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Highfire
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From the New York Times bestselling 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 fifteen-year-old troublemaker on the run from a crooked sheriff.
In the days of yore, he f ...more
In the days of yore, he f ...more
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Eoin Colfer writes a comic adult fantasy in his usual trademark style, which readers will be familiar with if they have read his Artemis Fowl series and/or his other books. Here he takes us to Louisiana's bayous, and New Orleans in this tale of a lonely, depressed ancient dragon, Vern (Wyvern), who just may be the last dragon on earth, hates humans who have destroyed almost all his kind, and has taken to living below the radar on a swampy bayou. He has Netflix, is rather keen on Absolut Vodka, d
...more
This was not at all what I expected. A lot more swearing, a lot more body humor, and a LOT more swamp-lifestyle dialect and bizarre POVs than I was prepared to read. It was good? But not for me?
Concept: super original
Writing: really polarizing
Overall impression: not for me, but probably a great book for its audience
Highfire is the first adult fantasy novel from the acclaimed author of the Artemis Fowl series. I read Artemis Fowl ages ago, and I vaguely remember liking it.
Don't get it twisted—t ...more
Concept: super original
Writing: really polarizing
Overall impression: not for me, but probably a great book for its audience
Highfire is the first adult fantasy novel from the acclaimed author of the Artemis Fowl series. I read Artemis Fowl ages ago, and I vaguely remember liking it.
Don't get it twisted—t ...more
Vern was a dragon, arguably, the last of his kind. "Once upon a time, he had been Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie...now...he spent his days in the bayou blending in with the locals, staying down wind of the swamp tours...". Seven foot tall Vern, watched Netflix and reality shows from the comfort of his La-Z-Boy recliner. His beverage of choice was Absolut Vodka. His wardrobe: "Flashdance" T-shirts.
Vern mistrusted humans, the exception being Waxman, a mogwai. "Mogwais [half human bein ...more
Vern mistrusted humans, the exception being Waxman, a mogwai. "Mogwais [half human bein ...more
Jan 27, 2020
Nenia ✨️ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨️ Campbell
marked it as to-read
"a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon..."
*already digging in wallet for that cash money*
I'm a maniaaaac, maniaaaac for this book... 🐉🎵 ...more
*already digging in wallet for that cash money*
I'm a maniaaaac, maniaaaac for this book... 🐉🎵 ...more
Have you ever read a book about a dragon? One who flashdances? And likes vodka and lives in Louisiana? Sounds fun, right? But even more fun ensues when he meets a teenage troublemaker on the lam.
Highfire is quite the different read for me, but I’m so grateful I picked it up! It would make the perfect movie, but who needs that when you have written imagery like this? I know you are thinking this is a fantasy book, and while it has a dragon and other fantasy elements, it’s so much more. Most of al ...more
Highfire is quite the different read for me, but I’m so grateful I picked it up! It would make the perfect movie, but who needs that when you have written imagery like this? I know you are thinking this is a fantasy book, and while it has a dragon and other fantasy elements, it’s so much more. Most of al ...more
Beware there be dragons!
Well, one grumpy and lonely dragon called Vern (short for Wyvern), hiding out in the Louisiana swamp, filling his time watching netflix and drinking Absolut vodka. He is probably the last of his kind and has seen his friends and relatives murdered by angry hordes through the ages. Now he has one friend, a half human called Waxman who lives in a shack on the swamp and looks after supplying Vern with his vodka, favourite Flashdance T-shirts and other essentials (from a hor ...more
Well, one grumpy and lonely dragon called Vern (short for Wyvern), hiding out in the Louisiana swamp, filling his time watching netflix and drinking Absolut vodka. He is probably the last of his kind and has seen his friends and relatives murdered by angry hordes through the ages. Now he has one friend, a half human called Waxman who lives in a shack on the swamp and looks after supplying Vern with his vodka, favourite Flashdance T-shirts and other essentials (from a hor ...more
“Squib was marked and he knew it. I gotta sort this out, he thought. I gotta get out from under that dragon. Which is not a problem most people have to solve in their lifetimes. In general, most folks who get to meet a dragon only get to think about it that one time for about five seconds.”
The teenaged boy Squib becomes the familiar of Vern, who is perhaps the last surviving dragon. Vern is sort of like a 7-foot, winged alligator, who walks upright, wears cargo shorts and lives in a Louisiana sw ...more
The teenaged boy Squib becomes the familiar of Vern, who is perhaps the last surviving dragon. Vern is sort of like a 7-foot, winged alligator, who walks upright, wears cargo shorts and lives in a Louisiana sw ...more
With a narrative voice somewhere between Huckleberry Finn and the Dukes of Hazzard, and a keen sense of pop-culture awareness, Highfire is certainly something different.
