I love adult fantasy & this does not disappoint! After reading Artemis Fowl, you just knew that Eoin Colfer had adult fantasy in him. And what's better than a grumpy, smoking dragon?

This is not what I was expecting. Wyvern, now called Vern, was the biggest, baddest, bestest of all dragons. Now Vern likes vodka, television and his recliner. He gets pulled into helping a teenage with an evil cop on his tail.
The pace of this book is pretty non-stop and it has some pretty funny moments but it didn’t really grab and hold my attention. I was able to put it down (several times) and then eventually wander back to it. I could take it or leave it.
ARC provided by the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review

4.5!

This is not your average dragon story. This is the story of a vodka drinking, Flashddance loving, cargo short wearing dragon hiding out in the Louisiana bayou; and the raucous adventures that occur when he crosses paths with 15 year old juvenile delinquent Everet "Squib" Moreau.
Long ago, the fearsome Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie, roamed the earth scorching his enemies. Now he's going by Vern, hiding out and drowning his sorrows in vodka from the comfort of his lazy boy chair. Squib is a clever Cajun swamp rat trying his best to provide for his saint of a single mom. But on his first night running for a shady smuggler, he witnesses his boss murdered by crooked constable Regence Hooke. Hooke isn't just a terrible cop, he's a downright garbage person, using his position to torment Squib and hit on his mother. When Hooke goes after Squib with a grenade, he's saved by Vern.
In exchange for his life and keeping Vern a secret, Squib convinces Vern to let him be his go between (familiar) and fetch his vodka, groceries, and keep him company. But Regence Hooke isn't the type of man to let something go, and soon man, boy, and dragon are headed for what will certainly be a fiery collision.

Guys, this might be one of the funniest books I've ever read. It makes me want to read more from this author. I really wanna know how he came up with the idea because it's so out there. This definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it was certainly mine. It was so close to being a five star read for me. There were some times I was a bit confused because it switches POV between Squib, Vern, and Hooke without really saying so. But as I went on, I got used to the style. If you like wit, humor, and dragons, this is totally the book for you!

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Eoin Colfer's newest fantasy novel, Highfire, is fast-paced, guns-a-blazing, not-for-kids fun. Wyvern, Lord Highfire, is one of the last remaining dragons in the world. Possibly the last. He's all set with his cable TV and Flashdance on his abandoned island in the bayou of New Orleans. Enter one 15-year-old human, Everett "Squib" Moreau. Squib is often on the wrong side of the law, and crooked Constable Regence Hooke intends on solving his Squib problem permanently. Vern and Squib team up in a sequence of events that is part comedy, part action, and full of tastefully scattered obscenities.

Colfer writes Highfire in a way that comes across as generally conversational and down-home. People talk the way people talk, and that's the way Colfer writes them. Plus gratuitous physical humor, often by way of dragon junk.

The whole work is rather reminiscent of classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd or Road Runner and Wile E Coyote. It's fast paced, with a sometimes dark, sometimes slapstick, sometimes on-the-nose humor about it that makes it just generally fun antics.Colfer managed to strike funny without being overly cheesy, which made this read very enjoyable.

This book does have blood, guts, and gore as well as foul language, mentions of suicidal ideation and mental health struggles, sexual innuendo, issues of moral turpitude, and corruption of authority. This book is firmly in the adult category, and readers should be aware of that going in.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have read this in advance, and to help participate in the Twitter tour as well. I look forward to any future works by Colfer.

Eoin Colfer does it again with a new adult book. It has quirky and interestingly charming characters and if you have ever read any of his Artemis Fowl series for kids and liked it, you will really like this book. I love the cranky, vodka loving dragon Flashdance. Lots of humor and swearing.

