A fun start to a new series. Dragons, action, interesting characters, and pretty good action. Looking forward to reading more by Grigsby.

Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby sets out with such a wonderful premise: dragons have returned to the world and who better to provide the first line of defense if not firefighters? Unfortunately, such a promising idea was not well executed and, ultimately, I finished the first book in the Smoke Eaters series with disappointment.

So where did Smoke Eaters fall short? Let’s start with the opening. Setting the stage is critical for any novel, but even more so for the first book in a series, especially when written by a relatively unknown author. I expected dragons, fire, destruction, and mayhem. Instead, Grigsby introduces us to his main character, Captain Brannigan, as he’s taking a leak. Yes, the man is relieving himself. But at least he’s at the site of a recent dragon attack, so that’s something. This isn’t the ideal manner in which to introduce any character, but certainly not the main one.

In any case, we soon learn that Brannigan is a veteran fireman close to retirement. He’s done his duty both before the dragons came and after, and he and his wife are ready for the next chapter in their lives. Only fate has something else in store for Brannigan, as he soon learns he possesses a special ability that makes him more than just a standard firefighter. He is amongst a select group of humans who can breathe dragon smoke. If firefighters are the first line of defense against the dragons, then the “Smoke Eaters” are the final line. They do more than just put out the fires caused by the dragons. They put out the dragons themselves using advanced technology provided by a fairly stereotypical corporation which is eventually revealed to have a devious, alternate agenda a la about every 80’s and 90’s dystopian sci-fi movie ever made.

Despite his years of service, Brannigan joins the Smoke Eaters as a rookie. As the new guy, he has a lot to learn, but he also seems to have a lot of answers. Given his firefighting experience, this is not entirely unrealistic. However, in scene after scene he seems to be the only one who has any answers at all. I understand he’s the main character, but he’s joining an elite squad. Granted, they may not have the experience he does, but there are times where they are almost entirely dysfunctional and unable to act if not for Brannigan jumping in to spur things along. This really made me wonder how they managed to survive for as long as they have without his guidance.

I’m giving Smoke Eaters two rockets because, while it’s a really cool premise, there are far too many cliches and contrived moments. It would have ranked higher if only the execution had turned out better. There’s another novel in this series, Ash Kickers (kudos to the author for the clever title), but I can’t really recommend it outright based on my thoughts around Smoke Eaters. I hope it’s better than this first book and fulfills the expectations I went into this one with, but with so many reading options out there, Ash Kickers isn’t very high on my list presently.

Sean Grigsby's <em>Smoke Eaters</em> is one of those books which I began reading with no idea what I would find inside. It came from Angry Robot publisher, so I assumed it would be science fantasy of some sort, but that's about all I knew. Early in the opening chapter, Grigsby caught my attention with a high level of excitement and interest.

We are introduced to Cole Brannigan, a gruff and grizzled fire fighter just days away from retirement, at a house fire. But what at first appears to be an ordinary house fire turns out to be something much more insidious. The source of the fire is actually a dragon that has come up from the ground below the house. Brannigan rushes in to get his crew to safety, only to watch as one of his fire-fighters becomes dragon lunch. Even with his firefighter gone, the house is not empty. A group of children are in the house, hiding in an upstairs room. Brannigan and a fellow fireman rush to their aid where the kids inform them that there are more dragons on the attack, which Brannigan fights off with Herculean effort. When he loses his oxygen mask he assumes he's done for, but surprisingly finds that he's able to tolerate the smoke-filled house.

Whoosh ... in swoop two different teams claiming that the situation is now under their control. A series of fire-fighting robots put into place by the local mayor, and 'Smoke Eaters' - a group who don't fight fires, but fight dragons. It turns out that Brannigan's ability to breathe through the smoke is the main requirement for becoming a Smoke Eater and he is enlisted, mostly by force, despite his nearness to retirement. And so begins Brannigan's journey into the world of dragon fighting. But dragon's may not be the worst thing out there.

Author Grigsby really does a great job of bringing us into the story and captures the camaraderie of the brotherhood of firefighters. The introduction of the world of dragons, and the wide variety of such dragons, is made quite real. It is helped that we the readers make the discovery just as Brannigan is learning about it.

The story moves along swiftly, jumping from frying pan to fire and back again, with plot points introduced along the way. It's delightful space opera - without the space (is there a comparable category for fantasy?).

