Young buck Rannoch was born on the night his father was murdered and into a herd of deer where hunger for power has gradually whittled away at all ...
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Dec 03, 2008
Chris
rated it: 
This book tries to be a Watership Down with deer. The problem is it is too much of a Watership Down with deer. It doesn't really stand apart from Watership. It is a pale imitation for three reasons. The first is many of the characters are cardboard cut-outs, either based off of the rabbits from Watership or off of stock characters that appear in novels. The second reason is that the world-building that Clement-Davies does for the deer doesn't fully make sense. There are small errors in it
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Jul 14, 2011
Heather
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A Watership Down for Deer!
It took me about two pages to get into this book. To be honest, I know almost nothing about deer and I was a bit lost at first by the descriptions of their bez tines and trez tines but that turned out to be a very small hindrance indeed. The writing is superb and I found myself frequently thinking back to the story during the day between readings and wondering what would happen to the characters and whether or not they would be OK without me.
The More...
It took me about two pages to get into this book. To be honest, I know almost nothing about deer and I was a bit lost at first by the descriptions of their bez tines and trez tines but that turned out to be a very small hindrance indeed. The writing is superb and I found myself frequently thinking back to the story during the day between readings and wondering what would happen to the characters and whether or not they would be OK without me.
The More...
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Jul 27, 2011
ηicolε
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After writing an ISU on Richard Adams, one of my absolutely favourite writers, I came across an author recommendation, which turned out to be in praise of a fellow British author, David Clement-Davies. More specifically, to this book:
‘Fire Bringer is a riveting story and deserves to be widely read. It is one of the best anthropomorphic fantasies known to be. It certainly gripped me, and I hope and trust it will grip a large number of readers.’
Seeing as Richard Adams is pr More...
‘Fire Bringer is a riveting story and deserves to be widely read. It is one of the best anthropomorphic fantasies known to be. It certainly gripped me, and I hope and trust it will grip a large number of readers.’
Seeing as Richard Adams is pr More...
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Jul 11, 2011
Veazey
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 16, 2009
Maddie
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This is easily one of the best books I have ever read. Fire Bringer is about a young fawn named Rannoch who is born with a whit fawn mark shaped like an oak leaf on his brow. Becausde of this mark, he is believed to be part of The Prophecy. Meanwhile, Lord Drail, the herds leader, is plotting to take over all of the herds in the Low Lands. Brechin, Rannochs father, is murdered that same night and some deer realize that Rannoch will be in danger. Fern, Alyth, Bracken, Shira, Canisp, and Breach ar
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Jan 08, 2012
Azalea
rated it:
Certainly better than Clement-Davies' rather awful The Sight, but all in all a rather mediocre book. Still, in parts I had really fun reading this little deer epic.
Its strongest point are its protagonists: deer. Yes! Finally! No more wolves! No more canines! Look at that! DEER! I don't think we had those before? Good. What if the protagonists would have been wolves? I guess it would have been pretty damn boring. The species in this animal fiction really is one of the stronges points. More...
Its strongest point are its protagonists: deer. Yes! Finally! No more wolves! No more canines! Look at that! DEER! I don't think we had those before? Good. What if the protagonists would have been wolves? I guess it would have been pretty damn boring. The species in this animal fiction really is one of the stronges points. More...
Oct 17, 2010
English315/educ510
rated it: 
What does the first day of someone's life reveal about their future? Can someone's destiny be determined at the moment of their first breath?
One summer in medieval Scotland, a fawn is born to a hind of the Herla red deer. His name is Rannoch, and on the night of his birth his father is killed when the evil herd lord, Drail, murders the guardians of the herd. A birthmark and a prophecy connect Rannoch to a promise that peace will return to the Herla, but because this promise was revealed wh More...
One summer in medieval Scotland, a fawn is born to a hind of the Herla red deer. His name is Rannoch, and on the night of his birth his father is killed when the evil herd lord, Drail, murders the guardians of the herd. A birthmark and a prophecy connect Rannoch to a promise that peace will return to the Herla, but because this promise was revealed wh More...