Eoin Colfer displayed excellent writing in Highfire, but I was unable to get hooked on the story's path. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

When I was a child I read Artemis Fowl, and while this book is definitely not an adult remake of that series, it contains the same sly humor and fantastic magic that I loved in the first books I read by Eoin Colfer. Set in modern day Louisiana, this book tells the coming of age story of a 15 year old delinquent boy called Squib who witnesses a violent crime right before falling into the claws of the "last" dragon, Vern. This dragon, who has been hiding away in the swamp for over fifty years, does not relish the prospect of being exposed to human beings. It's only through some quick thinking, and fast talking, that Squib escapes with his life and is somehow conscripted into Vern's service. As Squib begins to take on responsibility he travels further away from his expected life of crime and Vern begins to see that humans may not be all bad. But someone else in the swamp knows about Vern, and the dragon's existence is put in jeopardy. This story kept me hooked all the way through. The pacing wasn't too fast or too slow, and the dialogue was awesome. The characters were well developed and continued to develop throughout the story. It is a wonderful adventure of fantasy, comedy, and just a dash of real life.

I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn't for me. I had to really push myself to get through the first few chapters. While it was fun going on an adventure with Vern and Squibs. In an unlikely turn if events of how all people aren't that bad. I just figured dragons would be a lot more fantasy stricken.

And this is coming from someone who LOVES Dragonheart.

I was laughing to myself while reading this book. Vern the dragon of the Bayou and Squib were great characters and I found myself wanting more.

I may be one of the only people who never read Artemis Fowl, so I did not have any idea of what Eoin Colfer's writing is like going into this. This is definitely a strange story. The description sounds absolutely bizarre and hilarious, which is why I requested it. If you're thinking normal, traditional fantasy dragon story, this is not it. Which is good, since I'm not typically a fan of most traditional dragon fantasy. A binge watching, flash dance loving dragon living in the middle of Louisiana is not something you would necessarily put all together, but somehow it works. If you're looking for quirky, this fits the bill.

Squib Moreau is a fifteen year old boy just trying to do for his mom any way he can, out in the bayou of the west-bank of New Orleans Parrish. But the sheriff has a thing for Squib's mom and sees Squib as a obstacle in his pursuit. The sheriff is also dirty as a Marie Laveau's magic and when Squib catches him in the act that sets off the events that bring Squib and Highfire together whether they like it or not.

This book was great I loved it so much it took me back to my days when I lived in New Orleans, and the authors setting and facts about it are well researched. I don't want to give any spoilers so I won't go into particulars but this is a action packed, funny at times, suspense ridden, not your normal dragon book, it is so much more. This book is well worth you time especially if you are not a purest about dragons, because Highfire is a modern dragon.

This review will appear on my blog on Jan 28th.

I received a free copy of HIGHFIRE by Eoin Colfer in exchange for an honest review. In the days of yore, the Wyvern Lord Highfire raged against humans as humans warred against dragonkind. Alas, the humans won, and Lord Highfire, as the last survivor, went into hiding to nurse his bitterness. Currently, Lord Highfire is living in the middle of a Louisiana swamp, going by the name “Vern,” lazing around in a recliner, watching Netflix on television, scaring away the local residents, and killing anyone who actually sees him.

The youngish son of a single mother, Everett “Squib” Moreau, used to be a troublemaker, but he’s changed his ways and trying to make his mother proud. Part of that is making sure the romantic advances of Regence Hooke, the local crooked cop, aren’t successful. In furtherance of his quest, Squib follows Constable Hooke into the swamp to film the unlawful shenanigans. Expecting to record just some run of the mill smuggling, Squib actually video-records the man committing murder. Hooke almost immediately realizes he’s been seen, so he tries to flush the spy out of hiding using a rocket propelled grenade or two. The ruckus attracts Vern’s attention. Soon, Vern’s been seen, and he has to clean up the mess. However, plans rarely go as intended, even the plans of dragons in a centuries-long sulk.

