Fire Bringer

PHENOMENAL. I have read this book three times since I first picked it up when I was thirteen years old, and it has been an incredibly powerful read every time. It reads like a creation myth told from the first person narrative of one of the mythic first animals. Every scene drips with portent, prophecy, and the sense that were the main character to turn around quickly enough, they would be nose-to-nose with a god. An unsung masterpiece of high fantasy.

I've discovered that what most people think when they look at this book is "It's an epic fantasy about deer? Well, unless you're some kind of deer lover, it's got to be boring, right?"

Wrong.

In his debut novel, Clement-Davies spins a world of incredible, realistic fantasy. Much as he did later in "The Sight," he populates this world with prophecies, myths, dark forces, spirits, gods, and unlikely heroes and heroines. And the result never ceases to amaze me.

High in the hills of Scotland, amid one of the herds of proud red deer, a fawn is born to the stag captain Brechin. On that same night, Brechin is murdered in a dark plot by the tyrannical Drail, who seeks to make the herd, and eventually all the deer in the valley, his own. But show more Brechin's calf, Rannoch, is in grave danger. For he is born with a white oak leaf on his forehead: the sign of a prophesied hero who will rise to bring the true ways of the wild back again. But not before he has endured an unimaginable quest.

In a tradition as epic as any ancient mythical hero, Rannoch and his friends, a wonderful and diverse cast of characters that are fantastically written, must travel into the heart of the wilderness to seek sanctuary from Drail. Like "Watership Down," this book makes you take a closer look at an often dismissed animal, into you are pulled so completely into the adventure you can't believe you ever thought deer were boring. show less

Deer gods.
The review blurb on the front (by Locus) says "Fire Bringer does for deer what Watership Down did for rabbits."
And that is true--it strongly resembles Watership Down in that it is a political fiction told through the lens of anthropomorphized animals. But it also has strong elements of Celtic epic tales and mythology, and could even be categorized as being Historical Fiction, as it takes place in medieval Scotland. As one other reviewer mentioned, it also reminds me of The Lion King.

Definitely a touching tale. Read it, and don't forget your tissues. 5 stars.

I remember picking up this book and really liking it; so many of the animal-based books being published at the time were Pony-Pal-esque fluffy books, and this novel really combined the epic fantasy with the anthropological animal world, with heirs, family feuds, turf wars, drama and betrayal a la "Watership Down".

I really enjoyed this book. It takes place over quite a few years, and can get slow in a few places, but there is always something going on in the background. I think it does a good job of presenting prophecy and lore, and painting a sort of culture for the deer. It's marketed as a children's book although it is a little violent. I think it would be a good book to read aloud.

I really did enjoy this book, however, my enjoyment was marred by cliches. Themes and several scenes seemed to be directly lifted, the only change being what kind of animal was featured in the story.

dnf p. 72. They're not really deer. They're metaphors for people.

One could argue 'but of course' and 'well, Watership Down and Bambi are too' but at least in those books we have good writing, engaging characters, and originality.

I don't like people, or animals, like this, anyway. Not for me, unfortunately.

Sept. 2021