But one thing holds this story back from being truly outstanding.

Misogyny.

Well ... not quite misogyny. Perhaps pubescent fantasy is more like it. Grigsby, through the narrative of Brannigan, tells us that Cole loves his wife. But what he <em>shows</em> us is something quite different. And despite being an older, retirement age, man, when he's assigned to room with the attractive younger woman, of course there's the expectation that she will find him attractive, but he will be a true gentleman and make sure he isn't sending the wrong signals.

Whereas the dragons seem quite real and the brotherhood of Smoke Eaters feels real and the story is exciting, Brannigan's relationships feel forced. This feels more like male fantasy (a macho male life [is there anything more macho than fighting fires? Yes...fighting dragons!] with a wife at home and attractive young partners during the day).

The story is exciting and well plotted enough that I look forward to the next book in the series, but I do hope that the relationships are better developed.

Looking for a good book? <em>Smoke Eaters</em> by Sean Grigsby is an exciting new urban fantasy with a macho protagonist and some very unusual dragons. It is worth reading.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Copy provided by netgalley, (awhile ago, oops) and all thoughts are mine! What a nice urban fantasy debut! I liked the idea of firefighters having to fight dragon fire (and the author is actually a firefighter, too, how cool is that? It definitely shows through with the attention to detail and technical knowledge!) And the addition of the futuristic elements is well implemented. Dragon firefighters are definitely a cool idea!

That said, it was definitely kind of rough around the edges. There were some ideas that didn't seem to really go anywhere, and I predicted a fair amount of the "twists" in the plot, but I can't say for sure that all made it into the final version (I'll try to check and update this). Not really any worse than many debut novels though, and I look forward to seeing how Grigsby's writing develops!

My absolute favorite part was the characters, who all had their own unique "voices" and could all deliver plenty of snark. I kind of wonder if they were inspired by real firefighters the author knows, because they definitely seem like full people. I think this would appeal to fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden files books, as those have a similar snark-level to this.

Firefighters vs dragons is everything I ever wanted and this book does it so well! It's set in a post-apocalyptic 22nd century north america with ghosts and robots and dragons and so much more! highly enjoyable read!

I really loved this book. My father and grandfather were both firefighters for many years and grew up within the camaraderie of the fire company. It was easy to relate to, funny and interesting. If Dragons ever did come out to play, firefighters would be the obvious choice to take them on!

Those of you who follow my blog know I've been busy for the past couple of months and am behind on my reviews. I'm FINALLY getting this one out even though I finished it over a month ago. For this post I'm also trying out a slightly different format to see if I like it. I'm working off of just a few notes and memory but here it goes...

I want to thank Netgalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.


"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."

Smoke Eaters is a thrilling science fiction/fantasy mash-up sure to whet your appetite for that page turning spring or summertime read. Full of action that blends near future scientific advancement with the legendary reptilian monsters of fantasy lore, Grigsby's debut offers something for fans of both genres. I liken it to a fun summer action flick of a movie...er book.

Concept

I really liked the concept of Smoke Eaters. Firefighters VS. Dragons (and wraiths). If that doesn't immediately catch your attention or even just make you curious then we can't be friends. Well maybe we can but I'm gonna give you lots of crap about it. Anyway, a near future, somewhat post apocalyptic world where dragons have risen from fissures in the earth to wreak havoc on civilization and humanity's only effective answer are special units of firefighters who are adapted and trained to combat this new breed of monster is definitely up my alley. And let's add to that the mysterious presence of wraiths, robots out to take our jobs, and shady politicians, and we have ourselves the makings of some drama and conflict. Oh...and there's Canadians being all...Canadian, which is my way of saying that like in the real world they have a worldview very different from ours south of the border...the other border. I'm dealing in generalities here so don't @ me.

Plot

I rather enjoyed the plot. As I've already noted above the Earth has been ravaged by dragons crawling from below the surface of the earth. They have rampaged over the world and no nation has been spared. But they haven't destroyed everything. Cities still exist and life goes on for people. It isn't like the dragons can't be defeated, they just manage to do a lot of damage before being put down. A new kind of firefighting force, the Smoke Eaters, has been established to deal with the threat. Smoke Eaters are drafted from the general public after having demonstrated certain abilities (like the ability to breath smoke without dying) and thrown into training and given specialized equipment (power suits, trucks, weaponry, etc.) that enable them to battle their scaly foe.

