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Highfire
- Author
- Eoin Colfer
- Narrator
- Johnny Heller
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Publish Date
- 28 January 2020
- Run Time
- 9 hours 20 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Squib Moreau may be swamp-wild, but his intentions are (generally) good: he really wants to be a supportive son to his hard-working momma Elodie. But sometimes life gets in the way - like when Fake Daddy walked out on them leaving a ton of debt, or when crooked Constable Regence Hooke got to thinking pretty Elodie Moreau was just the gal for him . . .
An apprenticeship with the local moonshine runner, servicing the bayou, looks like the only way to pay off the family debts and maybe get Squib and his momma a place in town, far from Constable Hooke's unwanted courtship and Fake Daddy's reputation.
Unfortunately for Squib, Hooke has his own eye on that very same stretch of bayou - and neither of them have taken into account the fire-breathing dragon hiding out in the Louisiana swamp . . .
For Squib Moreau, Regence Hooke and Vern, aka Lord Highfire of Highfire Eyrie, life is never going to be the same again.
HIGHFIRE: A triumphant genre-bending tour-de-force of comedy and action by the million-copy-selling master storyteller
(p) 2019 HarperCollins Audio
Critics Review
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A funny, offbeat adult fantasy novel
Independent
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A dazzling first adult novel from bestselling children's author Colfer
Daily Mail
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Told in crunchy prose, with lashings of earthy dialogue, it reads like an Elmore Leonard Thriller, but with dragons . . . Colfer clearly had a blast writing this, and his sheer storytelling panache brushes aside the quibbles of fantasy-genre agnostics with infectious glee
Mail on Sunday
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It's a heady caper with elements of southern gothic, urban fantasy and airport thriller. The exotic swelter of the American South is playfully conjured, while Vern's unlikely friendship with a poor Cajun teenager called "Squib" Moreau gives a rich, emotive underpinning to the vivid action sequences... Colfer has served up a stomping, flamespurting romp sure to delight fantasy fans whose passion for dragons somehow survived Game of Thrones and its dreadful denouement
The Daily Telegraph
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A briskly entertaining outing . . . With this satisfying and at times hugely joyous novel, Colfer is, like his engaging scaly protagonist, cooking on gas
Guardian
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A romp fuelled by great characters
The i
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A high-velocity action-adventure . . . The hilarious, violent and pop culture-packed tale blends the lavishly fantastical with the amazingly realistic - awesome in the truest sense of the word
Press Association
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Very engaging. It's messy, it's weird, it's funny
Starburst
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With plenty of smart-ass humour, Highfire is a fine genre-bending yarn few would fail to enjoy
Weekend Sport
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A fun, unusual contemporary fantasy that doesn't skimp on violence
Kirkus
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A twisty, tongue-in-cheek fantasy that's part thriller, part action movie, and wholly irreverent. . . . Colfer's catchy narrative voice suits the characters and their setting perfectly, capturing Vern's world-weary nature, Squib's youthful adaptability, and Hooke's malicious cunning. This no-holds-barred yarn is good fun from start to finish
Publishers Weekly
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Colfer has come up with something new here, a real genre-blending treat, and I applaud him for it
Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones on HIGHFIRE
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Having grown up reading the Artemis Fowl books and absolutely loving them, I just had to read Eoin's first adult fantasy book and it did not disappoint! . . . This book is dark, brutal and violent at times, but also filled with hope and finding where you belong.
The Tsundoku Chronicles
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Hilarious and suspenseful . . . Highfire is funny, menacing and unlike anything else I've read recently
BookPage Magazine
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Witty, well-developed characters, action, and fantastic violence from the author of the Artemis Fowl series will appeal to a wide range of readers
Library Journal
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A delightfully funny page-turner
Booklist Starred Review
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Highly recommend
Don Jimmy Reviews
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Brilliant . . . I highly recommend you read Highfire, it's the dragon tale I never knew I needed
Not Another Book Blogger
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Fun, interesting and entertaining . . . truly an amazing read
KBook Reviews
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Charming characters, lots of action and ridiculous conversations made this a hugely enjoyable read
The Bookish Gurl
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A hell of a lot of fun . . . packed with vivid, authentic-feeling characters driven by distinctive, sassy voices marinated in Cajun spice and a brackish atmosphere. . . Part Pratchett, part Gaiman, part American Pie
SFX
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A real joy to read. It was entertaining, heart-warming yet dark, funny, had a great villain and some of the best characters I've encountered in a long time
SF Crowsnest
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Colfer's sheer storytelling panache brushes aside the quibbles of fantasy-genre agnostics
Irish Mail
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Highfire is a fast-paced, action-packed ride from start to finish and worth a read if you're already a fan of his work
The British Fantasy Society
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Conceived out of Colfer's incredible originality a high-velocity action-adventure ensures. The hilarious, violent and pop culture-placed tale blends the lavishly fantastical with the amazingly realistic
Irish News
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Deliciously funny
Irish Times
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Awesome
Western Mail
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The great charm of this entertaining novel lies in its characters and generosity of spirit
The Times
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A beautifully judged pitch-perfect black comedy
Irish Examiner
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'Highfire is a 4-star story, with 5-star characters by a 10-star author.??I'm firmly convinced that Eoin Colfer is one of the funniest fantasy writers out there
Ink and Plasma
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From start to finish this is an absolute blast, packed full of character and paced to keep the pages turning. It's the sort of book that will have you in hysterics one moment, wincing at the insane amounts of violence laid down the next, and stopping to think about what life is really like for these characters soon afterwards. In short, it's an absolute joy to read
Track of Words
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Highly entertaining and exciting, Highfire is my kind of book; in fact if you could marry books, I'd be Mrs Highfire in no time!
LOVEREADING
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A wild fantasy tale featuring, among much else, a vodka-swilling dragon. Huge fun
READER'S DIGEST
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Eoin Colfer
- Narrator
- Johnny Heller
- Duration
- 9 hours 20 minutes
- Release Date
- 28 January 2020
- ISBN
- 9781529403732
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Genre
- Fantasy, Comic (humorous) fantasy
Synopsis
From the internationally bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series: Eoin Colfer's first adult fantasy novel is a hilarious, high-octane adventure about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who's been hiding out from the world - and potential torch-carrying mobs - in a Louisiana bayou . . . until his peaceful world's turned upside down by a well-intentioned but wild Cajun tearaway and the crooked (and heavily armed) law officer who wants him dead.Squib Moreau may be swamp-wild, but his intentions are (generally) good: he really wants to be a supportive son to his hard-working momma Elodie. But sometimes life gets in the way - like when Fake Daddy walked out on them leaving a ton of debt, or when crooked Constable Regence Hooke got to thinking pretty Elodie Moreau was just the gal for him . . . An apprenticeship with the local moonshine runner, servicing the bayou, looks like the only way to pay off the family debts and maybe get Squib and his momma a place in town, far from Constable Hooke's unwanted courtship and Fake Daddy's reputation. Unfortunately for Squib, Hooke has his own eye on that very same stretch of bayou - and neither of them have taken into account the fire-breathing dragon hiding out in the Louisiana swamp . . . For Squib Moreau, Regence Hooke and Vern, aka Lord Highfire of Highfire Eyrie, life is never going to be the same again.HIGHFIRE: A triumphant genre-bending tour-de-force of comedy and action by the million-copy-selling master storyteller(p) 2019 HarperCollins Audio
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