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Fire Season  By  cover art

Fire Season

By: Jane Lindskold, David Weber
Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
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Publisher's summary

Here is the second entry in a new young-adult series by New York Times best seller David Weber and the prequel to the hugely popular Honor Harrington adult science-fiction saga.

Fire in the forest – and a cry for help from a trapped and desperate alien mother! Unfortunately, this is one cry no human can hear. Stephanie Harrington, precocious 14-year-old Provisional Forest Ranger on the planet Sphinx, knows something is wrong from the uneasy emotion that is flooding into her from her treecat friend, Climbs Quickly. But though Stephanie’s alien comrade shares a tight bond with his two-legs, whom he knows as Death Fang’s Bane, he cannot communicate directly to her the anguished call from one of his people. Still, their strong and direct bond of feeling may be enough. Stephanie and fellow ranger Karl Zivonik respond to Climbs Quickly’s rising waves of distress.

Fire season on the pioneer world of Sphinx has begun. But there are those who want to use the natural cycle of the planet for personal gain – and to get rid of the one obstacle that stands in the way of acquiring even greater land and power on Spinx: the native treecats.

Now it's up to Stephanie and Climbs Quickly, along with their friends, family, and allies, to prevent disaster and injustice from befalling a treecat clan. But in the process, Stephanie must be certain to preserve the greatest secret all. It is the knowledge that the treecats of Sphinx are not merely pets or servants, but are highly intelligent in their own right – that they are a species fully deserving of rights, respect, and freedom. And keeping the secret that will allow the treecats time to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with humankind all begins with the friendship of a girl and her treecat.

©2012 Words of Weber, Inc. & Obsidian Tiger, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Fire Season

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Honorverse completists, yes. Others, maybe.

I hesitated over what rating to give this. I don't want to give it a bad rating, but I didn't really feel like it deserved 4 stars. I guess if I could have, I would have given it 3.5 stars.

This book is aimed at "young adults" (read: teenagers). I am not a teenager. I'm in my 60s. There are some young adult books and series that I practically adore. One of my favorites, which I wish Audible would get, is the Thief of Eddis series by Megan Whalen Turner. But there are other young adult books that don't really intersect my interests. This book sort of wavered around that border.

For example, part of the dramatic tension of the story revolved around how to deal with another teenager who is rude and conceited. (Yawn) I recognize that this is going to matter a lot more to teens than to me. Luckily, much of the story revolved around problems I could get more excited about, i.e. forest fires. (I don't think I'm giving away too much here since the title of the book is.....just saying.)

Another problem: Just how much of this book did David Weber write? I have heard of book collaborations where both authors worked on every page together. I have also heard of pseudo-collaborations where the big name author gave the little name author a basic plot outline and then walked away, but still got top billing because he was the BIG NAME. I think I detect a lot more Jane Lindskold than David Weber in this book. That isn't horrible because she isn't a horrible writer. But she isn't David Weber either. And face it, I could be wrong. It does happen from time to time.

Bottom line: Do I feel like I wasted my credit? No. Will I buy the next book in this series? Uh....probably.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

No particular substance

I agree to everything ShySusan said, and more....
After finishing the book, I understood 1 thing, this book has no particular substance.

Unlike the first book ,this one is a bit of the board, it doesn't tell us anything new about HH Universe.The plot of this book is completely secondary, if it was a TV show I would call it a FILLER episode.There are side stories in the HH universe which have more substance to them.
The feeling of David Weber taking a vacation, and forgetting to dispense some nourishing information, never leaves you all the way through the story.
So, it's about a 15 year old girl who fights forest fires and finding out that she likes boys, nothing more.

PS
If you are HH universe fan ,you may like it, but if you don't spend your credit you won't miss much.Perhaps when the next book comes out, you may want to read them together then .

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More treecats!!

The second book in this new YA series, Fire Kingdom is an enjoyable story. I like David Weber's Honorverse, but don't like listening to most of them. Too many meetings to explain strategy and too much description of military technology. This series has the human interest that I enjoy in DW's books, and I don't have to skip over page after page of uninteresting detail. A fun story, with lots more information about treecats, the most interesting characters in DW's books!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fire Season Book 2

I like the series with the cats which is a new twist in this genre. Too short but it is aimed at young adults. I hope to see more in this series. Not a bad listen at all and a nice other world series. One for the whole family to enjoy on a road trip!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Tree cats, scientist and fire season

This is a book for young people and provides background information on the first person in the Harrington family to be adopted by a tree cat. The book provides information on fire fighting and control that is of general interest and also provides information on environmental problems and conservation of both plants and animals. As Stephanie Harrington is turning 15 she is trying to get her driver's license (of course, this is a flying car) and dealing with the issues of being a very smart teenager. Like many current books it also deals with the problem of bullying. It covers these topic in a interesting and suspenseful story with the rescue of a tree cat clan and people from a fire. Makes for a pleasant and interesting reading. Khristine Hvam does a great job reading the book.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Youthful beginnings for the Harrington line!

Would you listen to Fire Season again? Why?

Yes, good enough story. When listening as opposed to reading if the story is good enough then with a 2nd listen you pick up much more detail and nuance.

What other book might you compare Fire Season to and why?

A good 2nd book to this new series. It is a nice depature from the tedium of some of the space travel details of the Honor series. Much lighter fair with a much more simplistic narrative, but then again this is directed toward younger readers.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

Very nice, good match to the protaganist. Some of the tertiary characters voices get harder to pick out on occasion.

Any additional comments?

Good young reader work.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Action-oriented young adult SF story

"Fire Season" continues the tale of Stephanie and "her" treecat. It's a fun read, with a "talented loner teen discovers how to make friends" motif, nested in an action-oriented plot about fire and friendship and what it really means to be a person.

I suspect that, if I had been reading the printed page, I might have skimmed through pieces of the prose but Khristine Hyam's performance kept my full attention. She brought the book to life for me.

If this was the second episode in a syfi channel tv series, I'd be looking forward to the rest of the season.

As a novel, it falls a little short, ending rather than finishing. The action scenes are very well done but some of the adult characters seem to have wandered in from Central Casting.

A fun listen but a little light.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

There may be flames but not from me turning pages.

Would you consider the audio edition of Fire Season to be better than the print version?

mox-nix the one the other it really dose not matter

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fire Season?

Recusing the sciencetists from the swamp.

Which scene was your favorite?

the adoption scene in the midst of the flames.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A friendship formed in thunder and lighting but can it stand the flames of the fire.

Any additional comments?

I like David's work I am still on the fence about this series though. I will admit though I am above his target audience though.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Sequel

Good sequel to A Beautiful Friendship. The characters are likeable, some are rather predictable but it's a fun, light read.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and entertaining

This is a great sequel to the first book in the story. It shows how the main characters grow and mature in a realistic and engaging way. The two perspectives of the humans and the tree cats continue to enhance the tension and excitement in the story. I can't wait to read/listen to the last book!!!

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2 people found this helpful