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The Fireman A Novel Joe Hill Books

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The Fireman A Novel Joe Hill Books

The highest praise I can give The Fireman is that when I finished it I felt as if I had lost my best friend, just because the story was done. I became so involved in the tale that I went through a sort of post-literary tristesse at its conclusion. Joe Hill has delivered a post-apocalyptic tale that is both dark and terrible and full of hope and humanity at the same time. It's almost impossible not to draw parallels to his father's novel, The Stand. Not only survivors banding together and the juxtaposition of good and evil, but also in slyer ways. I couldn't help but wonder if Hill's character of Harold Cross was HAROLD Lauder + Nadine CROSS (two characters from King's The Stand) - sort of an homage to the brilliant, petulant, pervy character his father had developed in such odious detail. But this book isn't The Stand by any means. In my opinion it is a masterful tale told with imagination and insight into the human condition. There are people that are not necessarily evil themselves, but do very evil things when caught up in mob mentality. There are also people that are basically "good" who have their weaknesses and flaws and don't always do the right thing. These things are similar, but the addition of the dragonscale spore to the mix opens up a totally different world.

The tale is dark for much of the book, but throughout there is a golden thread of hope that keeps you going. It's actually quite uplifting at times, a lot of which is due to the main character's charm and appeal. Harper is wonderfully developed. She has good values and the caring demeanor of a true nurse, but she's also flawed in that she tends to let people walk over her - not seeing sometimes that she's being repressed. I also love that she can be delightfully bawdy at times. I enjoyed all of the characters in The Fireman - the good and the evil - including the eponymous character himself. The Fireman (John Rookwood) is delightfully complex as well - heroic, funny, a protector, but also too proud and not able to let go of the past. The flaws of the characters make them so much more real and relatable.

I highly recommend The Fireman. I was thrilled to learn that it's to be made into a movie - I will definitely make a point of seeing it. This is a book I will also reread from time to time - like visiting an old friend. If you haven't read Joe Hill's other books and short stories, do yourself a big favor and do so. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you, Joe Hill, for such a wonderful story. It's rife with the failings of humankind, but also full of heart and hope. You're a fierce talent, and I look forward to your next work.


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The Fireman A Novel Joe Hill Books Reviews

Wow ... such high hopes. I was very disappointed in this book. The premise sounded promising - a virus that cause people to burst into flames - and the opening chapter was riveting. But after that Hill's story progresses at a snail's pace. I was most disappointed because I'd enjoyed all of his other novels immensely. It's unfair to add that he's Stephen King's son, but that being the case is partly why my expectations were so high (though I've had something of a love/hate relationship with his offerings over the past few years).
Honestly, the worst thing I can say about this book is that it was boring, and in the end, I didn't really care who lived or died. I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters. I can't help but feel like this book could have benefited mightily from a better editor who could trim it down from 600-plus pages to 300.
Possible spoilers ahead

The first half of this book starts out fantastic. We see the slow decline of mankind and experience it with the main character, Harper. I can't really think of any disease more terrifying than one that could cause you to spontaneously combust without any sort of warning. I liked Harper for the most part, but she was pretty generic. Kind of a cardboard cut out nurse.

Of course, at about the halfway point, we do meet the thing more terrifying than the disease that causes you to spontaneously combust, self preserving, panicked humans. I think Carol is the most terrifying, but there is also Jakob Grayson, the Marlboro Man, and a whole slew of others. A good horror story all around. The horror never seems to end for Harper and her friends.

By that I mean, this book never seems to end. Don't get me wrong, I don't object to books being long. In fact- I like long. I think my objection to the length of this book comes from a lack of focus or clear direction. First the antagonist is the dragon scale itself, then it's her husband, Jakob Grayson, then its group think and Carol y, then it's the Governor of Maine. I thought this book was over when I was at the 75% mark. It felt over. We reached a huge climax, overcame it, and moved on. It should have ended. I thought that other 25% was acknowledgements and book previews, etc., etc. as my kindle app so often tells me I'm only 75% finished when the book is actually done. I was ready for someone to put these characters out of their misery.

That being said- I did enjoy the story overall. I like the fireman character. I adored Nick. I felt bad about Mr. Truffles. That seemed unnecessary. The horror was real. I will definitely keep on with Joe Hill. I don't think the drawn out ending outweighed the good story telling here, but it wasn't NOS4A2. If you want to read Joe Hill and haven't checked out NOS4A2 yet- start with that one.
The highest praise I can give The Fireman is that when I finished it I felt as if I had lost my best friend, just because the story was done. I became so involved in the tale that I went through a sort of post-literary tristesse at its conclusion. Joe Hill has delivered a post-apocalyptic tale that is both dark and terrible and full of hope and humanity at the same time. It's almost impossible not to draw parallels to his father's novel, The Stand. Not only survivors banding together and the juxtaposition of good and evil, but also in slyer ways. I couldn't help but wonder if Hill's character of Harold Cross was HAROLD Lauder + Nadine CROSS (two characters from King's The Stand) - sort of an homage to the brilliant, petulant, pervy character his father had developed in such odious detail. But this book isn't The Stand by any means. In my opinion it is a masterful tale told with imagination and insight into the human condition. There are people that are not necessarily evil themselves, but do very evil things when caught up in mob mentality. There are also people that are basically "good" who have their weaknesses and flaws and don't always do the right thing. These things are similar, but the addition of the dragonscale spore to the mix opens up a totally different world.

The tale is dark for much of the book, but throughout there is a golden thread of hope that keeps you going. It's actually quite uplifting at times, a lot of which is due to the main character's charm and appeal. Harper is wonderfully developed. She has good values and the caring demeanor of a true nurse, but she's also flawed in that she tends to let people walk over her - not seeing sometimes that she's being repressed. I also love that she can be delightfully bawdy at times. I enjoyed all of the characters in The Fireman - the good and the evil - including the eponymous character himself. The Fireman (John Rookwood) is delightfully complex as well - heroic, funny, a protector, but also too proud and not able to let go of the past. The flaws of the characters make them so much more real and relatable.

I highly recommend The Fireman. I was thrilled to learn that it's to be made into a movie - I will definitely make a point of seeing it. This is a book I will also reread from time to time - like visiting an old friend. If you haven't read Joe Hill's other books and short stories, do yourself a big favor and do so. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you, Joe Hill, for such a wonderful story. It's rife with the failings of humankind, but also full of heart and hope. You're a fierce talent, and I look forward to your next work.