Having conquered children’s fantasy with Artemis Fowl, Colfer brings his own unique brand of anarchic lunacy to an adult fantasy romp featuring rednecks on the wrong side of the law and a fire-breathing dragon hanging out in a Louisiana bayou. Wildly funny and driven by a cast of larger-than-life characters, Highfire is a genre-bending joy from a literary treasure.
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 is a genre-bending tour-de-force of comedy and action by the million-copy-selling master storyteller.
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781529402049
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 588 g
Dimensions: 238 x 160 x 36 mm
A funny, offbeat adult fantasy novel - Independent
A dazzling first adult novel from bestselling children's author Colfer - Daily Mail
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
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
A briskly entertaining outing . . . With this satisfying and at times hugely joyous novel, Colfer is, like his engaging scaly protagonist, cooking on gas - Guardian
A romp fuelled by great characters - The i
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
Very engaging. It's messy, it's weird, it's funny - Starburst
With plenty of smart-ass humour, Highfire is a fine genre-bending yarn few would fail to enjoy - Weekend Sport
A fun, unusual contemporary fantasy that doesn't skimp on violence - Kirkus
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
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
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
Hilarious and suspenseful . . . Highfire is funny, menacing and unlike anything else I've read recently - BookPage Magazine
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
A delightfully funny page-turner - Booklist Starred Review
Highly recommend - Don Jimmy Reviews
Brilliant . . . I highly recommend you read Highfire, it's the dragon tale I never knew I needed - Not Another Book Blogger
Fun, interesting and entertaining . . . truly an amazing read - KBook Reviews
Charming characters, lots of action and ridiculous conversations made this a hugely enjoyable read - The Bookish Gurl
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
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
Colfer's sheer storytelling panache brushes aside the quibbles of fantasy-genre agnostics - Irish Mail
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
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
Deliciously funny - Irish Times
Awesome - Western Mail
The great charm of this entertaining novel lies in its characters and generosity of spirit - The Times
A beautifully judged pitch-perfect black comedy - Irish Examiner
'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
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
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
A wild fantasy tale featuring, among much else, a vodka-swilling dragon. Huge fun - READER'S DIGEST
The world-building is incredible . . . Highfire is a fast-paced, action-packed ride from start to finish - British Fantasy Society
Highly entertaining, I really enjoyed this and am really hoping that there's going to be a sequel.
Vern and Squib are such great characters and their adversary Hooke is brilliantly hateful. It's a fast...
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This was a pretty funny story, some of which worked for me and some of which didn't. It tells the story of Vern, last of the dragons, hiding out in the Louisiana swamps, drinking vodka and maintaining a keto... More
My thanks to Quercus Books/Jo Fletcher Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Highfire’ by Eoin Colfer in exchange for an honest review.
This is Colfer’s first fantasy for adults though I expect that many ‘grownups’...
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