This was an interesting concept. I was amused about how much of this book was, basically, bro-dudes in the swamp. The villain of the piece was nasty enough, but he exhibited little urgency in executing his nefarious intentions until the end of the book. This gave enough time for bro-bonding, which was what left me with the “dudes in the swamp” vibe. I hope you like it.

#Highfire #NetGalley

Thank you Harper for my review copy

Well I be doggone. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. It came up from the swamps and got me.

Alright, so I go into this novel with the premise that this is about a Louisiana living, Flashdance loving, and vodka drinking dragon named Vern. It really was so much more. Heartfelt. Suspenseful. With that lovely touch of magical realism.

Let’s talk about what I loved.

Vern. One of the most delightful characters I’ve met this year. Mind you...he will tell you himself, he is a pain in the buttocks....but my goodness. All the heart eyes. He reminds me of the crotchety neighbor down the street who is yelling at kids to get off his lawn, all the while, hiding a heart of gold.

The writing. I did not one time. Not one single time question the fact that there was a mystical creature living in a shack....watching Netflix....drinking vodka...while loving Flashdance. Sincerely, the writing was flawless.

Squib. At the end of the day, Squib just wants to do well, help his mama get back on her feet and have a little fun while doing it. Sqib’s character was really Dennis to Verns Mr. Wilson (if you don’t get that reference. Go google Dennis The Menace...go on, I’ll wait 😂).

The atmosphere. Louisiana in the summertime. Lord knows it was 70 degrees in North Carolina, (at the end of December but whatever) when I was reading this. It brought to mind a completely authentic Bayou experience.

I could go on and on y’all. I’m going to end with one more thing. If you want a light, heartfelt, novel with magical realism and fun scrappy characters...pick this up. Sincerely. It was easily a five 🌟 read for me!

This adorable book for adults is hilarious, satirical, insightful, and a rollicking good read.

The main protagonist is Vern (short for “Wyvern, Lord Highfire”), an antihero (a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes) who fits in perfectly with his swampy environment in fictional Petit Bateau, Louisiana. Vern spends his endless days drinking Absolut Vodka, chomping on Pringles, and watching reality television. He gets food, alcohol, and cable tv thanks to his go-between to the human world, Waxman, a nearby houseboat-dweller who is Vern’s only friend. But when Waxman has to leave for a while, Vern needs a new “familiar” to see to his needs, and Waxman recommends Everett “Squib” Moreau.

Squib is fifteen and “leaning toward” being a good boy. He works hard to help support his momma Elodie, who is a pretty nurse currently pursued by the corrupt town constable, Regence Hooke. Hooke is about as evil as you can get, but with an awareness that he is a psychopath (and proud of it!).

Hooke has plans to take over the drug running business from the New Orleans capo who pays off Hooke and other dirty cops throughout the area. He has visions of being a billionaire with Elodie by his side. (Elodie has special appeal for Hooke on account of having rejected him.)

Vern agrees to take on Squib as his familiar after Waxman convinces Vern not to kill Squib; it is dangerous to Vern for anyone, like Squib, to become aware of his existence. Vern is, after all, as far as he knows, the only living dragon left in the world, and there are plenty who, if they found out about Vern, would like to boast of killing him. What if Squib tells anyone about Vern, or worse yet, posts a video of him on social media? But Waxman argues:

“Vern, Lord Highfire as was. The older I gets, the more I realize that we is all just souls. All souls in different bodies. … Some souls are assholes and some ain’t. Maybe it seems like there is an inordinate amount of human assholes, but that’s just percentages. And I do believe this specimen of a boy is a good soul.”

Vern reluctantly agrees, and just as reluctantly grows fond of Squib, as Squib grows attached to Vern.

When Hooke, spying on Squib, finds out about his new job and new boss, Hooke comes up with a plan to eliminate Squib once and for all - Squib being a barrier to snaring Elodie - and maybe even use Vern to vanquish the local mob and take it all for himself.

