4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting prospect, August 9, 2004
This review is from: The Kindling (Fire-us Trilogy: Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
A small band of children in Florida are trying to scrape up a living in a burnt out dead town. A plaugue (nuclear holocaust, diesease....whatever) killed the adults on the planet which indirectly lead to the death of nearly all the children as well. These 7 children (the oldest being 17) are fighting to make a living when a strange teenager (around 15) appears on the doorstep.
He calls himself "the Anchorman" and intices the children into a wild journey to find a man named "President" (kinda corny dontcha think?). The journey is laced with strange happenings and interesting appearences but has a killer cliffhanger at the end.
This book could have been very good, but was far too wordy. It spent far too much time trying to make stories, rather than developing the characters and the plot. On the hole, a rather disappointing start to a series. This review is by a 15 year old avid reader........who is definitely not impressed.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow Start, Great Finish........, August 3, 2004
This review is from: The Kindling (Fire-us Trilogy: Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Kindling(2002). Jennifer Armstrong and Nancy Butcher's First Novel Collaboration, and the First Novel In The "Fire-Us" Series.
In my predictable Summer Reading List chockful of big-name authors, I saw 'The Kindling', a novel I'd never heard of, so I decided to give it a chance. Like so many novels before it, 'The Kindling' chronicles the after-affects of the End of the World, may it be by Nuclear War or Plague, and we find the lone survivors banding together to remake Human Civilization. But, the question arises, does 'The Kindling' offer anything new to the table, or is a rehashed 'End of the World' novel we've already read twice before? Read on to find out!
Plot-
In 2007, In Lazarus, Florida, 7 survivors dwell in the aftermath of the 'Fire-Us' plague. 'Fire-Us' wiped out all the adults on Earth, and the kids, left alone and neglected, mostly died out without supervision, but a select few banded together and learned to survive without Electricity and everyday appliances. We meet Mother and Teacher, two teenage girls who look after the little children such as Doll, Baby, Teddy Bear. Also, Action Figure and Hunter hunt down food and water for the sole survivors. For five years, the young group of children have survived on their own, leading a predictable life of feasting off of old supermarkets and the land, but their food supply is running low. But,just as their about to start really worring about their supplies,a knock on their door will change everything, and the person behind the door will take them on a journey that will test their strength and their friendship.
Writing/Opinion/Etc.-
'The Kindling', while following the basic approach to 'End of the World' novels, has some individuality because it uses children instead of adults, and Armstrong/Butcher's take on a child's reaction and interaction with a destroyed world is quite interesting. The writing here is pretty straightforward, with getting the story out being more of interest to the author's than writing techniques, but that's fine since this is a book for Young Adult's anyways. Also, the authors did a great job of fleshing out the characters, and the reader learns to love the characters, and it's quite addictive to follow them on their quest. My only problem with the novel is that it doesn't really pick up until about 100 pages in, and the first few pages don't seem quite as well-written, but once you get past that, it's an enthralling read from start to finish, and I'd be interested in reading the other books since this one leaves you at a rather big climax.
Overall, 'The Kindling' is a solid read for Teens and Children(Over 8), and it's one of those popcorn novels, that reads like a movie, and ends with you on the edge of your seat. I'm encouraged to read the other novels in the 'Fire-Us' series, because the climax you're left at almost forces the reader to!
RECOMMENDED TO YOUNG ADULTS, CHILDREN, FANS OF 'END OF THE WORLD' NOVELS, AND ADVENTURE NOVELS. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE OTHER NOVELS IN THE 'FIRE-US' SERIES IF YOU LIKED 'THE KINDLING'!
Also Recommended-
Keepers Of The Flame- Jennifer Armstrong, Nancy Butcher
The Stand- Stephen King
The Andromeda Strain- Michael Chrichton
Thanks For Reading!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Kindling needed more sparks, October 25, 2004
This review is from: The Kindling (Fire-us Trilogy: Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the story of a group of children left to survive on their own after a virus (hence the series title "fire-us" - which is virus in baby-speak)has killed most of the human population.
Some parts of the story are interesting. One of the older kids, Hunter, spends a great deal of time searching for food in old stores and houses. The dialogue between the kids, however, is tedious and boring. It is also very difficult to believe that children would end up acting the way the main characters do in this story.
If you want to read really good survival stories, then try reading Philbrick's Last Book in the Universe or Robert Swindells' Brother in the Land.
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