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Smoke Eaters #1
Smoke Eaters
When dragons rise from the earth, firefighters are humanity’s last line of defence, in this wild near-future fantasy. Firefighter Cole Brannigan is on the verge of retirement after 30 years on the job, and a decade fighting dragons. But during his final fire call, he discovers he’s immune to dragon smoke. It’s such a rare power that he’s immediately conscripted into the elite dragon-fighting force known as the Smoke Eaters. Retirement cancelled, Brannigan is re-assigned as a lowly rookie, chafing under his superiors. So when he discovers a plot to take over the city’s government, he takes matters into his own hands. With hundreds of innocent civilians in the crosshairs, it’s up to Brannigan and his fellow Smoke Eaters to repel the dragon menace.File Fantasy
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2018
About the author
Sean Grigsby
16 books107 followersSean Grigsby is a professional firefighter in central Arkansas, where he writes about lasers, aliens, and guitar battles with the Devil...when he’s not fighting dragons.
Find him at www.seangrigsby.com
Find him at www.seangrigsby.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
February 15, 2018
Smoke Eaters starts with a delightful premise and quickly spirals out of control. Cole Brannigan is about to retire from his firefighting career when he is unexpectedly recruited to join the Smoke Eaters, a secret group of dragon fighters. Brannigan is soon thrown into a world of political intrigue, world travel, superpowers, and war and he might just be the only man able to save the world.
I loved the start of this book - firefighters specially equipped to fight dragons? What a cool idea! And there was a lot of potential in the beginning - Sherry, Brannigan's wife, seemed like a really fun character, fighting dragons sounded exciting, and Brannigan is an older main character, which was refreshing.
But things quickly got out of control. Brannigan is, in some ways, a Gary Stu - he is always the best at everything and is typically the only man awesome enough to do anything. Everyone immediately likes him (and woman half his age try to seduce him). Brannigan's rough and crude ways (while often frowned upon) are always the best way to handle whatever conflicts are being faced. When something bad happens, it is something that happens to Brannigan and he is never to blame for his part in the conflict. He was honestly the part of this book that bothered me the most - he wasn't a realistic character. He seemed like what a middle aged man wishes he could be more than an actual man.
The portrayal of women really bothered me as well. Brannigan's wife Sherry is introduced in a way that makes her seem like a significant character, but after the first couple chapters, she has only a handful of appearances. And during all these appearances, she's either nagging Brannigan, severely injured, or trying to seduce her husband. She starts off interesting, but is soon almost entirely forgotten about. I'm not sure why the author decided to make Brannigan a married man - maybe to create a little more drama in his relationships with other women? Other women's portrayals are just as bad. When Brannigan is seeking medical attention, all his female coworkers try to get a peek at his junk. He frequently checks out women and then talks about how he can't get with them since he's married. He even makes a point to mention a woman he runs into who Sherry was worried he was into, but silly Sherry - how could he be into this woman? She's fifty pounds too heavy for his tastes and besides, she's a lesbian, which is probably the only reason she isn't into him. The only female characters who aren't constantly trying to sleep with Brannigan are the quirky scientist and the commanding, but loyal Smoke Eaters trainer. And they functioned as little else than conveyers of information and people to be impressed by Brannigan.
Okay. Now the world also made zero sense. In this world, dragons have suddenly appeared (within the last 5-10 years) and the world has apparently collapsed and the USA is now a scattered collection of city-states. That's fine and an interesting idea for a world. However, it wasn't shown well. While there's a lot of talk about all the damage caused by the dragons and how the world is struggling, that's never shown. There are holoreaders, robotic dogs, and even Facebook (aka "The Feed"). So society somehow conveniently rebuilt itself around this new world in just a few years and still has amazing tech and standard middle-class suburbia culture? Also, this society is apparently a couple hundred years in the future, but all the culture is conveniently stuck in the early 2000's, so everyone still listens to Marvin Gaye and reads John Scalzi. The world made no sense - especially the scenes in Canada, which I won't even get into because they were so bizarre.
And I haven't even gotten around to the plot yet. This plot is so convoluted. It has everything - corrupt government officials, public protests, sexual tension, dragons, ghosts, ray guns, psychic wheelchairs, human sacrifices, snarky retorts, orphanages, sketchy covert operations, droids replacing human labor.....I could go on. It's way too much. This book tries to include everything that the author thought would be interesting, but it's way too complicated and just makes the book obnoxious to try understanding what's going on.
I really wouldn't recommend this book. The original idea has potential, but the finished product ended up seeming more like a middle aged man's fantasy than an interesting science fiction story. If you're a fan of badly done action films, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, stay away.
I loved the start of this book - firefighters specially equipped to fight dragons? What a cool idea! And there was a lot of potential in the beginning - Sherry, Brannigan's wife, seemed like a really fun character, fighting dragons sounded exciting, and Brannigan is an older main character, which was refreshing.
But things quickly got out of control. Brannigan is, in some ways, a Gary Stu - he is always the best at everything and is typically the only man awesome enough to do anything. Everyone immediately likes him (and woman half his age try to seduce him). Brannigan's rough and crude ways (while often frowned upon) are always the best way to handle whatever conflicts are being faced. When something bad happens, it is something that happens to Brannigan and he is never to blame for his part in the conflict. He was honestly the part of this book that bothered me the most - he wasn't a realistic character. He seemed like what a middle aged man wishes he could be more than an actual man.
The portrayal of women really bothered me as well. Brannigan's wife Sherry is introduced in a way that makes her seem like a significant character, but after the first couple chapters, she has only a handful of appearances. And during all these appearances, she's either nagging Brannigan, severely injured, or trying to seduce her husband. She starts off interesting, but is soon almost entirely forgotten about. I'm not sure why the author decided to make Brannigan a married man - maybe to create a little more drama in his relationships with other women? Other women's portrayals are just as bad. When Brannigan is seeking medical attention, all his female coworkers try to get a peek at his junk. He frequently checks out women and then talks about how he can't get with them since he's married. He even makes a point to mention a woman he runs into who Sherry was worried he was into, but silly Sherry - how could he be into this woman? She's fifty pounds too heavy for his tastes and besides, she's a lesbian, which is probably the only reason she isn't into him. The only female characters who aren't constantly trying to sleep with Brannigan are the quirky scientist and the commanding, but loyal Smoke Eaters trainer. And they functioned as little else than conveyers of information and people to be impressed by Brannigan.
Okay. Now the world also made zero sense. In this world, dragons have suddenly appeared (within the last 5-10 years) and the world has apparently collapsed and the USA is now a scattered collection of city-states. That's fine and an interesting idea for a world. However, it wasn't shown well. While there's a lot of talk about all the damage caused by the dragons and how the world is struggling, that's never shown. There are holoreaders, robotic dogs, and even Facebook (aka "The Feed"). So society somehow conveniently rebuilt itself around this new world in just a few years and still has amazing tech and standard middle-class suburbia culture? Also, this society is apparently a couple hundred years in the future, but all the culture is conveniently stuck in the early 2000's, so everyone still listens to Marvin Gaye and reads John Scalzi. The world made no sense - especially the scenes in Canada, which I won't even get into because they were so bizarre.
And I haven't even gotten around to the plot yet. This plot is so convoluted. It has everything - corrupt government officials, public protests, sexual tension, dragons, ghosts, ray guns, psychic wheelchairs, human sacrifices, snarky retorts, orphanages, sketchy covert operations, droids replacing human labor.....I could go on. It's way too much. This book tries to include everything that the author thought would be interesting, but it's way too complicated and just makes the book obnoxious to try understanding what's going on.
I really wouldn't recommend this book. The original idea has potential, but the finished product ended up seeming more like a middle aged man's fantasy than an interesting science fiction story. If you're a fan of badly done action films, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, stay away.
April 3, 2018
Smoke Eaters nos ofrece algo que todos queríamos y no sabíamos que necesitábamos: bomberos contra dragones.
El debut de Sean Grigsby es uno de esos libros de entretenimiento puro: no esperes reflexiones meditativas ni grandes y complejas tramas, porque el libro va a que te lo pases bien en todos los aspectos: el capitán Cole Brannigan es un listillo de cuidado, lleno de chascarrillos y zascas en la boca, con un vocabulario y una forma de pensar que hacían difícil pensar que tuviera su edad y una actitud de "no-acepto-mierda-de-nadie" muy chula. La sociedad del siglo XXII no tiene práctica exploración de los avances sociales más allá de los juguetes tecnológicos guays y cómo los dragones cambiaron la sociedad desde su aparición hace siete años. El alcalde Rogola es un villano tan cheesy que perfectamente podría haber estado en una peli de polis de los 80.
¿Y estas cosas hacen al libro malo? No, joder. Es la hostia: te lo pasas como un enano. Brannigan es un personaje que da la vida, que hace que desees ver en qué líos acaba metido y cómo consigue mejorar o empeorar la situación (con él puede ir en cualquier dirección), por no decir que las peleas contra los dragones y las escenas de acción, que están por todas partes, son magníficas y hacen que notes cómo la situación está que arde. Perdón por el chistaco.
Os lo advierto: si queréis leerlo y vuestro nivel de inglés es bajo, preparaos. La cantidad de idioms, juegos de palabras y frases hechas que hay hacen que sea muy difícil. Pero por lo demás, es divertidísimo. Leedlo.
El debut de Sean Grigsby es uno de esos libros de entretenimiento puro: no esperes reflexiones meditativas ni grandes y complejas tramas, porque el libro va a que te lo pases bien en todos los aspectos: el capitán Cole Brannigan es un listillo de cuidado, lleno de chascarrillos y zascas en la boca, con un vocabulario y una forma de pensar que hacían difícil pensar que tuviera su edad y una actitud de "no-acepto-mierda-de-nadie" muy chula. La sociedad del siglo XXII no tiene práctica exploración de los avances sociales más allá de los juguetes tecnológicos guays y cómo los dragones cambiaron la sociedad desde su aparición hace siete años. El alcalde Rogola es un villano tan cheesy que perfectamente podría haber estado en una peli de polis de los 80.
¿Y estas cosas hacen al libro malo? No, joder. Es la hostia: te lo pasas como un enano. Brannigan es un personaje que da la vida, que hace que desees ver en qué líos acaba metido y cómo consigue mejorar o empeorar la situación (con él puede ir en cualquier dirección), por no decir que las peleas contra los dragones y las escenas de acción, que están por todas partes, son magníficas y hacen que notes cómo la situación está que arde. Perdón por el chistaco.
Os lo advierto: si queréis leerlo y vuestro nivel de inglés es bajo, preparaos. La cantidad de idioms, juegos de palabras y frases hechas que hay hacen que sea muy difícil. Pero por lo demás, es divertidísimo. Leedlo.
November 9, 2017
This thing is an absolute blast, and can be easily summed up in three words: Firefighters vs. Dragons.
Yeah, you did hear that right – that’s how absolutely gonzo nuts this book is. There’s a lot more than that going on, of course, but that’s the essence of it. You’ve also got a semi-post apocalyptic 22nd century North America devastated by, you guessed it, dragons. The US government has devolved into a series of corrupt city-states each fighting for their own survival against the scaly menace. You’ve got advanced robotics and undead ghosts and firefighters in jetpacks wielding laser-swords. It’s EPICLY nuts, and I absolutely loved it.
Comparisons for a book this out there are going to be difficult to find, but in tone at least it oddly reminded me of Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat novels. Whether it’s a SF book with dragons or a fantasy novel with future technology is probably debateable, and to be fair it doesn’t do to ask yourself any questions beginning “But why…?” while you’re reading it. Don’t ask questions, just buckle up and enjoy the ride. It’s a wild one.
*ARC provided by the publiser in exchange for an honest review*
Yeah, you did hear that right – that’s how absolutely gonzo nuts this book is. There’s a lot more than that going on, of course, but that’s the essence of it. You’ve also got a semi-post apocalyptic 22nd century North America devastated by, you guessed it, dragons. The US government has devolved into a series of corrupt city-states each fighting for their own survival against the scaly menace. You’ve got advanced robotics and undead ghosts and firefighters in jetpacks wielding laser-swords. It’s EPICLY nuts, and I absolutely loved it.
Comparisons for a book this out there are going to be difficult to find, but in tone at least it oddly reminded me of Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat novels. Whether it’s a SF book with dragons or a fantasy novel with future technology is probably debateable, and to be fair it doesn’t do to ask yourself any questions beginning “But why…?” while you’re reading it. Don’t ask questions, just buckle up and enjoy the ride. It’s a wild one.
*ARC provided by the publiser in exchange for an honest review*
December 22, 2017
Original review by Durand Welsch to be published in Grimdark Magazine #15 (15th Jan 2018).
Dragons, fire-fighters, post-collapse America, powered mech suits, robots, ghosts: Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby is a heady mash-up of tropes and genres. The novel could loosely be described as a mix of cop drama, urban fantasy and Robotech that is, fortunately, held together by refreshingly authentic characters. And while the worldbuilding is unapologetically ludicrous, it’s a self-aware sort of ludicrous, not so farcical that it fails to provide the necessary conflict and tension for the characters.
Smoke Eaters is not grimdark fiction, but it borrows from enough genres to defy classification. The setting, for example, is an almost even split between fantasy and SF: a future America besieged by hordes of dragons. These beasties first emerged from hidden subterranean burrows on the fateful occasion known as E-Day and have continued to pillage and burn the countryside ever since. In a strange quirk, people killed by the dragons become homicidal wraiths that attract even more dragons. Thinking too hard about the logic of the premise will only result in a headache. Best to go with the flow. Trust me.
Our hero, Cole Brannigan, is a rank-and-file firefighter just shy of retirement, looking forward to all the things retired guys look forward to. (Actually Brannigan dreams about spending his days having great sex and learning how to oil paint, so he’s perhaps more optimistic than the average near-retiree.) However, in a world teeming with dragons, firefighting is a particularly hazardous business, and during one of his final call outs Brannigan gets trapped in a burning house with a dragon. In the course of trying to save his similarly trapped colleague, Brannigan discovers that he is a smoke eater, a person immune to dragon smoke and gifted with supernatural tolerance to heat. Only a cursory hand-waving attempt involving dragon DNA or some such silliness is made later in the novel to explain why some people possess these gifts, but as with much of the novel’s world building it’s best to just go with it.
His talents revealed, Brannigan is inducted, or more precisely press-ganged, into the service of the Smoke Eaters, the arm of public service specifically tasked with neutralising the dragon threat. It’s the standard fish-out-of-water scenario, and Brannigan’s grizzled fire fighter’s cynicism and less-than-youthful age make him particularly out of place as a raw recruit.
His classmates are Afu, an affable Samoan chap; Thomlin, the requisite pain-in-the-ass young gun wanting nothing better than to put the “old man” in his place; and Williams, who in a similar though more understated fashion than Thomlin, is dismissive of Brannigan. Captain Jendal and Sergeant Puck, the recruits’ direct supervisors, round out the Smoke Eater roll call.
As for the brass higher in the chain, you probably know the script for how Brannigan gets along with them: he fast establishes himself as someone who acts first and does paperwork later, a trait generally frowned upon in public service. For example, when a bunch of expensive droids financed out of the Mayor’s budget block Brannigan’s way, he’s got no problem lopping them into scrap. Cue the obligatory chewing out in front of the Smoke Eaters’ boss, Chief Donahue.
If you’ve watched your share of cop dramas, then you know how that dynamic works. Part of Brannigan’s struggle is the need to win over his classmates and supervisors so that they’ll back him up with the boss. Of course, we know that it’s only a matter of time before his firefighting experience and brash mettle impress his classmates and immediate superiors as they trudge through basic training. Sure enough, he begins to prove his worth during a forest fire after dragons set fire to the brush around them and he uses his fire fighter’s wisdom to save his colleagues from being roasted alive. Slowly, the other recruits come to respect him, although it is a rocky road with plenty of failures.
Bundled alongside this narrative of Brannigan’s struggles is a deceptively innocuous mystery. Brannigan is haunted by what he believes he saw at the house when his smoke eater talents first became apparent: a white fire that attracted the dragon to the house. He suspects someone is manipulating the dragons for their own ends, and as the novel progresses this plot-line begins to assume precedence.
By now it’s probably obvious that rigorous logic testing isn’t this novel’s strength. There are times when the fantasy rubs uncomfortably against the science-fiction, and I really had to suspend my disbelief when there were wraiths, dragons, and laser sword wielding mechs all crowding the same page. The science fiction world building also felt hurriedly conceived. I struggled at times to reconcile the discrepancies in how different types of technology had advanced. For example, robotic droids able to perform the functions of firefighters and police are on the horizon, but these advances in technology didn’t feel consistent across the whole world. The firefighting equipment, for example, is decidedly archaic. Fortunately the setting as a whole is tongue-in-cheek, so it is a forgivable shortfall. For the most part the logic holes don’t get in the way of the story.
Brannigan’s humanity carries the narrative, so no matter how ridiculous his surrounds, his character comes across as authentic. Never mind the mash-up of firefighters and dragons, we can feel for a guy who cares enough about his workmate to remove his mask and dash into almost certain death in a burning house to rescue her. Brannigan’s the sort of guy who we hope we’d be if we spent our lives in service to the fire department: tough as nails, but tempered by a deeply caring nature and an incisive wit.
Grigsby’s bio says he’s a professional firefighter in Arkansas, and this is a book that only a firefighter could have written. It’s one thing to know the technical aspects of a profession; it’s another thing entirely to know how the people within that profession relate to each other within their own world. The brother/sisterhood, the ribald humour, the gentle and not so gentle razzing all ring true for a group of people involved in a high-risk profession where their lives depend on each other. So while the world-building’s fantastical elements might be a bit on the soft side, Grigsby’s portrayal of his characters has the ring of truth.
Another plus is the punchy, fast-paced narrative, with Brannigan literally hot-footing it from one disaster to the next. One moment he’s using a mech suit with a laser sword to decapitate dragons, the next he’s battling a robotic training dragon with an old-school lance, and then he’s jetting off to Canada to investigate how the Canadians deal with the wraith problem.
I enjoyed Smoke Eaters. It was old-school fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The raw recruit in basic training narrative is balanced nicely with the mystery of the epidemic of wraith-summoned dragon appearances. It’s also a fast read, unapologetically hooning along like a fire truck with all lights and sirens blazing. Admittedly, when your hero is fighting three-headed dragons that disgorge EMP pulse blasts, the narrative is unlikely to park itself for too long in the slow lane. Unfortunately for grimdark lovers the world-building isn’t aiming for gritty realism and the characters aren’t morally grey, but it’s definitely worth a shot if you’re after something pacey and energetic.
Dragons, fire-fighters, post-collapse America, powered mech suits, robots, ghosts: Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby is a heady mash-up of tropes and genres. The novel could loosely be described as a mix of cop drama, urban fantasy and Robotech that is, fortunately, held together by refreshingly authentic characters. And while the worldbuilding is unapologetically ludicrous, it’s a self-aware sort of ludicrous, not so farcical that it fails to provide the necessary conflict and tension for the characters.
Smoke Eaters is not grimdark fiction, but it borrows from enough genres to defy classification. The setting, for example, is an almost even split between fantasy and SF: a future America besieged by hordes of dragons. These beasties first emerged from hidden subterranean burrows on the fateful occasion known as E-Day and have continued to pillage and burn the countryside ever since. In a strange quirk, people killed by the dragons become homicidal wraiths that attract even more dragons. Thinking too hard about the logic of the premise will only result in a headache. Best to go with the flow. Trust me.
Our hero, Cole Brannigan, is a rank-and-file firefighter just shy of retirement, looking forward to all the things retired guys look forward to. (Actually Brannigan dreams about spending his days having great sex and learning how to oil paint, so he’s perhaps more optimistic than the average near-retiree.) However, in a world teeming with dragons, firefighting is a particularly hazardous business, and during one of his final call outs Brannigan gets trapped in a burning house with a dragon. In the course of trying to save his similarly trapped colleague, Brannigan discovers that he is a smoke eater, a person immune to dragon smoke and gifted with supernatural tolerance to heat. Only a cursory hand-waving attempt involving dragon DNA or some such silliness is made later in the novel to explain why some people possess these gifts, but as with much of the novel’s world building it’s best to just go with it.
His talents revealed, Brannigan is inducted, or more precisely press-ganged, into the service of the Smoke Eaters, the arm of public service specifically tasked with neutralising the dragon threat. It’s the standard fish-out-of-water scenario, and Brannigan’s grizzled fire fighter’s cynicism and less-than-youthful age make him particularly out of place as a raw recruit.
His classmates are Afu, an affable Samoan chap; Thomlin, the requisite pain-in-the-ass young gun wanting nothing better than to put the “old man” in his place; and Williams, who in a similar though more understated fashion than Thomlin, is dismissive of Brannigan. Captain Jendal and Sergeant Puck, the recruits’ direct supervisors, round out the Smoke Eater roll call.
As for the brass higher in the chain, you probably know the script for how Brannigan gets along with them: he fast establishes himself as someone who acts first and does paperwork later, a trait generally frowned upon in public service. For example, when a bunch of expensive droids financed out of the Mayor’s budget block Brannigan’s way, he’s got no problem lopping them into scrap. Cue the obligatory chewing out in front of the Smoke Eaters’ boss, Chief Donahue.
If you’ve watched your share of cop dramas, then you know how that dynamic works. Part of Brannigan’s struggle is the need to win over his classmates and supervisors so that they’ll back him up with the boss. Of course, we know that it’s only a matter of time before his firefighting experience and brash mettle impress his classmates and immediate superiors as they trudge through basic training. Sure enough, he begins to prove his worth during a forest fire after dragons set fire to the brush around them and he uses his fire fighter’s wisdom to save his colleagues from being roasted alive. Slowly, the other recruits come to respect him, although it is a rocky road with plenty of failures.
Bundled alongside this narrative of Brannigan’s struggles is a deceptively innocuous mystery. Brannigan is haunted by what he believes he saw at the house when his smoke eater talents first became apparent: a white fire that attracted the dragon to the house. He suspects someone is manipulating the dragons for their own ends, and as the novel progresses this plot-line begins to assume precedence.
By now it’s probably obvious that rigorous logic testing isn’t this novel’s strength. There are times when the fantasy rubs uncomfortably against the science-fiction, and I really had to suspend my disbelief when there were wraiths, dragons, and laser sword wielding mechs all crowding the same page. The science fiction world building also felt hurriedly conceived. I struggled at times to reconcile the discrepancies in how different types of technology had advanced. For example, robotic droids able to perform the functions of firefighters and police are on the horizon, but these advances in technology didn’t feel consistent across the whole world. The firefighting equipment, for example, is decidedly archaic. Fortunately the setting as a whole is tongue-in-cheek, so it is a forgivable shortfall. For the most part the logic holes don’t get in the way of the story.
Brannigan’s humanity carries the narrative, so no matter how ridiculous his surrounds, his character comes across as authentic. Never mind the mash-up of firefighters and dragons, we can feel for a guy who cares enough about his workmate to remove his mask and dash into almost certain death in a burning house to rescue her. Brannigan’s the sort of guy who we hope we’d be if we spent our lives in service to the fire department: tough as nails, but tempered by a deeply caring nature and an incisive wit.
Grigsby’s bio says he’s a professional firefighter in Arkansas, and this is a book that only a firefighter could have written. It’s one thing to know the technical aspects of a profession; it’s another thing entirely to know how the people within that profession relate to each other within their own world. The brother/sisterhood, the ribald humour, the gentle and not so gentle razzing all ring true for a group of people involved in a high-risk profession where their lives depend on each other. So while the world-building’s fantastical elements might be a bit on the soft side, Grigsby’s portrayal of his characters has the ring of truth.
Another plus is the punchy, fast-paced narrative, with Brannigan literally hot-footing it from one disaster to the next. One moment he’s using a mech suit with a laser sword to decapitate dragons, the next he’s battling a robotic training dragon with an old-school lance, and then he’s jetting off to Canada to investigate how the Canadians deal with the wraith problem.
I enjoyed Smoke Eaters. It was old-school fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The raw recruit in basic training narrative is balanced nicely with the mystery of the epidemic of wraith-summoned dragon appearances. It’s also a fast read, unapologetically hooning along like a fire truck with all lights and sirens blazing. Admittedly, when your hero is fighting three-headed dragons that disgorge EMP pulse blasts, the narrative is unlikely to park itself for too long in the slow lane. Unfortunately for grimdark lovers the world-building isn’t aiming for gritty realism and the characters aren’t morally grey, but it’s definitely worth a shot if you’re after something pacey and energetic.
October 19, 2021
Really torn about this! I wanted to LOVE this, and the premise is GREAT. I love the movie Reign of Fire, and as another reviewer pointed out: this is basically Reign of Fire, but set in America.
Years after dragons started exploding out of the earth and burning everything to ash, a grizzled firefighter one week from retirement (which just super makes me laugh, "He was ONE WEEK from retirement!") is strong-armed into joining the Smoke Eaters- basically, the dragonslayer arm of law enforcement. The dragons are fascinating, there are scientific theories about where they came from and what their connection is to wraiths (basically the ghosts of those killed by them), the Smoke Eaters have an R & D department and tons of cool weapons. All of that was really fun. There's a whole really fascinating thing about Canada having closed their borders and going in a different direction with their dragon handling that was really wild. The plot really kept me guessing, there was a lot going on, and it was well done.
But Cole Brannigan, our hero, is the world's biggest Gary Stu. DEAR HEAVENS. I understand that the author is also a grizzled retired firefighter, and Brannigan absolutely screams "Author Stand In." Women are intrigued by him. Guys look up to him. Though he has no children of his own, several people make a point of telling him that he is like a father to them. He mouths off constantly, and doesn't play by the rules, and yet somehow in not one, but TWO different fields full of tight protocols to ensure everyone's safety, he still rises constantly in the ranks, never dies, and never directly gets anyone else killed. He gets called on the carpet so many times by bosses for not playing by the rules, but "Dammit you're just TOO GOOD! Get back out there!" There are a lot of great, strong female characters in this, but they're all just on the edge of being offensive stereotypes. (And some not even on the edge. Brannigan is convinced that all "feisty" women have red hair, like his wife, who regularly throws things at his head and screams at him every time he comes home a few minutes late, doesn't call her, etc. As a redhead I just . . . Dude. Stahp.) Not helping this at all was the audiobook reader, who read every woman with a baby voice and all the guys who weren't Brannigan with a sort of "Duh, I dunno, boss!" voice that reminded me of the voices of old farmers or other dumb people on The Simpsons. My pet peeve with audiobooks is when male readers use what I have dubbed a "bimbo voice" with female characters, especially when those characters are scientists and high ranked officers in the dragonslaying corps. Really, man? That breathy, lisping voice is how you imagine someone who has survived for ten years on the front lines of a war . . . WITH DRAGONS?
I really, really think this book would have benefited from a professional, traditional editing staff, publisher. There was so. much. great. stuff. It really just needed someone to say, Hey, let's tone down the sexism, and maybe not have Brannigan be quite so perfect...? And maybe a different audiobook reader?
Years after dragons started exploding out of the earth and burning everything to ash, a grizzled firefighter one week from retirement (which just super makes me laugh, "He was ONE WEEK from retirement!") is strong-armed into joining the Smoke Eaters- basically, the dragonslayer arm of law enforcement. The dragons are fascinating, there are scientific theories about where they came from and what their connection is to wraiths (basically the ghosts of those killed by them), the Smoke Eaters have an R & D department and tons of cool weapons. All of that was really fun. There's a whole really fascinating thing about Canada having closed their borders and going in a different direction with their dragon handling that was really wild. The plot really kept me guessing, there was a lot going on, and it was well done.
But Cole Brannigan, our hero, is the world's biggest Gary Stu. DEAR HEAVENS. I understand that the author is also a grizzled retired firefighter, and Brannigan absolutely screams "Author Stand In." Women are intrigued by him. Guys look up to him. Though he has no children of his own, several people make a point of telling him that he is like a father to them. He mouths off constantly, and doesn't play by the rules, and yet somehow in not one, but TWO different fields full of tight protocols to ensure everyone's safety, he still rises constantly in the ranks, never dies, and never directly gets anyone else killed. He gets called on the carpet so many times by bosses for not playing by the rules, but "Dammit you're just TOO GOOD! Get back out there!" There are a lot of great, strong female characters in this, but they're all just on the edge of being offensive stereotypes. (And some not even on the edge. Brannigan is convinced that all "feisty" women have red hair, like his wife, who regularly throws things at his head and screams at him every time he comes home a few minutes late, doesn't call her, etc. As a redhead I just . . . Dude. Stahp.) Not helping this at all was the audiobook reader, who read every woman with a baby voice and all the guys who weren't Brannigan with a sort of "Duh, I dunno, boss!" voice that reminded me of the voices of old farmers or other dumb people on The Simpsons. My pet peeve with audiobooks is when male readers use what I have dubbed a "bimbo voice" with female characters, especially when those characters are scientists and high ranked officers in the dragonslaying corps. Really, man? That breathy, lisping voice is how you imagine someone who has survived for ten years on the front lines of a war . . . WITH DRAGONS?
I really, really think this book would have benefited from a professional, traditional editing staff, publisher. There was so. much. great. stuff. It really just needed someone to say, Hey, let's tone down the sexism, and maybe not have Brannigan be quite so perfect...? And maybe a different audiobook reader?
August 30, 2022
You never forget the smell of burning flesh, no matter how long you live. I'd been fighting fire for almost three decades, and had successfully dodged that particular bullet up until seven years ago, when the dragons came.
"Came back" would be more accurate. But these scalies are nothing like the old stories.
They're worse.
I did waver between a 2 and a 3-star rating for this book - but in the end, though I finished it, there's too many dings on my enjoyment to lean up.
It's a great premise, ripe for all sorts of pulpy fun; dragons are back, some people aren't affected by smoke and form a special unit for dealing with their particular disruptions. And yet, firefighter Cole Brannigan is taken by surprise when a call going wrong results in his recruitment to their team.
The action parts of this book were pretty great; the dragons are a well thought out part of the story. But Cole himself is pretty firmly in Gary Stu territory, and every woman who features fits into either the damsel, seductress, nag, or lesbian bracket - some more than one, like his wife, but all lacking real characterisation. There's too much thrown into the plot, and I usually love me a book with a lot going on - there's just not enough space given to various plot elements, and things like Canada or the corruption felt rushed as a result.
Still, I finished it, which says a lot for the quality of the parts of the story I was enjoying. I don't think I'll continue the series, but I wouldn't write it off for everyone.
"Came back" would be more accurate. But these scalies are nothing like the old stories.
They're worse.
I did waver between a 2 and a 3-star rating for this book - but in the end, though I finished it, there's too many dings on my enjoyment to lean up.
It's a great premise, ripe for all sorts of pulpy fun; dragons are back, some people aren't affected by smoke and form a special unit for dealing with their particular disruptions. And yet, firefighter Cole Brannigan is taken by surprise when a call going wrong results in his recruitment to their team.
The action parts of this book were pretty great; the dragons are a well thought out part of the story. But Cole himself is pretty firmly in Gary Stu territory, and every woman who features fits into either the damsel, seductress, nag, or lesbian bracket - some more than one, like his wife, but all lacking real characterisation. There's too much thrown into the plot, and I usually love me a book with a lot going on - there's just not enough space given to various plot elements, and things like Canada or the corruption felt rushed as a result.
Still, I finished it, which says a lot for the quality of the parts of the story I was enjoying. I don't think I'll continue the series, but I wouldn't write it off for everyone.
November 21, 2017
I was so excited when I heard about this book, as I come from a family of firefighters and it's one emergency service you don't read about in fantasy. Grigsby's experience as a serving firefighter is abundantly clear on every page, from the small gems of knowledge he drops about the colour and consistency of smoke, pausing before entering buildings, the use of firefighting tools and equipment etc It's very, very clear he knows what he's talking about, and that level of insider knowledge is crucial when your main protagonist is an expert in something.
But then - DRAGONS! Firefighters v dragons! It's a dream come true!
Written in first person POV, Smoke Eaters follows firefighter Cole Brannigan, who's about to retire from the regular fire service when he learns he can breathe dragon smoke and is forcibly recruited into the Smoke Eaters, the elite dragon-fighting unit. There he returns to the level of a rookie, having to learn everything again from scratch.
The dragons are excellent, but the wraiths really stole the show for me - genuinely creepy and more than a little terrifying. Smoke Eaters mixes human betrayal and greed with a worldwide plague of giant scalies with a penchant for human flesh.
Fun, exciting, heart-warming, firefighters get to be the heroes we all know they are as they battle dragons!
But then - DRAGONS! Firefighters v dragons! It's a dream come true!
Written in first person POV, Smoke Eaters follows firefighter Cole Brannigan, who's about to retire from the regular fire service when he learns he can breathe dragon smoke and is forcibly recruited into the Smoke Eaters, the elite dragon-fighting unit. There he returns to the level of a rookie, having to learn everything again from scratch.
The dragons are excellent, but the wraiths really stole the show for me - genuinely creepy and more than a little terrifying. Smoke Eaters mixes human betrayal and greed with a worldwide plague of giant scalies with a penchant for human flesh.
Fun, exciting, heart-warming, firefighters get to be the heroes we all know they are as they battle dragons!
January 19, 2018
Sean Grigsby makes a scorching debut with Smoke Eaters, a fun sci-fi romp set a hundred years hence in the ashes of America's Midwest.
It's the early 2100s and dragons have returned, these massive creatures of myth churning their way up from the Earth's core to wreak firey havoc all across the world. The US is divided into a series of nation states, Canada has built a wall to keep Americans out, and robots are taking everyone's jobs. In Ohio, an elite team of dragon fighters, known as Smoke Eaters, are attempting to keep the peace despite an unsympathetic populace. After responding to a fire, firefighter Cole Brannigan is confronted by a dragon, discovers he's immune to smoke, and quickly gets drafted into the Smoke Eaters.
Grigsby, an Arkansas firefighter, does an excellent job depicting the chaos of firefighting, as well as the mundane, sometimes comical, calls of false alert. Although there's plenty of dragon-fighting action with power suited Smoke Eaters going mano-a-mano with various species of scalies, one of my favorite scenes involved Brannigan and his team responding to an emergency call from a distraught woman whose home has been invaded by a decidedly non-dragon creature.
While there's a few cliches (Brannigan was supposed to retire before getting roped into his new calling, a well tread plot device that had me waiting for Danny Glover to remind us all that he's too old for this shit) and some moments of silliness that didn't quite work for me, Grigsby makes the story as a whole work well. The various plot threads of political corruption, dragon invasions, and robotic workers all come together in an exciting and violent climax of pyrotechnics.
If you're looking for some fun, action-heavy, big-screen ready SFF, or if the premise of firefighters versus dragons appeals to you (and let's face it, it is a freaking awesome premise that should be appealing to everyone with a pulse), Smoke Eaters is an enjoyable way to go. This is a solid debut, and one that leaves me hoping I'll get to take another ride-along through Parthenon City with Brannigan and his company of dragon slayers.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
It's the early 2100s and dragons have returned, these massive creatures of myth churning their way up from the Earth's core to wreak firey havoc all across the world. The US is divided into a series of nation states, Canada has built a wall to keep Americans out, and robots are taking everyone's jobs. In Ohio, an elite team of dragon fighters, known as Smoke Eaters, are attempting to keep the peace despite an unsympathetic populace. After responding to a fire, firefighter Cole Brannigan is confronted by a dragon, discovers he's immune to smoke, and quickly gets drafted into the Smoke Eaters.
Grigsby, an Arkansas firefighter, does an excellent job depicting the chaos of firefighting, as well as the mundane, sometimes comical, calls of false alert. Although there's plenty of dragon-fighting action with power suited Smoke Eaters going mano-a-mano with various species of scalies, one of my favorite scenes involved Brannigan and his team responding to an emergency call from a distraught woman whose home has been invaded by a decidedly non-dragon creature.
While there's a few cliches (Brannigan was supposed to retire before getting roped into his new calling, a well tread plot device that had me waiting for Danny Glover to remind us all that he's too old for this shit) and some moments of silliness that didn't quite work for me, Grigsby makes the story as a whole work well. The various plot threads of political corruption, dragon invasions, and robotic workers all come together in an exciting and violent climax of pyrotechnics.
If you're looking for some fun, action-heavy, big-screen ready SFF, or if the premise of firefighters versus dragons appeals to you (and let's face it, it is a freaking awesome premise that should be appealing to everyone with a pulse), Smoke Eaters is an enjoyable way to go. This is a solid debut, and one that leaves me hoping I'll get to take another ride-along through Parthenon City with Brannigan and his company of dragon slayers.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
Read
March 21, 2018DNF @ 25%
This book had real potential, but it's too cliche to continue. It felt like I was reading a 90s TV show complete with the bad dialogue, no character development, and bad acting.
Very disappointed.
This book had real potential, but it's too cliche to continue. It felt like I was reading a 90s TV show complete with the bad dialogue, no character development, and bad acting.
Very disappointed.
January 18, 2018
Many thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for a digital galley of this novel.
Captain Cole Brannigan, firefighter, almost 60 years old, retiring at the end of the week. Remember all of that because you are going to be seeing a lot about Brannigan if you pay attention to books and chatter about books. This is one humdinger of a fantasy novel. There is practically an adventure on every page. When I finished reading I was huffing and puffing from the non-stop action so much you would have thought I had been running in a race.
Okay, so the story starts like this: Brannigan goes into a burning house to rescue his crew members who should have already made an exit from the house because it's obvious now that there is a dragon in there. They don't come out so Brannigan goes in to get them. That's when he survives breathing the toxic dragon smoke, that's when he finds out he is a smoke eater. Oh, did you get that bit about dragons? Well, these are mean and nasty dragons who prefer humans as their tidbit of choice. Brannigan finishes up with his firefighter career only to begin all over again working in his new career as a smoke eater. They get all the cool toys!
Absolutely an adventure on every page. At some point I was wishing for a little less action so I'll tell you now not to hold your breath waiting for that. This debut story by Sean Grigsby features an adventure junkie in the form of Cole Brannigan and all kinds of futuristic goodies Grigsby's imagination invented and made realistic for Parthenon City, Ohio, in 2121. There are fire-breathing dragons and wraiths and corrupt politicians and a robot dog that is programed to speak Korean and that's just some of the things this novel is packed with. There is also more profanity than I'm used to seeing in fantasy novels but, hey, this is dangerous work so I just ignored it. This is going to be BIG down the road so get your copy of the book and read it now. Then you can be all smug when your friends try to tell you about it because you read it before they did. Soon to a toy store and motion picture theatre near you. Oh, and surely there will be book two, right?
Captain Cole Brannigan, firefighter, almost 60 years old, retiring at the end of the week. Remember all of that because you are going to be seeing a lot about Brannigan if you pay attention to books and chatter about books. This is one humdinger of a fantasy novel. There is practically an adventure on every page. When I finished reading I was huffing and puffing from the non-stop action so much you would have thought I had been running in a race.
Okay, so the story starts like this: Brannigan goes into a burning house to rescue his crew members who should have already made an exit from the house because it's obvious now that there is a dragon in there. They don't come out so Brannigan goes in to get them. That's when he survives breathing the toxic dragon smoke, that's when he finds out he is a smoke eater. Oh, did you get that bit about dragons? Well, these are mean and nasty dragons who prefer humans as their tidbit of choice. Brannigan finishes up with his firefighter career only to begin all over again working in his new career as a smoke eater. They get all the cool toys!