Oct 17, 2010
Savannah
rated it:
What does the first day of someone's life reveal about their future? Can someone's destiny be determined at the moment of their first breath?
One summer in medieval Scotland, a fawn is born to a hind of the Herla red deer. His name is Rannoch, and on the night of his birth his father is killed when the evil herd lord, Drail, murders the guardians of the herd. A birthmark and a prophecy connect Rannoch to a promise that peace will return to the Herla, but because this promise was revealed wh More...
One summer in medieval Scotland, a fawn is born to a hind of the Herla red deer. His name is Rannoch, and on the night of his birth his father is killed when the evil herd lord, Drail, murders the guardians of the herd. A birthmark and a prophecy connect Rannoch to a promise that peace will return to the Herla, but because this promise was revealed wh More...
Jun 09, 2008
Kellie
rated it:
Definately one of my all-time favorite books. If you liked Watership Down, this story has a lot of parallels. It's an adventure story with philosophic and moral insights enough to intrigue the reader whom, like me, won't read a book unless it'll change me a bit but not so much that it overwhelms you.
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Nov 06, 2009
NS - Cami
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Appropriate 9-12-"Firebringer" did not disappoint. A good book for me captures my attention from the beginning; I don't have much patience for books to grow into something. The establishment of characters and gorgeous setting, the tyranny of the politics mixed with the theme of animals to compare to people, are all great elements set up in the first chapter. This book is not without its surprising twists and turns, and I guarantee a reader won't get bored with this novel if they're int
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Jul 14, 2010
Jack
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Fire Bringer is good, but not great. The largest problem with this book is the characters are rather stock, and the dialogue and plot twists are rather cliche. Certain aspects don't really make much sense. Why does Sgorr hate the Outriders to begin with? Why do deer need their own SS corps? You could be reading the book, and enjoying it, but then someone will say or do something that reminds you that you're reading a book about Christ in deer form fighting Hitler.
Nevertheless, it's a More...
Nevertheless, it's a More...
Jul 08, 2009
Lauren
rated it:
I have had this book for a while now and I couldn't remember whether or not I had read it. I found myself without any pressing series to read because I gave up on the Charlaine Harris "Southern Vampire" series and didn't have a pile of (already purchased) books sitting on my end table.
I am rather on the fence about this book. It was a pleasurable read but being an enormous fan of Richard Adam's "Watership Down" I couldn't help but be put off by the near parral More...
I am rather on the fence about this book. It was a pleasurable read but being an enormous fan of Richard Adam's "Watership Down" I couldn't help but be put off by the near parral More...
Sep 14, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
This book is for any animal lover or not, a gripping tale of a struggle from a deer's point of view. A young adults' book but older and younger people could enjoy it also.
"There is a prophecy among deer. One day, a fawn will be born with the mark of an ok leaf upon his forehead. His courage will lead the deer to freedom; his strength will defeat their greatest enemy."
Rannoch is born the night his father is murdered. As the attention is turned to him, he must run for More...
"There is a prophecy among deer. One day, a fawn will be born with the mark of an ok leaf upon his forehead. His courage will lead the deer to freedom; his strength will defeat their greatest enemy."
Rannoch is born the night his father is murdered. As the attention is turned to him, he must run for More...
