Fire Bringer
Author: David Clement-Davies
Publisher: Dutton Books
4 out of 5 stars
He was a fawn just like any other. He loved to play, run in the woods, and be his innocent little self. He wasn’t that different from his friends. I mean, all he could do was talk to all the animals, not just deer, which was unheard of. He also had a mark of an oak leaf on his forehead, which set him apart from everyone else. This mark caused grief to those he loved, was the cause of many deaths, and made him the legendary deer… Rannoch. And legendary he was!
His name is Rannoch, but of course you would know that if you lived in the world of the deer. But it was not always like this. In the beginning nobody knew who he was. But Rannoch’s mark changed that. Rannoch had a mark of an oak leaf on his head in white. Now you might think, okay it’s just a fawn mark, nothing more, but that is where you would be mistaken. Yes, it is a fawn mark, but this mark will come to represent the hopes and dreams of many. It is the mark foretold in the prophecy. The mark that will change his life forever…
His mother, Eloin, had just given birth to him and his father, Brechin, never even got a chance to see his new son. There had been tension in the herd, and Brechin, as captain of the Outriders, was at the center of it all. But that put Eloin and Rannoch in danger. Realizing this, Eloin had Rannoch switched at birth to protect him and to hide him from those who would try to kill him because of his mark. However, when Rannoch is about a year old, he is found out, and he must flee the herd. And so, an extraordinary voyage takes place, with unlikely friends and foes, untold places, and a search for Rannoch’s true meaning. Is Rannoch the deer the prophecy talks of? Will he ever find out what he must do? Can Rannoch even face the truth? David Clement-Davies reveals all in this hair-raising adventure, Fire Bringer!
Fire Bringer is a saga that touched my heart with its witty characters and unpredictable storyline. David Clement-Davies did a beautiful job describing the land and its occupants. This was one of the most interesting anthropomorphic stories that I have read yet. Fire Bringer had a lot of components thrown in that made it a very diverse story. I think that this is a noteworthy read for teens, and not so much for kids, because younger readers may not understand many of the concepts throughout the book.
I took great pleasure in the fact that since this was an anthropomorphic story, about animals, real facts about deer were incorporated throughout the story. Some examples included were how they ruminated, mated, marked their territory with their scent, and even pranced away from danger with their jumping run. There were also different species of deer, such as the red, fallow, and roe deer. I enjoyed this, as it made the story feel real, rather than completely fictional.
I also liked how the author, David Clement-Davies introduced man into Fire Bringer. Many animal-based stories are just about the animals and their world, but in this book man was a constant character. The animals were definitely affected by man’s choices, and also the other way around. In the end, man’s creation and tool is the prevailing force.
At 498 pages this book is definitely a big one. I think that I would have rather seen it written as a series. I feel that if Fire Bringer had been split up, then each book would have held so much more intensity and suspense. There were many times where I felt that if the book had ended right then, I would have been itching to find out what happened next. Also, if Fire Bringer had been a series rather than one book, I would have gotten to spend more time with these particular characters, as now Rannoch’s adventure is brought to a close in this book. But I did like how I got to see Rannoch grow up throughout the entire story. Rather than just reading about Rannoch at one particular time, I got to travel with him for his whole life and watch him grow, literally and figuratively. Even though this is one book, there is still a good amount of detail in many parts of the story, such as the battle scenes. I was able to imagine the landscape and characters in full detail as if I were seeing them for myself.
To put it simply, Fire Bringer is about the journey that Rannoch must make to truly find himself. Join the deer Rannoch, as he starts out as a naïve, young fawn and turns into a determined stag that must face the unknown in, Fire Bringer!
His mother, Eloin, had just given birth to him and his father, Brechin, never even got a chance to see his new son. There had been tension in the herd, and Brechin, as captain of the Outriders, was at the center of it all. But that put Eloin and Rannoch in danger. Realizing this, Eloin had Rannoch switched at birth to protect him and to hide him from those who would try to kill him because of his mark. However, when Rannoch is about a year old, he is found out, and he must flee the herd. And so, an extraordinary voyage takes place, with unlikely friends and foes, untold places, and a search for Rannoch’s true meaning. Is Rannoch the deer the prophecy talks of? Will he ever find out what he must do? Can Rannoch even face the truth? David Clement-Davies reveals all in this hair-raising adventure, Fire Bringer!
Fire Bringer is a saga that touched my heart with its witty characters and unpredictable storyline. David Clement-Davies did a beautiful job describing the land and its occupants. This was one of the most interesting anthropomorphic stories that I have read yet. Fire Bringer had a lot of components thrown in that made it a very diverse story. I think that this is a noteworthy read for teens, and not so much for kids, because younger readers may not understand many of the concepts throughout the book.
I took great pleasure in the fact that since this was an anthropomorphic story, about animals, real facts about deer were incorporated throughout the story. Some examples included were how they ruminated, mated, marked their territory with their scent, and even pranced away from danger with their jumping run. There were also different species of deer, such as the red, fallow, and roe deer. I enjoyed this, as it made the story feel real, rather than completely fictional.
I also liked how the author, David Clement-Davies introduced man into Fire Bringer. Many animal-based stories are just about the animals and their world, but in this book man was a constant character. The animals were definitely affected by man’s choices, and also the other way around. In the end, man’s creation and tool is the prevailing force.
At 498 pages this book is definitely a big one. I think that I would have rather seen it written as a series. I feel that if Fire Bringer had been split up, then each book would have held so much more intensity and suspense. There were many times where I felt that if the book had ended right then, I would have been itching to find out what happened next. Also, if Fire Bringer had been a series rather than one book, I would have gotten to spend more time with these particular characters, as now Rannoch’s adventure is brought to a close in this book. But I did like how I got to see Rannoch grow up throughout the entire story. Rather than just reading about Rannoch at one particular time, I got to travel with him for his whole life and watch him grow, literally and figuratively. Even though this is one book, there is still a good amount of detail in many parts of the story, such as the battle scenes. I was able to imagine the landscape and characters in full detail as if I were seeing them for myself.
To put it simply, Fire Bringer is about the journey that Rannoch must make to truly find himself. Join the deer Rannoch, as he starts out as a naïve, young fawn and turns into a determined stag that must face the unknown in, Fire Bringer!
-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading!
Check out the Fire Bringer website at http://www.davidclementdavies.com/.
Fire Bringer is available from Amazon here.
What a great review! Hopefully I'll get a chance to read this book over thanksgiving break.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great posts!