Absolutely an adventure on every page. At some point I was wishing for a little less action so I'll tell you now not to hold your breath waiting for that. This debut story by Sean Grigsby features an adventure junkie in the form of Cole Brannigan and all kinds of futuristic goodies Grigsby's imagination invented and made realistic for Parthenon City, Ohio, in 2121. There are fire-breathing dragons and wraiths and corrupt politicians and a robot dog that is programed to speak Korean and that's just some of the things this novel is packed with. There is also more profanity than I'm used to seeing in fantasy novels but, hey, this is dangerous work so I just ignored it. This is going to be BIG down the road so get your copy of the book and read it now. Then you can be all smug when your friends try to tell you about it because you read it before they did. Soon to a toy store and motion picture theatre near you. Oh, and surely there will be book two, right?
January 20, 2018
It's firefighters vs. dragons. And it's exactly what you think it will be when you read 'firefighters vs. dragons.' If you're looking for a thoughtful piece of literature that addresses the human condition, you're in the wrong place. If you want some kick-ass 22nd century action with laser swords and dragons that destroy cities, then you're going to be happy.
Read
March 1, 2018A crash-through-the-gate-in-fourth-gear debut novel, with all the high velocity (and splinters) that implies.
Firefighters versus dragons!
These are not friendly, soul-bonding dragons, or gorgeous dragons that somehow shift tremendous mass into otherwhere in order to turn into sexy humans: these are mean, smart, lethal dragons that live to destroy, and to gobble humans. And they are teamed up somehow with dragon-killed humans who turn into seriously creepy wraiths.
Firefighter chief Cole Brannigan is a week away from retirement, two centuries in the future, when a call goes south, on which he discovers he can breathe dragon smoke. He's promptly coopted into the smoke eaters, who are kind of secretive with their dragon fighting toys, as there are so few of them.
Grigsby's future has the USA split into city states, all separated by ash and waste, thanks to the earthquakes that produced the dragons. Brannigan, now a rookie all over again, has terrible trouble with authority, and keeps jetting off like an irascible, foul-mouthed, in-your-face-with-his-prejudices knight of old. (He doesn't find fat women attractive, or older woman with saggy breasts, and all "religion" is evil, Canadians are weird, just to mention a few of his quirks.) And his future Canada here is . . . weird.
But he's loyal to firefighting, and to his longtime wife Sherry, who seems a great match for him. I loved what little we saw of her. The story goes at a breakneck pace, with lots of vividly described violence. The interactions between the firefighters ring true, at least to my own experience having a firefighting spouse.
Some of the contemporary cultural references might cause an eye-roll or two (Grigsby seems enamored of John Scalzi, not only mentioning him by name two centuries on, but showing some influence) but I mark that down to first novel stuff.
Altogether a rip-roaring tale: if the idea of really nasty dragons against firefighters appeals, don't miss this book.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Firefighters versus dragons!
These are not friendly, soul-bonding dragons, or gorgeous dragons that somehow shift tremendous mass into otherwhere in order to turn into sexy humans: these are mean, smart, lethal dragons that live to destroy, and to gobble humans. And they are teamed up somehow with dragon-killed humans who turn into seriously creepy wraiths.
Firefighter chief Cole Brannigan is a week away from retirement, two centuries in the future, when a call goes south, on which he discovers he can breathe dragon smoke. He's promptly coopted into the smoke eaters, who are kind of secretive with their dragon fighting toys, as there are so few of them.
Grigsby's future has the USA split into city states, all separated by ash and waste, thanks to the earthquakes that produced the dragons. Brannigan, now a rookie all over again, has terrible trouble with authority, and keeps jetting off like an irascible, foul-mouthed, in-your-face-with-his-prejudices knight of old. (He doesn't find fat women attractive, or older woman with saggy breasts, and all "religion" is evil, Canadians are weird, just to mention a few of his quirks.) And his future Canada here is . . . weird.
But he's loyal to firefighting, and to his longtime wife Sherry, who seems a great match for him. I loved what little we saw of her. The story goes at a breakneck pace, with lots of vividly described violence. The interactions between the firefighters ring true, at least to my own experience having a firefighting spouse.
Some of the contemporary cultural references might cause an eye-roll or two (Grigsby seems enamored of John Scalzi, not only mentioning him by name two centuries on, but showing some influence) but I mark that down to first novel stuff.
Altogether a rip-roaring tale: if the idea of really nasty dragons against firefighters appeals, don't miss this book.
Copy provided by NetGalley
February 5, 2018
First things first: Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC for review. Being provided this ARC in no way, shape, or form influenced my thoughts on this novel.
I also want to thank Peter McLean for his advanced praise of Smoke Eaters. His words definitely influenced this novel being at the top of my TBR when I received the ARC and held true throughout my reading experience.
Think Ghostbusters meets Reign of Fire...
Cole Brannigan has only one thing on his mind: retirement. Thirty years as a firefighter has taken its toll not only on his body, but his mind. Not to mention that, over the past decade, most of the fires he is tasked with extinguishing were started by dragons. Yeah, you heard that right: DRAGONS. Not the glorious winged beasts you see flying around in Game of Thrones; these are flightless lizards that come up from beneath the ground, laying waste to homes and entire neighborhoods.
On what Brannigan thought would be his last fire call, he becomes oddly aware that he can breathe dragon smoke without all of the disgusting, and sometimes fatal, side effects. Well, he can go ahead and kiss retirement goodbye because he is now being recruited as a Smoke Eater: a fighting force endowed with the same ability and equipped with some of the latest in high-tech weaponry.
Now on the bottom of the pecking order, he must quickly learn how to combat these beasts with his fellow company before his goose is cooked, literally.
Smoke Eaters is a crazy AF, edge of your seat thrill-ride that will have you begging for more. Dragons, wraiths, laser weapons, and fire... LOTS OF FIRE. What more could you ask for?
Grigsby does a fantastic job drawing the reader into the story with his introduction to Brannigan on his last fire call. Brannigan is officially one of my favorite characters of all time and, IMO, Smoke Eaters is prefect for those looking for a hangover read after Kings of the Wyld because of this fact. Think grizzled old vet, coming out of retirement to do something completely BA in a post-apocalyptic world. Just don't expect world-building here as a majority of the story takes place in Ohio. Come for the dragons, stay for the character building. You won't regret it.
Smoke Eaters releases on March 6th of this year and needs to be at the top of your TBR.
I also want to thank Peter McLean for his advanced praise of Smoke Eaters. His words definitely influenced this novel being at the top of my TBR when I received the ARC and held true throughout my reading experience.
Think Ghostbusters meets Reign of Fire...
Cole Brannigan has only one thing on his mind: retirement. Thirty years as a firefighter has taken its toll not only on his body, but his mind. Not to mention that, over the past decade, most of the fires he is tasked with extinguishing were started by dragons. Yeah, you heard that right: DRAGONS. Not the glorious winged beasts you see flying around in Game of Thrones; these are flightless lizards that come up from beneath the ground, laying waste to homes and entire neighborhoods.
On what Brannigan thought would be his last fire call, he becomes oddly aware that he can breathe dragon smoke without all of the disgusting, and sometimes fatal, side effects. Well, he can go ahead and kiss retirement goodbye because he is now being recruited as a Smoke Eater: a fighting force endowed with the same ability and equipped with some of the latest in high-tech weaponry.
Now on the bottom of the pecking order, he must quickly learn how to combat these beasts with his fellow company before his goose is cooked, literally.
Smoke Eaters is a crazy AF, edge of your seat thrill-ride that will have you begging for more. Dragons, wraiths, laser weapons, and fire... LOTS OF FIRE. What more could you ask for?
Grigsby does a fantastic job drawing the reader into the story with his introduction to Brannigan on his last fire call. Brannigan is officially one of my favorite characters of all time and, IMO, Smoke Eaters is prefect for those looking for a hangover read after Kings of the Wyld because of this fact. Think grizzled old vet, coming out of retirement to do something completely BA in a post-apocalyptic world. Just don't expect world-building here as a majority of the story takes place in Ohio. Come for the dragons, stay for the character building. You won't regret it.
Smoke Eaters releases on March 6th of this year and needs to be at the top of your TBR.
March 22, 2018
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
SMOKE EATERS has dragons, wraiths, robots, government conspiracies, and possessed devices...and only some of those plot points work. Cole Brannigan is days away from retirement and wouldn’t you know it, he gets pulled right back into service. After a dragon attack, Cole discovers that he is able to breathe dragon smoke and withstand high heat temperatures. He’s persuaded to join the Smoke Eaters, a dragon fighting force where Cole is the oldest member and newest recruit.
SMOKE EATERS is at it’s best when Cole actually fights fires. It’s clear that the author is comfortable writing high-heat, highly dangerous passages. Every other time the book slows down. There are endless class sessions where Cole, and the reader, are lectured about dragons; unfortunately it’s never actually explained how to fight and kill them or why they woke up. Smoke Eaters look at training with a ‘sink or swim’ attitude. Either the recruit dies fighting dragons or they don’t. Which is a strange view when it seems that Smoke Eaters are the only people able to fight the dragons. Cole’s team members are entirely composed of one-liners. Cutting half the characters and just developing a core crew would have added so much more interest to the plot.
Had the book just been Cole fighting fires set by supernaturals, that would have been entertaining enough. The wraiths are a distraction that never really seemed to fit into the plot. The robots just made Cole look like a Boomer annoyed by new-fangled technology. While I personally loved that Canada become a dragon-worshipping society, the reasoning was never fully explained. I wish there had been something that connected this besides the stereotypical “Canadians are nice and don’t kill”.
SMOKE EATERS is an adventurous novel that stumbles with too many ideas. Reading about Cole fighting fires, dealing with being a veteran firefighter with a new crew that doesn’t respect him, and making his marriage work while being distracted by younger women might have made a really interesting supernatural story. Unfortunately the addition of robots, wraiths, and miracle dragon blood that makes you hotter, all detract from Cole’s story . If you love reading about older protagonists and don’t mind an overstuffed plot then SMOKE EATERS might hold more interest for you then it did for me.
mentions of sex, kissing
SMOKE EATERS has dragons, wraiths, robots, government conspiracies, and possessed devices...and only some of those plot points work. Cole Brannigan is days away from retirement and wouldn’t you know it, he gets pulled right back into service. After a dragon attack, Cole discovers that he is able to breathe dragon smoke and withstand high heat temperatures. He’s persuaded to join the Smoke Eaters, a dragon fighting force where Cole is the oldest member and newest recruit.