As the blurb above indicates, Cole Brannigan is ready to retire but gets drawn into the world of the Smoke Eaters and is all of a sudden a rookie firefighter once more. This makes for some tension and drama in his life both professionally and personally. But the dragon menace isn't the only conflict in town. There's also wraiths. For some reason wraiths spawn near where dragons have appeared and are nearly as dangerous. On top of that there's a political battle being fought as well. It turns out the Mayor is out to automate parts of city government he thinks are inefficient or harmful and does so with robots which keep getting in the Smoke Eater's way. I hesitate to say much else than this and the cover blurb above so as not to give away any more of the plot, but each thread of the plot weaves together to a thrilling end.

I should also note that there are elements where I wonder if Grigsby was influenced by the Ghostbusters and Poltergeist movies. Yes or no I made those connections in my mind and enjoyed it.

My only real complaint with the plot is the wraiths. It isn't that I don't like them. They're scary and deadly. I just felt like the reason for their existence wasn't adequately explained. Grigsby's explanation of where the dragons come from is well done (more on that in World Building below) but I can't say the same for the wraiths. They appear and characters offer guesses about the function they serve (for lack of a better explanation) but why they've shown up all of a sudden or where they come from or what produces them isn't really dealt with. Or I just missed it somehow.

Writing And Pacing

Smoke Eaters is told from Brannigan's first person POV. I know some people hate first person but I don't. Grigsby's writing style doesn't have poetic flourishes, or deep subtle nuance to unpack. This is an action book and it's written like one. This is perfectly fine because his writing style does what it sets out to do and doesn't pretend to be something else.

The pacing is pretty much what you'd expect too. It starts off with action, slows down for some plot development, picks up with more dragon fighting action, slows down for more plot development, ramps up with dragons and robots, plot development, etc., right up to the end. The pacing stays pretty even throughout and doesn't get bogged down anywhere that I can remember.

Characters

For the most part I liked the characters. The Smoke Eaters are all badass, the villains (to remain nameless for now) were what I expected, the women are tough and take no shit. It's an action thriller filled with action oriented characters. With that however comes what some would dislike, that being there isn't a lot of character development over the course of the novel. I'm OK with that in this case though because it isn't meant to be a thoroughly character driven book. I don't go to an action movie looking for in-depth character development and I don't read a book like this looking for it either.

But there were a couple things that turned me off a little. For one Brannigan begins the novel at the end of his career as a fire Captain, a position I would assume one doesn't attain without some level of maturity and understanding of authority. But he quickly reverts to brash, rebellious, rookie mode when he joins the Smoke Eaters. This didn't keep me from enjoying the book but it did linger in my mind.

There was one character I didn't like at all. Brannigan's wife Sherry. She goes through most of the story pissed that he's not really retiring. That I get. Makes sense. Firefighting is a dangerous job and she's been waiting for the day he will come home for good. There's even a great little scene involving a baseball when he tells her he isn't. But quickly she just comes off as a very selfish, ball busting nag, and then she's painted as being very naïve. But Brannigan's love for her is an important element of the plot and drives a portion of the story. I just didn't like her. I'm hoping this isn't me just being a male ass. Let me know what you think.

World Building

Smoke Eaters is set in a near future Earth so Grigsby didn't have to do tons of world building, it's already here. There's some technological advancements to play out and they were done well. These include power suits, weaponry, vehicles, and the like. It isn't hard sci-fi so there isn't much explanation behind the science but that would just be a turn-off in a book of this sort where the plot needs to keep rolling forward without being bogged down in the technical aspects.

The biggest problem Grigsby had to overcome is how to explain the dragons. Where did they come from? How'd they get here? If they've always been here where have they been hiding? Why haven't they shown themselves before? Since he chose for them to come from fissures in the ground after earthquakes occurred they can't be explained away as dropping in from outer space. Before sitting down to read the book this was the aspect I knew he'd have to sell me on the most. I'm not going to give away the explanation(s) provided but Grigsby manages to weave together myth and legend about dragons from humanity's past, including examples from cultures around the world from Europe, Asia, and North America in a plausible somewhat scientific (it's fantasy remember) way that leave you saying, "OK I can buy that" while still leaving the door open for unexplained mystery.

