An imaginative and entertaining novel with plenty of laughs and action to keep the pages turning.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Although he's very well known for his young adult Artemis Fowl books, Highfire is not Eoin Colfer's first work for older readership, that being his wonderfully amusing and violent noir crime novel Plugged, with its follow-up Screwed. Having nailed, plugged and screwed that genre, you can be fairly sure that Eoin Colfer is capable of bringing the same irreverent and amusing character with his own personal stamp on the science-fiction genre.

I'm not sure what I expected from Eoin Colfer when I heard that he was bringing out a science-fiction novel - somehow I imagined something in space - but I certainly wasn't expecting Highfire to be about the last known dragon in the world, laying low in a Louisiana bayou on a La-Z-Boy, wearing a Flashdance t-shirt, watching Netflix on cable. Since that image occurs briefly in the prelude, I imagined it must be a metaphor or something, because immediately after that we are in a more familiar - but not particularly SF - Eoin Colfer Plugged world of crooked cops and petty criminals.

15 year old Everett Moreau, known as Squib, occasionally manages to keep out of trouble running errands in the bayou, but not this time when he discovers that crooked law-officer and personal rival Constable Regence Hooke not only involved with the local crime lord, shipping drugs and guns across the border, but something a whole lot worse, and he manages to get it all recorded on his camera phone. That brings down a lot of heat on Squib, and bringing a lot of heat to the swamp is just what a dragon in hiding out there doesn't need. So, it turns out I wasn't imagining the dragon and it's not some kind of metaphor.

Since Vern - for that's the dragon's name, short for Wyvern - operates outside the law and has his own little supply route, you could if you want see some kind of parallel between this and the undercover activities of drug barons, their ruthless sense of self-preservation, their scheming and holding control over their employees to do their dirty work for them. I wouldn't want to push that metaphor too far however as there's a limited amount of seriousness you can apply to a dragon in a Flashdance t-shirt, but make no mistake, Vern is powerful, ruthless and will do anything to preserve his comfortable lifestyle and avoid becoming a YouTube sensation. Bad news for Squib then.

Thereafter it all gets wonderfully absurd in a Terry Pratchett way. Much of the humour, as you might imagine, is in the incongruity of a talking dragon in the real world, and Vern is something of a character. Much of the humour derives from Vern's attitude and spoken delivery, not least when he has someone like Waxman - another unusual mythical figure in the bayou - to bounce wisecracks off. The best of Colfer's writing is in such dialogues, but evidently there's much amusement in the absurd and potentially explosive situation that he has set up here in Highfire.

The actual plot isn't up to much, it being mostly built around Squib and Vern trying to keep out of the prying interest and vengeful intent of Constable Hooke and what happens when it all inevitably explodes out into the open - and I'm not sure it really fits the remit of science-fiction - but Highfire is a wonderfully entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny blend of crime and fantasy that should bring Colfer's Artmenis Fowl readership along with him and hopefully introduce this great author to a few new readers.

(~ 3.25 Stars)

This book is clear about what it offers from the outset: a crotchety dragon hiding himself away in a swamp meets a down-on-his luck teenager, both whom face an adversary in an ornery lawman. (Think: Shrek meets a younger, softer Daryl Dixon from Walking Dead, facing off against Alan Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham).

While I grew up devouring Eoin Colfer’s books, from the entire Artemis Fowl series to other favourites such as Half-Moon Investigations and Airman, I have to say this feels like a departure in tone from his other works. The amusing metaphors and tongue-in-cheek humour prevalent in his other books is present here; however, the language is cruder, toilet humour abounds, and there are frequent mentions of genitalia—whether an attempt to make this book seem more ‘adult’, I am unsure.

I found this book slower to pick up momentum, as the first quarter is spent sketching out the characters, though once the ball gets rolling, the plot is fairly engaging. The characters themselves are decently drawn out: Vern is a surprisingly relatable dragon, one comfortable in his modern conveniences but also plagued by modern issues such as worrying about his digital (and physical) footprint; Constable Hooke is thoroughly skeevy, and you cannot help but root for young Squib. The way the plot pulls things together at the end is also vaguely amusing, and one could say…poetic, without giving anything away.

For those who love their pop-culture references in fiction, there are plenty here, including those pertinent to dragons (Game of Thrones fans will perhaps find a brief something for themselves). However, besides several handfuls of pop-culture references, passable characters, and a sufficient plotline, I cannot say this book would join the upper echelon of Colfer books in my collection. I feel this might have been better marketed as a YA book, perhaps a stepping stone into more mature fantasy for those who grew up on “human meets dragon and they become fast friends” books, like The Dragon’s Egg, by Alison Baird, or Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, by Bruce Coville.

