Smoke Eaters

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Pub Date 6 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 22 Feb 2018

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Description

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 Under
: Fantasy
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...

Advance Praise

“An ingenious premise that Grigsby delivers on with intelligence and style. Smoke Eaters is a treat!”
— Jason M Hough, New York Times Bestseller

“I love dragon stories in which the dragons are real monsters, laying waste to everything around them; and I love novels with protagonists who aren’t callow young adults learning that they’re chosen ones. Smoke Eaters has terrific dragons, and a hero with some miles and experience on him, plus great writing and a wicked sense of humor. I flew through it.”
– Alex Bledsoe, author of The Hum and the Shiver and Burn Me Deadly

“Sean Grigsby has conceived what promises to be a brilliant and harrowing series. Dragons have returned, bringing fire, revenant spirits and ash in their wake. Cole Brannigan, a grizzled no nonsense fire-fighter, is there to stand in their way. Profane and exhilarating, filled with unforgettable characters and scorching action, Smoke Eaters is an amazing mix of adventure, fantasy, and science-fiction. Grigsby is an electrifying new voice sounding out over the wraith-haunted land.”
– John Hornor Jacobs, award-winning author of Southern Gods and The Incorruptibles

“I’ve been waiting for a book like this for years. Original, exciting, Smoke Eaters is a red-hot page-turner.”
– Adam Christopher, author of Empire State and Made to Kill

Smoke Eaters is a thrilling, exciting, funny and strangely heart-warming book, and Grigsby’s experience as a firefighter shines through on every page, lending grit and realism to this rollicking ride of a tale in which firefighters become dragon-slayers. It’s exactly as bonkers – and as brilliant – as you’d expect and I look forward to more from this author.”
– Anna Stephens, author of Godblind

“This smoking debut is a shot of adrenaline to the urban fantasy genre. Grigsby’s knowledge of firefighting combined with hot dragon action and blistering humor create an irresistible romp of a read.”
– Jaye Wells, USA Today Bestselling author of the Prospero’s War series

“An ingenious premise that Grigsby delivers on with intelligence and style. Smoke Eaters is a treat!”
— Jason M Hough, New York Times Bestseller

“I love dragon stories in which the dragons are real...


Marketing Plan

For all marketing and publicity, including blog tours, please contact Penny Reeve (penny.reeve@angryrobotbooks.com)

For all marketing and publicity, including blog tours, please contact Penny Reeve (penny.reeve@angryrobotbooks.com)


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780857667731
PRICE CA$10.99 (CAD)
PAGES 384

Average rating from 32 members


Featured Reviews

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.

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

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