Highfire

By: Eoin Colfer

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Artemis Fowl series comes a hilarious and high-octane adult novel about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who lives an isolated life in the bayous of Louisiana - and the raucous adventures that ensue when he crosses paths with a 15-year-old troublemaker on the run from a crooked sheriff.

In the days of yore, he flew the skies and scorched angry mobs - now he hides from swamp tour boats and rises only with the greatest reluctance from his La-Z-Boy recliner. Lying low in the bayou, this once-magnificent fire breather has been reduced to lighting Marlboros with nose sparks, swilling Absolut in a Flashdance T-shirt, and binging Netflix in a fishing shack. For centuries, he struck fear in hearts far and wide as Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie - now he goes by Vern. However...he has survived, unlike the rest. He is the last of his kind, the last dragon. Still, no amount of vodka can drown the loneliness in his molten core. Vern’s glory days are long gone. Or are they?

A canny Cajun swamp rat, young Everett “Squib” Moreau does what he can to survive, trying not to break the heart of his saintly single mother. He’s finally decided to work for a shady smuggler - but on his first night, he witnesses his boss murdered by a crooked constable. 

Regence Hooke is not just a dirty cop, he’s a despicable human being - who happens to want Squib’s momma in the worst way. When Hooke goes after his hidden witness with a grenade launcher, Squib finds himself airlifted from certain death by...a dragon?

The swamp can make strange bedfellows, and rather than be fried alive so the dragon can keep his secret, Squib strikes a deal with the scaly apex predator. He can act as his go-between (a.k.a. familiar) - fetch his vodka, keep him company, etc. - in exchange for protection from Hooke. Soon the three of them are careening headlong toward a combustible confrontation. There’s about to be a fiery reckoning, in which either dragons finally go extinct - or Vern’s glory days are back.

A triumphant return to the genre-bending fantasy that Eoin Colfer is so well known for, Highfire is an effortlessly clever and relentlessly funny tour de force of comedy and action.

©2020 Eoin Colfer (P)2020 HarperAudio

A Unique take on Fantasy

When you think dragons you normally think something a long the lines of Game of Thrones of the Lord of the Rings. Last thing you think of is the bayou and bottles of vodka. This was a fun and intriguing new take on well used topic that I heartily enjoyed from start to finish. Anyone looking for something outside of the usually fantasy dragon porn, this is a pretty good pick.

6 people found this helpful

The book is trash. Made it a few hours in.

why do authors feel the need to bulk out a story with political pap. the south are rednecks, confederate flag waiving coke snorting, gun running racists.

2 people found this helpful

Fun

Highfire, IMHO, is an excellent romp. The characters and settings are vivid, the dialog lively and the story is very entertaining. Kudos to Eoin Colfer for his writing skills, effortlessly transporting me into swamp life on the Pearl River. And to top all that off the narration is superb. Johnny Heller's distinct voices and comedic timing makes for many, _many_ laugh out loud moments.

I hadn't read any stories by Eoin Colfer before Highfire, but scanning the listing and reviews of his other books I was expecting a YA oriented story. And while the protagonist is a teen, Highfire is absolutely, positively NOT targeted at a YA audience. So, as reflected by a number of negative reviews, the people who assumed this story would also be groomed along those lines, are not happy.

But if you're okay with a tongue in cheek portrayal of stereotypical Southern rednecks, swearing, drinking, drugs, sex, murder, corruption and numerous other adult themes throughout the book, definitely get Highfire. You're in for a rollicking good time.

1 person found this helpful

Eoin Colfer and Johnny Heller are a great team.

A vodka-drinking dragon living in the bayou meets up with a wily Cajun teenager. It’s more than a boy and his winged dog story. Way more. For openers, it’s a winged dog and his boy story.

Sometimes a little raunchy but not salacious, it’s a laugh-out-loud every ten minutes tale of how these two rescue each other from the real and metaphorical swamp they live in. I can’t verify the authenticity of the narrator’s accent but to say that my long-ago hillbilly accent surfaced and I started talking like him in the most inappropriate circumstances. My favorite line is Heller's reading of the application of the word "perfect" to the town of New Orleans.

Need a laugh? This book’s for you.

1 person found this helpful

Great story

A great story, fantastic narrator. A highly enjoyable read. Worth the credit for sure. Recommended.

1 person found this helpful

The language was awful.

Had I known about the incessant swearing, I would never have bought this book. It was a great premise, and I'm severely disappointed that I won't know what happened to Squib and his mother and the dragon.

1 person found this helpful

horrible

I m not sure how this book got such high marks and positive reviews! I returned it after two excruciating chapters!

1 person found this helpful

very entertaining!

it was definitely entertaining and poked good fun at all the dragon fantasy out there. very funny!

1 person found this helpful

Awesome listen - super fun!

This was a great story with a great narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was sorry to have it end!

1 person found this helpful

Hilarious!

What a hoot! The last of the dragons combined with a hustling teenager, a sadistic dirty cop, and enough action adventure and plot twists to keep you enthralled. The narration is superb as well.

1 person found this helpful