In essence, if you are looking for an easy to read, hillbilly-esque story with a dragon, this may be right up your bayou, but high fantasy this is not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books, who provided me with a copy of the eBook in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I have to confess I'm at a little bit of a loss on what to say about this so am really struggling to review. I didn't dislike anything about it but there was nothing I especially liked either. I seem to have found myself in the position of having literally no feelings about it which is probably not a good sign for me but doesn't mean others won't love it.

I did love the sound of it, I mean it's dragons who doesn't love the sound of any book with a dragon, it just seemed so weird and quirky and while I hadn't read a book by Colfer before he does seem to be highly regarded. Hopes were therefore high.

And... the story is unique, the writing can't be faulted and the characters are interesting but I'm afraid I just never connected with any of it. I kept reading out of curiosity about where it would go but never really became emotionally involved.

I do have the feeling it's maybe supposed to be funny? But honestly I'm not sure and if it is it wasn't my sense of humour (or maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I was reading it)..

It was an easy and quick read and the story flows along quite nicely. There's plenty of action (and I should probably say violence and swearing) and it's certainly not predictable.

I think a lot of people will like it but I'm afraid I don't think it was for me.

A quirky tale that I enjoyed reading, nothing deep and meaningful, just a fun read. I would recommend if you want an easy read with a bit of a different take on dragons.

A funny, engaging adult fantasy novel about a down-on-his-luck dragon. This was lots of fun. A light, quick read and just what I was in the mood for.

What a glorious read from the amazing mind of Eoin Colfer. Vern is the last living dragon and reads like a character created for David Harbour to play. He’s gruff and closed off, and that’s the way he likes it. That is, of course, until Squib comes hurtling into his life, bringing with him chaos and danger.
It’s a well written, funny book that doesn’t hold back in the slightest. You can clearly see from how this book is crafted, why Colfer wrote another instalment in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s series.
It’s a perfect Stand alone but I would love to see a sequel.

A Dragon and the Deep South what an excellent combination. There is a real sense of place with the steamy swampiness of the bayou adding to the tension and thrills. Combined with great characters and a tongue in cheek narration this all adds up to a cracking read. The humour and violence (dragon remember) are combined with a deeply human story that shows the pleasures to be found in companionship and trust. I loved this adult Eoin Colfer. Thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for this free ARC in return for an honest review.

Blog post with full review available at link below on 23.10.19

Short review excerpt:

Highfire is a 4 star story, with 5 star characters by a 10 star author. It's coming out on the 28th January 2020, and it's an insta-buy from me.

Vern is the last dragon. Now he's living the quiet life, tucked away in a cabin in the Bayou with vodka, Flashdance and human-free peace and quiet. Squib Moreau is a juvenile troublemaker gone straight-ish, trying to stay on the right side of the law and working two, soon to be three, jobs to take care of his mother. Regence Hooke has big ambitions, to create an illegal firearms pipeline and to win over Squib's mother but when Squib catches him in the act of killing a witness, he thinks he'll kill two birds with one stone by getting Squib out of his way for good. But Squib is a dragon's familiar these days, and Hooke is about to find out that Vern doesn't take kindly to his familiar being kidnapped when an all-out war breaks out in the Bayou between bent cops and a dragon who's sick of humans and all their shit.

The writing is just so... funny. The text is light-hearted and fast-paced, littered with cultural references and in all honesty, stupid the whole way through. But that's good-stupid, not bad-stupid. It's crude, and definitely an adult novel but NA and older YA would probably enjoy it too. Your mileage may vary, but I don't think this was ever to the point where I would call it inappropriate.

Vern and Squib, supported by Waxman, versus Hooke made for a wacky as hell cast. Vern defies all expectations for an ancient dragon, least of all the last dragon. Hunting, pillaging and kidnapping damsels? Nah, Vern likes vodka martinis, Flashdance and more vodka martinis. Waxman's been working with (and that's with, not for) Vern for a long time, but it's time for him to take a long-term nap in dragon dung, so he ropes Squib Moreau into taking over as Vern's familiar while he's gone. Vern doesn't like Squib, at first, but that's traditional for this found family shtick, and there is a genuinely heartwarming scene amongst all the comedy when Vern realises that he's gotten attached to the kid after centuries of swearing off humans altogether. As a villain, Hooke is legitimately brilliant. He's awful, crude and cruel and heartless, but he's also genuinely interesting and fleshed out.

4.5 STARS - Will be posted on January 14th 2020 on Goodreads (linked), My Blog (linked) , with a link to them on my twitter @BookreviewsKb.

