Fires Rising

by Michael Laimo

The church waits in darkness. It looks abandoned, forgotten. It has no congregation, but it is not empty. Under its floor, in a pit dug long ago, lies a wooden crate that was never meant to be unearthed. But the church is finally being renovated and workmen have found the pit. How could they realize what they have done? How could they know the forces they've unleashed?

Father Pilazzo is overseeing the renovation of the old church. His dream is to see it restored to its former glory. But his dream is becoming a nightmare. He's begun to see horrific visions, unholy images of death and warnings of terrors to come. And within the church forgotten men fight to survive against impossible demons, while sides are drawn for the ultimate battle...

Genres: Horror, Fiction

262 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 26, 2008

About the author

MY NEW NOVEL, THE EROTIC THRILLER MISSED CONNECTION, IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Michael Laimo's novels include the erotic thriller MISSED CONNECTION, as well as the horror novels DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, RETURN TO DARKNESS, THE DEMONOLOGIST, SLEEPWALKER, FIRES RISING, ATMOSPHERE, and DEAD SOULS.

ATMOSPHERE & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS were nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.

DEAD SOULS & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS have been made into feature-length films.

His short fiction has found its way into the pages of A WALK ON THE DARKSIDE, LOST ON THE DARKSIDE, HOT BLOOD XII: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, SURREAL MAGAZINE, INHUMAN MAGAZINE, LI PULSE MAGAZINE, plus many more anthologies and magazines. He has four short story collections, including the acclaimed DARK RIDE, from Borderlands Press.

.

Reviews

[iasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although more graphic, this reads like a 1980's made for tv movie. There is really nothing new here; it is a basic good v. evil battle. Most of the book takes place in roughly one day so one might expect it to be action packed or to build tension until the ultimate battle. I found neither one of these situations to be the case. There is action; but it is not enveloping. The reader is always aware they are outside the story.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fires Rising is the latest novel by Michael Laimo, is another Good vs. Evil type book. The back states that the church is supposed to be renovated but in actuality it is being destroyed and the protagonist, Father Pilazzo was in a sense being evicted. The main plot is follows the unearthing of items found buried in the church leading to a Good vs. Evil struggle and the gathering of sides. There are a couple side plots involving Father Pilazzo’s current predicament and the homeless gathered in the church that may have stumbled onto something.

This fits the horror genre because it contains gore and a horror type storyline. There is nothing really scary here and the writing is ok. I really had to push myself to continue reading this so that I could get to the end. There were many times that my eyes would get heavy and I would start nodding off and that was during the action parts. The prose of the novel was quite jumpy. There were a few parts that really moved and parts that somewhat flowed and then those places that I had to drudge my way through. The characters were not bad. I did find myself more concerned with the homeless than I did with the main protagonist. The climax kept well with the character development of Father Pilazzo, but what he does in the end felt forced by the story so that it could end in a certain way.

Some criticisms

- “Evil that promises man the end of days,” was a repetitive phrase that was overused. Just seeing those words so many times throughout the story really detracted from it.

- The main protagonist’s character was just 2 dimensional and really didn’t seem to have much of a place in the story until the end and then it felt as if the plot was pushing him along to a chosen goal.

- The fact that I had to push myself to finish reading it. The story was average and the writing was less than I expected.

Some positives

- The homeless characters felt more natural and I began to care more for them and found myself rooting more for them.

- A lot of the similes that Mr. Laimo used were just great. If there is one thing that Mr. Laimo has a knack for, it is using the appropriate similes through his work even though he did use one of them twice.

- This is the one that Mr. Laimo did not go overboard and bore me with gore details. In this one, he used the right amount to make the story really gruesome, but not in a way that it detracts from the story because you are reading just pages and pages of gore.

Overall, this story just didn’t do it for me. I just couldn’t wait to get it over with so that I could say that I was finally done. There was just not enough oomph to it. This is something that I would recommend only to those die hard G vs. E horror fans that love gore, and even then I only barely recommend it.

[Brian Steele · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half-way through this book, I realized I didn't care. If you want your Horror fiction safe, traditional and "Americana" like Koontz, Saul and sometimes King, this might be for you. While Laimo seems a competent writer, this book is so Black VS. White, so pro-church Heroes, I couldn't really buy into it.

Honestly, this read real close to something Tim LaHaye would spew out. While I'm not about to fault the author's faith in his writing, the homeless folks were far more interesting than the priest who seemed two-dimensional. I think the worst part is that Laimo strikes me as someone who could write an amazing horror novel.

[AN · Rating 1 out of 5]

UGH. I was fine with the whole Good vs Evil religious plot even though it isn't usually my thing, but fuck the last four pages of the book. It would have been just fine to end it without the flash forward, especially because the author basically just flipped the script on the main character's personality with those four pages. Yeah yeah yeah, okay whatever, the events in the rest of the book will change someone, but he literally went from being Jesus The Sequel to easily seduced by power because he "murdered" someone? NO, he put someone out of their misery and no matter how much you might try to tell me that killing someone is murder and wrong I will continue to argue that there is a certain point where keeping someone alive is pure evil, and the guy was beyond that point. The priest is not suddenly Joe The Common Sinner because of that one act. Thanks.

And I still don't know what Jyro's role was supposed to be? He's the only vagrant to survive and somehow is getting the message from Gd again about the impending apocalypse even though he's not the sinless one? I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

I'm so upset about the existence of this book right now.

[John Bruni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard for me to take any religious horror seriously because it needs you to believe in order to scare you, and I'm an atheist. This book did not succeed for me. It felt like all the characters were chess pieces being moved into place, and I just didn't buy the ending. The one thing that helped me get through this book were the characters, especially Jyro, Timothy and their army of the homeless. I thought it was pretty funny how many characters were named after horror authors. We have Brian Keene, Gord Rollo, Thomas F. Monteleone, Wrath James White, Dallas Mayr, etc. in this book. There's even a tip of the hat to editor Don D'Auria. It was a fun Easter egg hunt in that sense. If you have a Catholic background, I'm sure you will get a lot more out of this book than I did.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book with a terrible Duex es Machina ending. For a little while it was going well and I was enjoying the tension Laimo was generating, but it all fell apart in an unsatisfying climax and a ridiculous ending. Too preachy to be a good horror novel and too graphic to be Christian literature, this book doesn't fit in anywhere.

The little afterword was the best part of the book but not enough to redeem it.

Any lover of horror should give it a miss- especially if they aren't a devout Christian.

[Joshua Dahlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the story. I also thought all the blood throughout was pretty freaking awesome. It had a perfect build of tension and kept my attention all the way through. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the simple fact that I didn't care about any of The supporting cast. In fact they were pretty forgettable. Everything else in this book was awesome!

[Deedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible:This was a pretty good horror book.It lost ground somewhere.I believe it had too many main characters.I did like it though. Jack de Golla was a fine narrator. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Have you sinned in your lifetime, Father?...You see those men? That's what will happen to you-to us-if there's any sin in your priestly blood. So tell me again, Father, HAVE YOU SINNED?"

Two stars.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the kind of story I would normally read, but interesting non the less. A suspenseful battle between good and evil.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York, the metropolis of the East is shockingly succumbing to its end. The once glimmering cosmopolitan streets of Manhattan are under an ancient threat, it seems that deep in the bowels of the city a great evil has ceased its slumber and the once holy grounds of an old church are the new birth place of something that promises the end of man kind. Tamed in the past, darkness finds new followers who will do anything to bring it back to its full glory filled with blood and screams of the innocent. What was once medieval fiction is staring non believers in the face and reaching out for their flesh.

The main hero of this story is Father Anthony Pilazzo, and elderly priest with spunk and character who has lived and conducted masses at the Church of St. Peter for many years. When strangeness envelops the city; on the street people stand and stare, whispers and enigmatic messengers tell Pilazzo about an upcoming end and the construction workers who are working as if in a trance are starting to act in a bad manner, it is becoming clear that something malevolent is about to be unleashed. A group of homeless men who hid in the belly of the church feel as if they have been woken up from some dream and feel a strange connection to the church and it's future, which is to be torn down because of some loophole in the church's contract - who with the act of demolition have uncovered something hidden deep below the floors. What they uncover comes with shocking consequences and the true beginning of the end. The powers of good and evil are on the rise and their horrific collision is imminent. As fires and violence engulf the city, a dark force takes over the sinners and ignites a battle that will leave very few to taste any unlike victory. It is up to the priest and those with nothing to loose to win back the freedom and stop the darkness from turning the city into scorching bellies of hell.

