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Donald Firesmith

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Donald Firesmith

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences

Member Since
April 2014


Donald Firesmith is a multi-award-winning author of speculative fiction including science fiction (alien invasion), fantasy (magical wands), modern urban paranormal novels, and horror short stories and poetry.

Before retiring in 2020 to devote himself full-time to his novels, Donald Firesmith earned an international reputation as a distinguished engineer, authoring seven system/software engineering books based on his 40+ years spent developing large, complex software-intensive systems.

He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his daughter Sera, and varying numbers of dogs and cats.

You can learn more about the author by visiting his personal website:
http://donaldfiresmith.com

His magical wands and autographed copies of his book
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Popular Answered Questions

Donald Firesmith I actually don't have a summer reading list. I have about 40 books on my Kindle Fire, and I just pick whichever one sounds be to read next.…moreI actually don't have a summer reading list. I have about 40 books on my Kindle Fire, and I just pick whichever one sounds be to read next.(less)
Donald Firesmith Start writing on another project or reading. Forcing myself to write if I haven't written in several days.…moreStart writing on another project or reading. Forcing myself to write if I haven't written in several days.(less)
Average rating: 4.44 · 1,066 ratings · 597 reviews · 31 distinct worksSimilar authors
What Lurks Below (Hell Hole...

3.88 avg rating — 225 ratings — published 2015 — 11 editions
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A Slave's Revenge (Hell Hol...

4.92 avg rating — 157 ratings6 editions
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The Secrets of Hawthorne House

4.23 avg rating — 173 ratings6 editions
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The Adventures of Periwinkl...

4.84 avg rating — 127 ratings3 editions
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Demons on the Dalton (Hell ...

4.31 avg rating — 93 ratings6 editions
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More Future Dreams and Nigh...

4.85 avg rating — 66 ratings3 editions
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A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams

4.33 avg rating — 67 ratings5 editions
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Future Dreams and Nightmares

4.41 avg rating — 39 ratings3 editions
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The Foundling: Heir to Ash ...

4.79 avg rating — 33 ratings2 editions
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To Hell and Back (Hell Hole...

4.70 avg rating — 33 ratings4 editions
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More books by Donald Firesmith…

Pittsburgh ComiCon 2025

I will be at the ComiCon the Saturday and Sunday (June 7-8). If you're there, find me in the dealers' room and we can discuss books.
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Published on June 05, 2025 19:00
What Lurks Below Demons on the Dalton To Hell and Back A Slave's Revenge
(4 books)
by
4.33 avg rating — 508 ratings

Iris
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by Andrew Gates (Goodreads Author)
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The Silk Roads: A...
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The Sandman: Act I
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Donald’s Recent Updates

The Foundling by Donald Firesmith
"Ash Bottom is one of the invisible, the bottom of society structure, living on hard floors and eating food found in trash. In a city built on a caste system he will live like that forever with no hope on self improvement. That is until one day throug" Read more of this review »
Donald Firesmith rated a book really liked it
Apothecary Inc. by Eric  Gibson
Apothecary Inc.
by Eric Gibson (Goodreads Author)
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This is a fun book to read, enjoyable for anyone interested in medieval humor. The author does a great job with detailed world-building, and I enjoyed the characters, especially the main character, Wilmot. The comedy is often quite funny.

On the othe
...more
The Foundling by Donald Firesmith
"The Foundling is a fantasy novella following the life of Ash Bottom. Ash was abandoned as a baby and had a hard life living in the slums. The world in which The Foundling takes place has a strict caste system. At the bottom are “bottoms”, which is ev" Read more of this review »
The Foundling by Donald Firesmith
"The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
EDITORIAL REVIEW
30th September 2025
TITLE: The Foundling: Heir to Ash and Blood. With bonus short story: The Black Wand

AUTHOR: Donald Firesmith

Star Rating: 5

“Strong characterization, a twisting plot, and a well-imagined ‘c" Read more of this review »
Donald Firesmith rated a book really liked it
Desiderata by M P Desmarais
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Great foundation, but the implementation could have used one more revision to address the weaknesses.

This is an ambitious epic fantasy with impressive world-building and thematic/philosophical scope. It includes a nice ensemble cast of distinctive an
...more
Donald Firesmith rated a book really liked it
The Captivating Flames of Madness by Jeff Parsons
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It was pretty good, but it could have been much better.

A collection of 22 short, creepy stories aimed at those who enjoy horror stories, a genre in which I've also published a collection.

First, what I liked about the book. I especially liked how the
...more
Donald Firesmith made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians GroupRatings disappearance topic
" The Foundling: Heir to Ash and Blood

Earlier today, my book had 66 ratings and 65 reviews. Now, it only has 35 ratings and 65 reviews. What happened to
...more "
The Foundling by Donald Firesmith
"The Foundling: Heir of Ash and Blood is not just a novella, it’s a bold declaration of what speculative fiction can be when it dares to say something real.

From the opening pages in the slums of Westburg, Donald weaves a story that is as raw as it is " Read more of this review »
Donald Firesmith rated a book it was amazing
The Price of Rebellion by Michael C. Bland
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The Price of Rebellion is a dystopian sci-fi novel that excels in the following four areas:
• Very good world-building with plausible technology
• Lots of relatively non-stop, fast-paced action
• Well-developed characters that the reader can empathize
...more
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Quotes by Donald Firesmith  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“He leaned towards me, and I did what any reasonable person would do when facing imminent death by being eaten alive. I screamed.”
Donald G. Firesmith, Demons on the Dalton

“Nothing seems to tempt fate more than mentioning the possibility of something bad happening.”
Donald G. Firesmith, Demons on the Dalton

“They prefer their meals alive and terrified, for fear is their favorite sauce.”
Donald G. Firesmith, Demons on the Dalton

“Software bugs are like cockroaches; there are probably dozens hiding in difficult to reach places for every one you find and fix.”
Donald G. Firesmith

“Nothing seems to tempt fate more than mentioning the possibility of something bad happening.”
Donald G. Firesmith, Demons on the Dalton

“One only truly fails to succeed if one fails to try. Anything more, no matter how small it might seem, is a partial success”
Donald Firesmith, A Slave's Revenge

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