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Fireborn: Embers of Atlantis
Powerful scions walk the streets of modern London, oblivious to their true nature. Unknowingly, they carry within them the spirits of reincarnated dragons from an age of high fantasy. As magic begins to emerge once more in the 21st century, long-dormant memories begin to flood the minds of these scions, reminding them of their mystical heritage. Welcome to the world of Fireborn! Ethan Gallows knows things about his world. He knows there is magic, and he knows he wants nothing to do with it. Yet, when he is sent on the seemingly menial job of filming a museum curator's antique art collection in London, Ethan discovers that he has much more to learn. After witnessing a violent display of sorcery, ancient memories come rushing back to Ethan - memories seen through the eyes of a dragon! With minions of the Taint now seeking him for their own twisted purposes, Ethan must put his trust in Sojourner - a woman claiming to be a draconic scion. Could he really be a dragon of old, or is this some sort of fanatic conspiracy? Embers of Atlantis is the first novel based on the acclaimed Fireborn roleplaying game setting. Written by New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance), Embers of Atlantis introduces readers to a modern world faced with the sudden emergence of magic.
- GenresFantasy
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2011
3 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Hickman
453 books2,732 followersNYT Best-selling fantasy authors Tracy Hickman, with his wife Laura, began their journey across the 'Sea of Possibilities' as the creators of 'Dragonlance' and their voyage continues into new areas with the 'Drakis' trilogy, 'Wayne of Gotham', a Batman novel for DC Comics and his
'Dragon's Bard' collector's series
. Tracy has over fifty books currently in print in most languages around the world. A record of both Tracy and Laura's DNA currently orbits on the international space station and he is the writer and editor of the first science-fiction movie actually filmed in space. Follow us on
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 27, 2016
Magic has returned to Earth. Ethan Gallows, CNN cameraman, has been sent to shoot a story with reporter Collette Montrose in London. Here they are pulled into a war between light and dark. Ethan must discover what powers lie hidden within himself if they hope to survive.
Embers of Atlantis is the first in the brand new, urban fantasy series Fireborn. At least I believe this will be a series. It was a nice, light fantasy read. I like the twist Hickman put on the magic that is coming back to the world. The story was predictable in places but still enjoyable. I would probably pick up a sequel should any be written.
Embers of Atlantis is the first in the brand new, urban fantasy series Fireborn. At least I believe this will be a series. It was a nice, light fantasy read. I like the twist Hickman put on the magic that is coming back to the world. The story was predictable in places but still enjoyable. I would probably pick up a sequel should any be written.
April 8, 2019
one of the worst books I ever read, it was so bad I could not finish it
July 11, 2018
I've never played Fireborn, had never even heard of it until I saw this book hanging out on a shelf.
It does not surprise me that Hickman has written a fantastic novel. I’ve read his “DragonLance” novels with Weiss, and I love what the two have done within the world of high fantasy.
What makes Embers unique is not the use of dragons or mythological creatures, but how Hickman has seamlessly woven such mythology into a realistic alternate universe of our own world.
This is a story about brothers: love and pain; deep connections and betrayal.
It is a story that is explicit about the dangers of evil, and that no matter its form, evil will tell a person what they want to hear. What they fear may be the truth, even if they are able to rationalize about the actual truth.
It is also a story about mundane human lives and the struggles people face with when traveling overseas. Granted, as this is an AU, things are different. Magic exists, though it was only recently [re]discovered. “Taint” and “karma,” things that once left the world and caused the downfall of dragons (and also the hibernation of supernatural beings), have made their way back. But in a magic-less world, a world where good and evil battle in a different way than taint and karma once did, the humans are caught unawares. Vampires make themselves known; the fae are coming back.
The history of dragons begins at the start of the book, and the truth about them, the fae, and the land of Atlantis clears after every few chapters. The reader learns facts just before characters do (and I found it easier to accept, understandably).
And everything relating to a sentient’s soul is beautiful.
