the novel. Back in previous centuries, whaling—the hunting and apportioning of humpback whales—was its primary industry before turning into a manufacturing hub. The city is given new life as an influx of economic opportunists transform the town into an area filled with antique stores and artisanal coffee shops. The internet billionaire Jark Trowse not only makes Hudson the base of his many financial operations, he is also running for Mayor. This transformation causes the displacement of many of the long-time residents of the city as Hudson attracts a younger, hipper demographic.

The edgy photographer Ronan Szepessy returns to his hometown in the middle of arevitalizing campaign to take care of some business with his estranged, dementia-addled father. Ronan is a damaged individual—a meth addict who still is wounded by his Hudson upbringing which included the suicide of his mother and nasty homophobic bullies. (In many ways, he reminds me of Liz Hand’s character Cass Neary—another wounded bird addict compelled to create disturbing photographic tableaux). Like Neary, Ronan is self-destructive and seems to thrive on negative energy. In spite of his less than adoring attachment to his hometown, he immediately doesn’t like the way the city has become a sort of trendy outpost for Brooklyn, frequented by quirkily dressed hipsters. Miller has Ronan tell his own story in the first person and he’s an intriguing if not always likeable anti-hero. His return is the catalyst for the action.

The Blade Between also has a scattering of other points of view, mainly from Ronan’s ex-boyfriend, the police officer Dom and Dom’s social worker wife Attalah. Dom’s narrative has him exploring the sudden rash of often violent resistance against the town’s ‘invaders,’ while Attalah and Ronan secretly conspire to challenge the mayoral campaign. Just in the ‘corner of the eye,’ there’s some lowkey supernatural occurrences that add to the mayhem.

The supernatural intrusion is the tangible manifestation of the rage and nihilism of the dispossessed. Miller gives the reader the satisfying taste of revenge, and also the bitter aftertaste of extremism. This is not a simple morality tale; everyone from both sides of the divide is imperfect in one way or another. Miller actually makes Trowse (a sort of Bezos (Amazon) meets Dorsey (Twitter) figure) approachable and charming, even as he is visiting economic devastation on Hudson. And the supernatural actors are monstrously immune from empathy in their zeal.

Miller manages to artfully display the various issues of gentrification. Change is inexorable and cities change character with great frequency. The Washington, DC neighborhood where I live has been home to members of the Harlem Renaissance artists (Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes lived nearby); the site of race riots in the 60s; my block was full of literal crackhouses in the 80s and 90s; and now has become a corridor full of artisanal shops and hipsters. Long term residents have been displaced, and new neighborhood traditions have sprung up. The Blade Between captures the ambiguous complexities that surround these issues, and never becomes a simple issue-based novel.

Omg! I couldn't put this free Netgalley book down. It was fascinating & you never knew what was coming next. I didn't like the main characters at first, but feel in love with them as I read the book. This is definitely a must read book. Thank you Netgalley!

Another great book by Sam J. Miller. This time instead of an Eco triller , a ghost story about denitrification, how the poor are pushed aside and forced out of their own neighborhood for the rich folk that try to '' improve the place"". I adored Miller's debut YA and I enjoyed his 2020 title quite well. The Blade Between is set in Hudson, a old wailing town. This story is told by a trio: Ronan a circuit gay photographer -, Dom, his first love, and Dom’s wife, Attalah.. Two friend from high school he reconnects with : Ronan mysteriously wakes up on a train heading Hudson after forcing himself never to be in contact with his old town and the people he grew up with. Now he needs to save the town that he detests from human monsters and supernatural forces at bay.

Sam J Miller writes amazingly. I adore his imagery and the feel of his words when you read them. The title repeated in the book in different stages in the book leaves an impact. These people are messy but so human. And it was good to learn to know them and read about their struggles and triumphs.

I can't wait what he writes next.

The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller-- this ghost story is more political than eerie. Topics of eviction, addiction and homophobia are used to tug the heartstrings while gentrification triggers anger. The beginning chapters didn't pull me into the book & I almost stopped reading. I'm glad I kept going, but the opening was a little confusing.

‘Ronan Szepessy promised himself he’d never return to Hudson. The sleepy upstate town was no place for a restless gay photographer. But his father is ill and New York City’s distractions have become too much for him. He hopes that a quick visit will help him recharge.’