Jun 08, 2011
Pepper
rated it:
The moment I picked up the book I was waiting for the point where it would completely hook me in, and to my disappointment, it didn't. As someone who enjoys tall tales of animal struggles, some parts of the book just dragged on more than necessary, and I found it hard to establish a definite personality for most of the deer, which really cut from the flow of the book. The passing of time was a bit drastic at parts, and honestly at the end of the book I still pictured all the main characters as f
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Aug 31, 2010
Maddie
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Rannoch is a young deer with a oak leaf mark on his head. Little does he know, there is a prophecy among the deer that says that the oak leaf marked fawn will lead the way to peace and happiness. Well the Lord of the Herd, Drail, didn't like that since it would damage his power so the night Rannoch was born, the night his father died, he sent out the Dralia to find and kill him. The Dralia are young stags that protect Drail. Rannoch had to hide and eventually escape. To find out the details
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Jul 25, 2011
Francesca
rated it:
I read this book once, years ago, and it was so bizarre picking it up again. The characters came straight back to me and I had the same images I did the last time I read it. For it to have left such a lasting impression on someone who reads as many books as I do, speaks volumes for the author's incredible imagination.
It does seem as if it's loosely based on something, other reviews have said watership down which I haven't read but, ridiculous as it sounds, I couldn't help thinking of the More...
It does seem as if it's loosely based on something, other reviews have said watership down which I haven't read but, ridiculous as it sounds, I couldn't help thinking of the More...
Sep 06, 2010
Jenny
rated it: 
This book is Watership Down with deer. Seriously. It's the same story, but with deer. We have the strange deer who are be raised by men, stories of the deer god, the evil authoritarian deer, the seer deer, and pretty much every detail word for word of Watership Down except each word "rabbit" is replaced with "deer". It even ends with *the exact same scene.* I can't believe Richard Adams actually gave this book a positive review. He must have forgotten his own story or been to
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Jul 22, 2010
Peacegal
rated it:
Fire Bringer is an animal fantasy featuring red deer struggling for survival under the hoof of a tyrannical leader. It is an enjoyable, if overly long, novel that held my interest.
A major criticism of this book has been its unoriginality. Indeed, Fire Bringer incorporates elements from several other animal fantasy stories, including Watership Down and The Lion King. Some of these references were more distracting than others. Was I the only one who read the passage about Bracken’s at More...
A major criticism of this book has been its unoriginality. Indeed, Fire Bringer incorporates elements from several other animal fantasy stories, including Watership Down and The Lion King. Some of these references were more distracting than others. Was I the only one who read the passage about Bracken’s at More...
Jan 19, 2012
Melissa
rated it:
Ok, so I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought this, but this book was "Watership Down" with deer. It was almost shocking how many elements seemed to be borrowed from that book. And while this one was ok, just the sheer volume of similarities kind of ruined it for me.
The Herla (as deer call themselves) have entered a time of uncertainty. Their ruler, gone mad with power, has started changing the way they naturally live. When one fawn with a special mark is born, the lea More...
The Herla (as deer call themselves) have entered a time of uncertainty. Their ruler, gone mad with power, has started changing the way they naturally live. When one fawn with a special mark is born, the lea More...
Jan 03, 2012
Irene
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 07, 2011
Emily
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Actual Rating: 3.5
I read this book after reading one of Clement-Davies later work's, The Sight, which still stands to be one of my favorite books. I was pleasently surprised that Fire Bringer is also quite a good book too.
I love the way Clement-Davies creates the worlds of his characters, so close to our own yet so different. Though I noticed the stories were quite similar, that was something that had bugged me. Regardless, the characters did have there own personalites. More...
I read this book after reading one of Clement-Davies later work's, The Sight, which still stands to be one of my favorite books. I was pleasently surprised that Fire Bringer is also quite a good book too.
I love the way Clement-Davies creates the worlds of his characters, so close to our own yet so different. Though I noticed the stories were quite similar, that was something that had bugged me. Regardless, the characters did have there own personalites. More...
Feb 03, 2011
Annie/Soul
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Jul 17, 2009
Victoria
rated it:
I've discovered that what most people think when they look at this book is "It's an epic fantasy about deer? Well, unless you're some kind of deer lover, it's got to be boring, right?"
Wrong.
In his debut novel, Clement-Davies spins a world of incredible, realistic fantasy. Much as he did later in "The Sight," he populates this world with prophecies, myths, dark forces, spirits, gods, and unlikely heroes and heroines. And the result never ceases to am More...
