Highfire: A Novel

"Let me tell you why I enjoyed it so much. Fantasy is not my thing. Or, I didn’t think it was, but this book has completely changed my mind. I would never have thought of myself as somebody who would like a book about dragons, but this book just made me laugh from beginning to end. It is so funny, so clever. If you don’t like profanity, skip it. It’s about a dragon who thinks he’s the last of his species. He’s living out his days on the bayou in Louisiana, and has a particular affinity for Absolut vodka and the film Flashdance . He also has very strong opinions about the representation of dragons in Game of Thrones . He’s like this curmudgeonly old man in the body of a dragon, and he relies on this semi-human to bring him his supplies. “Fantasy is not my thing. But this book has completely changed my mind” As the last of his species, he is determined to live a quiet life to the end. And then along comes this gormless teenager, who is being targeted by the town’s very corrupt sheriff. There the trouble begins. What follows is an absolutely thrilling rollercoaster ride. It has totally changed my mind about fantasy. It’s very, very funny. There’s a laugh on every page. This was just an exquisite pleasure, the reading highlight of last year, because it took me out of the pandemic. It took me out of everything. Just delicious. I’m particularly enthusiastic because it was such a surprise. The other thing I would say about this book is that I initially listened to it on audiobook—although I’ve bought a hard copy of it now—and the audio narrator/actor is absolutely superb."