Ethan is a CNN cameraman, namely for Collette. The two are sent to London (where the vortex of taint hangs over the Tower of London) to interview a man with a, erm, unique collection. Some woman named Sojourner comes into play and Ethan’s world is flipped upside down, almost literally.
Collette is an awesome character. She irritates me at first, but she is a strong woman who truly knows herself. She also has a great heart.
Chapter 14 was done very well.
It does not surprise me that Hickman has written a fantastic novel. I’ve read his “DragonLance” novels with Weiss, and I love what the two have done within the world of high fantasy.
What makes Embers unique is not the use of dragons or mythological creatures, but how Hickman has seamlessly woven such mythology into a realistic alternate universe of our own world.
This is a story about brothers: love and pain; deep connections and betrayal.
It is a story that is explicit about the dangers of evil, and that no matter its form, evil will tell a person what they want to hear. What they fear may be the truth, even if they are able to rationalize about the actual truth.
It is also a story about mundane human lives and the struggles people face with when traveling overseas. Granted, as this is an AU, things are different. Magic exists, though it was only recently [re]discovered. “Taint” and “karma,” things that once left the world and caused the downfall of dragons (and also the hibernation of supernatural beings), have made their way back. But in a magic-less world, a world where good and evil battle in a different way than taint and karma once did, the humans are caught unawares. Vampires make themselves known; the fae are coming back.
The history of dragons begins at the start of the book, and the truth about them, the fae, and the land of Atlantis clears after every few chapters. The reader learns facts just before characters do (and I found it easier to accept, understandably).
And everything relating to a sentient’s soul is beautiful.
Ethan is a CNN cameraman, namely for Collette. The two are sent to London (where the vortex of taint hangs over the Tower of London) to interview a man with a, erm, unique collection. Some woman named Sojourner comes into play and Ethan’s world is flipped upside down, almost literally.
Collette is an awesome character. She irritates me at first, but she is a strong woman who truly knows herself. She also has a great heart.
Chapter 14 was done very well.
March 24, 2025
Es raro que deje algún libro a la mitad, pero esta historia no se sostiene por ningún lado. Lo siento. Hay muchas maneras de hacer fantasía, pero esta es sin duda la peor. Creo que se han querido introducir tantos elementos para hacer que el lector alucine que se han dejado de lado lo verdaderamente importante en un libro: la historia que te narra.
April 12, 2023
Imma be honest, the Nazi zombies pulling up threw me for a loop tbh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2011
I got a copy of this book from Fantasy Flight Games in exchange for an honest review. I have previously read a number of books by Tracy Hickman (Deathgate Cycle, Darksword, Rose of the Prophet, and some Dragonlance) and enjoyed them. So I was eager to read his latest work. The book was okay; it presents a very interesting world...but the characters are lackluster and some of the storyline a bit contrived.
Ethan Gallows is a cameraman in a world gone mad. Things are falling apart and magic is real. When he goes along with a reporter to London to film an art show he runs into a powerful woman named Sojourner who wants Ethan to come with her. Ethan wants nothing to do with magic, but when he finds he may actually be one of three scions left in the world who is hosting a dragon he may not have a choice. If the world is to be saved, Karma increased, and the Taint reduced, then Ethan will have to live up to his potential.
There were some things I really like about this story. I enjoyed the scenes in the past of how Atlantis fell; these were interesting and engaging. I enjoyed the crazy, nearly post-apocalyptic type world that Ethan live in. You never knew what to expect in this world; there was crazy magic, zombies, monsters...it was just completely unpredictable.
The action scenes were also well done. I loved the idea of Taint and Karma fighting to make the world evil or good and enjoyed how the balance could be shifted.
There was a lot that could have used some improvement too. The characters were okay, but not very engaging. The best of the bunch was the CNN reporter; she was spunky, an absolute mystery, and fun to read about. Ethan was too dour to be all that interesting and engaging of a character.
Although I enjoyed the unpredictability of the world, because of the lack of description I had trouble picturing it at times. I would have enjoyed more description and a little more explanation as to why the world was the way it was.
The constant switching between the historical scenes at Atlantis and the current day scenes in London, was somewhat awkward and interrupted the flow of the story making it hard to stay engaged in the story. There were also a couple of plot points that were just weird. For example there is a fight scene on the subway that for some reason is told from the recording camera's perspective....I didn't understand why. It would have been better to tell it from one of the character's perspectives, hearing it as a camera recording was just awkward and strange.
Also towards the end there is a prolonged section where out characters encounter Nazi zombies...I was left at a total loss as to why. It didn't add anything to the story, was contrived, and again awkward to read.
Overall this is an okay book. I loved the world created here and enjoyed the idea of balancing Karma and Taint. I also enjoyed the history about Atlantis and how dragons were involved. The action scenes are very well done too. Unfortunately I did not like the characters, had a hard time picturing parts of the world created, and thought that the storyline didn't flow very well. Additionally there are a couple scenes in the book that feel contrived and don't really add much to the story, they are just awkward. This does appear to be the first in a series starring Ethan and crew. I probably won't be reading future installments in this series because I just didn't find the characters and story engaging enough.
Ethan Gallows is a cameraman in a world gone mad. Things are falling apart and magic is real. When he goes along with a reporter to London to film an art show he runs into a powerful woman named Sojourner who wants Ethan to come with her. Ethan wants nothing to do with magic, but when he finds he may actually be one of three scions left in the world who is hosting a dragon he may not have a choice. If the world is to be saved, Karma increased, and the Taint reduced, then Ethan will have to live up to his potential.
There were some things I really like about this story. I enjoyed the scenes in the past of how Atlantis fell; these were interesting and engaging. I enjoyed the crazy, nearly post-apocalyptic type world that Ethan live in. You never knew what to expect in this world; there was crazy magic, zombies, monsters...it was just completely unpredictable.
The action scenes were also well done. I loved the idea of Taint and Karma fighting to make the world evil or good and enjoyed how the balance could be shifted.
There was a lot that could have used some improvement too. The characters were okay, but not very engaging. The best of the bunch was the CNN reporter; she was spunky, an absolute mystery, and fun to read about. Ethan was too dour to be all that interesting and engaging of a character.
Although I enjoyed the unpredictability of the world, because of the lack of description I had trouble picturing it at times. I would have enjoyed more description and a little more explanation as to why the world was the way it was.
The constant switching between the historical scenes at Atlantis and the current day scenes in London, was somewhat awkward and interrupted the flow of the story making it hard to stay engaged in the story. There were also a couple of plot points that were just weird. For example there is a fight scene on the subway that for some reason is told from the recording camera's perspective....I didn't understand why. It would have been better to tell it from one of the character's perspectives, hearing it as a camera recording was just awkward and strange.
Also towards the end there is a prolonged section where out characters encounter Nazi zombies...I was left at a total loss as to why. It didn't add anything to the story, was contrived, and again awkward to read.
Overall this is an okay book. I loved the world created here and enjoyed the idea of balancing Karma and Taint. I also enjoyed the history about Atlantis and how dragons were involved. The action scenes are very well done too. Unfortunately I did not like the characters, had a hard time picturing parts of the world created, and thought that the storyline didn't flow very well. Additionally there are a couple scenes in the book that feel contrived and don't really add much to the story, they are just awkward. This does appear to be the first in a series starring Ethan and crew. I probably won't be reading future installments in this series because I just didn't find the characters and story engaging enough.
January 6, 2012
Premise: Based on the Fireborn role-playing game. Ethan Gallows, ace cameraman, liked his life and his job, until his footage of unbelievable events was 'proved false' and no one believed the truth. He's been making the best of it in a world gone mad until his dreams start leaking into his waking life. Plus people start telling him not only is he a reincarnated dragon, but he has to rescue his brother, who is trying to kill them all.