It's a charming, funny, but sometimes brutal look at poor Cajun life and crime in the Louisiana bayou. Is it really fantasy, though? Well yes, on the surface, on account of having an actual dragon in it, but that's all.
Honestly, the author could have made Vern a Rambo-style retired super-soldier instead and told almost the same ...more
It's a charming, funny, but sometimes brutal look at poor Cajun life and crime in the Louisiana bayou. Is it really fantasy, though? Well yes, on the surface, on account of having an actual dragon in it, but that's all.
Honestly, the author could have made Vern a Rambo-style retired super-soldier instead and told almost the same ...more
”Vern. What kind of name is that for an apex predator.”
Why for the life of me can I not learn to DNF a book?
I torture myself through things I obviously don’t like and then wonder why I don’t feel like reading.
One of my resolutions for 2020 is to read more New to me Authors. But if I would like to hold to this resolution I really need to use the DNF option.
This book and I; we just didn't jell.
Firstly; the revolting langue was just plain appalling to me. The over use of cursing and rude ways to ...more
Why for the life of me can I not learn to DNF a book?
I torture myself through things I obviously don’t like and then wonder why I don’t feel like reading.
One of my resolutions for 2020 is to read more New to me Authors. But if I would like to hold to this resolution I really need to use the DNF option.
This book and I; we just didn't jell.
Firstly; the revolting langue was just plain appalling to me. The over use of cursing and rude ways to ...more
I won this in a GoodReads giveaway. Thanks to GR and Harper Perennial for the book.
Despite what I had read in the blurb, I was not expecting Vern, LOL. This book was just plain fun to read. There were a lot of hi-jinks in a Louisiana swamp with a crooked cop, a juvenile delinquent and his momma (though Squib is still a good kid in the wanna-be-a-bad-guy stage), a mogwai and a dragon named Vern. And yes, it's just exactly as hilarious as it sounds.
And though I had quite a few literal laugh out lo ...more
Despite what I had read in the blurb, I was not expecting Vern, LOL. This book was just plain fun to read. There were a lot of hi-jinks in a Louisiana swamp with a crooked cop, a juvenile delinquent and his momma (though Squib is still a good kid in the wanna-be-a-bad-guy stage), a mogwai and a dragon named Vern. And yes, it's just exactly as hilarious as it sounds.
And though I had quite a few literal laugh out lo ...more
*screams with delight*
*stares around to see who else wants to talk about this book*
*finds no one to talk to about it*
*screams with delight again anyway*
Imagine, if you will, an epic story of a the last dragon, a lonely figure hoarding ancient gold . . .
Now imagine, if you will, that this dragon is wearing a very large Flashdance t-shirt and watching Netflix all day in a shack in the Louisiana bayou.
Now just close your eyes and savor the image.
Now open them, and read the book.
*stares around to see who else wants to talk about this book*
*finds no one to talk to about it*
*screams with delight again anyway*
Imagine, if you will, an epic story of a the last dragon, a lonely figure hoarding ancient gold . . .
Now imagine, if you will, that this dragon is wearing a very large Flashdance t-shirt and watching Netflix all day in a shack in the Louisiana bayou.
Now just close your eyes and savor the image.
Now open them, and read the book.
Highfire
A Novel
By: Eoin Colfer
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
Oh my gosh! Colfer wrote a hilarious adult book that is just right! It has a snarky, booze, dragon, named Vern, hiding out in the swamps of Louisiana enjoying a boar now and then. He lives a good life with his gator minions and, other than being lonely for a dragon girl, he does ok. He avoids people until he gets himself into trouble by saving a teen from a crooked cop. Sure, he should've ate the kid but decided to let him live and the anti ...more
A Novel
By: Eoin Colfer
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
Oh my gosh! Colfer wrote a hilarious adult book that is just right! It has a snarky, booze, dragon, named Vern, hiding out in the swamps of Louisiana enjoying a boar now and then. He lives a good life with his gator minions and, other than being lonely for a dragon girl, he does ok. He avoids people until he gets himself into trouble by saving a teen from a crooked cop. Sure, he should've ate the kid but decided to let him live and the anti ...more
Not to start another review with a confession that I’ve never read the author’s previous immensely popular books, but I’m sorry to say I haven’t picked up Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series before diving into his adult fantasy novel, Highfire.
This was a weird little book. It stars Vern, a swamp-dwelling dragon who binge watches television in a Flashdance t-shirt whilst drinking mid-shelf vodka from his La-Z-Boy. So despite being thousands of years old—he’s just like us! He joins forces with a way ...more
This was a weird little book. It stars Vern, a swamp-dwelling dragon who binge watches television in a Flashdance t-shirt whilst drinking mid-shelf vodka from his La-Z-Boy. So despite being thousands of years old—he’s just like us! He joins forces with a way ...more
ARC received in exchange for an honest review 🐉
I’ve grown up with the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer, and they’re a staple in our house for my children (my son is called Eoin too), so I went into this with some trepidation. Could Colfer’s wit carry itself in an adult novel? Especially one that sounds as bizarre as this one, with a grumpy vodka drinking dragon and a boy called Squib with major daddy issues and criminal tendencies. As it happens, yes it could, and this ended up being one hell o ...more
I’ve grown up with the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer, and they’re a staple in our house for my children (my son is called Eoin too), so I went into this with some trepidation. Could Colfer’s wit carry itself in an adult novel? Especially one that sounds as bizarre as this one, with a grumpy vodka drinking dragon and a boy called Squib with major daddy issues and criminal tendencies. As it happens, yes it could, and this ended up being one hell o ...more
Highfire is bestselling children’s author Eoin Colfer’s first adult fantasy novel, and I guess this is one of those situations whereby the old adage ”better late than never” seems particularly apt. So, in the end, was it actually worth waiting for? The short answer is yes, absolutely. The apparent lack of the dreaded hype machine to latch onto this as an upcoming early 2020 publication at the back end of last year when it was announced has worked every bit in its favour. I must admit it's been q
...more
For those who like their fantasy stories filled with humor, here is the start of a new adult fantasy series from the author of Artemis Fowl. Set in the bayous of Louisiana, a young fatherless teen named Everett 'Squib' Moreau tries to stay out of trouble and earn some money to help out his mama while protecting her virtue from a psychopathic constable named Regence Hooke who is hot for her body.
That story would be interesting enough, right? But Eoin Colfer has thrown in a 7-foot tall dragon nam ...more
That story would be interesting enough, right? But Eoin Colfer has thrown in a 7-foot tall dragon nam ...more
Highfire is being marketed as Eoin Colfer's first adult fantasy book but to be honest, apart from the swearing, excessive violence and chapters in the bad guy's point of view, the actual story felt pretty juvenile. I remember really enjoying the Artemis Fowl series when I read it years ago so I was really excited to see what this author would come up with for an adult audience, especially when I found out there would be dragons, but as much as I hate to say this I ended up feeling disappointed.
I ...more
I ...more
Ahoy there me mateys! This book was so not for me. The humor was juvenile and too filled with poop, vomit, and stupid. The characters felt like caricatures of Bayou life and none of them were redeemable. The plot was dumb and uninteresting but I kept reading because I wanted the dragon to be cool. Sadly, at 46% the dragon pissed on the arm of the main character and that was enough.
HOWEVER, the book included a bizarre spelling of the French word for mosquito which led me down an awesome rabb ...more
HOWEVER, the book included a bizarre spelling of the French word for mosquito which led me down an awesome rabb ...more
So of course I’ve heard of this author but I’ve never read anything written by him because he usually writes children’s books and sadly my childhood is far behind. Yet when I spotted this being marketed as an adult story I was beyond curious and happily can state that this was absolutely fabulous !
This was a riveting read that meandered along and just gradually built up the pace. We meet Vern who believes he is sadly the last Dragon around but he’s far from what you would expect a Dragon to be. ...more
This was a riveting read that meandered along and just gradually built up the pace. We meet Vern who believes he is sadly the last Dragon around but he’s far from what you would expect a Dragon to be. ...more
3.5 Stars
I'd just like to say that I absolutely loved Vern. He was an incredibly well written character and, in my opinion, made this book.
I'm a little on the fence on Highfire. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but I felt there was not a lot of anything going on for most of the book and then all the action was crammed in to a few chapters.
I also felt that this was kind of like a children's story adapted for adults using a whole lot of graphic gore. If that makes any sense? I don't know if it's ...more
I'd just like to say that I absolutely loved Vern. He was an incredibly well written character and, in my opinion, made this book.
I'm a little on the fence on Highfire. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but I felt there was not a lot of anything going on for most of the book and then all the action was crammed in to a few chapters.
I also felt that this was kind of like a children's story adapted for adults using a whole lot of graphic gore. If that makes any sense? I don't know if it's ...more
Vern is the last dragon, thousands of years old, and obsessed with flashdance? Squib is a swamp kid trying to get by. Hooke, our villain, is a crooked cop. And Highfire follows the story of how their three lives become intertwined.
Highfire started out well , but in the end just wasn't my cup of tea.
I didn’t get that attached to the characters. It felt as if not all that much really happens, and it was less fantastical than I thought it would be.
However, I appreciate the originality of the p ...more
Highfire started out well , but in the end just wasn't my cup of tea.
I didn’t get that attached to the characters. It felt as if not all that much really happens, and it was less fantastical than I thought it would be.
However, I appreciate the originality of the p ...more
4.5★s
“Every time he met someone, Hooke was figuring how to murder them and get away with it, in case the need arose.”
Highfire is a stand-alone novel by Irish author, Eoin Colfer. The Louisiana bayou: about the last place you'd expect to find a dragon. But here, just upstream from Petit Bateau on a trib of the West Peace River, is Vern (formerly Wyvern Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie and possibly the very last dragon in the world), drinking Absolut, watching Netflix, wearing Flashdance T-shir ...more
“Every time he met someone, Hooke was figuring how to murder them and get away with it, in case the need arose.”
Highfire is a stand-alone novel by Irish author, Eoin Colfer. The Louisiana bayou: about the last place you'd expect to find a dragon. But here, just upstream from Petit Bateau on a trib of the West Peace River, is Vern (formerly Wyvern Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie and possibly the very last dragon in the world), drinking Absolut, watching Netflix, wearing Flashdance T-shir ...more
I received a complimentary copy of this e-book ARC from the author, publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Everett Squib Moreau is a young teenager trying to survive in the Louisiana swamps. He loves his mama very much and despises Constable Regence Hooke who wants to place a hook into his mom. When Squib sees something he isn't suppossed to see, he is stalked by Hooke and an angry dragon named Vern. Will he survive? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good YA a ...more
Everett Squib Moreau is a young teenager trying to survive in the Louisiana swamps. He loves his mama very much and despises Constable Regence Hooke who wants to place a hook into his mom. When Squib sees something he isn't suppossed to see, he is stalked by Hooke and an angry dragon named Vern. Will he survive? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good YA a ...more
Feb 15, 2019
Stephanie (Bookfever)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2020-publication,
favorite-authors,
fantasy,
2020-favorites,
adult,
owned-physical-books,
humor,
dragons
When your favorite author announces he's writing his first adult fantasy book you pre-order it it months in advance and eagerly await its release, which is just what I did. The story was funny as hell, unique and action-packed. Also, it has a a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon. What more could I want?
First of all, how does Colfer keep coming up with the best character names? It's one of my favorite things about his books. In this one we have Squib Moreau, Vern (which stands for Wyvern) a ...more
First of all, how does Colfer keep coming up with the best character names? It's one of my favorite things about his books. In this one we have Squib Moreau, Vern (which stands for Wyvern) a ...more
I always feel guilty DNFing books, especially when they're advanced copies, but it has to be done. This is by no means a bad book, and I can see why people will enjoy this—it's funny, has charming characters—it's just not doing anything for me. Someone please drag me out of this reading slump!!
...more
Eoin Colfer, the writer of the much-loved Artemis Fowl children’s series has written the adult novel Highfire about a dragon hanging down low in the swamps of Louisiana. Highfire is a comedic novel full of eccentric characters acting in odd ways peppered with violence, adult language, and fantasy elements.
Comedic novels are tough. They are all about the jokes. And let’s be honest, jokes are not exactly known for their plots, conflicts, characters, and all the other elements that make up a rivet ...more
Comedic novels are tough. They are all about the jokes. And let’s be honest, jokes are not exactly known for their plots, conflicts, characters, and all the other elements that make up a rivet ...more
I was excited to be approved for this title. I did request it on a whim because the synopsis was just out of this world weird. I really didn’t know what to expect when picking this up to start. Although it sounded good, I had a hard time enjoying it. Not because there was anything wrong with it but because I just don’t think it was suited for me.
This book has multiple point-of-views that aren’t always separated by chapters. It wasn’t hard to follow along as it was all in third person. It made it ...more
This book has multiple point-of-views that aren’t always separated by chapters. It wasn’t hard to follow along as it was all in third person. It made it ...more
Nov 21, 2019
Kogiopsis
added it
The last line of this book is just "Balls out." and I feel like that summarizes its tone incredibly well.
(Seriously, though, testes are a frequent topic of conversation.)
Still mulling over how I feel about it and working to disentangle the nostalgia I associate with Colfer from the book itself so that I can properly evaluate it. It doesn't help that his writing style is so singular, even when the dialect/voice is completely different - something about that wry, metatextual third person just brin ...more
(Seriously, though, testes are a frequent topic of conversation.)
Still mulling over how I feel about it and working to disentangle the nostalgia I associate with Colfer from the book itself so that I can properly evaluate it. It doesn't help that his writing style is so singular, even when the dialect/voice is completely different - something about that wry, metatextual third person just brin ...more
4.5 stars.
Everett ‘Squib’ Moreau is fifteen-years-old. Squib is always getting into trouble with the law for minor infractions and small misdemeanours, nothing major and he is more of a rascal than a delinquent. Squib’s stepfather (Fake Daddy) ran off and left his mother, Elodie drowning in unpaid gambling debts that passed from him onto her. Squib has three different jobs and Elodie is a nurse working long hours as they try to keep their heads above water, survive and pay off the gambling debts ...more
Everett ‘Squib’ Moreau is fifteen-years-old. Squib is always getting into trouble with the law for minor infractions and small misdemeanours, nothing major and he is more of a rascal than a delinquent. Squib’s stepfather (Fake Daddy) ran off and left his mother, Elodie drowning in unpaid gambling debts that passed from him onto her. Squib has three different jobs and Elodie is a nurse working long hours as they try to keep their heads above water, survive and pay off the gambling debts ...more
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| Goodreads Librari...: Please correct my mistakes | 5 | 15 | Aug 04, 2020 09:45AM | |
| UAPL Adult Services: Lit-Chat: Sci-Fi Stories | 1 | 11 | Jul 16, 2020 07:46AM | |
| West Polk Adult S...: BOOK #1: Highfire by Eoin Colfer | 1 | 5 | May 30, 2020 11:32AM | |
| Play Book Tag: [Poll Ballot] Highfire by Eoin Colfer- 3 stars | 2 | 6 | May 20, 2020 07:51PM | |
The Procrastinato...:
Highfire (February 2020) Buddy Read Discussion - Laura, Laura
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9 | 26 | Feb 15, 2020 09:35PM |
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Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the A ...more
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the A ...more
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“What a peach of a night this had turned out to be.
Everett fucking Moreau: master planner.
Like that little French guy who used to get with tall ladies to prove a point. Napoleon.
But not like him at all, except for they both ended up fucked on an island, if he didn’t misremember his history. Or maybe it was Huck Finn who got fucked on an island.
Either way, he was the idiot getting fucked on a water-locked landmass this fine evening.”
—
2 likes
Everett fucking Moreau: master planner.
Like that little French guy who used to get with tall ladies to prove a point. Napoleon.
But not like him at all, except for they both ended up fucked on an island, if he didn’t misremember his history. Or maybe it was Huck Finn who got fucked on an island.
Either way, he was the idiot getting fucked on a water-locked landmass this fine evening.”
“Vern did not trust humans was the long and short of it. Not a single one. He had known many in his life, even liked a few, but in the end they all sold him out to the angry mob. Which was why he holed up in Honey Island Swamp out of harm's way.
Vern liked the swamp okay. As much as he liked anything after all these years. Goddamn, so many years just stretching out behind him like bricks in that road old King Darius put down back in who gives a shit BC. Funny how things came back out of the blue. Like that ancient Persian road. He couldn't remember last week, and now he was flashing back a couple thousand years, give or take. Vern had baked half those bricks his own self, back when he still did a little blue-collar. Nearly wore out the internal combustion engine. Shed his skin two seasons early because of that bitch of a job. That and diet. No one had a clue about nutrition in those days. Vern was mostly ketogenic now, high fat, low carbs, apart from his beloved breakfast cereals. Keto made perfect sense for a dragon, especially with his core temperature. Unfortunately, it meant that beer had to go, but he got by on vodka. Absolut was his preferred brand. A little high on alcohol but easiest on the system.”
—
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More quotes…
Vern liked the swamp okay. As much as he liked anything after all these years. Goddamn, so many years just stretching out behind him like bricks in that road old King Darius put down back in who gives a shit BC. Funny how things came back out of the blue. Like that ancient Persian road. He couldn't remember last week, and now he was flashing back a couple thousand years, give or take. Vern had baked half those bricks his own self, back when he still did a little blue-collar. Nearly wore out the internal combustion engine. Shed his skin two seasons early because of that bitch of a job. That and diet. No one had a clue about nutrition in those days. Vern was mostly ketogenic now, high fat, low carbs, apart from his beloved breakfast cereals. Keto made perfect sense for a dragon, especially with his core temperature. Unfortunately, it meant that beer had to go, but he got by on vodka. Absolut was his preferred brand. A little high on alcohol but easiest on the system.”