What follows is an improbably hilarious wild and violent showdown between the forces of good and evil, with the outcome never certain.

Evaluation: While this story certainly includes brutality and meanness, it also features endearing characters, unconditional love, touching friendship, satire, loads of humor, and all the elements of a great “fish tale” - or in this case, dragon tale. It’s a bit like a Carl Hiaasen book, but with a lot more warmth. I found the coming-of-age, father/son aspects especially appealing. Highly recommended!

Not to start another review with a confession that I’ve never read the author’s previous immensely popular books, but I’m sorry to say I’ve never picked up Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series before diving into his adult fantasy novel, Highfire.

This was a weird little book. It stars Vern, a swamp-dwelling dragon who binge-watches television in a Flashdance t-shirt whilst drinking mid-shelf vodka from his La-Z-Boy. So despite being thousands of years old—he’s just like us! He teams-up with a wayward teenager, the son of a single mom (a nurse, the only single mom job), and a delightful buddy comedy ensues. They must confront possibly the most corrupt cop I’ve seen written, but probably more realistic than most Americans would like to admit, there’s plenty of action and sass to thoroughly entertain.

All that said, this isn’t exactly my genre. I haven’t read the sixth book in the Hitchhiker’s trilogy, originally by Douglas Adams, but picked-up later by Colfer after his death, but after reading Highfire I have faith in his abilities to mesh sci-fi/fantasy and comedy to a satisfactory ending. Vern is not a character I could have ever conjured up myself, so kudos to Eoin Colfer for the sheer creativity of this book and its characters.

This book was so full of adventure, wit, and humor that I found myself laughing out loud and dropping my jaw in amazement (or disbelief, whichever the situation called for in the moment).

I think this is the perfect gift for adults that loved Eoin Colfer's writing as children. Squib is incredibly naive (Let's blame his age) and likable, yet still intelligent and witty. Vern is "Puff the Magic Dragon" for adults with his alcohol problems and hilarious one-liners, but also his relatable loneliness and depression as the last dragon. And Hooke, of course, is a wonderful throwback to evil Captain Hook from "Peter Pan".

All-in-all, this was incredibly enjoyable! I'll post a full review on my blog closer to publication.

I'm a dragon fan.  My sons read the Artemis Fowl books when they were younger, but I'd had no personal experience with Colfer's books before this one.  When I read the description - a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who lives an isolated life in the bayous of Louisiana - I didn't care what the rest of the story was about.  How many times in your life will you come across a dragon like this?

Nothing could have prepared me for Vern.  He's a curmudgeonly, northwards of 3,000-year-old, foul-mouthed dragon with a penchant for vodka and Flashdance t-shirts.  He also despises humans - and with good reason.  They've wiped out his family and friends over the centuries and forced Vern into hiding just to survive.  Maybe Vern and his family took out a few (quite possibly more) villages over the years, but a dragon surely gets lonely when he's the last of his kind.

Squib hasn't had the easiest life either.  Father figures have been practically nonexistent, and his default setting constantly steers him toward trouble, but he loves his mama and honestly wants to do better.  He and Vern don't meet under the best of circumstances, but watching their developing friendship is hilarious and heartwarming. 

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book - it was truly a delight.  It's filled with humor and action, but at its core are themes of acceptance, forgiveness, and family.  If you're looking for something different or maybe you're in a reading rut, add Highfire to your list.  You won't regret it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was so unique, I couldn't stop reading it even when I was supposed to be doing something else. If you were a fan of Colfer as kiddo, this book will keep you on the fan-train as an adult!

I was so excited about this book! I even got an early physical copy and it was so boring. I skimmed through the whole thing, but I didn’t give up hoping it would get interesting and it just fell flat to me.

Terrific romp featuring a drunken dragon in the Louisiana bayous and an ingenious young man determined to do the right thing. It is a fun read, a little like a new shiny Carl Hiaasen or Christopher Moore, but a deliciously different flavor.