I am a huge fan of Nathanael Green and Evan Ronan. They are one of my all-time favorite author duos. They write the kinds of books I don’t typically gravitate toward, but still end up loving. There is just something magical about their writing, so, naturally, I was very excited when I found out they’d written a book that actually involves magic.
(All reviews are spoiler-free unless otherwise noted.)
Synopsis
(From Goodreads) After magic floods into the world, bringing with it unimaginable power, ex-rock star Tucker Ambrus and firefighter Andrew Byrne’s city is nearly destroyed by a devastating storm of fire.
Now, as the unlikely leaders of a desperate band of survivors, Tucker and Byrne struggle to unite and protect what’s left of a panicked, lawless public—both from themselves, and from new supernatural terrors like the mysterious eruptions of churning gray that devour everything in their path.
But when influential leaders begin disappearing and chaos splits the survivors into warring factions, Tucker and Byrne must race to uncover a secret that links a crazed murderer to the deadly surges of magic and halt them both before it’s too late … though if they succeed, they risk igniting another firestorm and tearing their homes, and their friendship, apart.
ReviewI always enjoy reading Green and Ronan’s books, and this one was no exception. It is a departure from their first two novels, both in the Tomahawk and Saber series set during the French and Indian War. Out of the Fire is something between fantasy and science fiction (though it reads decidedly more like sci-fi), set in a dark near-future. This book reminded me of what I love about classic sci-fi, but still managed to be something completely unique.
As I expected, the writing in this book is nothing short of amazing. And I’ve become pretty picky when it comes to writing (which isn’t necessarily a good thing – I blame grad school). It is a bit different than their earlier writing, but in a good way. I wouldn’t say it was better, necessarily, but I think it was better suited to this particular story, and I am truly impressed by how well they adapted to writing science fiction since they do so well with historical novels. I think it’s rare that an author (or authors) can switch genres this well.
Full disclosure, it took me a very long time to read this book, but it wasn’t through any fault of the book’s. I really wanted to be in the right mood to read this, and since it is so different, I couldn’t quite get into it the first few times I picked it up. While I liked the characters, I did have a harder time connecting with them, a problem I often have with sci-fi of this nature. I think it’s just a personal preference, but it meant I didn’t love this quite as much as I wanted to. Still, it was a great adventure, and I had a lot of fun reading it. I think any fans of classic science fiction – think Bradbury and Vonnegut – are really going to like this one!
Rating★★★★☆ – Out of the Fire was a thrilling read. I enjoyed the story, and I liked seeing something different from these two fantastic authors. If you like science fiction and are looking for something new, definitely give this one a shot! Personally, I can’t wait to see what Nathanael Green & Evan Ronan write next.
Out of the Fire is available now on Amazon.
This book was generously provided to me by the authors. All opinions are my own.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may get a small commission for purchases made through this post.
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