SMOKE EATERS is at it’s best when Cole actually fights fires. It’s clear that the author is comfortable writing high-heat, highly dangerous passages. Every other time the book slows down. There are endless class sessions where Cole, and the reader, are lectured about dragons; unfortunately it’s never actually explained how to fight and kill them or why they woke up. Smoke Eaters look at training with a ‘sink or swim’ attitude. Either the recruit dies fighting dragons or they don’t. Which is a strange view when it seems that Smoke Eaters are the only people able to fight the dragons. Cole’s team members are entirely composed of one-liners. Cutting half the characters and just developing a core crew would have added so much more interest to the plot.
Had the book just been Cole fighting fires set by supernaturals, that would have been entertaining enough. The wraiths are a distraction that never really seemed to fit into the plot. The robots just made Cole look like a Boomer annoyed by new-fangled technology. While I personally loved that Canada become a dragon-worshipping society, the reasoning was never fully explained. I wish there had been something that connected this besides the stereotypical “Canadians are nice and don’t kill”.
SMOKE EATERS is an adventurous novel that stumbles with too many ideas. Reading about Cole fighting fires, dealing with being a veteran firefighter with a new crew that doesn’t respect him, and making his marriage work while being distracted by younger women might have made a really interesting supernatural story. Unfortunately the addition of robots, wraiths, and miracle dragon blood that makes you hotter, all detract from Cole’s story . If you love reading about older protagonists and don’t mind an overstuffed plot then SMOKE EATERS might hold more interest for you then it did for me.
mentions of sex, kissing
April 4, 2018
I really enjoyed every second of this book and in fact I read it all in one day because that's how good it was. This book has tons of action and really likable characters and of course dragons. I can't wait to read the next book from this author and hope its on par with this book.
December 22, 2017
When I was three, we had a house fire. I was tucked in my bed in a tiny upstairs bedroom. A fireman rescued me, and when he set me in my mother's arms, I told her "he carried me out, just like Superman." I knew a good hero when I saw one. When I was offered the chance to read an ARC of Smoke Eaters, even though I wasn't sure if this was my kind of book, I said sure, because Firefighters vs Dragons? Heck yeah.
This was a good romp in a future world, where not only has the United States devolved into city states, but a plague of dragons is pretty much boiling up from the center of the earth, hellbent on feeding, mating, and consequently ravaging everything in their path. Cole Brannigan, a firefighter for 30 years, is just about to fight his last fire, when he finds out he one of the few people who are immune to dragon smoke. He is recruited into a group called the Smoke Eaters, an elite cadre of people who can withstand the smoke, and fight the creatures destroying the civilization above ground.
Things get dicey as the dragons get stronger, and political intrigue, in the form of a dastardly plot to take over the city, is discovered. Brannigan and his cohorts spring into action to fight the baddies, be they scaled or human. It's a pretty entertaining story. Oh, did I mention there are also wraiths? And robots? And some kick-ass battles?
Aside from my early firefighter interaction, my knowledge and appreciation of these men and women grew when my own son, also age three, developed a major fire truck (and firefighters, by extension) fascination. From that experience, and the inside views a hero-struck boy was given by very kind firemen* the details Sean Grigsby used in the novel all ring true, thanks to his firsthand experience as a firefighter.
It's my understanding that this may develop into a series. If so, I think it could be something fun to follow. I'd like to see a little tightening in the descriptions and rules of the world as it unfolds (but, I do like the cicada theory) and the interactions between the former US and Canada or other countries. The strengths of the book lie in the realism of the characters and of their work in fighting fire. One can extrapolate that the techniques applied to fighting dragons also rings true, but personally, I hope we never find out. But it settles one thing. I do want a robot dog.
I received my copy from the author's agent, for which I am most grateful. The book is due out in March 2018.
*There were no women that we met as firefighters in the early 1990's, though there are many now.
This was a good romp in a future world, where not only has the United States devolved into city states, but a plague of dragons is pretty much boiling up from the center of the earth, hellbent on feeding, mating, and consequently ravaging everything in their path. Cole Brannigan, a firefighter for 30 years, is just about to fight his last fire, when he finds out he one of the few people who are immune to dragon smoke. He is recruited into a group called the Smoke Eaters, an elite cadre of people who can withstand the smoke, and fight the creatures destroying the civilization above ground.
Things get dicey as the dragons get stronger, and political intrigue, in the form of a dastardly plot to take over the city, is discovered. Brannigan and his cohorts spring into action to fight the baddies, be they scaled or human. It's a pretty entertaining story. Oh, did I mention there are also wraiths? And robots? And some kick-ass battles?
Aside from my early firefighter interaction, my knowledge and appreciation of these men and women grew when my own son, also age three, developed a major fire truck (and firefighters, by extension) fascination. From that experience, and the inside views a hero-struck boy was given by very kind firemen* the details Sean Grigsby used in the novel all ring true, thanks to his firsthand experience as a firefighter.
It's my understanding that this may develop into a series. If so, I think it could be something fun to follow. I'd like to see a little tightening in the descriptions and rules of the world as it unfolds (but, I do like the cicada theory) and the interactions between the former US and Canada or other countries. The strengths of the book lie in the realism of the characters and of their work in fighting fire. One can extrapolate that the techniques applied to fighting dragons also rings true, but personally, I hope we never find out. But it settles one thing. I do want a robot dog.
I received my copy from the author's agent, for which I am most grateful. The book is due out in March 2018.
*There were no women that we met as firefighters in the early 1990's, though there are many now.
March 31, 2018
This is a book I was looking forward to after a random Facebook quote from another author I have read, it was around 6/8 months ago so luckily I was patient. I am totally rubbish at reviews but like to try especially for books I enjoyed.
The book was gripping from the first chapter till the end and was one of those books full of action and had my kind of wise ass humor especially with Cole . The take on dragons for me was a great spin on a tired overworked creature, Sean’s take on them was great he covered them well even different kinds. Now I knew Sean was an active firefighter and I wanted to see how much life he could breath in to the scenes of destruction of the fire and could conjure up and draw form experience, I know that tv shows try and show realistic fire but they overdramatize them for viewers as that sells and I could believe firefighters hate them and laugh at the way the beast of fire is shown saying that I was hooked to the fire scenes especially the maze bit as you could feel Sean’s real life experience shining through. I gave 5* why well it’s a great debut that I would have gave 4* but the extra * comes from the detail and life Sean’s has brought to the fire and firefighters in the book . The only downside I would say is the fact I am looking at a year for book 2 , so Sean you need to forget the calls and stay in station and bash that keyboard and get the edits done !
The book was gripping from the first chapter till the end and was one of those books full of action and had my kind of wise ass humor especially with Cole . The take on dragons for me was a great spin on a tired overworked creature, Sean’s take on them was great he covered them well even different kinds. Now I knew Sean was an active firefighter and I wanted to see how much life he could breath in to the scenes of destruction of the fire and could conjure up and draw form experience, I know that tv shows try and show realistic fire but they overdramatize them for viewers as that sells and I could believe firefighters hate them and laugh at the way the beast of fire is shown saying that I was hooked to the fire scenes especially the maze bit as you could feel Sean’s real life experience shining through. I gave 5* why well it’s a great debut that I would have gave 4* but the extra * comes from the detail and life Sean’s has brought to the fire and firefighters in the book . The only downside I would say is the fact I am looking at a year for book 2 , so Sean you need to forget the calls and stay in station and bash that keyboard and get the edits done !
March 17, 2018
A fun fluff read with a side of cringe. The book is non-stop action without the benefit of endearing character development. Main criticism is that the women characters were sideline pieces.
January 22, 2019
3
Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby is a high concept idea, that had pulp written all over the front cover. I first spotted this book at Dymocks in the city, but convinced the local library to purchase for my own personal means. Smoke Eaters is not a bad book, it just over complicates what could have been a very fun book. I don't normally read a lot of pulp fiction, and for the beginning of 2019, I have decided to read books I would never even consider. This has obviously been mixed, but I have other books to come.
Sean Grigsby has created a book, that is prime for a certain market and on that front it is harmless fun. My issue for the story are more about the characters and the overall arc. The characters are very similar, and they never function well together. I found myself drifting off, when the characters were interacting and this lead to delayed completion. The action scenes are what we are here for and some of them are fun, but also quite fast and far between. When will writers not worry about human antagonists for all the evil in the storylines? I recall the film San Andreas, which is about a natural disaster and yet they still have the time to have a human bad guy. I'm just using this as a comparison for writers attempting to have some explanation or conflict, when the true reason for us being here, is the Dragons. Just my thought.
Why the 3?
I had been tossing up a 2.5 or 3, but ultimately I thought this was okay. They hype of the concept had me gushing for more, and I think the book failed on those expectations. Perceived ideas on the outcome is tough one to overcome, but here's the thing. "When dragons rise from the earth, firefighters are humanity's last line of defence, in this wild near-future fantasy". This is one of the slogans I first read for this book. The human aspect was a no brainer, but I didn't expect to have days of ours with some Dragons in the mix. The lead character isn't that interesting for starters, but he was to serve as the human character for us to experience the new position he was thrown into. Grigsby throws in some corruption angle, which annoyed me and when you can't overcome some of these choices, I was putting the book down more and more. This had potential, and there was enough to warrant the library to purchase his next book. Grigsby is just starting, and on that front he doesn't flatline out of the gate.
Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby is a high concept idea, that had pulp written all over the front cover. I first spotted this book at Dymocks in the city, but convinced the local library to purchase for my own personal means. Smoke Eaters is not a bad book, it just over complicates what could have been a very fun book. I don't normally read a lot of pulp fiction, and for the beginning of 2019, I have decided to read books I would never even consider. This has obviously been mixed, but I have other books to come.
