The young Squib is complicit in running any number of illegal substances through the swamp, and is one step removed from more sinister organized-crime figures. It is Colfer’s realistic portrayal of his characters that brings Highfire to life.
And the Louisiana-bayou vernacular peppered throughout brings levity to the narrative’s more terrifying situations. Colfer, however, balances his work with just enough cynicism. Hooke may mean to be frightening, but more often than not, he barely escapes with his life.įantastical stories often fall prey to an enervating earnestness, demanding that we follow along with the protagonists on their oh-so-serious, heroic quests. Despite an appetite for destruction and lust for others’ riches, his ineptness is a source of humor rather than fear. The evil Constable Hooke is an equally comic foil. (Don’t we all?) And, like most of us, Vern simply wants to be left alone with his vices.
Vern may be a dragon, but he is truly Everyman - he loves his vodka, Netflix, and the movie “Flashdance,” the latter of which he commemorates by sporting a T-shirt featuring the iconic Jennifer Beals pose. Highfire is infused with witty touches throughout. Throw in an equally fantastical demon named Waxman a local businessman who provides food and drink for those in the swamp and a corrupt constable with an ironically noble name (Regence Hooke) for our heroes to unite against, and you have the makings of a thrilling novel. Of course, as with all such tales, what begins as professional respect turns into admiration and even friendship. In return, Vern agrees not to burn Squib to a crisp.
You see, Squib, a Cajun lad, helps procure booze and other fun items for Vern, a bayou-dwelling dragon.
And it’s not so much love that binds the two, but a mutually beneficial business arrangement. In this case, though, the animal isn’t something pedestrian like a dog it’s a dragon whose glory days are long past. The story is as old as time: the adventures of a boy and the animal he runs with. The author, primarily known as a children's book writer and creator of the Artemis Fowl series, lends his craft to a more adult effort here. Highfire, the latest effort by Eoin Colfer, is a (literally) high-flying adventure wrapped in a fantasy, with a hint of police noir thrown in for good measure.
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