Wings of Ushers
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (October 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (November 1, 2024)

“Nowhere to Run. Is that another one about the brevity of life and the nature of human suffering?”
“That one?” Martin Lorensen said, and his sly grin rematerialized. “That one’s a Joe Pickett novel. You can only read so much about how to live a meaningful life before you want some shoot-outs.”

I enjoyed the various cultural references and shoutouts in this short story by Joe Hill. The plot itself was quite derivative though and once the reveal came along you could pretty much guess the ending.


A still with actor Bruno Ganz from the movie "Wings of Desire" (1987) by director Wim Wenders. Image sourced from Derek Winnert Film Review.

Two FBI agents interview a young man who seemingly has an uncanny ability to avoid disastrous situations that result in mass fatalities. He eventually reveals his secret to one of them, perhaps knowing that it will remain a secret regardless.

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).

You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).