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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
"There's something horribly unfair about dying in the middle of a good story, before you have a chance to see how it all comes out. Of course, I suppose everyone ALWAYS dies in the middle of a good story, in a sense. Your own story. Or the story of your grandchildren. Death is a raw deal for narrative junkies."
I've been meaning to try Joe Hill's writing for years now, and I even had more than one physical book waiting to be read on my shelves. I ended up picking up The Fireman on a whim, deciding to get my 600+ pages book in early to avoid more deadlines in the final months... I don't exactly read a lot of dystopian stories, but there was just something about this one in particular that had me curious. And what a ride it turned out to be! I'm actually kind of grateful I waited this long to read it, because I feel this story has an even bigger impact after everything that happened during the worst of the COVID pandemic. The Fireman is set in a dystopian world that takes place just after the Dragonscale pandemic hits. The world is LITERALLY going up in flames, and we are along for the ride... I still don't know how it escaped my notice that Joe Hill is actually the pen name of Stephen King's son, but I could definitely see his influence in this story. The Fireman is a big one at 762 pages, and it takes us on a meandering yet urgent journey as people try to survive in this new reality. The pace was a tad slow at times and the plot overly descriptive (something you often see in King's longer books as well), but somehow the plot still kept me engaged. The Dragonscale disease was fascinating to read about, and the human reactions on both sides scarily plausible. The cast of characters was quite big, but not too difficult to keep apart and you will soon find yourself rooting for them. There were some stupid decisions that were frustrating, but as a whole The Fireman was definitely a winner for me. I can't wait to pick up more of his books soon!
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
loxeletters's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The characters were incredibly likeable and I did not see most of the plot's twists and turns coming. While I felt that the continued presence of Harper's ex was a bit contrived, he did serve as a compelling villain figure - if a bit exaggerated in some aspects.
The discussion of humanity's kindness towards the end was especially interesting to me.
However I did feel that the last part was quite rushed, compared to the previous sections, and featured surprisingly little detail - though I understand this choice from a storytelling perspective, it felt a bit incoherent with the rest of the book.
One thing I noticed was that John apparently learnt an unspecified sign language from his Irish mother, likely BSL or ISL, which somehow resulted in him being able to sign ASL? That seems like an unfortunate oversight on part of the author.
Nevertheless, the characters, their relationships, and the intricate plot had me devouring this book within a few days, and I even shed a tear towards the end.
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Animal death
smithreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
idroplungs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death
myka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting