You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Made it about a third of the way through before it got so boring I couldn't take another second! The premise is an interesting take in a new kind of zombie apocalypse...with a dash of religious cultism...Just not for me...
I really wanted to love this book. I'm giving it 3 stars because there were parts I enjoyed, and it kept me engaged to the end of the book. It was an easy read, an interesting concept, and had so much potential that I just... I can't rate it lower. But I had some major problems with it.
I am sorry to say, Mr. Joe Hill, but you have an illness as well. No, not Dragonscale. You have a horrible case of Male Author Syndrome. It wasn't obvious at the beginning of the book - the part I enjoyed - and was only about halfway through when that lovely beginning crashed and burned (pun only partially intended).
Harper was this interesting, fun character... and then her personality completely changed. She was well written - until she wasn't. Also, did we really have to call a book where the main character is a woman "The Fireman"? The book wasn't about the Fireman. It was about Harper. Who went from being likable, if a bit naive, to commenting on Julianne Moore's ass. We also had a very forced, weird, out of character/context relationship shoved in there like a square peg in a round hole. And Renee. This amazing, kind, strong female character... well, I won't give spoilers. But the Gil plot line did her no favours. It just... it was so close to being well done, but it just wasn't.
Ending every chapter with a line about how "they thought X thing would be great. They were wrong." was annoying. That's not foreshadowing, that's not a stylistic choice, that's lazy writing.
It was far too long, with way too much trying to happen. Half the book could have been left on the cutting room floor. So much was trying to happen that it detracted from the important stuff, instead of adding to the story. And I just felt like a lot of it was very jarring. Jakob's story line didn't make sense to me, based on how he was/wasn't introduced. A lot of the character decisions lacked motivation or didn't make sense.
I loved the concept, I loved the science behind the concept and that it wasn't a "supernatural" thing. I wish it had gone more into that. I liked the ending, but wish there had been less focus on the long walk there (seriously, what is with books about journeys where all they are doing is walking across a desolate wasteland of some sort?) and more focus on the actual twist ending, because it felt very rushed.
I just wanted more out of this book. I was looking forward to it and it was a bit of a let down, but still a decent read.
I am sorry to say, Mr. Joe Hill, but you have an illness as well. No, not Dragonscale. You have a horrible case of Male Author Syndrome. It wasn't obvious at the beginning of the book - the part I enjoyed - and was only about halfway through when that lovely beginning crashed and burned (pun only partially intended).
Harper was this interesting, fun character... and then her personality completely changed. She was well written - until she wasn't. Also, did we really have to call a book where the main character is a woman "The Fireman"? The book wasn't about the Fireman. It was about Harper. Who went from being likable, if a bit naive, to commenting on Julianne Moore's ass. We also had a very forced, weird, out of character/context relationship shoved in there like a square peg in a round hole. And Renee. This amazing, kind, strong female character... well, I won't give spoilers. But the Gil plot line did her no favours. It just... it was so close to being well done, but it just wasn't.
Ending every chapter with a line about how "they thought X thing would be great. They were wrong." was annoying. That's not foreshadowing, that's not a stylistic choice, that's lazy writing.
It was far too long, with way too much trying to happen. Half the book could have been left on the cutting room floor. So much was trying to happen that it detracted from the important stuff, instead of adding to the story. And I just felt like a lot of it was very jarring. Jakob's story line didn't make sense to me, based on how he was/wasn't introduced. A lot of the character decisions lacked motivation or didn't make sense.
I loved the concept, I loved the science behind the concept and that it wasn't a "supernatural" thing. I wish it had gone more into that. I liked the ending, but wish there had been less focus on the long walk there (seriously, what is with books about journeys where all they are doing is walking across a desolate wasteland of some sort?) and more focus on the actual twist ending, because it felt very rushed.
I just wanted more out of this book. I was looking forward to it and it was a bit of a let down, but still a decent read.
I really wanted to love this book, but honestly I just couldn't. It started out interesting but a bit slow, and it did get better as it went along. Somewhere about midway through it lost me again though and never really got me back. It started to drag, and not in a good way, and the ending wasn't entirely satisfying.
I love Joe Hill, but this one just didn't do it for me. It had all the makings of a good dystopian type story, but it just didn't live up to what I've come to expect from a writer of his caliber.
I love Joe Hill, but this one just didn't do it for me. It had all the makings of a good dystopian type story, but it just didn't live up to what I've come to expect from a writer of his caliber.
Whew! I'm exhausted. I love a good storytellin' book and this one fits the bill. There I was settled in my inner-tube floating along enjoying the heat of the sun and the cool of the water. The water started to get a bit choppy and I was picking up speed without even noticing. Then, in one fell swoop, I was in the rapids and all I could do is hang on for dear life and go with it. It was an intense and wild ride and I loved it! Joe Hill spares no detail, which is what makes this book such a tome, but I didn't feel that there were any parts that should have been edited out.
This is a dystopian post-apocalyptic tale, which I am frankly sick of reading about; BUT this one is too great to pass up. So well-written. The character development is so outstanding that you feel like you are right there with these folks living it as the story unfolds. I was so invested in this book that once I started reading I honestly could not put it down. I wanted to speed through it and at the same time I wanted to slow down and savor every word. It was torture and I loved it!
This is a dystopian post-apocalyptic tale, which I am frankly sick of reading about; BUT this one is too great to pass up. So well-written. The character development is so outstanding that you feel like you are right there with these folks living it as the story unfolds. I was so invested in this book that once I started reading I honestly could not put it down. I wanted to speed through it and at the same time I wanted to slow down and savor every word. It was torture and I loved it!
