kim_m's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting take on a contagion that changes the world. Hill's "spore" gets 5 stars.
moatiger's review against another edition
4.0
I did not have very high expectations for this book going into it, especially as it was written by a man and the main protagonist is a pregnant woman, but I was pleasantly surprised. Harper's pregnancy is a part of her story, but it is not all she is, it is part of her but it does not define her.
The rest of the characters are well-written and feel realistic, and even though I did not realise they're related until just now, Hill's writing does resemble his father's quite a bit, in all the best ways.
The rest of the characters are well-written and feel realistic, and even though I did not realise they're related until just now, Hill's writing does resemble his father's quite a bit, in all the best ways.
honeybadger11492's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
wahine2748's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Joe Hill is slowly becoming an auto-buy author for me like his Dad. If you are a Stephen King fan, you'll like Joe Hill too. While more action and suspense than horror, this epic layered story is action packed and cinematic with great character and world building. Every character has great quirks and voice, and the journey is fun and unexpected with twists and turns around every corner. What was most spooky about this story was reading about a near future apocalyptic world during a pandemic while we go through our own global pandemic. This reality did not feel too far from ours, and Hill makes some accurate observations about what brings out the worst in people, and it truly is scary.
Joe Hill is slowly becoming an auto-buy author for me like his Dad. If you are a Stephen King fan, you'll like Joe Hill too. While more action and suspense than horror, this epic layered story is action packed and cinematic with great character and world building. Every character has great quirks and voice, and the journey is fun and unexpected with twists and turns around every corner. What was most spooky about this story was reading about a near future apocalyptic world during a pandemic while we go through our own global pandemic. This reality did not feel too far from ours, and Hill makes some accurate observations about what brings out the worst in people, and it truly is scary.
ed_d's review against another edition
4.0
Joe Hill lists some inspirations at the beginning of this novel, among them several authors: [a:J. K. Rowling|15753927|J. K. Rowling|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:P.L. Travers|6872556|P.L. Travers|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1391347103p2/6872556.jpg], [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg] ("from whom I stole my title"), and of course "my father, from whom I stole all the rest". One can see why Hill would chose to forgo his famous surname when he set out as an author -- to establish his own reputation out of the immense shadow cast by his dad ([a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg]). His paternity is evident, though his voice is his own (this is his fourth distinctive novel, not to mention a well-regarded comic series and a collection of stories); he shares his father's gift for drawing vivid characters and making his readers care about them, and that's more than half the battle in writing.
The Fireman is a post-apocalyptic story, but it's rendered on a smaller scale than the usual examples of the trope; though we get glimpses of the wider range and consequence of the apocalypse (caused by an infection cleverly named Draco Incendia Trychophyton and even more cleverly nicknamed Dragonscale), the focus is on a small band of "survivors"struggling to make a haven for themselves at a summer camp in the New Hampshire wilderness. Among them is the Fireman himself, of course, but he's not the main character. Our protagonist is Harper, who begins the novel as a conscientious nurse with a Mary Poppins fixation dealing with the early victims of Dragonscale and finds herself falling in with the band of campers trying to survive.
Dragonscale has physiological and psychological effects that are both explored plausibly; the infection causes spontaneous human combustion and is highly contagious, so the response, both medically and socially, is swift and sometimes terrible. Harper and her newfound companions must deal not only with the evolving threat of the infection, but the devolving society that surrounds them. Even at more than 700 pages, I found it a quick read with a satisfying conclusion. (There's even an "easter egg" coda hidden on the copyright page at the end of the book.)
The Fireman is a post-apocalyptic story, but it's rendered on a smaller scale than the usual examples of the trope; though we get glimpses of the wider range and consequence of the apocalypse (caused by an infection cleverly named Draco Incendia Trychophyton and even more cleverly nicknamed Dragonscale), the focus is on a small band of "survivors"struggling to make a haven for themselves at a summer camp in the New Hampshire wilderness. Among them is the Fireman himself, of course, but he's not the main character. Our protagonist is Harper, who begins the novel as a conscientious nurse with a Mary Poppins fixation dealing with the early victims of Dragonscale and finds herself falling in with the band of campers trying to survive.
Dragonscale has physiological and psychological effects that are both explored plausibly; the infection causes spontaneous human combustion and is highly contagious, so the response, both medically and socially, is swift and sometimes terrible. Harper and her newfound companions must deal not only with the evolving threat of the infection, but the devolving society that surrounds them. Even at more than 700 pages, I found it a quick read with a satisfying conclusion. (There's even an "easter egg" coda hidden on the copyright page at the end of the book.)
joelevard's review against another edition
4.0
Rarely have I reached the end of a book and felt a greater sense of relief. This is an extremely effective 800-page experiment in sustained tension, like reading a series of season finales of The Walking Dead until you just can't anymore.
comrade_mothman's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
pbanditp's review against another edition
3.0
it was an interesting premise, but I wasn't able to get drawn into it. Characters were okay but any of them could have died and I would have been fine with it. Spoiler...it is not even about the Fireman.
bhale33's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lunarelle's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book. Not quite what I would consider true horror (because my idea of horror revolves around Pennywise the Dancing Clown and Nightmare), but it was thrilling, to say the least. Highly recommended!