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Loading... Buried Fireby Jonathan Stroud
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  MHSLibrary | Jul 15, 2009 |  I must say I was very disappointed. I like young adult books, I like Jonathan Stroud, I love books about Welsh mythology. But somehow, this book just didn't work. My biggest problem was that there is absolutely no character development. I understand that young adult books aren't supposed to be heavy on the psychology, but it literally took me half the book to be able to distinguish the two main characters. Even after that, I still could not muster up any kind of sympathy for either of them. One of the themes of the book is characterizing people's souls as animals, but how is that supposed to have any meaning to me if I have no idea who these people are? I also noticed a lot of similarities in the ending between this book and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. They were both published in 1999 so I don't really know what's going on with that. I totally approve of writing with influences or ideas from other authors, but the ending of this book just felt really tired and predictable. (  ) norabelle414 | Mar 6, 2009 | As usual, Stroud had me on the edge of my seat. If you liked this book, read the Bartimaeus trilogy also by Stroud. (  ) patryclus | Feb 9, 2008 | When Michael falls asleep on top of a hill near the English village where he lives, he wakes up to find himself with a strange power of Sight that first frightens him and then intrigues him. Meanwhile, the local vicar finds an ancient stone cross buried in the churchyard -- a cross that is carved with a dragon and has one arm broken off. As Michael's powers increase, he discovers that he is not the only one in the village with the powers, and that the others are planning to release the dragon that sleeps beneath the hill; a dragon that was imprisoned long ago by the stone cross, which has now been broken. This is an intense, rather scary book but so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Jonathan Stroud has a knack for writing stories about good and evil in which it is never quite clear which side the main character(s) is on. His Bartimaeus Trilogy is absolutely brilliant, and this earlier novel shows the same skill and talent. (  ) FionaCat | Jan 5, 2008 | Michael McIntyre lives with his brother, Stephen in a small English village with their sister, Sarah. The story starts with Michael sleeping in the sun and something touches him, something not physical. Meanwhile, the Reverend Tom Audley is getting some renovations on the local church when they find a broken stone. The stone is intricately carved with dragon images. When Michael goes home he realises that he hasn't suffered from sun-stroke but something else. Something that allows him to see the souls of people, and something that touches him with fire. But where does the power come from? It's an interesting story and the characters are well-realised. I found them all quite believable and quite realistic. Although it isn't as good as his Bartemius series, some of the germs of that are here. (  ) wyvernfriend | Oct 16, 2007 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0786851945, Paperback)Deep in the English countryside, the unearthing of an ancient Celtic cross awakens an imprisoned dragon and unleashes a smoldering evil. Less than a mile away, 13-year-old Michael McIntyre falls asleep on a lush green hill, and wakes up with frightening and sinister new abilities. Michael possesses the four gifts of the dragon-and he's not the only one, nor is he the most powerful. The others, whose identities will be slowly revealed, offer Michael powers beyond his wildest dreams if he will keep their secret safe. Now he must choose: give up these astonishing but devastating new abilities and help his family and friends banish the evil that lies beneath their fragile earth, or join the others in their crusade to protect their gifts and set the dragon free - a choice that may well destroy everyone Michael loves. Those with power will stop at nothing to keep its secret, while those without it need Michael's protection to survive. Buried Fire combines elements of fantasy and mythology in a spellbinding tale of good versus evil.(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:54 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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This is an intense, rather scary book but so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Jonathan Stroud has a knack for writing stories about good and evil in which it is never quite clear which side the main character(s) is on. His Bartimaeus Trilogy is absolutely brilliant, and this earlier novel shows the same skill and talent.
Review by Ms. DuVall