So all-in-all the world building was good and I really had no issues with it.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed Smoke Eaters. The few complaints I had didn't really hinder the read for me. There's action, humor, and if I didn't mention it before, DRAGONS...and wraiths...and robots. It's great for a summer read at the beach or wherever you might take your vacation. Hell it'd probably be great in the fall next to a fire but something about it screams spring/summer to me. I've said it a few times already and will repeat it again, Smoke Eaters reminded me a lot of an action movie and I rated it keeping that in mind and whether it accomplished what it set out to do. If you go into it expecting something else you may be disappointed. But if you dive in expecting just that I think you'll enjoy it. Anyhow I recommend you check it out.

When I tallied by numbers my rating came to a 3.8 or 3.9 and I round to the nearest half point, so...

4 of 5 Stars

The nitty-gritty: A story full of great ideas that really shined in some parts, but unfortunately needed more polishing and editing to make it a standout debut.

I was intrigued by the idea of Smoke Eaters, a story about a special crew of firefighters with the ability to withstand dragon smoke and slay dragons. And although there are lots of cool ideas in this story, it ultimately didn’t work that well for me. A combination of “debut author syndrome” and a lack of strong editing seem to be the main issues for me, which kind of makes me sad because I think this could have been a much stronger story. Also, I recently read another book that had a similar story idea, and I couldn’t help but compare the two. The Sky is Yours is also about the sudden appearance of dragons and the resulting destruction of a society, but it’s a far superior story, in my opinion, and that may have ultimately influenced my feelings about Smoke Eaters.

Cole Brannigan is counting down his last days as a firefighter in Parthenon City, Ohio and looking forward to retirement, when he’ll have more time to spend with his wife Sherry. The year is 2121 and due to several major cataclysmic events, the world has been turned into a post apocalyptic landscape. The main cause? Years ago, dragons suddenly started to burst forth from their underground lairs, setting fire to buildings and killing everyone nearby. Now cities lay in waste and citizens stay hidden inside, since no one is never sure when a dragon will appear (although earthquakes are a sign that one may be about to emerge).

But one day when Brannigan's team is summoned to put out a fire, things go terribly wrong. A dragon attacks his crew, and in the middle of trying to save them, Brannigan discovers that he's able to breathe inside the burning house, despite the smoke-filled room. When a team of smoke eaters arrive on scene to kill the dragon, they discover Brannigan's ability and whisk him off to smoke eater headquarters. Brannigan is told that he is one of the few who can breathe dragon smoke, and as such he is recruited (against his will, more or less) into the ranks of smoke eaters, even though he keeps explaining that he’s about to retire. Suddenly his life is full of long hours of training, dangerous encounters with dragons, and even worse, an angry wife who can’t understand why he’s taken on a new job. 

I loved the idea of dragons popping up through the ground and causing destruction, and Grigsby has created a fascinating world where there are different breeds of dragons who cause destruction in different ways. I also appreciated the in-depth details about firefighting. The author brings his own real life experiences as a firefighter into the mix, so all the scenes that deal with fires have a wonderful authenticity to them. The dragons are fierce and deadly, and I appreciated the fact that they are in the story for one purpose only: to kill and destroy. There’s also a fair amount of graphic violence and gore in this story, so be warned if that bothers you.

I also loved the idea of smoke eaters, humans with the ability to breathe dragon smoke and survive. The author gives an explanation for this ability later in the story, which made me very happy, mostly because there are other world-building elements that don’t get sufficiently explained.

But even though the author had some really good ideas, a lot of the world-building confused me. High at the top of that list was the idea of the wraiths and their relationship with the dragons. Wraiths are the ghosts of people who are killed by dragons, and their appearance is also meant to attract other dragons to the site. Once the dragon finds a mate and lays eggs (in the ashes of the building it just burned down), the wraith’s purpose is to guard the eggs until they hatch. I don’t know, it just didn’t make sense to me, and I honestly spent a great deal of time puzzling out the whys and hows of the wraiths, when I should have simply been enjoying the story. There were several elements that kept popping up that were never explained, like why some people have eyes that glow (maybe it was a smoke eater thing? maybe I missed that?). Grigsby brought up a fascinating parallel between the dragons and the life cycle of cicadas, and I was hoping he would develop it further, but unfortunately it never went anywhere.

I really wanted to like the characters in Smoke Eaters, and although Brannigan had his moments, for the most part he rubbed me the wrong way. I’ll give it to you straight: Brannigan is a horny, middle-aged man who is constantly ogling every woman he comes into contact with. Because the story is told from his first person POV, we are treated to such observations as how his co-worker Naveena’s chest jiggles when she laughs, her glowing skin or shiny hair, and this gem:

“I was sure this would be the room where I died. I guess it wasn’t a bad way to go—we’d saved a bunch of orphans. But I’d always thought I’d die mid-orgasm, and I was kind of sad a bunch of winged assholes were going to be my ruin.”

Just yuck. I know my feminist side is rearing its ugly head right now, but I can’t get past the fact that Brannigan was a sexist piece of work. I feel as if Smoke Eaters is geared towards male readers, so ladies beware.

To make matters worse, I absolutely hated Brannigan’s wife Sherry. Not only is she the most cardboard-like character I’ve ever run across, but every word out of her mouth got on my nerves and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why Brannigan was married to her. Brannigan literally wants to retire so he has more time to have sex with his wife, but lord help me, I just couldn’t understand why.

The bottom line is that there was just too much going on in this story. Grigsby clearly has lots of great ideas, but it felt as though he tried to cram each and every one of them into this book. At about the halfway point, the crew decides to take a trip to Canada (I’m still not sure what the point of the trip was), and even though they come back with an item that plays an important role later on, the whole side trip seemed unnecessary and tedious. There’s also a subplot that involves a slimy mayor who is trying to replace the police force with droids, but it came so late in the story that it just didn’t have a very big impact. I think a sharper editing pen could have whipped this story into shape, but sadly that didn’t happen.

There were so many little details in Smoke Eaters that I loved, like Brannigan’s robot dog Kenji who only speaks Korean, some hysterically funny pop culture references (John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and The Doors song Light My Fire both have cameos), and some awesome action near the end that reminded me of Ghostbusters, but these were simply small moments that just weren’t big enough to hold together the otherwise rambling plot. Despite my criticisms, however, there were some fun moments in this story, and I would certainly be open to seeing what Sean Grigsby comes up with next.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2018/3/11/smoke-eaters-by-sean-grigsby

As the vampire Angel once remarked it’s often a hero’s ambition to kill the dragon. Our fire-breathing frenemies have been part of our culture for hundreds of years (perhaps even longer) and from Smaug to Pern they have a long legacy in the genre. Sean Grigsby has used the concept of dragons to create a curious blend of science fiction and fantasy with fire-fighters now replacing the knight in shining armour!

In this world a century or so in the future a series of catastrophic earthquakes led to the release of dragons. In this case they are fire-breathing, non-flying; occasionally EMP-emitting and dangerous beasts that lurk underground laying eggs and then erupting from homes consume all they find. Rather than just give us the apocalypse Grigsby gives us the more interesting question how do we then survive it? It’s a world of ash-strewn wastelands where dogs have vanished, travel has been replaced with holograms and fire-fighters are slowly being replaced with technology. Into this mix we find Cole Brannigan who has the traditional action movie curse of being a few days from retirement. A dragon attack that wipes out a fire crew which he only just escapes leads to a discovery that as he can breathe dragon smoke means he can now join the secretive Smoke Eaters a government agency exclusively focused on dragon hunting wielding laser swords and shields. Against them; a mayor keen to build walls and blame the emergency services for the natural disasters now faced; I wonder how he wears his hair…

It’s one of the most original concepts I’ve read in a while and there has been a lot of thought into the world that Brannigan lives in. It feels like a century in the future with robotic dogs, holo-readers but still has aspects of the current world in it. There is a touch of Pacific Rim in how the world is trying to work out what types of dragons are now alive and studying them to finds weapons and solutions to something that could destroy the world. However, while a lesser author may try to just info-dump the world into existence it was pleasing that Grigsby really paces the explanation of the world nicely throughout the novel. Often surprising directions are taken such as mysterious electric Wraiths haunting and murdering on the site of dragon attacks and wait until you see what happened to Canada!

This is helped by a really-well balanced cast of Smoke Eaters, not just the refreshing older experienced veteran Brannigan applying his experiences to the new organisation he is part of but a refreshingly diverse set of characters where women are not immediately deemed love interests. There is a touch of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War in terms of approach to the generation gaps (with both an implicit and explicit nod!) and Grigsby has a touch of Scalzi’s ear for dialogue that while witty and moves the plot along at pace also sounds right for the cast.

My reservation though is that the plot for the story does however tend to go for the obvious. I think a regular reader/view of the genre can quickly identify the villain and while Brannigan is a lead character you want to side yourself with due to his humour and humanity he also seemed to lack much of a learning curve. He rather too quickly gets to grips with the world and technology that he was a few weeks ago unaware of and perhaps makes too many 50/50 calls that are proved right. I do wonder if this is possibly more as a way of introducing the wider world and there are hints of a bigger story and perhaps an enemy that really would make an interesting battle in the future. I would love to see that original eye used for world building used now applied to making different types of stories we have not seen before.

So overall, I think Sean Grigsby has made a very promising debut with a unique concept combined with engaging characters and action. While it’s perhaps not going to provide too many surprises for regular genre readers I think for any reader who wants a fun, unique and importantly well-told story then I don’t think you can go wrong curling up on the sofa with this book in front of a nice warm dragon-induced fire.

That was the first book I have read by Sean Grigsby, but it will not be the last! I was looking for some action and some humour in this book. I was thinking along the lines of the Stainless Steel Ray or Callahan's Crosstime Saloon. And it did not disappoint. This book contains more than a little action, but what would you expect in a firefighters vs dragons story. But it also has a lot of humour, and most of it comes from our main character Firefighter Cole Brannigan.

But first let's get a bit of back story. At some point in the near future Dragons awake and come to the surface of the earth. They bring destruction, devastation and death. Most of the world's governments have collapsed, a lot of infrastructure has been destroyed, and each state runs sort of as an independent jurisdiction. Cole Brannigan is a firefighter, just a regular old firefighter who has been on the job for almost 30 years. He is about to retire, but on his last call there is a dragon attack and the Smoke Eaters (Dragon Fighters) are not there yet. So he goes in to rescue his crew members. That night he found out he was immune to dragon smoke. And was almost immediately drafter into the Smoke Eaters.

It was not what he had planned, and definitely not what his wife had planned. So after 30 years on the job he was a bit of a smart mouth, and had a big attitude, but he also knew how to investigate and had a hunch that something strange was going on, will he be able to figure it out before the mayor finds a way to fire him, or before he ends up dead? In fact he reminds me a lot of Lt. Stephen "Bull" McCaffrey from Backdraft. As a matter of fact take the movie Backdraft and drop in Dragons and you have a pretty good picture of this book. And oh by the way this book would make an amazing movie.

In the story there are a lot of side characters that we do not get to know that well. But the main characters are very well written, and fleshed out. The pace of the novel of breakneck, it was very hard to put it down the few times I needed to. And to be honest I hope we see more stories in this world. This story is wrapped up, but there are a lot of different places Grigsby can take the story in future works.

For fans of classic science fiction this book will be like reading an old favourite. It is much like reading Heinlein, Harrison, Robinson, and Herbert. It is a fun read and I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

A 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.

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.

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.

Firefighter Cole Brannigan is looking forward to retiring. With over 30 years of dedicated service, Brannigan and his long-suffering wife deserve it. But after he discovers, on his very last call, that he doesn't succumb to lethal dragon smoke, an elite dragon-fighting force known as the Smoke Eaters want to recruit him. Given little choice in the matter when his hand is forced, Brannigan has to take up the offer to begin another career, starting all over again as a rookie. Something that grates both on Brannigan and his new superiors. In his new role it doesn't take Brannigan long to discover that his beloved city and its innocent civilians are at the centre of a plot involving dragons and the decimation of society as they know it.
These fire-breathing reptiles seem to be everywhere in fantasy literature, to the point where I can feel myself drawing my sword and shouldering my shield to fend off yet another dragon fest onslaught.
But wait, what's this? Dragons versus firemen, and what's more firemen who seem to be conducting themselves in a way which rings true on every level, in terms of professionalism and the psychological toll such an intense vocation can take on exhausted human beings. Now that's something new and rather interesting.
As someone with first-hand experience of firefighting, Sean Grigsby brings the reader close up and personal with the world of wrestling fire under control and combining it seamlessly with the type of arsonist no firefighter would ever wish to come up against.
Not content to leave it there, Grigsby layers in devious political intrigue. This becomes particularly interesting in the world of the Smoke Eaters, which includes a political severance between America and Canada, with respect to their different positions on how dragons should be perceived and how the population should behave towards them. There is also a great deal of political wrangling within this book which feels unnervingly prescient.
Although Brannigan's tough rebel with a soft heart character might appear clichéd, he is too likeable for this to grate. In fact, Brannigan is the type of protagonist you need at the core of this style of story to pull all the threads of the plot together and blend them together into a successful action thriller.
By the time you've finished Smoke Eaters you'll be searching the ground and skies for potential hazards, and seeing political conspiracies around every corner.