Sean Grigsby has created a book, that is prime for a certain market and on that front it is harmless fun. My issue for the story are more about the characters and the overall arc. The characters are very similar, and they never function well together. I found myself drifting off, when the characters were interacting and this lead to delayed completion. The action scenes are what we are here for and some of them are fun, but also quite fast and far between. When will writers not worry about human antagonists for all the evil in the storylines? I recall the film San Andreas, which is about a natural disaster and yet they still have the time to have a human bad guy. I'm just using this as a comparison for writers attempting to have some explanation or conflict, when the true reason for us being here, is the Dragons. Just my thought.
Why the 3?
I had been tossing up a 2.5 or 3, but ultimately I thought this was okay. They hype of the concept had me gushing for more, and I think the book failed on those expectations. Perceived ideas on the outcome is tough one to overcome, but here's the thing. "When dragons rise from the earth, firefighters are humanity's last line of defence, in this wild near-future fantasy". This is one of the slogans I first read for this book. The human aspect was a no brainer, but I didn't expect to have days of ours with some Dragons in the mix. The lead character isn't that interesting for starters, but he was to serve as the human character for us to experience the new position he was thrown into. Grigsby throws in some corruption angle, which annoyed me and when you can't overcome some of these choices, I was putting the book down more and more. This had potential, and there was enough to warrant the library to purchase his next book. Grigsby is just starting, and on that front he doesn't flatline out of the gate.
May 11, 2018
I really enjoyed this futuristic/dystopian tale that pits firefighters against dragons. The main character, Cole Brannigan, is an old dog nearing retirement from the fire service when he's recruited into a special division of "Smoke Eaters" -- people whose natural immunity to dragon smoke equips them to fight these pesky beasts, which suddenly burrowed out of the Earth's crust and caused a ton of destruction.
Am I entirely thrilled that dragons are the bad guys? No. But the setup lets us experience the brotherhood of those who put themselves at risk to save lives. The author's real-world experience as a professional firefighter shines through; I got a great sense of the deep bond that firefighters share.
I'd add that it's also refreshing to have a compelling, capable protagonist who's 60 years old rather than a young adult. A guy who's been around the block a few times, is happily married, and suddenly gets tossed into dire straits is a nice change from the routine.
There are some interesting spec-fic elements here -- the tech toys of smoke eaters, the variety of dragons that show up, and the existence of creepy, dangerous wights that are formed when humans die by dragon fire. I also loved the authorial voice and a truly spectacular imagining of a dragon-torn future.
Overall it's a fantastic debut by Sean Grigsby and I think you should check it out.
Am I entirely thrilled that dragons are the bad guys? No. But the setup lets us experience the brotherhood of those who put themselves at risk to save lives. The author's real-world experience as a professional firefighter shines through; I got a great sense of the deep bond that firefighters share.
I'd add that it's also refreshing to have a compelling, capable protagonist who's 60 years old rather than a young adult. A guy who's been around the block a few times, is happily married, and suddenly gets tossed into dire straits is a nice change from the routine.
There are some interesting spec-fic elements here -- the tech toys of smoke eaters, the variety of dragons that show up, and the existence of creepy, dangerous wights that are formed when humans die by dragon fire. I also loved the authorial voice and a truly spectacular imagining of a dragon-torn future.
Overall it's a fantastic debut by Sean Grigsby and I think you should check it out.
March 16, 2018
An Absolute Blast
This is out of my typical genre (fantasy) but right up my alley when it comes to action and adventure. I’ve never read Grigsby before so when I saw that Mike aka Michael Patrick Hicks had reviewed it, I decided that I needed to give it a try. Man, am I glad that I did.
Smoke Eaters is a sci-fi and fantasy mash-up (something I didn’t really believe could be done well). Set 100 years in the future in a dystopian society where dragons have scorched parts of the Earth. So much so that there is a special group of people who are set out to dispatch them: Smoke Eaters.
Grigsby is a firefighter and it shows. The amount of fire-fighting knowledge and insiderness (if that’s a word) that he shows in Smoke Eaters really helps this book shine. He took something that he obviously loves to do – thought about it in a different way and wrote a fantastic book about it.
I read this on a trip to Florida and back and I highlighted so many passages. Mostly because they were funny, but I was really entertained by this book. I realized after finishing this that it’s been a long time since a book has taken me out of my comfort zone AND entertained me as much as Smoke Eaters did.
I won’t go into too much detail about the book because I really think you need to stop what you’re doing and pick it up. It was just a perfect combination of so many genres that I had a blast reading it. The scenes further into the book featuring the Great White North cracked me up considering how close I live to both the border and Toronto.
I don’t need another book in this series but I would not be upset if Grigsby chose to write one. It doesn’t even need to be from Brannigan’s point of view (but it still could be).
Also, I plan on reaching out to R.C. Bray about this book because when I read this, it had the same smart-aaaaalecky town that The Martian did and Bray was perfect with it. Half the time I was reading it I could hear him narrating it in my head. Even if an audiobook is released in a month – I would pick it up and read it again. I think I’d enjoy hearing what the narrator did with it.
This is out of my typical genre (fantasy) but right up my alley when it comes to action and adventure. I’ve never read Grigsby before so when I saw that Mike aka Michael Patrick Hicks had reviewed it, I decided that I needed to give it a try. Man, am I glad that I did.
Smoke Eaters is a sci-fi and fantasy mash-up (something I didn’t really believe could be done well). Set 100 years in the future in a dystopian society where dragons have scorched parts of the Earth. So much so that there is a special group of people who are set out to dispatch them: Smoke Eaters.
Grigsby is a firefighter and it shows. The amount of fire-fighting knowledge and insiderness (if that’s a word) that he shows in Smoke Eaters really helps this book shine. He took something that he obviously loves to do – thought about it in a different way and wrote a fantastic book about it.
I read this on a trip to Florida and back and I highlighted so many passages. Mostly because they were funny, but I was really entertained by this book. I realized after finishing this that it’s been a long time since a book has taken me out of my comfort zone AND entertained me as much as Smoke Eaters did.
I won’t go into too much detail about the book because I really think you need to stop what you’re doing and pick it up. It was just a perfect combination of so many genres that I had a blast reading it. The scenes further into the book featuring the Great White North cracked me up considering how close I live to both the border and Toronto.
I don’t need another book in this series but I would not be upset if Grigsby chose to write one. It doesn’t even need to be from Brannigan’s point of view (but it still could be).
Also, I plan on reaching out to R.C. Bray about this book because when I read this, it had the same smart-aaaaalecky town that The Martian did and Bray was perfect with it. Half the time I was reading it I could hear him narrating it in my head. Even if an audiobook is released in a month – I would pick it up and read it again. I think I’d enjoy hearing what the narrator did with it.
March 29, 2018
After a series of massive global earthquakes (bye bye New Zealand) dragons have returned from beneath the earth and it's buffet time. The US has disintegrated into a series of city states reliant on only their neighbours rather than anything on a federal level. The dragons are immune to conventional weaponry. The good news - we have powered armour and laser weapons. The bad news - bastards, bastards everywhere.
Our protagonist is a nearly retired (just one week from....) fireman. They put out the fires. It's kind of in the job description. However, if a dragon is involved then they call in the Smoke Eaters. The people mentioned earlier with powered armour and laser weapons. Then it turns out the name Smoke Eater is almost literal and our hero turns out to be one of them. That's where the fun begins.
As an aside - dastardly nefarious Canadian dragon cultists. I shall say no more.
Our protagonist is a nearly retired (just one week from....) fireman. They put out the fires. It's kind of in the job description. However, if a dragon is involved then they call in the Smoke Eaters. The people mentioned earlier with powered armour and laser weapons. Then it turns out the name Smoke Eater is almost literal and our hero turns out to be one of them. That's where the fun begins.
As an aside - dastardly nefarious Canadian dragon cultists. I shall say no more.
March 30, 2018
If the presence of dragons aren’t enough to convince you to read this book, let my promise that the witty dialogue is well worth your time. The narrator has the perfect voice to tell this story; they couldn’t have made a better selection. Every scene is packed with conflict to hold your attention. There’s no need to test the water, so sink or swim, jump on in.
February 9, 2018
A fun, kick-ass read with dragons and a fire department specifically to fight them. More review to come, BUT!! If you pre-order the book by March 6th, $1 from each book sold goes to the Leary Firefighters Foundation!! More info below:
https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/2018/...
https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/2018/...
February 9, 2018
So let's get this straight. There are basically two kinds of books: Those that reveal the depths and heights of humanity, making us question the values that shape our lives, our relationships, our very identities...
And there are books about firefighters killing dragons.
This is a book about firefighters killing dragons. This is not a book you spend long hours pouring over, researching the echoes of the words within your soul, or weeping for what might have been. This is a "I've had it up to here with this week and it's time to relax." book. Brannigan is the sort of hero you can't help rooting for. He's too old and too tired to put up with the chosen one bullshit that normally accompanies discovery of new powers, and his new powers come with a ton of trouble.
Cole's a fireman, and on the verge of retirement when due to extremely bad luck and an unfortunate sense of duty to his fellow man, it turns out he's a smoke eater - mostly resistant to fire and able to breath in a Saturday Night Bingo Parlor, all of which makes him perfect for kicking some dragon ass.
The supporting characters aren't as well rounded out, but honestly, who cares? Dragons. Firefighters. Ghosts, and even Canadians.
And heck, after a couple beers, maybe the book *is* a treatise on the human condition. Maybe the dragons are metaphors for how late-stage capitalism consumes everything, and the smoke eaters represent mankind's innate desire to resist, while Brannigan represents the hope of the common man, worn down, tired, and constantly feeling like he's got to go to the bathroom.
I don't know.
But I do know this is probably the only book where you can root for a firefighter to chop the head off a three-headed dragon in mid-flight, so that totally counts for something.
Smoke Eaters: A book for when you want to be entertained.
And there are books about firefighters killing dragons.
This is a book about firefighters killing dragons. This is not a book you spend long hours pouring over, researching the echoes of the words within your soul, or weeping for what might have been. This is a "I've had it up to here with this week and it's time to relax." book. Brannigan is the sort of hero you can't help rooting for. He's too old and too tired to put up with the chosen one bullshit that normally accompanies discovery of new powers, and his new powers come with a ton of trouble.
Cole's a fireman, and on the verge of retirement when due to extremely bad luck and an unfortunate sense of duty to his fellow man, it turns out he's a smoke eater - mostly resistant to fire and able to breath in a Saturday Night Bingo Parlor, all of which makes him perfect for kicking some dragon ass.
The supporting characters aren't as well rounded out, but honestly, who cares? Dragons. Firefighters. Ghosts, and even Canadians.
And heck, after a couple beers, maybe the book *is* a treatise on the human condition. Maybe the dragons are metaphors for how late-stage capitalism consumes everything, and the smoke eaters represent mankind's innate desire to resist, while Brannigan represents the hope of the common man, worn down, tired, and constantly feeling like he's got to go to the bathroom.
I don't know.
But I do know this is probably the only book where you can root for a firefighter to chop the head off a three-headed dragon in mid-flight, so that totally counts for something.
Smoke Eaters: A book for when you want to be entertained.
March 13, 2018
Oh man. What a great first novel. Now, as a professional firefighter, I was really drawn to get and read this book. As a sci-fi / fantasy reader-Firefighters vs. Dragons? Yup, I’m in. And was I ever rewarded!
Sean built a great world. It’s not just dragons. There are other creepies here as well. Some are even human. There is a lot of action and smart ass dialogue that you don’t have to be a member of the fire service to appreciate. This is just such a well done all around fun read. I would and will read whatever Sean puts out in the future. I’m going to wrap this review up now because you should be reading Smoke Eaters and not my endless drivel. Peace ✌🏻
Sean built a great world. It’s not just dragons. There are other creepies here as well. Some are even human. There is a lot of action and smart ass dialogue that you don’t have to be a member of the fire service to appreciate. This is just such a well done all around fun read. I would and will read whatever Sean puts out in the future. I’m going to wrap this review up now because you should be reading Smoke Eaters and not my endless drivel. Peace ✌🏻
March 11, 2018
Unique, fun and engaging cast of characters placed in a near future world with dragons. Full review at
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
March 9, 2018
A lot of fun.
February 15, 2018
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Really, the case for you (or anyone) reading this book is simply and convincingly made in 13 words:
I'll just wait here while you open another tab to put in your order. There's really nothing more that I need to say, is there? What if I throw in robot dogs?
Since you're here anyway, I'll talk a little more about the book. In the early 22nd century, dragons show up (technically, come back) and everything changes over night -- cities burn, non-urban areas burn, geography changes, societies change, political/governmental realities change. And so on. Where there are dragons, there's fire; and where there's fire, there are firefighters. A special division of firefighters soon develops -- Smoke Eaters -- who specialize in dragon fighting, while the rest take care of fires, saving lives and property, etc. You know, the basic everyday hero stuff.
One such hero is Captain Cole Brannigan. After decades of fighting fires, he's a week away from retirement when disaster strikes and he finds himself without his air supply in a dragon smoke-filled room, which it turns out that he can breathe. Which means he's one of a select few people naturally immune to the stuff and is basically pressed into service as a Smoke Eater. Instead of commanding a squad and their respect, he's a trainee -- worse, a trainee who used to be a fire fighter. I'm not really sure I get the level of antagonism that exists between the two groups, but it's pretty intense. No one respects his expertise, his experience, his perspective. He's tolerated at best -- and that's really only because of the whole smoke immunity thing.
I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this dynamic -- stories about someone learning their way through a new reality, or new abilities, etc. are a staple of the genre. But a fully-realized adult, in a long-term, stable marriage (as stable as they can realistically come), successful already and sure of his place in the world being thrown into a new situation like this is unique. Cole spends as much time fighting his instincts about assuming leadership roles (and assuming people will follow) as he does trying to understand his new teammates and duties. Naturally, his perspective and experience will prove important to understanding a new challenge facing the Smoke Eaters.
I'm not going to get into everyone else, because this is Cole's story, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's the most interesting character (he probably is, though, your mileage may vary). The rest of the characters aren't quite as well drawn -- mostly because we see everyone through Cole's eyes -- but most are close enough that you don't notice.
I should probably mention that when he's not writing about fire-breathing lizards, Grigsby's an actual firefighter. So he knows his stuff -- when he says fire behaves a certain way, it's not because he's read a lot about that or watched Backdraft a few dozen times (well, both of those may be true, but neither is the primary reason he can say that fire behaves a certain way). The authenticity about this kind of thing shines forth and adds a layer of reality to this novel. He knows guys just like Cole -- and probably most of the other firefighters and Smoke Eaters -- he knows the devastation that fire leaves behind (both to structures and people), and what it takes to keep pressing on in the face of that.
There is a lot more that I want to try and cover, but this is one if those books that if I said everything I wanted to, it'd take a week to write and an hour to read - so let me wrap this up (man, I didn't even talk about Grigsby's Canada...the book is worth a look just for that). This is full of action, and some of the ways a gentleman of Cole's age keeps up with the action are pretty smartly conceived, but there's some thinking involved, too. Still, you'll be kept leaning forward in your seat. It's a good story; with great, developed characters; a wonderful concept; all executed like a seasoned pro was behind it all. There are some little details that will make you chuckle as you read them (the misunderstandings of barely remembered 20th century culture, for example). Smoke Eaters is going to be one of the best UF reads you find this year.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the good folks over at Angry Robot via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest take on the book -- thanks to both for their generosity and this rockin' read.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Really, the case for you (or anyone) reading this book is simply and convincingly made in 13 words:
Firefighters vs. Dragons in an Urban Fantasy novel set in a futuristic dystopia.
I'll just wait here while you open another tab to put in your order. There's really nothing more that I need to say, is there? What if I throw in robot dogs?
Since you're here anyway, I'll talk a little more about the book. In the early 22nd century, dragons show up (technically, come back) and everything changes over night -- cities burn, non-urban areas burn, geography changes, societies change, political/governmental realities change. And so on. Where there are dragons, there's fire; and where there's fire, there are firefighters. A special division of firefighters soon develops -- Smoke Eaters -- who specialize in dragon fighting, while the rest take care of fires, saving lives and property, etc. You know, the basic everyday hero stuff.
One such hero is Captain Cole Brannigan. After decades of fighting fires, he's a week away from retirement when disaster strikes and he finds himself without his air supply in a dragon smoke-filled room, which it turns out that he can breathe. Which means he's one of a select few people naturally immune to the stuff and is basically pressed into service as a Smoke Eater. Instead of commanding a squad and their respect, he's a trainee -- worse, a trainee who used to be a fire fighter. I'm not really sure I get the level of antagonism that exists between the two groups, but it's pretty intense. No one respects his expertise, his experience, his perspective. He's tolerated at best -- and that's really only because of the whole smoke immunity thing.
I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this dynamic -- stories about someone learning their way through a new reality, or new abilities, etc. are a staple of the genre. But a fully-realized adult, in a long-term, stable marriage (as stable as they can realistically come), successful already and sure of his place in the world being thrown into a new situation like this is unique. Cole spends as much time fighting his instincts about assuming leadership roles (and assuming people will follow) as he does trying to understand his new teammates and duties. Naturally, his perspective and experience will prove important to understanding a new challenge facing the Smoke Eaters.
I'm not going to get into everyone else, because this is Cole's story, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's the most interesting character (he probably is, though, your mileage may vary). The rest of the characters aren't quite as well drawn -- mostly because we see everyone through Cole's eyes -- but most are close enough that you don't notice.
I should probably mention that when he's not writing about fire-breathing lizards, Grigsby's an actual firefighter. So he knows his stuff -- when he says fire behaves a certain way, it's not because he's read a lot about that or watched Backdraft a few dozen times (well, both of those may be true, but neither is the primary reason he can say that fire behaves a certain way). The authenticity about this kind of thing shines forth and adds a layer of reality to this novel. He knows guys just like Cole -- and probably most of the other firefighters and Smoke Eaters -- he knows the devastation that fire leaves behind (both to structures and people), and what it takes to keep pressing on in the face of that.
There is a lot more that I want to try and cover, but this is one if those books that if I said everything I wanted to, it'd take a week to write and an hour to read - so let me wrap this up (man, I didn't even talk about Grigsby's Canada...the book is worth a look just for that). This is full of action, and some of the ways a gentleman of Cole's age keeps up with the action are pretty smartly conceived, but there's some thinking involved, too. Still, you'll be kept leaning forward in your seat. It's a good story; with great, developed characters; a wonderful concept; all executed like a seasoned pro was behind it all. There are some little details that will make you chuckle as you read them (the misunderstandings of barely remembered 20th century culture, for example). Smoke Eaters is going to be one of the best UF reads you find this year.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the good folks over at Angry Robot via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest take on the book -- thanks to both for their generosity and this rockin' read.
July 4, 2018
I started this sometime ago but finally got around to finishing it. The world has gone to crap. Dragons have returned, and the world somehow has become an economical and political mess ( I'll get back to this later). Firefighters or a specific branch called Smoke Eaters are able to inhale the dragon smoke and hunt them. The protagonist is on the cusp of retirement from the fire dept when on his last fire accidentally finds himself aksed to join the Smoke eaters as he has the ability. It starts off well and we have a cool introduction but I found a few things lacking. Characterisation was poor. Heavily in favour of male protrayals and severely lacking strong female characters. Some of the dialogue was cheesy and it reminded me at times of 90s action films ( ala Die hard, universal soldier etc). The world building didnt make sense and some apsects I still couldn't understand ( wraiths-not sure their link or why- confused me). Why was the world collapsing, why was Canada a power in a sense ( in house joke? Not sure). There was alot going on here with the plot, political corruption, sexual tension with different relstionships, action galore, double crossing to many things to list. I think it bit off more than it could chew. However for a debut novel it was still fun and the concept was amazingly cool. I guess this was a debut novel syndrome (packing as much as you could into one). Alot of potential here with the writing and the world just hope if a book 2 is developed there are improvements in certain areas.
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