The Fire-Eaters, (Paperback)

from akfarrar

A stunning book that touches on the territory of Lord of the Flies in its use of the apocalypse and exploration of the cruelty and exploitation common humanity is capable of. The Rite of Passage we observe is that of all humanity as it totters on the brink - a multi-layered brink with elements of...

from sirfurboy

This was one of the best books I read last year. There are a couple of intertwined themes here all set in the background of a working class family in the Durham coalfields. The protagonist passes the 11 plus and is thus accepted into a grammar school, where he is nevertheless subjected -along wit...

from Gary-Bonn

A truly beautiful story with stunning characters. It also has one of the most tense and desperate scenes you'll find anywhere - and a romantic moment you'll never forget. Rarely does a week go by that I don't remember this book. Read it to your children!

from tiamatq

In the last days of summer, 1962, Bobby Burns first saw McNulty, the Fire-Eater. He could wriggle free of binding chains, or stick a skewer through one cheek and out the other, so it stretched the span of his mouth. Or McNulty could breath fire, so that you couldn't tell where the man ended and t...

from Whisper1

This one is set in a sleepy, off the beaten path, coal town near New Castle, England. As usual, Almond writes of coming of age experiences with a cast of characters both soft and hard, gritty and kind. As the United States and The Soviet Union prepare for potential nuclear disaster during the Cub...