Highfire: A Novel

By Eoin Colfer

“True Detective meets Swamp Thing in the Artemis Fowl author’s neo-noirish thriller about a curmudgeonly dragon in Louisiana.” —Guardian

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series comes a hilarious and high-octane adult novel about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who lives an isolated life in the bayous of Louisiana—and the raucous adventures that ensue when he crosses paths with a fifteen-year-old troublemaker on the run from a crooked sheriff.

In the days of yore, he flew the skies and scorched angry mobs—now he hides from swamp tour boats and rises only with the greatest reluctance from his Laz-Z-Boy recliner. Laying low in the bayou, this once-magnificent fire breather has been reduced to lighting Marlboros with nose sparks, swilling Absolut in a Flashdance T-shirt, and binging Netflix in a fishing shack. For centuries, he struck fear in hearts far and wide as Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie—now he goes by Vern. However...he has survived, unlike the rest. He is the last of his kind, the last dragon. Still, no amount of vodka can drown the loneliness in his molten core. Vern’s glory days are long gone. Or are they?

A canny Cajun swamp rat, young Everett “Squib” Moreau does what he can to survive, trying not to break the heart of his saintly single mother. He’s finally decided to work for a shady smuggler—but on his first night, he witnesses his boss murdered by a crooked constable.

Regence Hooke is not just a dirty cop, he’s a despicable human being—who happens to want Squib’s momma in the worst way. When Hooke goes after his hidden witness with a grenade launcher, Squib finds himself airlifted from certain death by…a dragon?

The swamp can make strange bedfellows, and rather than be fried alive so the dragon can keep his secret, Squib strikes a deal with the scaly apex predator. He can act as his go-between (aka familiar)—fetch his vodka, keep him company, etc.—in exchange for protection from Hooke. Soon the three of them are careening headlong toward a combustible confrontation. There’s about to be a fiery reckoning, in which either dragons finally go extinct—or Vern’s glory days are back.

A triumphant return to the genre-bending fantasy that Eoin Colfer is so well known for, Highfire is an effortlessly clever and relentlessly funny tour-de-force of comedy and action.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062938589

Eoin Colfer

Eoin Colfer is the New York Times bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series as well as two adult crime novels, Plugged, which was short-listed for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Screwed. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.

Reviews for Highfire

[jennparm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Colfer has been a favorite author of mine since I was a teenager, and Highfire certainly didn't disappoint. With a very original storyline and an impressive use of back-swamp vernacular, this book is worth a read. That said, it definitely is an adult novel with plenty of body-humor, choice words, and adult themes. Not a bother to me, but I wouldn't hand it to a kid who's run out of Artemis Fowl books and wants to read more of Colfer's work.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vern is probably the last dragon in the world and he has foudn a life for himself in the swamps of Louisana with some help from his friends. Now he's dealing with a young man who has issues and a Constable who is abusing his role and maybe he has to deal with the human world more than they want to deal with him.Full of humour and good fun I enjoyed the read.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This adorable book for adults is hilarious, satirical, insightful, and a rollicking good read.The main protagonist is Vern (short for “Wyvern, Lord Highfire”), an antihero [i.e., a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes] who fits in perfectly with his swampy environment in fictional Petit Bateau, Louisiana. Vern spends his endless days drinking Absolut Vodka, chomping on Pringles, and watching reality television. He gets food, alcohol, and cable tv thanks to his go-between to the human world, Waxman, a nearby houseboat-dweller who is Vern’s only friend. But when Waxman has to leave for a while, Vern needs a new “familiar” to see to his needs, and Waxman recommends Everett “Squib” Moreau.Squib is fifteen and “leaning toward” being a good boy. He works hard to help support his momma Elodie, who is a pretty nurse currently pursued by the corrupt town constable, Regence Hooke. Hooke is about as evil as you can get, but with an awareness that he is a psychopath (and proud of it!). Hooke has plans to take over the drug running business from the New Orleans capo who pays off Hooke and other dirty cops throughout the area. He has visions of being a billionaire with Elodie by his side. (Elodie has special appeal for Hooke on account of having rejected him.)Vern agrees to take on Squib as his familiar but only because he will indeed need one with Waxman not around. Vern's first instinct was to kill Squib because Squib found out Vern existed. That information was dangerous to Vern. Vern is, after all, as far as he knows, the only living dragon left in the world, and there are plenty who, if they found out about Vern, would like to boast of killing him. What if Squib tells anyone about Vern, or worse yet, posts a video of him on social media? But Waxman argued:“Vern, Lord Highfire as was. The older I gets, the more I realize that we is all just souls. All souls in different bodies. . . . Some souls are assholes and some ain’t. Maybe it seems like there is an inordinate amount of human assholes, but that’s just percentages. And I do believe this specimen of a boy is a good soul.”Vern reluctantly buys into Waxman's argument, and just as reluctantly grows fond of Squib, as Squib grows attached to Vern. When Hooke, spying on Squib, finds out about his new job and more importantly, the nature of Squib's new boss, Hooke comes up with a plan to eliminate Squib once and for all - Squib being a barrier to snaring Elodie. Hooke thought maybe he could even use Vern to vanquish the local mob and take it all for himself.What follows is an improbably hilarious wild and violent showdown between the forces of good and evil, with the outcome never certain.Evaluation: While this story certainly includes brutality and meanness, it also features endearing characters, unconditional love, touching friendship, satire, loads of humor, and all the elements of a great “fish tale” - or in this case, dragon tale. It’s a bit like a Carl Hiaasen book, but with a lot more warmth. There is plenty of deeper meaning too, such as the most obvious point that external appearance should not be an indicator of who is "human" and who is monstrous. I found the coming-of-age, father/son aspects especially appealing. Highly recommended!