Sean Grigsby's debut novel draws on his experience as a firefighter to create a fun, original take on the dragon/fantasy genre. It follows the story of Brannigan, a career firefighter on the verge of retirement who finds himself recruited by a crack force of dragon hunters. Brannigan presents a different type of hero to the one we are used to and his cynical wise cracks and frequent toilet stops make him someone that is easy to identify with. Add to that a light and witty tone, along with plenty of action, and this is certainly a fun and entertaining read. Recommended.

I enjoyed this book, a nice futuristic fantasy involving Dragons, Robots, and Firefighters. A little more language than I typically like to read but still enjoyable.

This book had everything I never knew I wanted. It’s action-packed and humorous, yet not afraid to slow down and be reflective every once in a while. Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby is (what I’d call) an Urban Science Fantasy novel that does practically everything right. 5 stars from me.

Author: Sean Grigsby
Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Published Date: 2018

SUMMARY

We’re in the 22nd century, so it’s the future but not that far ahead. Some things are still the same. There are police, firefighters, professional sports players, dragons, teachers, etc. You know, things we wouldn’t find out of place today. Oh, I’m sorry; did I say dragons? Well…I guess not everything is the same.

Cole Brannigan is a firefighter. After working nearly 30 years on the job, he has put in his notice to retire. Unfortunately, things change whenever a response call goes bad. Turns out the fire was caused by a dragon. The smoke eaters deal with dragons, not the firefighters. When Brannigan discovers that he has the rare power to breathe dragon smoke, however, his plans of retirement are whisked out the window as he is enlisted in the elite smoke eaters. And to top it all off, someone has been plotting to overthrow the city’s government. It’s the smoke eaters duty to fight off the dragons. Not the wraiths, though; no one’s sure what to do about them.

WORLD

My favorite part about the world-building is that it feels natural. It takes place throughout the novel, so we aren’t stuck spending an awkward interlude getting a bunch of information thrown at us. Ever since the dragons appeared, things are hectic. Nearly everywhere is covered in ash. Places that are rebuilt after a dragon attacks are much more expensive due to “dragon-proofing” the buildings/homes. The US still technically exists, but each state is largely on their own. Meanwhile, Canada has closed its doors and isn’t letting out any of their secrets on how they’re dealing with the dragons. Thank goodness for hover cars because the actual roads are in bad condition as well.

I liked how, despite the terrors of the dragons and the state of the world, the people still tried to live their lives like normal. The characters really helped to make this world feel relatable. (But where can I get my own robot dog now, please?) The friendships, camaraderie, and the humor make this book special.

What’s super interesting about the dragons is that we’re shown they come in many different breeds. The dragons they have to fight off in Germany (for example) might be different than the ones in the US. Heck, even the smoke eaters in Nevada might be fighting a different breed than in North Carolina. Oh, and dragons don’t fly. They travel deep, deep underground. And whenever they appear, you can bet a wraith is sure to come next. The wraiths are a complete mystery, but there are some speculations on how they arose. They might seem like an odd addition to this world, but the book handles their inclusion exceptionally well.

CHARACTERS & TONE

The characters and tone make this story. Without Cole Brannigan’s wit and sarcastic remarks that cause severe eye-rolling for others, this book would have been missing something. He is near 60 and bad ass. He’s a loyal friend with a heart of gold. Something I appreciated about him is that he didn’t go into the smoke eaters with the attitude that he knew everything and was going to be the big change they needed. No. He went in with the attitude of, “I’m a rookie again, and I’m here to learn.”

The book is filled with incredibly well-written characters: major and minor. Everyone was memorable and real. The cast was diverse in terms of race and gender. From Sherry, to Naveena, to Sergeant Puck…this book is filled with women who are strong and bad-ass in different ways.

The strength of the characters help propel this book from a good read to a great read. They add to the world with their humor, charm, and charisma. Sure, they have their flaws, but what person is without fault?

The tone of the book is largely in thanks to the characters, which is why I’m including it in the same section. As mentioned earlier, the book is humorous but knows when to take it down a notch. This is a book where the phrase, “You’ll laugh, and you’ll cry,” is a very real possibility.

OVERALL

Should you read this book? Yes. It’s fantasy like I haven’t seen done in a while. It’s different and unique but still relatable in many ways. The author, Sean Grigsby, pulls from his background as a firefighter to really enhance the novel. My only very minor nitpick is that sometimes I felt there could’ve been a bit better transitions between chapters. Still, this is a book I think I’ll remember for a long time.

[I received an eARC of Smoke Eaters from Angry Robot Books via NetGalley. The book is set to release in March, 2018.]

I like paranormal, dragons and urban fantasy. This book just did not work for me. I felt the gears turning on the plot with every chapter. The lead character makes decisions that are illogical. He’s always magically the best at everything. The work building felt sketchy and filled with holes. I really didn’t care for the protagonist. The women were portrayed in a creepy stereotyped way. Just not a good read for me.

Starting out with Smoke Eaters, I was completely enamored. Grizzled elderly firefighter discovers he has an unusual gift to help fight dragons that have appeared in a post apocalyptic Ohio? Sign me on! Unfortunately, the more I read, the more this felt like a middle age/40s/50s year old male Mary Sue - where the girls fall all over him, he gets to beat the crap out of the bad guys, and he gets to save people and be a hero. It was a bit much, to be honest, and I'd probably have enjoyed it more if it was less mature-male fantasy material. But hey, it was also fun and I can't say that I completely disliked it, either.

Story: Cole Brannigan is nearing 60 and ready to retire. He's fought fires his whole life - and also recently had to tackle the fires caused by newly awakened dragons who have terrorized a reformed USA. With each major city turning into autonomous City-States and Canada closing its borders and communications with the US, life isn't easy for a government worker. But nearing the last day of work, he goes to fight what should be a simple house fire and instead is the beginning of what looks to be odd occurrences drawing in dragons. When it is discovered he has a special ability that can be used to fight dragons, he will be coerced into joining the Smoke Eaters - the elite dragon fighting force. Life is about to really get interesting for Cole.

So why is this so much a Mary sue? Well, interview a man over 40 and ask if these would appeal: giving youngsters comeuppances, a young hot girl wanting to kiss and make out with you, a loyal wife at home taking care of your home, fighting dragons with big swords(!), saving people heroically, getting a hotter ripped body again, being recognized and promoted while still being able to rebel and wise crack, telling bosses exactly how you feel about them - all the things he would never encounter in a boring and mundane life. Well, all that and more is in here. So no, the tone in Smoke Eaters isn't 'tempered realism with dragons'; rather, it's wise-cracking action adventure - a new type of snarky future-noir that we will likely see more of in the future.

The plot flows very quickly, going from action to action seamlessly. Our main character, everyman with an everyman type of heroic name, Cole Brannigan, gets some great snarky cracks in there and his dialogue is quite fun. Add in some fun additions like a mechanical dog who speaks Korean and you get the idea of this book - it's sheer fun. Imagine Pacific Rim the movie - but with dragons and firefighters instead. In fact, this is so ready to be a Michael Bay movie that I'm surprised the screen rights haven't been bought already.

Of course, since the author was a fireman, we get a lot of 'brotherhood' references and a more realistic approach to the actual job of firefighting. I was surprised there wasn't more in there about fires and fighting them, to be honest, but this is about as jingostic as you will get for the profession. It radiates authenticity nicely.

If you don't mind the wish fantasy fulfillment, it's a fun ride. The writing is a bit choppy - it's rough and ready like our grizzled main character Cole. As such it didn't bother me as it would have in other books. But if there is an antithesis to women's historical romance, this has got to be it. Both sides of the same coin, if you ask me. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

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.