Vern, the eponymous hero of Eoin Colfer`s adult fantasy, High Fire, is prone to depression and acutely aware of the fragility of his existence.
He has seen more glorious days, when he was Wyvern, Lord High Fire,of the Highfire Eyrie, if, as he says “you could believe that melodramatic s**t name”. Now though he is simply focused on survival and survival is “all about profile, or the total lack of one.”
To that end he hides away in the Louisana swamp while his one friend keeps him supplied with the basic necessities of life: a reliable internet connection for reality shows and Netflix, which he watches from the comfort of his La-Z-Boy recliner; groceries including Cocoa Puffs, Cheerios and gallons of soya milk, not forgetting copious quantities of vodka, his Flash Dance t-shirts and a sort of edgy companionship - when Vern is in the right mood.
But then life gets complicated. Enter Squib a “swamp-wild, street smart, dark- eyed, Cajun-blood tearaway” and Constable Regence Hooke, a crooked cop with designs on Squibs momma and the fun begins.
And that`s the thing. The novel is huge fun, a joyous ride, full of twists and turns as the protagonists duck and dive around each other (quite literally occasionally) with boat chases, smuggling, explosions, and some of the snappiest dialogue you`ll ever hear.
In fact it is the writing which is the most joyous thing of all. The narrative sweeps you into a completely believable, totally fantastic world where dragons get really upset at the mention of Game of Thrones, (“Are you trying to push my buttons,kid? Game of f***ing Thrones! Those dragons are like servants…..Heap of s**t”) crooked cops don`t know when to quit and a boy who started out with nothing much going for him discovers his place in the world.
It is sweary and lewd but with an underlying moral compass guiding the story to a perfect resolution and best of all it is laugh-out-loud funny. Pure, unadulterated delight from start to finish…...unless you`re too old for dragons of course.