This is a decent book, fun and fairly interesting, with well drawn characters and a very intriguing world. It just doesn't completely pay off by the end.
The best part is probably the setting. It is set in a modern world with magic, but not the kind where magic has secretly always existed, or where a select few know about the magic world. When it starts to flirt with those tropes, the tone becomes dull and lifeless. Rather, it is a world which once had magic, lost it, and then all of history happened, and now magic is suddenly exploding back onto the scene, alongside but surpassing all of the other problems of modern life. The way that the setting is introduced is pretty fantastic, and was probably my favorite part of the book.
It suffers from one of the problems that plague most novels based on role playing games: some aspects of the setting work really well (possibly better) than they do in the game, while some fall flat and awkward. The book is trapped by these elements, and has to make the best of them. For example, the stubbornness of civilians to disbelieve magic feels a bit like a cheat; something like that would only work for so long unless it was necessary for the game mechanics. Despite a valiant effort by one character to justify this, it feels too static for a literary world.
The characters are mostly fun, although there are a few easy ways out taken here and there.
Overall, this was a fun read, but it didn't quite live up to its early intriguing premise.
3 Stars - A Good Book
This is a decent book, fun and fairly interesting, with well drawn characters and a very intriguing world. It just doesn't completely pay off by the end.
The best part is probably the setting. It is set in a modern world with magic, but not the kind where magic has secretly always existed, or where a select few know about the magic world. When it starts to flirt with those tropes, the tone becomes dull and lifeless. Rather, it is a world which once had magic, lost it, and then all of history happened, and now magic is suddenly exploding back onto the scene, alongside but surpassing all of the other problems of modern life. The way that the setting is introduced is pretty fantastic, and was probably my favorite part of the book.
It suffers from one of the problems that plague most novels based on role playing games: some aspects of the setting work really well (possibly better) than they do in the game, while some fall flat and awkward. The book is trapped by these elements, and has to make the best of them. For example, the stubbornness of civilians to disbelieve magic feels a bit like a cheat; something like that would only work for so long unless it was necessary for the game mechanics. Despite a valiant effort by one character to justify this, it feels too static for a literary world.
The characters are mostly fun, although there are a few easy ways out taken here and there.
Overall, this was a fun read, but it didn't quite live up to its early intriguing premise.
3 Stars - A Good Book
April 8, 2015
Life's too short to persist with a dull book.
It is singularly failing to grip me, which is a shame when the idea behind the story is a good one.
I'm also getting very irritated by the "product placement" within the story.
"The new model of Sennheiser EW400 wireless microphones were a great improvement"
Why is this here? As I see it there are two reasons for including sentences like this one, and there are several others I could have chosen: advertising/endorsements (if these are real products) or a low word count. Neither are, in my opinion, reasons to include them in a novel.
Ian Fleming did something similar in his novels, however they were written in the post war austerity of the 50's and Bond's luxury lifestyle and the, literally, criminal, extravagance of some of the villains are part and parcel of the fantasy Fleming is creating. It doesn't fit in this book.
It is a shame as I've enjoyed other books by this author but this one I'm not going to persevere with.
It is singularly failing to grip me, which is a shame when the idea behind the story is a good one.
I'm also getting very irritated by the "product placement" within the story.
"The new model of Sennheiser EW400 wireless microphones were a great improvement"
Why is this here? As I see it there are two reasons for including sentences like this one, and there are several others I could have chosen: advertising/endorsements (if these are real products) or a low word count. Neither are, in my opinion, reasons to include them in a novel.
Ian Fleming did something similar in his novels, however they were written in the post war austerity of the 50's and Bond's luxury lifestyle and the, literally, criminal, extravagance of some of the villains are part and parcel of the fantasy Fleming is creating. It doesn't fit in this book.
It is a shame as I've enjoyed other books by this author but this one I'm not going to persevere with.
January 8, 2012
It has been a while since I read something by Tracy Hickman, so it was his name being associated with the book that made me more interested in. At the end of reading it, it is not bad.