This tale was a true feast for the senses; violent, gripping, non-stop action packed and full of vivid and picturesque scenarios, it was not only intense but also a lot of fun to read. For those who like their horror gory and filled to the brim with horrific details this is a great place to get their fill, it reminded me a bit of Edward Lee's work, I can see his fans flocking to this book and coming out satisfied. Fires Rising is a new take on the end of the world type of a story, it made me happy that it was fiction, living in Manhattan and reading this was hitting very close to home and considering how real this book felt it would be one experience I would never want to witness. I absolutely loved the last chapters, they flowed off the pages and they felt like a sea of colors and action, it all read like the best stuff that movies are made of, and for a book it's a tough feat. The richness of the character development was brilliant without taking away form the action and the story started off powerful from the beginning, there is no beating around the bush with this book, and once it starts it never stops to shock the reader.

This was a wonderful tale of epic proportions - another winner from Laimo.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michael Laimo's "Fires Rising" is a bit of a guilty pleasure, honestly. To start, the negatives: the writing is weak, to put it simply. Dramatic moments are written like this. To reinforce tension. When something scary is happening. Because Laimo can't naturally write fear and horror into his prose. So he has to manufacture it. And this happens. So very. Very. Often.

The premise of the book is intriguing - an item of unimaginable evil is buried deep within a church, and of course it's been unwittingly uncovered. The "unimaginable evil in the bowels of a church" angle is cliché enough - it's been done in video games and movies time and time again - but because we're never given any backstory on why it's there, who put it there, even how it was done, it exists for the sole purpose of existing. Oh, there's the usual good vs. evil thing, but there's no theological or philosophical discussion as to the deeper nature of what's going. It's evil, and it's there. That might work for another writer, but Laimo isn't strong enough to make the devil in the details come through.

Characters in "Fires Rising" are...okay. Most of the action takes place over a 24-hour period, so I can waive the lack of in-depth characterization. Laimo does manage to capture a good feeling of horror and terror - the claustrophobia and fear of the men trapped in the church came across convincingly, and that's what kept me intrigued until the end. Even if he still insisted on writing fragmentary sentences. Every single time something scary happened. It was like he was doing a literary William Shatner impression. And it became really annoying. Really quickly.

You can easily tell that Laimo borrowed lots of his inspiration from another religious thriller - think defiled churches and dreaming priests. As I said above, originality is not the strong point of "Fires Rising". The climax was equal parts interesting and equal parts hollow - a book of this ilk doesn't give the antagonist more than a fighting shot, no matter how enthusiastically Laimo tried to describe him/it.

And all things considered, the antagonist was a bit of a letdown, given how easily he/it was defeated. The twist at the end was tacked on and pointless, doing nothing to keep things on a cliffhanger. I've read books that end on cliffhangers before, and I've wanted to tear the last page out, desperately looking for that elusive resolution. The end of "Fires Rising"…not so much. Not so much at all. More like a bemused and jaded "huh." Not even a questioning "huh?", just a noncommittal, nonchalant "huh".

Select quotations on the back cover of the book compared Michael Laimo to Stephen King and Clive Barker, suggesting that Laimo would soon take over their titles as the King of Horror. To that, I simply say "No, no, and no."

Overall, "Fires Rising" is decent for a few cheap thrills, and forgettable for everything else.

[William M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 AND 1/2 STARS

Fires Rising reminded me of a nice mix of movies from filmmaker John Carpenter. Take the standoff of trapped heroes from Assault On Precinct 13 and put them in a church, then add the growing evil and possession from Prince Of Darkness and you have a fairly accurate description of Fires Rising. While I didn't relate to the characters nearly as much as I did in his earlier novels such as Deep In The Darkness or Dead Souls, I enjoyed the constant threat of danger that Michael Laimo infused throughout the book. Somewhere between a novella and a full length novel, this is one of the shorter Leisure titles I've seen. But don't let that fool you, Laimo stuffs this baby full of violence, mythology, creatures, gore, and some memorable visuals that will stay with you for quite some time. And while I agree with others that this is his best technical writing, the story didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. Still a solid recommendation that has me looking forward to Laimo's next one.

[Cody Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second book I picked up by Mr Laimo and I wasn't disappointed. The first book I read by him showed me that he had potential and that he was wanting to strive forward, in the horror genre. So I picked this book by Mr. Laimo. If you are into horror, gore, suspense, and a good storyline, this book is the right for you.

[Bryon]

I just couldn't get into this...too much Christian mythology...Not interested...

[Edmund Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat familiar in topic and characters, but still a resonable read.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid read. I liked the vagrants and bums better than the priest, would've liked to see them made more important, but still worth the buy!

[Gef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading his books. Scary yet interesting.