<b>THE BLADE BETWEEN</b>written by Sam J. Miller can best be described as an LGBTQ, Supernatural Horror novel, wherein the once-thriving industrial town of Hudson is taken over by real estate developers, who are not the only forces that threaten its well-being.

I love the diverse characters and anything supernatural-themed piques my interest immediately. I admit there are one or two aspects of the story revealed to the reader that I wish were expanded on a bit more regarding the supernatural elements in relation to certain characters.

THE BLADE BETWEEN is the first book that I have read by Miller, and I look forward to reading more. Next up – BLACKFISH CITY Science Fiction/Fantasy

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing, for loaning me an eGalley of THE BLADE BETWEEN in exchange for an honest review.

A recent cruise down the main drag of Hudson, NY, confirmed for me the Rip Van Winkle-ish gentrification which has befallen the once-sleepy river town. I saw no ghosts, but surely they thrive in Washington Irving country. While no whales were evident, one survivor was recently sighted in the Hudson River near Manhattan. THE BLADE BETWEEN is sheer entertainment with a moral tacked on.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was just not for me. This genre with supernatural fantasy is not really one of my favorites, but the gentrification aspect intrigued me. The main character Ronan is a NY city pretty famous photographer has not been home to Hudson, New York since he graduated from high school. Ronan literally hated the town, but has been called back to check on his father, and see all the changes going on. As soon as he gets off the train he can see how his little town has changed. Familiar stores are not hipster arts and crafts stores and everyone he knows has either lost their business or tried to conform to the “invaders” way of life. When Ronan see Dom his childhood best friend he feels excitement and anxiety as he was always in love with Dom. Dom is now married to Atallah who is doing all she can to stop the changes happening in Hudson. Ronan and Atallah connect and set up a plan to take down everyone trying to take over Hudson. As they work together, Ronan also finds himself spending a lot of time with Dom which is forcing old feelings to resurface. As supernatural things start happening Ronan realizes this may all be the key to taking Hudson back,

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

This is not horror in the traditional format. Sure, there are ghosts and ancient gods, but the horror here comes fully in the form of man, in the evil inherent in us. I loved this book for that. We get insight into issues of homophobia, gentrification, racism, and class here, commentary under the veil of horror while still giving you lots of those creeping fears. This is a great read, with characters that are fully fleshed and some damn remarkable prose.

The first thing I have to say is I really liked the world building of this book. The author did a wonderful job of creating the town of Hudson. The main character really has bad memories tied to this place, rightfully so, he had endured quite a bit there. But, even with his memories he heads back to help his father only to face a place so different than he remembers, but hates. The world and environment of this story feel real, it has a feel to it even with the supernatural elements. There is a rich history of the town, which is not just there for the sake of being there, but plays into the plot

The writing itself was interesting, the plot moved quickly even for a nearly 400 page novel. It was a book I picked up from time to time, but I always ended up reading for more than I originally planned on. It did talk about a lot of larger topics throughout this book like violence, gentrification, homophobia, drug use and more. I think this is one of the reasons I kept on reading this book, because it had a lot going on and was dynamic.

The major flaw of this novel is the first part of the book was difficult to get through. While I did say I always ended up reading more than I planned, this first part of the book was a bit iffy for me personally, but turned around for me as the book continued. Another thing that I wasn't totally on board with is the fact that it could be really confusing at times and I had a hard time trying to figure out what this book was trying to be at first.

Overall, I think the author created a really rich history for this town that really lent itself to the plot and structure of the story. I think the author is a talented writer and I plan on giving his other works a try as well. I really enjoyed the use of the paranormal and really elevated this story into an engaging and unique horror. I feel like if this book sounds interesting to you, you should give it a go.

review going live at 5:00 EST 12/7/20

"Hudson has been many cities, but it has always been this one. The one with soil steeped in blood, with a harbor full of bones."

This book is not a typical ghost story. In fact, The Blade Between by Sam J.Miller, is not typical in any genre. It is a tale of hate creating evil, of sacrifice creating good and perhaps, mostly, it is the story of being human.

Ronan is a 40 year old gay photographer, a recovering drug addict, and on his way to the small upstate NY town he has always hated to take care of his dying father he hasn't spoken to in 20 years when we meet him.

He is shocked how the town has changed through gentrification causing his dad's butcher shop to close. He hates the new antique shops. He hates that his high school lover is married to a woman. He hates that he hates it all so much.

It is all this hate that brings the ghosts of the whales that once ruled this harbor town but were slaughtered for profit. The scary part is the whale ghosts are not the weirdest part of the story!