The concept of magic and mythical beasts returning to the present world, had potential. The way Hickman writes it, helps to pull the story off. The situations created were different and brought to life with his writing. The downside to the story were the characters. I found myself more interested in the situations. I just did not get too attached to the characters, and I can't place my finger on it.
However, the issues with the characters is minor overall. This is a good light read and will keep you interested.
The concept of magic and mythical beasts returning to the present world, had potential. The way Hickman writes it, helps to pull the story off. The situations created were different and brought to life with his writing. The downside to the story were the characters. I found myself more interested in the situations. I just did not get too attached to the characters, and I can't place my finger on it.
However, the issues with the characters is minor overall. This is a good light read and will keep you interested.
July 10, 2014
Ah, gaming fiction. You tease so much, and explain so little. This is the first book in the novel series to support the Fireborn tabletop roleplaying game. The basic setup of the universe, from what I can tell, is that after having disappeared long ago, magic has come back into the world, and the souls of dragons and firbolg and other "fairy" creatures that were hidden inside human bloodlines are now coming out and breaking free. Kind of an over-the-top urban fantasy setting. Some of the ideas in here are kind of cool, but I get the feeling the whole book really is just setting up the universe for those who are interested in playing the game, which I'm not. Still, I got this book pretty cheap, so I got my money's worth out of it.
June 20, 2012
Well first off I am a fan of the roleplaying game this is based off and I was very excited to see a novel come out based on this world. My excitement wore off 30 some pages into the book. Even knowing some of the back story to the game it left me feeling lost and confused, who is ethan and why do I care? I had such high hopes for this book but I was sorely disappointed. The author tried to add too much too quickly without explaining it. If there had been a page or two in the front explaining why there were armed guards everywhere it would have made some more sense, but you learn why almost 1/3 of the way through the book. That is just too long.
December 5, 2014
First Impressions...
The cover is cool! I think it's my love of Dragons and the color blue that drew my eyes to this book. I am hoping the story pulls me as quickly. Starting book on 5-18-11
6-20-11
This book had too much going on to keep me interested. The author tries to juggle a past-lives thing, with a sci-fi twist. Not to mention the history and mythical worlds of the lost city of Atlantis. I couldn't push myself to finish it.
The cover is cool! I think it's my love of Dragons and the color blue that drew my eyes to this book. I am hoping the story pulls me as quickly. Starting book on 5-18-11
6-20-11
This book had too much going on to keep me interested. The author tries to juggle a past-lives thing, with a sci-fi twist. Not to mention the history and mythical worlds of the lost city of Atlantis. I couldn't push myself to finish it.
January 16, 2014
Oh dear. This was really not good - no plot, no character development, mediocre writing, it's just somebody's lousy roleplaying adventure transcribed. Some of FFG's Android books, while not well-written, are at least fun ancillaries to their various gaming lines. Fireborn was an interesting and very clever RPG idea killed by FFG's inability do basic execution (or even proofreading), and this novel will not revive it.
March 2, 2013
Novel which mixes urban fantasy with high fantasy as the story is told in two different timelines, one being the "dragon age" and another the modern age. The excellent writing by Tracy Hickman elevates the material above the usual fantasy fare by giving the characters more depth. Based on the Fireborn role-playing game.
Read
August 24, 2012Good...a little magic/punk. Real world of guns meets magic and dragons.
June 14, 2014
I loved the story, characters and themes of this book, but this book was a bit too graphic for me and comes with a swearing warning.
November 23, 2017
Me ha resultado entretenido. Poco mas puedo decir.
Puede que en otro momento, me hubiera aburrido, o parecido malo, pero en el momento que lo he leído, me ha entretenido, que es lo que buscaba.
Puede que en otro momento, me hubiera aburrido, o parecido malo, pero en el momento que lo he leído, me ha entretenido, que es lo que buscaba.
June 24, 2012
Great book in true Tracy Hickman style.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews