Customer Reviews

Fire Raiser

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book really seems like just a showcase of the author's opinions with a little plot thrown in to make it into a story. There's a whole character included who has no purpose but to be a backdrop for the author's lectures on trust in a marriage, and how difficult it is to be a Writer (really just a defense of the fact that she doesn't just go ahead and write the third novel in the Exiles series). Lots and lots of discussion to illustrate the fact that she's okay with gay male relationships - but the only sex scenes are totally unnecessary straight ones. I really felt like I was being lectured to for 75% of this book.

This book was incredibly boring. If you want to read a book about a homosexual romance between two men, then maybe this book is for you. Oh and she wrote about human trafficking. That seems to be the big topic to use this year in television and movies. I'm not sure I would consider this book a fanatasy novel, the magic portion is like the spirnkles on a cupcake.

This book is a sequel to Spellbinder. Unlike Spellbinder, however, it just pretends to be a fantasy novel. It is primarily a rant of the author's political opinions on the subjects of abortion, homosexuality, sexual slavery, prostitution, civic duty/participation, prejudice, and religion - the fantasy storyline appears at irregular intervals. If that is what you are looking for, go for it. Otherwise, be warned.

When you finally dig out all the political and opinionated lecturing, the story line isn't half bad though it's definitely not her best. I think she wrote this book just to spout off her opinions on many different things based on her liberal leanings. As a conservative reader, it's annoying. But even this didn't tick me off nearly as much as her negative attitude towards us, her readers. We're the ones who keep her fed and clothed by buying her books. Yeah, many of us are getting more and more annoyed that she hasn't written "Captal's Tower" but what else would an author expect? It's been a highly anticipated book that will complete a beloved trilogy. Why waste time dumping out garbage like this book when you can be writing a book worth something? I personally will not buy another Melanie Rawn book unless it is The Captal's Tower. I'm sick of these whinny, self-obsessed writers. Stop biting the hand that feeds you!!!!!

I struggled to remember, as I slogged my way through 'Fire Raiser,' just what it was I liked about the first volume in the series ('Spellbinder'). I've enjoyed Melanie Rawn's work for many years, and while 'Spellbinder' was a definite departure for her, on its own merit it was a decent book.

'Spellbinder' had its flaws, but there was a real story there, with suspense and romance and sex that integrates magic with the real world skillfully, one that kept me reading all the way through. Ah - so that's what 'Fire Raiser' was missing!

Rawn even points it out in her short Author's Note, where she states that the character of Jamey in the book was unplanned, but he appeared on the scene with "something of an agenda" and refused to go away.

Yeah, tell me about it.

With Jamey comes an attempt at crafting a gay male relationship along the lines of Holly and Evan's rocky road in the first book. Now that Holly and Evan are happy with each other (delighted, actually, as we are repeatedly reminded), Jamey and Cam appear to have this book's conflicted relationship. The problem here is twofold.

First, I simply didn't buy the relationship. Page after page is devoted to explaining Cam and Jamey's history, but for all the explanation it doesn't hold up. I know gay men in healthy relationships and I know gay men who've been in troubled relationships, and none of them look as neurotic and mismatched and Cam and Jamey. They go from smoldering glances at one another's gorgeous bodies to barely speaking and back again with no warning or motivation. Rawn may know what gay relationships look like, but I couldn't tell - if 'Fire Raiser' is any indication, she has no knack for portraying them on the page. For a woman who has built up some of the most believable and interesting male/female romances I've ever read, this came as something of a disappointment.

The problem with Cam and Jamey may have a deeper root than that, though. They may be casualties of The Author Who Has Something To Say (patent pending). Here comes the "agenda" Rawn mentioned - Cam and Jamey's relationship shows up very conveniently, as the book circles again and again back to the issue of gay rights and how poorly homosexuals are treated. It's an issue Rawn deals with hamhandedly, with characters who are so hateful they're almost laughable, and dialogue that sounds more like it came out of a high school debate tournament than an adult conversation.

Unlike 'Spellbinder,' where the story is bound to magic, in 'Fire Raiser' it feels tacked on and convenient at best. The characters from the first book, including Evan and Holly, are relegated to spectators and commentators more than anything, and don't seem to really do much in this story. Without the conflict that made them interesting in the first book, this bunch of witches seem strangely mundane.

Oh - but the story? There is one, but it starts late and is given short shrift. Slowly revealed over the course of a long cocktail party that starts the book (no joke), a series of mysterious church fires has stumped local police and witches alike, and the solution is a mess. The plot tries to weave human trafficking in with a magical undercurrent, largely unsuccessfully. Another "issue," this one dealt with via a clumsy attempt at perspective shift halfway through the book and a slipshod connection to the characters. Again, Rawn had something she wanted to say and tried to work it into the story, losing both in the process.

I don't mind Rawn's politics. Gay rights? I support them, and have for years. Human trafficking? Undeniably evil. I agree with much of what she was trying to say, but I vastly dislike how she tried to say it. There are stories to be told around these themes, and they could be gripping, shocking, meaningful, heart-rending and maybe even mind-changing.

'Fire Raiser' is not one of those stories. Instead, it's a sub-par novel and a disappointment from a writer who has given me reason to expect far better.

According to her announcement page on her website, the poor sales of the previous 2 books have made the 3rd get discontinued. Wow, the 2nd trilogy not to be finished.
The threads of her forum say that even her rabid fans are disgusted, and the clincher is that she is now working on yet another trilogy, not related to Exiles OR Spellbinder.

This is a horrible book. I would have given it zero stars if I could. I have been a big fan Melanie Rawn for many years, the Dragon Prince and Exiles books are beautifully written stories. Then I read Spellbinder. It was awful! Shallow and pointless. My husband bought Fire Raiser as a gift. After Spellbinder, I would not have purchased it, but I decided to read it so I didn't hurt his feelings. There is no story or plot in this book. It just wanders aimlessly from one pointless scene to another. They don't seem to be connected in any way, or have any real purpose except to let the reader know that the author follows current events and has a liberal view point. Who cares?

I picked this book up a few months ago and have not been able to finish it. The plot is thin and there's far too much ranting from main character Holly on the subject of abortion, gay marriage, religion and the war, undoubtedly all pet topics of the author. Buyer beware.

When I picked up this book, I didn't realize it was the second in a trilogy. I have been a fan of Melanie Rawn for years, and enjoyed this book! I found I had a hard time putting it down to sleep or work (I knew I couldn't bring it to work or I never would have gotten anything done!)

While this book is not like her other works, I found it a refreshing departure. I loved her Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series, but would need to devote a considerable amount of time to them as they are longer and a bit more difficult to read. I really liked how the story paralleled having a magical talant and needing to hide it to the experience of many homosexual men and women who feel the need to hide their sexuality to further their careers and live a normal life.

Can you have a negitive rating? 400 page book with 100 pages of plot and 300 pages of her preaching her personal views. Really a dumb book --- not even close to the first book and not REALLY worth the money.