“True Detective meets Swamp Thing in the Artemis Fowl author’s neo-noirish thriller about a curmudgeonly dragon in Louisiana.” —GuardianFrom 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 … 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 flew the skies and scorched angry mobs—now he hides from swamp tour boats and rises only with the greatest reluctance from his Laz-Z-Boy recliner. Laying 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 (aka 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.
more
This was a wonderful fantasy. It held action and laughs. I need to find more books by this author!
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 antics are on! It is funny, heartwarming, and just downright silly but I loved every minute! Unpredictable, great characters, and I hope this will be a series!
I got the Audible version because Heller I knew would make the book POP and he did! He made it even better! Great pair – Colfer and Heller!
I’ve always loved author’s young adult books. He should stick to that genre and leave the adult audience alone.
Refreshingly different. I really liked it!
I’m a huge Eoin Colfer fan, because his characters are the best. THE BEST. What’s not to love about a cantankerous dragon called Vern, hiding out in the Louisiana Bayou with his cable TV, La-Z-Boy recliner, Flashdance T-shirts, and Absolut vodka? Add Squib, an entrepreneurial 15-year-old swamp rat determined to avoid the nasty piece of law enforcement whose weapon of choice is a gut hook (and is lusting after his momma), and this is one mind-blowing, genre-bending page-turner. Despite a few scenes of gore, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud lines, especially as Vern and Squib become employer and employee. I would love a sequel!
A dragon who lives in the Louisiana bayou, despising humans, forms a pact with a 15-year-old boy to keep him supplied in vodka, cable TV and ‘Flashdance’ shirts. The boy has witnessed a murder by the local constable, who has his sights on the boy’s mother. The constable discovers the dragon and plots to use him to take over the New Orleans drug trade. Laugh-out-loud funny in spots, suspenseful, moving, original.
First, this is not my usual fare, but I like the Artemis Fowl books, so I thought I’d give this adult fantasy about a vodka-loving last dragon on earth living in the Louisiana swamps a try. That said, I almost put it down as soon as I met the nastiest villain ever, who gives readers his full, unedited POV. This is clearly Pete’s Dragon meets Rambo/The Whole Nine Yards and the seamiest side of the drug trade in back bayou Louisiana. Be advised: Graphic violence, profanity, and explosions from every bodily orifice, not to mention military-grade ordinance should delight males of a certain age. They don’t delight me. And Regence Hooke is as foul a sociopath as I’ve ever met.
However, I decided to forge ahead because I liked Squib and Vern and their dynamic. The end satisfied, but I didn’t always enjoy the narration and events on the way there, so the book is a 3.5 for me. (BTW: For those who’ve read The Fowl Twins, Regence Hooke is Lord Teddy for adult males.) I applaud Eoin Colfer for creating a setting, characters and events that feel incredibly authentic and for humor that (mostly) tempers the graphic violence.
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.
If you like Bubba the Monster Hunter, you’ll really enjoy Highfire. Fun romp of a book.
Love this book very well written and funny it’s set in the Louisiana bayou‘s with an old dragon that really doesn’t like humans very much coming into contact with a young boy that’s gotten involved in the shady side of the bayous
Getting involved in the boys life trying to keep them safe leads to some funny situations great character and storyline looking forward to more in the series
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. Vern is grumpy, snarky and obsessed with vodka, keto and Flashdance ! His only friend is Waxman but even he is anything but ordinary although sadly my lips are sealed.
Into Verns quiet , hard drinking, cable watching life comes crashing a young boy known as Squib . Squib adores his mama, is wily enough not to get caught too often when not exactly being an upstanding young man oh and has just landed himself in a really precarious position ! Why ? Well that’s all because of a vile, murdering cop who is pretty certain that if anyone has evidence on him then they definitely need to leave the land of the living !
This started so quietly really and felt character driven as the author introduced his characters and all their idiosyncrasies . We learn that Vern is still caught up in his past and cantankerous as only a lonely thousands of years old Dragon can be. We understand that Squib is bright yet not focused but most of all it’s obvious that he’s still looking for a father figure. Plus there are passages that get inside Hookes head that really help make him feel both real and yet psychotic at the same time. Then boom the pace slowly increases and it begins hurtling along until it truly is an edge of the seat read that was impossible to put down. This book with its Godzilla looking hero ( just don’t call him a Gargoyle ! ) is poignant, exciting, funny and is a huge recommendation from me.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair