Highfire by Eoin Colfer

Highfire

by Eoin Colfer

'A joyous fantasy for grownups' Guardian

'A funny, offbeat adult fantasy novel' Independent

'A dazzling first adult novel from bestselling children's author Colfer' Daily Mail


Highfire is a genre-bending tour-de-force of comedy and action by the million-copy-selling master storyteller.

Squib Moreau may be swamp-wild, but his intentions are (generally) good: he really wants to be a supportive son to his hard-working momma Elodie. But sometimes life gets in the way - like when Fake Daddy walked out on them leaving a ton of debt, or when crooked Constable Regence Hooke got to thinking pretty Elodie Moreau was just the gal for him . . .

An apprenticeship with the local moonshine runner, servicing the bayou, looks like the only way to pay off the family debts and maybe get Squib and his momma a place in town, far from Constable Hooke's unwanted courtship and Fake Daddy's reputation.

Unfortunately for Squib, Hooke has his own eye on that very same stretch of bayou - and neither of them have taken into account the fire-breathing dragon hiding out in the Louisiana swamp . . .

For Squib Moreau, Regence Hooke and Vern, aka Lord Highfire of Highfire Eyrie, life is never going to be the same again.

'Told in crunchy prose, with lashings of earthy dialogue, it reads like an Elmore Leonard Thriller, but with dragons . . . Colfer clearly had a blast writing this, and his sheer storytelling panache brushes aside the quibbles of fantasy-genre agnostics with infectious glee' Mail on Sunday

From the internationally bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series: Eoin Colfer's first adult fantasy novel is a hilarious, high-octane adventure about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who's been hiding out from the world - and potential torch-carrying mobs - in a Louisiana bayou . . . until his peaceful world's turned upside down by a well-intentioned but wild Cajun tearaway and the crooked (and heavily armed) law officer who wants him dead.

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

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Let me just say that I think this novel is best enjoyed as an audiobook. The narrator, Johnny Heller, carried this laugh-out-loud "high crime" fantasy story right out of the Louisiana swamp into my car over several commutes.

Colfer reminded me why I fell in love with Artemis Fowl all those years ago — his humor is spot-on and his heroes are unexpected. I don't know the last time a book made me laugh SO hard.

I received a free copy of this book from Libro.fm and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • 22 December, 2019: Started reading
  • 4 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 4 January, 2020: Reviewed