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The Fireman

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The Fireman

By: Joe Hill
Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew
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Summary

Some flames burn too brightly to be extinguished.

This exceptional new thriller from Joe Hill is essential reading for 2016 and perfect for fans of Justin Cronin's The Passage.

In a world overtaken by a deadly and dramatic new virus, Harper is determined to live long enough to deliver her baby. But when all it takes is a spark to start a deadly blaze, she's going to need some help from the mysterious fireman.

©2016 Joe Hill (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers US Adventure Fantasy Fiction Horror Science Fiction Scary Paranormal
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An epic, smoke-filled, blazing star of a book! Joe Hill brings something different to the post-Apocalyptic genre. A creeping disease of deadly fire backed with strong and fully rounded characters. A story that follows a small number of survivors as they try to negotiate the two tier society of the “infected” and the “healthy”.

Although epic in length Hill never really tries to encompass the global impact of such a crisis. Instead he works his characters through scenes that are increasingly harrowing and with growing levels of incendiary violence and poetically described horror. There are scenes particularly in the church that will have the hairs on the back of your neck quivering! He brings through the polarisation of human nature and at one point even seems to ape an Orwellian feel casting echoes of the brilliant Animal Farm. This is about journeys of discovery. It’s about people who can cope with the situation no matter what it throws at them, people whose baser nature is brought to the fore by the situation and even those that are crushed by it.

In amongst the tension, violence and horror there are genuine periods spent developing the characters and their relationships. These sections may at times seem flatter but I don’t think they are wasted and they add to the overall feel of the book. I’ll confess it did feel a bit out of place having a lead character with much of Mary Poppins within her. You’ll see what I mean not long into the book. Even that however won me over as it provided a delicious incongruence to the abject horror of some of the scenes. A spoonful of sugar to take to ward off the sheer nastiness and unrelenting hatred of some of the less pleasant characters. A really clever touch.

The narration by Kate Mulgrew is very, very good. I can only imagine how hard it is to keep up that level of intensity across practically a solid day’s worth of narration. She doesn’t have the greatest of variety in character voicings but she does convey tension, excitement and emotion extremely well.

In summary, an excellent novel, much like his father’s in many ways but with his own originality quite literally burned in. The acid test for a book I often find is how much I want the characters to come out of it and believe me I was cheering for these ones!

This book will keep you guessing right to the very end about who might survive and who might not. An excellent effort and I shall look forwards to more from Joe Hill. I guess we should expect no less from the son of the master of such fiction!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not stop listening when the credits start at the end . . . .

A Spark Off The Old Block!

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This is one of the best apocalypse/survival book I have ever heard. Some of the book premises stretch credibility but Joe Hills' attention to detail is sooooo good that you buy into his vision. Storyline consistently interesting which doesn't apply to some less imaginative authors. Kate Mulgrew provides an excellent sound track and has the rare ability of giving each individual their own character ... No mean feat when there are so many ... Making it easy to follow. Dramatic interpretation is excellent.

Words fail ( actually they don't really!!) as so excellent

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I bought it by accident, thinking it was another book, but thought I'd try it, as apocalyptic genre doesn't normally interest me. But so glad I did. It is long but I become hooked. Basically it is a story of survival in a world divided by the infected with Dragon scale and the uninfected who are scared and just want to be rid of the infected. it is a tale of survival, friendships, betrayal, heroics (though a little far fetched at times but the whole story is!) And of course love.

Really enjoyed it.

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Enjoyed this immensely. Lifelong fan of SK and listened initially out of loyalty. Joe doesn't need his father's fans he can collect them all on his own. Great story filled with characters who leap off the page and into your head. Thanks for a brilliant listen.

Don't hesitate just buy it!

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Very addictive listen, interesting story with different seasons, twists and turns I didnt expect, throughly enjoyed it.

Excellent

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