[penny_l-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story sounded like a fun read, but I did not like the writing style.I had to stop after the first few pages due to it being so choppy, and the vernacular in which it was written made it hard to read.Maybe someone familiar with that region and the local's euphemisms would like it, but I did not.

[bkjake · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I recieved this book through the Early Reviewer program. Vivid characters bring this story of a lone wyvern hiding out in the Cajun swamps to life. Fun and full of action, I'm hoping for a sequel even though this story wraps up nicely. 4.5 stars.

[jaredorlando-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eoin Coifer—the renown author of the Artemis Fowl series—is back with a rollicking swamp-drenched story about a dragon who doesn’t quite give a damn. The setting is a spectacular one. Being from Louisiana myself, it is obvious how perfect a tale can be set on the bayou. Wherein we meet a foul-mouthed, vodka-drinking dragon and the vile folks that revolve around him. In the midst of all this chaos is a boy named Squib who teeters on the edge of good and bad. Lessons are learned and others aren’t, and it’s hard to have a better time than Highfire.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

HighfireA NovelBy: Eoin ColferNarrated by: Johnny HellerOh my gosh! Colfer wrote a hilarious adult book that is just right! It has a snarky, booze, dragon, named Vern, hiding out in the swamps of Louisiana enjoying a boar now and then. He lives a good life with his gator minions and, other than being lonely for a dragon girl, he does ok. He avoids people until he gets himself into trouble by saving a teen from a crooked cop. Sure, he should've ate the kid but decided to let him live and the antics are on! It is funny, heartwarming, and just downright silly but I loved every minute! Unpredictable, great characters, and I hope this will be a series!I got the Audible version because Heller I knew would make the book POP and he did! He made it even better! Great pair - Colfer and Heller!

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a creative fantasy whose chief characters are a spirited teen aged boy (Squib), a dirty policeman and what seems to be the world's last living dragon named Vern. The action takes place in rural Louisiana near New Orleans. At the start Vern hates all humans but a time passes he and Squib become allies and friends. There are many unique characters that add a lot of color and enhancement to the book. I think this book would make a good movie or series but this is no Pete's Dragon.

[kittycunningh-815148 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was fun. I would read a sequel.

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Original!Eoin Colfer once again pulls literary magic out of the box! His wicked sense of humor permeates this most unlikely story.Put together one badass Dragon, last of his kind, formerly Wyvern, Lord Highfire, of the Highfire Eyrie, now just called Vern, and a bayou tatty, wise-ass Cajun kid with the handle Squib and you have one hugely amusing story of life in the bayou swamps around Louisiana. As Vern our former dragon Lord puts it, now he's "king of jack shit in Mudsville, Louisiana." Vern's living conditions are not the only thing that's changed. Now "Vern was mostly ketogenic, high fat, low carbs, apart from his beloved breakfast cereals...Unfortunately, it meant the beer had to go, but he got by on vodka. Absolut was his preferred brand. A little high on alcohol but easiest on the system." He also practices mindfulness as a way to cope with his down moods.After a series of setbacks Vern takes on Squib as his general supplier. That's when things become so much more interesting. Squib's mother has caught the eye of the local rogue law enforcement Captain, and that means Squib is under observation as well. One thing of course leads to another.(The banter between Vern and Squib reminds me a tad of that between Steven Brust's assassin Vlad Taltos, and his small dragon like companion, the jhereg Loiosh.)With a Dragon lord, New Orleans drug lords, a crazy ex marine, rogue lawman with the handle Regence Hooke, the story reads like Peter Pan gone feral.The one liners don't stop coming. The tone is self deprecating. The Dragon Lord has seen better days. His wardrobe is eye catchingly kitsch and includes a Flashdance T-shirt. Squib and his mother are delights. What more can I say? I was amused the whole way through! In fact I feel a further read coming on to take in and fully appreciate Colfer's wonderful sense of the ridiculous. A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley

[vickyf-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite enjoyed this. Loved the character of Vern and was rooting for the bad guy to get his comeuppance!