Fiery Fullback (Chip Hilton Sports) [Hardcover]

Clair Bee (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sports columnists around the country have been eloquent in their anticipation, and the moment has arrived: Fiery Fullback, the never-before-published, 24th and final volume of the Chip Hilton sports series written by the late Hall of Famer coach Clair Bee in the '40s, '50s and '60s, is now in print in dual editions. The publication marks the culmination of Broadman & Holman's steady reissue (since 1998) of the first 23 volumes, as updated by Bee's daughter and son-in-law. This final installment finds Chip, now a senior at State, hoping to quarterback the football team all the way to the Rose Bowl-and using his wholesome values to enlist the full support of a troublesome new player. Adult fans reliving the pleasures of their youths will be pleased that the hardcover edition appears just as Bee wrote it ("Young ladies will not be permitted in Jefferson Hall at any time," intones the dorm superintendent); it also uses line drawings from the original series, and its cover matches the originals as well. Cultural observers take note: the front matter for the hardcover includes an interfaith pre-game prayer for athletes and a statement from Richard Nixon about the merits of competition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 197 pages
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group; 1St Edition edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805424180
• ISBN-13: 978-0805424188
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,334,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original Manuscript is Great, January 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fiery Fullback (Chip Hilton Sports) (Hardcover)

Evidently the other person who wrote a review of this book read the paperback version. If you want the "classic" and unrevised Chip Hilton, you have to read the hardcover version. (Yes, they are two different things.) The hardcover version is the exact manuscript discovered in Clair Bee's personal effects after he died. Indeed, it is not quite as polished as the other books, in that there are a few minor continuity issues between this and some earlier titles, but this is a look at Clair Bee's last Chip Hilton story, before the final edits it never received. For any fan of the original, unrevised Chip Hilton series, this book is a must have. If you don't like all the revisions that have been made in the paperback versions of the stories, don't read them -- stick with the originals and the HC version of Fiery Fullback.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars New Chip Hilton book a disappointment, October 3, 2002

By 

T. Bratz "gwfeds0" (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fiery Fullback (Chip Hilton Sports) (Hardcover)

I've been a fan of the Chip Hilton books for year, and was happy to hear that a new one was coming out. The book was a disappointment, however, and does not measure up to the first 23.

There were a few problems with the book. First, they tried to bring Chip up to date, but didn't get all of the details right. They put in references to computers and big screen TVs, but the football games and in the book used the old rules and strategies from when the series was first written. (Besides, are we supposed to believe that Chip and his friends have been in college for 40 years?)

The second problem I had with this book is that it concentrated too much on the games and the off-the-field problems of one player. There was barely any mention of school, work, life in the dorm or any of the other parts of Chip's life that made the other books so interesting.

Finally, Chip was always an All-American kid, but in this book he sounds like a born-again Christian. It just kind of felt like the authors were cramming their religious beliefs down our throats.

The book was ok, but after reading the first 23 in the series it was disappointing.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fiery Fullback Review, May 12, 2004

By 

"tj1212" (Wilmette,IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiery Fullback (Chip Hilton Sports) (Hardcover)

The book Fiery Fullback was about a kid, Chip Hilton, who turns a kid named Greg Hansen into a good football player. Chip Hilton is State's quarterback and State needs to win many games to make it to the Rose Bowl. They have a problem, though. State's best middle linebacker, Greg Hansen does not cooperate with the coaches and has no respect for other players. He has a poor attitude towards middle linebacker, because he wants to play another position. Greg Hansen wants to play running back for State. The spot was already taken by Fireball Finley, who was much quicker and much better of a running back than Greg. Greg wanted to play running back because his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had played this position. His father had an injury in high school and it ruined the chances of him being a professional football player. Greg wanted to make his father proud. He tried to work it out with the coach, but Coach Ralston would rather have Fireball at that position. After hearing this news, Greg Hansen quit State football team. Chip Hilton tries to bring him back to the team, but he does not listen to Chip. He wanted to be a running back hero. After a while, Chip goes to Greg's house and convinces him to come back. Greg Hansen then realizes that middle linebacker can be a good position, too, after getting a couple of good hits. He decides to change his attitude and State beats their last match-up of the regular season. The book also has many other exciting parts to it; not only with Greg Hansen. The games were very enjoyable for me to read. This book was great because I like football, and I like to read about heroes. Chip Hilton was the hero in this book. He lead the State football team to win all of their regular season games.