A disappointing DNF. I'm peacing out of this book on disc 4 of 18 because the characters are flat and I don't really care where this is going.
Usually the best part of a Joe Hill book is its protagonist, but Harper is no good. She's dopey and comes off as old-fashioned in a way that feels anachronistic for a contemporary, liberal 28-year-old woman. When I learned that she was supposed to be about my age, I was dumbstruck because she feels so off. When her absurdly boorish husband goes (absurdly) off the rails, it appears to be the first time she's ever had a negative thought about him despite the fact that I thought he was a condescending, faux-intellectual jerk from the go. I can typically forgive Hill's over-the-top villains and sometimes questionable plotting because there's such a strong emotional core to his protagonists and their relationships, but it's clear to me that The Fireman is not going to deliver on this front for me.
If I'm already zoning out of the audio or thinking about switching over to the radio or a CD, then it's not worth continuing for another 18 hours of this.
Usually the best part of a Joe Hill book is its protagonist, but Harper is no good. She's dopey and comes off as old-fashioned in a way that feels anachronistic for a contemporary, liberal 28-year-old woman. When I learned that she was supposed to be about my age, I was dumbstruck because she feels so off. When her absurdly boorish husband goes (absurdly) off the rails, it appears to be the first time she's ever had a negative thought about him despite the fact that I thought he was a condescending, faux-intellectual jerk from the go. I can typically forgive Hill's over-the-top villains and sometimes questionable plotting because there's such a strong emotional core to his protagonists and their relationships, but it's clear to me that The Fireman is not going to deliver on this front for me.
If I'm already zoning out of the audio or thinking about switching over to the radio or a CD, then it's not worth continuing for another 18 hours of this.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Real rating for me would be about a 2.5 - 2.75. It had some good parts, but I found myself more often than not rolling my eyes and feeling like we were going over the same things time and time again just with a slightly different flavor. Started to feel repetitive, especially towards the end.
I don’t think I’d read it again.
I don’t think I’d read it again.
it started out really good, then it just kind of got a bit crazy. It was people happy to drink the kool-aid kind of crazy. I don't know. I still enjoyed the book, but it felt like it could have been so much better!
Начало было много-обещающее, но когда началась псевдо-религиозная муть, интерес угас.
Great story line. Full of literary references. Enjoyable, but wasn't a book I had a hard time putting down.
I'm going to begin with the truth: I chose this book because Joe Hill is my oldest daughter's all-time favorite author. For years, ever since she found Horns and every volume of his award-winning comic series Locke and Key, I've heard about this man's writing. So even though anything post-apocalyptic or horror-related is my least favorite genre, I chose to read and review this book because I knew the writing would be impeccable.
Hill, and my daughter's very different literary taste, did not disappoint.
In The Fireman, Hill has created a world that's been set on fire. Homes, schools, hospitals all burn not at once, but when someone inside bursts into flames after being infected by Dragonscale. Somehow, despite the abject strangeness of this way the world is ending (one unpredictable explosion after the next) Hill manages to use pop culture references and characters so relatable, the reader can't help but almost find this new reality to be normal. I found myself loving some characters and wanting to shake others. You meet Harper, a caring nurse who loves Mary Poppins; Allie, a gritty teenager-turned-adult who's trying to help as much as she can in this environment; as well as Nick, Allie's younger brother, who's also been stretched beyond his years. Nick is deaf and uses sign language to communicate, something that is exquisitely translated. As a side note, I applaud Hill's consistent and sensitive (from what I've been told of Locke and Key) inclusion of characters with disabilities in his writings.
Finally, the reader will also meet the Fireman. Since I don't want to post any spoilers, this is all I will say regarding him: trust the man.
This book is both gruesome and exceedingly frustrating at times due to secondary characters who just won't cooperate. Even so, it brings beauty and love in the most unlikely places. If there ever is a spore that infects us all and ends the world as we know it, I hope there is a Harper out there somewhere, reminding us all that we can still find kindness even when all hope is certainly lost. Because in Hill's world of fire, even if you already have gone up in flames, there is still hope.
Disclosure:
I received a copy of The Fireman from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Hill, and my daughter's very different literary taste, did not disappoint.
In The Fireman, Hill has created a world that's been set on fire. Homes, schools, hospitals all burn not at once, but when someone inside bursts into flames after being infected by Dragonscale. Somehow, despite the abject strangeness of this way the world is ending (one unpredictable explosion after the next) Hill manages to use pop culture references and characters so relatable, the reader can't help but almost find this new reality to be normal. I found myself loving some characters and wanting to shake others. You meet Harper, a caring nurse who loves Mary Poppins; Allie, a gritty teenager-turned-adult who's trying to help as much as she can in this environment; as well as Nick, Allie's younger brother, who's also been stretched beyond his years. Nick is deaf and uses sign language to communicate, something that is exquisitely translated. As a side note, I applaud Hill's consistent and sensitive (from what I've been told of Locke and Key) inclusion of characters with disabilities in his writings.
Finally, the reader will also meet the Fireman. Since I don't want to post any spoilers, this is all I will say regarding him: trust the man.
This book is both gruesome and exceedingly frustrating at times due to secondary characters who just won't cooperate. Even so, it brings beauty and love in the most unlikely places. If there ever is a spore that infects us all and ends the world as we know it, I hope there is a Harper out there somewhere, reminding us all that we can still find kindness even when all hope is certainly lost. Because in Hill's world of fire, even if you already have gone up in flames, there is still hope.
Disclosure:
I received a copy of The Fireman from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.