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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
In a world where those infected with a spore spontaneously combust, Harper, a nurse, and her husband, Jakob make a pact where they would take their own lives should they become infected. After surviving long into the pandemic, Harper discovers she is both pregnant and infected. She wishes to carry the child to term as she has seen infected mothers birth healthy babies. Jakob loses it and Harper manages to escape thanks to a mysterious fireman. Finding safety within a community of other infected individuals, here Harper learns there is a way to control the infection though it does come with a price.
The Fireman is my first Joe Hill and I was engrossed in this apocalypse world he created! I love an atmospheric human nature horror and this didn't disappoint. It is a whopper at 750 pages but is extremely readable. The novel is broken down into smaller books, each with short chapters. This isn't your jump scare horror but is a discussion of group-think situations and group consciousness with a tipple of fantasy. I was shaking my head constantly with wide eyes at the actions of some characters but we've seen what happens when societal rules go out of the window - it ain't pretty. Hill crushes society in The Fireman and only some manage to claw their way out. An infection causing spontaneous combustion breathed new life into end of the world fiction and I thoroughly enjoyed my read.
CW: murder, gun violence, gore, mass shootings, medical trauma, animal death (one short instance), suicide pact (not followed through)
The Fireman is my first Joe Hill and I was engrossed in this apocalypse world he created! I love an atmospheric human nature horror and this didn't disappoint. It is a whopper at 750 pages but is extremely readable. The novel is broken down into smaller books, each with short chapters. This isn't your jump scare horror but is a discussion of group-think situations and group consciousness with a tipple of fantasy. I was shaking my head constantly with wide eyes at the actions of some characters but we've seen what happens when societal rules go out of the window - it ain't pretty. Hill crushes society in The Fireman and only some manage to claw their way out. An infection causing spontaneous combustion breathed new life into end of the world fiction and I thoroughly enjoyed my read.
CW: murder, gun violence, gore, mass shootings, medical trauma, animal death (one short instance), suicide pact (not followed through)
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I did really like this book - it's a good read, altho' a little predictable and it does drag in some places. I'm a bit disappointed I think, because the early reviews were !!A-MAY-ZING!!, however for me, it hasn't lived up to the hype. I'm going to go and re-read NOS482 or 20th Century Ghosts.
3.5 stars.
An end of the world tale because of a mysterious disease. Hmmm. That sounds familiar to Stephen King fans. While there are lots of Easter eggs and similarities to [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1213131305s/149267.jpg|1742269], the latter is far superior. This one was still very enjoyable. I agree with the label "Its like The Stand mixed with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".
It wasn't my favorite Joe Hill novel by far but it's still up there for me as a fun novel. It is pretty hefty so it took me longer to get through but over all I did enjoy my experience.
This one seemed to be a misfire for lots of my friends and I can see their points. So much more could have been done with it. Plus, the one thing I read that really resonated with me was that Joe Hill put way too many Stephen King Easter eggs in this book. Joe Hill can stand on his own as a good author rather than just being Stephen King's son. He should take more pride and of putting in his own work Easter eggs than he does (although he does mention Christmasland... yay!)
An end of the world tale because of a mysterious disease. Hmmm. That sounds familiar to Stephen King fans. While there are lots of Easter eggs and similarities to [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1213131305s/149267.jpg|1742269], the latter is far superior. This one was still very enjoyable. I agree with the label "Its like The Stand mixed with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".
It wasn't my favorite Joe Hill novel by far but it's still up there for me as a fun novel. It is pretty hefty so it took me longer to get through but over all I did enjoy my experience.
This one seemed to be a misfire for lots of my friends and I can see their points. So much more could have been done with it. Plus, the one thing I read that really resonated with me was that Joe Hill put way too many Stephen King Easter eggs in this book. Joe Hill can stand on his own as a good author rather than just being Stephen King's son. He should take more pride and of putting in his own work Easter eggs than he does (although he does mention Christmasland... yay!)
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
A really good end of the world tarn that asks you to accept one crazy thing -- that people can get infected with "dragonscale," a disease that makes them catch fire and burn. Add in domestic abuse, a camp of survivors, and the end of everything and it's a really good, if overlong yarn. Didn't quite buy all the characters, but Hill keeps things moving!
I do agree that the endless references (Mary Poppins? Really?) felt forced and tiresome. Yes, King-esque, and I wish Hill had his own tic.
I do agree that the endless references (Mary Poppins? Really?) felt forced and tiresome. Yes, King-esque, and I wish Hill had his own tic.
I thought it was absolutely fantastic, that's all I have to say.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No