The Fire Sermon (Fire Sermon, Book 1) cover art

The Fire Sermon (Fire Sermon, Book 1)

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The Fire Sermon (Fire Sermon, Book 1)

By: Francesca Haig
Narrated by: Yolanda Kettle
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About this listen

When Zach and I were born our parents must have counted and recounted: limbs, fingers, toes. The complete set. They would have been disbelieving – nobody dodged the split between Alpha and Omega.

Nobody.

Cass is born a few minutes after her brother, Zach. Both infants are perfect, but only one is a blessing; only one is an Alpha.

The other child must be cast out. But with no discernible difference, other than their genders, their parents cannot tell which baby is tainted.

Perfect twins. So rare, they are almost a myth. But sooner or later the Omega will slip up. It will eventually show its true self. The polluted cannot help themselves.

Then its face can be branded. Then it can be sent away.

 Adventure Dystopian Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Magic Scary

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Critic reviews

‘This book is a thought-provoking whirlwind of a story, with a fab lead character, grisly politics and brave adventure. I loved it!’ Jessie Burton

'A hell of a ride. I would recommend it to anyone I can, regardless of age' James Oswald

‘Set in a vividly realised world of elite Alphas and their ‘weaker’ Omega twins, it holds a mirror up to our obsession with perfection’ Guardian

‘Words like ‘masterpiece’ and ‘instant classic’ are cliché, but in the case of Francesca Haig’s astounding The Fire Sermon, they’re the only words to use’ Starburst Magazine

‘This terrific set-up spools out into a high tension tale of mistrust and dependency, injustice and optimism, told with poetic intensity’ Daily Mail

‘Haig’s post-apocalyptic world is colorfully fleshed out, and the conclusion ask us to consider who, really, is the Other’ Washington Post

‘With its well-built world, vivid characters and suspenseful plot, this book… is poised to become the next must-read hit.’ Kirkus
All stars
Most relevant
The premise for the book is very compelling and the author keeps this theme relevant throughout the book though a series of interesting situations and plot development.
Loved how the book explained everything from how twins work, right down to a rough geography of where all the events take place. It really helps build a full picture and left me engaged and emerged throughout.
The performance was great. Her voice mirrored the emotions of each character throughout.
My only criticism is that while the performer did a fantastic job at conveying emotion through her reading, all her characters sounded the same. It sometimes made it a little difficult to know who was talking during long conversations between characters.

Will definitely buy the next book! Thank you for such a good story and performance.

Great concept, fantastic delivery.

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Foreigners vs natives. Employed vs unemployed. "Western culture" vs "Muslim culture"...

Wherever there is "Them" vs "Us" the story of the Fire Sermon's Alpha and Omega twins is played out.

Like her namesake of antiquity, Cassandra sees beyond the reality of the present to what could be. Like her namesake of antiquity, she seems to be the only one.

So...what if there were no "Them" or "Us"?

Them vs Us

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An excellent story. I have continued straight to book 2 I enjoyed it so much. Yolanda Kettle's narration is very good too.

Great story

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This book could have been so much more if the narrator was good. The characters were hard to distinguish between as they all sounded the same. The main character sounded very selfish and a pathetic throughout.

Story brilliant, narrator not so much

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Have you listened to any of Yolanda Kettle’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I thought it was a little dispassionate.

Any additional comments?

In this dystopian post-apocalyptic novel, there are two kinds of people, alphas, and omegas. Cass hides her status well, because unlike her fellow omegas, she has no deformity. She is an outcast even among her own kind and when Zach locks her in a holding cell she has plenty of time to dream, which is what seers do best. When she begins to dream of the island she knows that she has to keep it a secret, especially from the woman who probes her mind like a drill.
This is an epic science fiction cross fantasy adventure. The dystopian world is unique and disturbing, and the characters are well crafted. You get the sense of bleakness from the surroundings but Cass’s optimism keeps the story flowing warmly. There is just enough detail to visualize the world but not too much that you get bogged down with it. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book in the series.

Epic dystopian fantasy

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