From the brilliant writer who gave us the Artemis Fowl Series, Eoin Colfer brings us his first adult Fantasy novel- HighFire- and it delivered!

HighFire by Eoin Colfer follows the story of Everett 'Squib' Moreau, a local kid who has a penchant for getting into slight amounts of trouble, one of which left him missing a finger! The other character we follow is Vern, a vodka loving dragon who despises humans as they wiped out his race. Vern lives in a Louisiana swamp, the perfect spot to maintain a low profile from humanity, allowing him to indulge in his drinking and Flashdance obsessed habits. Meanwhile, Squib lives near the swamp with his mother Elodie, Squib works hard to do right by her after his dad and 'fake daddy' left them. Squib also tries to protect his mother from Constable Hooke, a crooked cop with an eye for Elodie and a hatred for Squib, both of which he makes abundantly clear.

However, the story really kicks off when Squib, while in the swamp, finds himself in a precarious situation where he can expose Constable Hooke's crooked ways, but now needs to avoid him as he is not afraid to kill his problems. While he simultaneously tries to avoid being fried or eaten by Vern, whom he has seen which is a problem. We watch Squib and Vern as they try to deal with each other and with Hooke, who stops at nothing to get what he wants.

Eoin Colfer most definitely did not hold back in Highfire, with elements of comedy, action and fantasy it was difficult to put down!

Colfer's ideas throughout the novel are very unique and original, despite dragons, of course, being a common figure in fantasy. His portrayal of Vern, and the mythology behind the dragons, in HighFire, were so fresh and new that it felt like I had never read about dragons before! The character does have traits of traditional dragon fantasy such as the use of fire, hording items and being able to fly. However, Colfer delves into the mechanics of this (in an organic and natural way) which highlights the originality of this use of dragons. Moreover, Colfer has incorporated some comedic anatomical elements for dragons regarding their bodily fluid and their groins, which I have not seen used before in fantasy fiction, all of which drew me into the story more as it added to the mythology of the dragons themselves.

Moreover, through the character of Vern we get snippets of what the past was like, when dragons were the dominant species, the rulers. I loved these organic anecdotes of Vern's life as it added to the worldbuilding and gave us more insight into the dragons themselves - in fact I loved these little snippets so much that I kind of want a prequel to this novel! Furthermore, Colfer manages to build a significant amount of pathos and relatability for and to Vern, despite him being a mythological creature, by humanising him. Vern is all powerful and yet he has many flaws, fears and pet hates - much like humans. Thus, he is easy to connect with making the novel more enjoyable to read.

Moreover, the character of Squib is also well created, in-depth and easy to connect with. His good intentions but poor executions make for a comedic read, but also makes the character more realistic and multi-dimensional. His though processes, which we get to see due to the narrative, is realistic and matches that of a kid his age; the acute awareness of danger allied with the brazen intrigue of a child makes for a brilliant character who behaves in a manner that is acceptable- he is not blindly amazed by Vern meaning he does not act in a way that frustrates the reader, but is interested enough that he is not 100% fearful, a reaction that is likely the most realistic in this scenario. This makes me so happy to see because, despite Squib's questionable actions at some points, it is not out of character or out of the ordinary and thus is fun to read about.

Constable Hooke, being the 'villain' of the story, is unlikable, but Colfer does play with the reader in regards to how we view him which keeps the book interesting. From the moment you meet Hooke you dislike him, and this grows as the novel moves on. Yet at points we delve into his past, from his perspective, and some sympathy is built up. However, this is swiftly torn away again by Hooke's own actions making him an irredeemable villain, at least to me, which I liked. In fantasy there has been a growth of villains that everyone loves as they have redeeming qualities, but in HighFire, we are quickly taken back to the premise of a pure unadulterated villain and I loved this. The slight windows of sympathy that are snatched away builds the image of this vicious villain as being human, and yet this just makes us hate him even more - perhaps because he is not a true monster and instead is the embodiment of the vicious humans Vern is so afraid of. Hooke is well developed and reading from his perspective was interesting and added to my views of him.

The plot of HighFire in itself is rather unique, yes you have the last of its species and it should be saved trope, but it is not the typical story. This story focuses more on the growth of the characters and their relationships (similar to a Bildungsroman) alongside a storyline filled with action. Those who do hunt Vern do not do so simply because he is the last dragon, it is primarily for selfish reasons, most are not even bothered that he is a dragon and wish only to kill him for money - quite original and different from traditional hunts of sole living creatures.

Finally, Colfer does not shy away from popular cultural references- it was so fun to see these used in the story! From GoT to LOTR, Colfer uses these references, and their portrayal of dragons, in a comedic and clever way. While it confirms the modern day setting of the novel and engages the readers, specifically his target audience who would have grown up with or have at least an acute knowledge of these references, it also subtly adds to the worldbuilding, Vern's character and the novels mythology. Vern's views on these help the reader understand more about Vern and his world without realising it, and was a clever way to add more comedy to the character and his interactions.

Overall HighFire by Eoin Colfer was a fun, interesting and entertaining read- definitely an amazing entrance to the world of adult fantasy fiction. The story was filled with action, comedy and mythology with themes of friendship, corruption and personal growth littered throughout. This was truly an amazing read and I hope we get to see more of Squib and Vern in the future. (And I am still secretly wishing for a prequel).

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves dragons, comedy and fantasy all twisted together, Eoin Colfer is a master story teller and this definitely proves it.

*I received an eARC from #Netgalley @QuercusBooks in exchange for an honest review*

Unfortunately, this isn't the book for me. I loved Eoins books when I was younger and was really excited to see a book that had been dubbed his first adult fantasy. I read a lot of adult fantasy like Brandon Sanderson, John Gwynne, Raymond Feist etc and thus just didn't read as adult to me. The main character is only about 15 and the dragon is drunk and depressed and I think I was just expecting this to be similar to other adult books that I've read but it read as very ya to me and I didn't enjoy the story line at all or the characters

Highfire was an entertaining read from start to finish. I often laughed out loud at the humourous dialogue and bizarre situations in which the characters found themselves. This is a book for fantasy readers who like a good dollop of comedy on the side. It was a fast-paced, easy-reading, amusing story with memorable characters, and it certainly left me wanting more.

(My review will go live on my blog (at the link below) on 14 January 2020, at which point I will also share on GR and social media.)

What a wonderful book. Read it all in one go. Great, well-drawn characters which you couldn't help but love. A fast paced narrative with lots of action. There were plenty of laugh out loud episodes. With themes of friendship and trust, there were also lots of heart-warming touches. A definite winner.

I really enjoyed this book . I have read and listened to children’s stories by this author and both my grandchildren and myself loved them.
This book is funny and weirdly incredible despite one of the main characters being a dragon!. The plot moves along at a good rate and there is plenty of action.

I have long been a fan of eoin colfer and am really looking forward to the upcoming film so I read this book set in the adult world (although I think all his books are adult friendly) and was left satisfied and happy, it's funny, sad, exciting and at times quite raunchy, Vern and the female alligators 😨 more please eoin !!

3.5 stars.

I’ve never been able to get along with narration told stories, so struggled to get into the story. I did like the plot itself and the characters, which didn’t let me put it down. The ending was good since I stayed up late to read. Vern the depressed alcoholic dragon, Squib the delinquent hustler and Hooke the raving lunatic. Vern was my favourite character, felt sorry for Elodie and Hooke’s journey was just disturbing. A lot of violence, death and chaos but ultimately a story of friendship and trust in the Bayou.

So of course I’ve heard of this author but I’ve never read anything written by him because he usually writes children’s books and sadly my childhood is far behind. Yet when I spotted this being marketed as an adult story I was beyond curious and happily can state that this was absolutely fabulous !
This was a riveting read that meandered along and just gradually built up the pace. We meet Vern who believes he is sadly the last Dragon around but he’s far from what you would expect a Dragon to be. Vern is grumpy, snarky and obsessed with vodka, keto and Flashdance ! His only friend is Waxman but even he is anything but ordinary although sadly my lips are sealed.
Into Verns quiet , hard drinking, cable watching life comes crashing a young boy known as Squib . Squib adores his mama, is wily enough not to get caught too often when not exactly being an upstanding young man oh and has just landed himself in a really precarious position ! Why ? Well that’s all because of a vile, murdering cop who is pretty certain that if anyone has evidence on him then they definitely need to leave the land of the living !
This started so quietly really and felt character driven as the author introduced his characters and all their idiosyncrasies . We learn that Vern is still caught up in his past and cantankerous as only a lonely thousands of years old Dragon can be. We understand that Squib is bright yet not focused but most of all it’s obvious that he’s still looking for a father figure. Plus there are passages that get inside Hookes head that really help make him feel both real and yet psychotic at the same time. Then boom the pace slowly increases and it begins hurtling along until it truly is an edge of the seat read that was impossible to put down. This book with its Godzilla looking hero ( just don’t call him a Gargoyle ! ) is poignant, exciting, funny and is a huge recommendation from me.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair