Buried Fire [Paperback]

Jonathan Stroud (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2003

Two brothers, Michael and Stephen MacIntyre, together with their sister Sarah and the local vicar Tom Aubrey, uncover a deadly secret buried near their village. But time is short: can they prevent the awakening of an ancient evil before its powers corrupt them for ever?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Stroud was born in Bedford and grew up in St Albans. He studied at York University. He has a strong background in children's books. While writing his earlier novels, Buried Fire, The Leap and The Last Siege, he worked as an editor in a London publishing firm, editing a number of game books and non-fiction titles . Now, with the worldwide interest in the best-selling Bartimaeus trilogy, he devotes himself to writing full-time. He also travels extensively, promoting his books. Ptolemy's Gate, the last title in the Bartimaeus trilogy, has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Jonathan now lives in St Albans with his wife two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Corgi Juvenile (April 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552549339
• ISBN-13: 978-0552549332
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,300,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Stroud (www.jonathanstroud.com) is the author of the New York Times best-selling Bartimaeus Trilogy, as well as Heroes of the Valley, The Leap, The Last Siege, and Buried Fire. He lives in England with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Buried" lives, November 22, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buried Fire (Paperback)

Jonathan Stroud reached fantasy fame with the wizard-and-djinn Bartimaeus Trilogy, but it wasn't his first foray into the fantasy world. Recently rereleased is "Buried Fire," a simple but well-written fantasy adventure, with a dark lesson about arrogance and power.

In a small English village, a boy named Michael fall asleep on a hillside, and is consumed by the thoughts of a sleeping dragon deep underground. Elsewhere in the town, workmen come across a strange Celtic cross buried in the church's foundation -- with a dragon on it. Then Michael staggers home, suffering a strange fever and a drug-like high -- and claiming he can see INSIDE people. Unsurprisingly, the stodgy vicar Tom thinks he's on acid.

But when his brother Stephen follows Michael to the spot where he slept, he's given the same strange powers. At the same time, Tom. The boys have no time to savor their powers, because they are not the only ones who have them -- and the other people in the village who have the four gifts of the dragon are using them to try to bring the dragon back. Now Stephen and Tom may be the only ones to stop them -- and to save Michael from becoming one of them.

They say that power corrupts, and it corrupts quite a bit in "Buried Fire," where the magic and action literally starts on the first page. Stroud lightly sprinkles his story of ancient dragons and magic with a bit of old folklore, and carefully crafts a back-history for the mysterious "witches" that surround the dragon's influence.

"Buried Fire" starts slow, and takes some time to really get moving beyond Michael's strange powers. The ending, on the other hand, is extremely abrupt -- how about another chapter or two to round things out? But Stroud has a good prose style: detailed, rich and very intense. Particularly imaginative is the first power -- the "sight" -- and how it allows Michael and Steven to see the kind of souls that people have. This could have turned out silly, but Stroud adds an otherworldly feel to it.

Michael seems to be the lead at first, but later he shares the stage with his brother Stephen, who is not as powerful, but is not corrupted by the malevolent Mr. Cleever. Both are strong characters, with Michael falling victim to a longing for power and dominance, and Stephen desperately trying to save his brother. And the villains are all the more sinister because the dragon's thoughts seem to be warping them.

Think you knew dragons? Think again. Jonathan Stroud's "Buried Fire" is an intriguing, somewhat dark fantasy adventure, putting a few new twists in the stories of unexpected powers and hidden monsters.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good book by the author of the Bartimaeus trilogy, May 31, 2004

By 

Michael Mihalik "Author, Debt is Slavery and ... (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Buried Fire (Paperback)

After reading The Amulet of Samarkand, I had to read more Jonathan Stroud. Of course, his other books can't be found here in the U.S., so I ordered Buried Fire from the U.K.

Fortunately, the book arrived quickly. Unfortunately, the book was ruined during the torrential rainfall at the Kentucky Derby before I could finish it. Undaunted, I ordered a second copy. Thank God!

The premise of the story is that under a hill near a small English village, a dragon lies sleeping, held prisoner by an ancient spell. Although the dragon is comatose, its will is potent enough to possess and influence humans.

One day, a boy from the nearby village falls asleep on the hill and is consumed by the dragon's thoughts. He gains unnatural powers and begins to transform into something not quite human. Meanwhile, an ancient cross is discovered buried under the local churchyard. Evil happenings then occur.

The book completely possessed me. Except for the interruption of the ill-timed thunderstorm, I read the book straight through. The only (minor) complaint I have is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt. That being said, the book is a very satisfying read and I highly recommend it.

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Michael Mihalik is the author of Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money. Learn how to gain control of your finances, pay off your debt, and create financial security!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dragon under the village, October 15, 2007

By 

Wyvernfriend (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buried Fire (Paperback)

Michael, Stephen and Sarah live in a small English village. Sarah is the responsible older sister and the other two are her younger teenage brothers. The story opens with Michael out in a beautiful summer day, on a hollow on a hilltop, when a power sweeps through him and envelops him, setting fire to the book beside him. He's not sure what it is, but as he comes down the hill he finds himself seeing strange things, so his first thought is sun-stroke.

But it isn't, it's the power of a trapped dragon bubbling up and trying to find a way to help him escape the trap he was put in. The Dragon is helped by the fact that a stone has been unearthed and broken, a stone with runes and an intertwining dragon on it.

It's not up to the level of his Bartimaeus trilogy, but it's not a bad story of the meeting of the ordinary and magic. The ending feels a bit rushed and there would be space for a sequel here. These boys have been touched by the extra-ordinary and I'm not sure that the ordinary will ever really satisfy them.