Wrong.
In his debut novel, Clement-Davies spins a world of incredible, realistic fantasy. Much as he did later in "The Sight," he populates this world with prophecies, myths, dark forces, spirits, gods, and unlikely heroes and heroines. And the result never ceases to am More...
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Mar 02, 2010
Madelynne
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If you have read Watership Down and enjoyed it, then you will love this book.
The story follows the path of a young buck who is born on the night his father is murdered. A rebellious deer is plotting to overthrow the leader of the herd and has all the Outriders, the "army", killed. When young Rannoch is born, he bears the mark of an oak leaf on his forehead, which signifies that he is the fawn that was prophesied about-a changeling with the mark of an oak leaf on his brow th More...
The story follows the path of a young buck who is born on the night his father is murdered. A rebellious deer is plotting to overthrow the leader of the herd and has all the Outriders, the "army", killed. When young Rannoch is born, he bears the mark of an oak leaf on his forehead, which signifies that he is the fawn that was prophesied about-a changeling with the mark of an oak leaf on his brow th More...
Apr 10, 2008
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it:
Rannoch is a deer born into a time of trouble. The herd leadership has turned vicious under the leadership of the weird newcomer, a hornless stag named Sgorr, and any threat to his rule is dealt with ruthlessly. Rannoch’s birth seems to match the prophecies of the coming of a hero, especially the oak leaf-shaped mark on his head, and when Sgorr hears about a fawn being born that matches the conditions, he orders killed all the fawns born that year.
Rannoch and his mother flee with a few oth More...
Rannoch and his mother flee with a few oth More...
Aug 14, 2011
Melissa Corn
rated it:
I thought this was a fabulous book. Very intriguing. My favorite character was Thistle because when Rannoch just wanted to stay in the mountains and help all those other deer Thistle was ready to risk his life to free the deer in the valley from evil Sgorr and his Sgorrla. It was so sad when Thistle died in a battle at the end of the book. I also like Bankfoot because of the fact that he matured so quickly from a fat little deer cub to a distingushed Outrider Captain.
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Jan 28, 2011
Jolan
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When I attempted to tell a friend about this book, he thought it sounded rediculous. Just because of two words.. deer and prophecy. Every animal has its view on this and I do like to read people's respective on that is. We've had our own "prophecies" so why shouldn't another animal? Anyways... it was a really very good book, I really wish Peppa didn't die though... but this book, in a way, was about just that, life and death, and most of all, to be free.
Mar 18, 2010
Adam
rated it:
This book really takes some time to read- it has very small print, with a sophisticated style that you're either completely into, or you won't get the subtleties that make Fire Bringer so great. But it paid off- toward the end of the book, there was a perfect climax that really made the whole book worth while. There was a 60-some page introduction before they even introduced the main character, Rannoch. But overall, I really liked the book.
Aug 10, 2010
Gemma Irene
rated it:
I've never read Watership Down, so I don't know how the stories compare, but if it is any better than this one, it'll be amazing!
There's not too many books featuring deer as the main characters, and except for a few details, you'd think this book was about humans. The religion, the politics, all of it brings to mind the state of things in our own world. Some parts are cliche, and there are a few slow moments, but the climax is worth the long ride. Interspersed with the Christ vs. Antichris More...
There's not too many books featuring deer as the main characters, and except for a few details, you'd think this book was about humans. The religion, the politics, all of it brings to mind the state of things in our own world. Some parts are cliche, and there are a few slow moments, but the climax is worth the long ride. Interspersed with the Christ vs. Antichris More...
Dec 04, 2010
Knacky
rated it:
This is an awful facsimile of Watership Down, but with deer. It copies the plot of Watership Down nearly twist for twist, but tries inadvisably for an epic fantasy angle, anthropomorphizes excessively with no particular purpose, and lacks the depth or the warmth of Richard Adams' writing. I really wish no one would read this book; it's an insult to the much better work that it steals wholesale.
