My thanks to Quercus Books/Jo Fletcher Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Highfire’ by Eoin Colfer in exchange for an honest review. This is Colfer’s first fantasy for adults though I expect that many ‘grownups’ have enjoyed his highly popular Artemis Fowl series. This was my first experience of Colfer’s writing and I was completely won over. ‘Highfire’ is set deep in the Louisiana bayou where Vern (short for Wyvern), the last living dragon, has made his home far from prying human eyes. He is a wise-cracking, vodka-drinking dragon who is obsessed with reality television, Netflix, and the ‘80s ‘Flashdance’. Quirky right? Vern’s peace is shattered by the intrusion of teenager Everett Moreau, nicknamed Squib. He is a Cajun boy, who is a little swamp wild but generally good hearted and supportive of his mother. Crooked local cop, Regence Hooke, has his eye on Squib’s momma and would very much like Squib out of the picture so he can make his move. How these characters come together and the consequences form the bulk of the tale. Enjoying it so much I find myself a little lost to find adequate words. Overall, I found ‘Highfire’ an excellent blend of action and comedy with just a touch of Southern Gothic horror. Colfer clearly enjoyed himself writing it and that sense of enthusiasm jumps gleefully from its pages. I adored its characters, especially Vern and Squib. The repartee between them was brilliant. Hooke was a very full-on baddie and his evil machinations had me on the edge of my seat. I was genuinely sad to reach the final pages. Will Vern have further adventures? I hope so as he is such a brilliant creation. I now plan to buy my own copy, likely of its audiobook edition as I feel it would translate well to this format. Certainly a novel worthy of its prepublication buzz. Highly recommended.

Very entertaining plot and characters accompanied by thorough, detailed, interesting description

I'm grateful to Jo Fletcher Books for a free advance copy of Highfire.. This book comes with high expectations - it's Eoin Colfer! - and I'm glad to say it fully met them. That's not as foregone a conclusion as it sounds - not only this is Colfer's first adult fantasy (authors don't always transplant well) but he has gone for quite a tricky genre mix here. Vern is an old guy living in a swamp in a beyond-the-back-of-nowhere corner of Louisiana. He loves his vodka. He's irritable, reclusive and Heaven help anyone who trespasses on his island and disturbs him... Vern is also the last dragon in the world, living in a swamp in a beyond-the-back-of-nowhere corner of Louisiana. He loves his vodka. He's irritable, reclusive and Heaven help anyone who discovers he exists - because then he will have to kill them... Also nosing about that swamp are the bright, but underrated, boy Squib Moreau who runs errands on the river, and murderous parish constable Regence Hooke who wants Squid out of the way so he can move in on his mother, Elodie. As you can imagine it gets very complicated. All kinds of things might happen out on the bayou and no-one would be any the wiser. Hooke has wider plans than those concerning Elodie, and there are no limits to what he might do. I just loved this book. I can't classify it in genre terms. It's not a slick urban fantasy, with an intricate world of supernatural creatures. Yet it's patently of this world, with a convincing setting and powerfully evoking place (from the polluted chemical runoff in the water to the humid air, the mud, decaying vegetation and the alligators stirring). It also has a heartbreaking backstory, in Vern's memories of how his species were wiped out (there are reasons he hides from humans). At its heart is the encounter between the old dragon and the teenage boy, which is often humorous - they understand each other very well. This is, however, continually disturbed by the grandiloquent scheming of Hooke, who has a military background, a cache of weapons that wouldn't disgrace an average sized state, and plans to employ both. Hooke is a masterpiece of characterisation, a monster and a bully who has always got what he wanted - until he met Elodie. We see a lot inside his he'd, and it's not a nice place to be. That might be the moment to repeat a warning the publishers have included in the press release for this book - yes, the book does have adult content. There is lots of violence and some gruesome deaths, and also some sexual themes (both comic - we learn what a dragon does with his bits to keep them safe in combat) and less so. While there's nothing really explicit, it really isn't a YA book, a point I suppose that has to be made when marketing a crossover book like this. It is, though, incredibly fun. We see things through Vern's, Squib's and Hooke's eyes and the plot is pretty straightforward so one can pretty much anticipate what's going to happen. How it happens is though different - Colfer has produced a compelling and action-packed narrative that demands you keep reading and reading: there is no place you can stop, any more than a dragon fully loaded with oil and screaming in for the burn is going to bank away and retreat... I hope we hear more about Lord Wyvern of Highfire. He must have quite a backstory to explore.

One of the funniest books I've read for a while. Eoin has not disappointed in this fantastic romp for adults. I really hope this is not a stand alone as it deserves a follow up.

A glorious romp in the swamp with a disassociated, cantankerous dragon and the ever so unfortunate Squib, a young chap who never expected to encounter a mythical beast, let alone become embroiled in a dangerous game headed by the bent, and exceptionally unpleasant, local sheriff. Great fun and utterly hilarious, Colfer’s humour, as always, is cheeky and delightful. Vern and Squib’s interactions drive the heart of this novel, as indeed, friendship can blossom in the most unusual of circumstances, even when faced with a military grade weapon carrying mob and a vodka chugging mythical creature. And the dialogue, well, Colfer fully immerses his reader in world that can only really be a Cajun swamp. A must read if you love dragons...and swamps.