So much happens throughout this book from homophobia, suicide, drug abuse, adultery to mass murder that I was often overwhelmed and confused but, to the author's credit, I could not stop reading it. There is a great deal of social commentary between the lines that actual make this book a timely provoking novel.

There are a few WTF moments in this book that truly floored me. The writer has an uncanny ability to describe awful events with beautiful lyrical prose. It was like reading a blend of Stephen King, Toni Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Even when I wanted to I could not look away.

This novel might not be everyone's cup of tea but if you give it a try it might surprise you as much as it did me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wish that I had loved this book. I read several reviews prior to writing mine which I normally don't do but I'm glad I did. The reason is that it seems quite a few of us (if not most of the ones I read) had some commonalities: almost quitting it during the first 50% (and less!) of the book, being confused at the start, and just how easy it was to read and keep comparing it to things going on in our nation right now.

The book's MC Ronan is a photographer who happens to be a gay man who grew up with bullying and homophobia. It's evident that he's bitter, angry, and is full of hatred for (it seems to me) all things and people including himself, with few exceptions. He is living in New York but hops a train to go back to his home in Hudson but when he gets there he recognizes very little, if anything due to gentrification. I get how gentrification can be terribly decisive and people can have conflicting ideas. There was so much in this book to look at philosophically: homophobia, gentrification, bullying, hatred and self-hatred, betrayal, drug addiction and so on. I tend to think about the philosophy of issues in books and how those issues are/are not a small or major part of my personal life, community, family, etc. Sadly, we still live with homophobia, hatred for others who are different or think differently than we do, bullies, racism, betrayal, adultery, and so much more. (I don't want to sound like I am trying to preach here, but you get the idea. I hope.

The writing is masterful, it's incredibly beautiful in its literary form. It is definitely sci-fi, fantasy, and magic realism, none of which I am terribly fond of with the exception of some fantasy; however, I believe that this book is one that fans of those genres would likely love.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for an e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Blade Between
By Sam J. Miller

This is a very strange book. It deals with love and hate and death – and whales. It has a supernatural feel to it. And yet, in the end, it feels like a story we all can relate to.

Mr. Miller's writing was good enough to hold my interest even when there were a few loose ends that never quite got tied up for me ie: what exactly were the sharp things between the ribs that the various characters felt and couldn't explain.

And for me, the last three lines of the story pulled it all together:

"It's okay to love something that you hate. Just like it's okay to hate something that you love. And we all have to learn to love the cages we're in, because we carry them with us wherever we go."

i was really intrigued by the concept of this book, being a thriller/horror novel about gentrification and having a gay MC, but i think ultimately this wasn't really what i was expecting and it wasn't really a book for me. i'm rating this 3 stars because there wasn't anything i actively hated about the book, but there wasn't a ton that i liked either or much that really kept me interested.

i think the biggest thing for me was that the writing style wasn't really my cup of tea? it didn't really keep my interest and i found myself confused about the plot and the town a number of times. but again, i think this is more of a case of the book not being for me than it is a bad book, because it's clear that Sam J. Miller is a talented author, and i would consider picking up future works.

Labeled as horror, I considered this book more of the mystery or paranormal genre.

Ronan Szepessy was born and raised in Hudson, New York. He escaped this homophobic, racist and old-fashioned town as soon as he got the chance to become a photographer in New York City. As a messed up gay, he is into provocative photographs and he doesn't care what people think. One day, he finds himself back on the train, heading to Hudson, not understanding why he is actually going back. Like some force made him do it. He has to go back to see his sick father. He has been procrastinating this trip, this is just too hard for him. But here he is in Hudson, and what a change: a gentrified city full of hipsters, gays, like how is this possible?

Roman is a special and intricate character with deep wounds: the mysterious loss of his mom, meeting his first love Dom who is actually straight according to the book (or bi according to the story unfolding) and in an open relationship with Attalah. This threesome is fascinating: there is a true love but each loves the other in a different way. But the love is genuine and lives on. Once Ronan get to Hudson, he slowly finds out that weird things have been happening to his town, fueled by hate. How is this going to affect him and his loved ones?

A very well written plot, many elaborate characters who all play a distinct role in the story, several unusual love stories, and a interesting read during this pandemic and tumultuous political era which makes me question a lot of things.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal, mysteries. If those are not your go-to genres, this is a book to get you out of your comfort zone.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.