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He Comes In Fire
In the late 1990s a rash of mysterious arsons swept the Southern United States. For some months the fires (many striking African-American churches in rural communities) made the national news, raising fears of a racist criminal conspiracy. Then slowly they faded from the public eye, with no clear pattern, motive, or responsible group ever detected.
He Comes In Fire is a fictional, investigative composite of a country in flames, a dark and fast-paced crime drama that explores how the search for comprehensible answers and meaning can lead people astray—into false assumptions, accusations, and terrible miscarriages of justice.
The setting is a semi-fictitious county (Zion) in central Virginia, a stark and fallen world of preachers, felons, and lost souls whose voices God no longer hears. When a misunderstood drifter (Lucas Sneed) tangles with a preacher struggling to lead a moral life (Jack Dixon), the two men collide in an unforgiving place teeming with sin, selfishness, and violence.
He Comes In Fire is a fictional, investigative composite of a country in flames, a dark and fast-paced crime drama that explores how the search for comprehensible answers and meaning can lead people astray—into false assumptions, accusations, and terrible miscarriages of justice.
The setting is a semi-fictitious county (Zion) in central Virginia, a stark and fallen world of preachers, felons, and lost souls whose voices God no longer hears. When a misunderstood drifter (Lucas Sneed) tangles with a preacher struggling to lead a moral life (Jack Dixon), the two men collide in an unforgiving place teeming with sin, selfishness, and violence.
232 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Aaron R. Even
3 books11 followersAaron R. Even is a novelist and writer for television whose work has appeared on National Geographic, Discovery and Smithsonian Channels. His debut novel Bloodroot won the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) Novel Award. His most recent fiction, He Comes In Fire, was published by Atticus Books and won an IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction, 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 6, 2018
I received a copy of this book at no cost in exchange for an honest review. I only wish my review could be more positive.
The good: the author is technically proficient (minus a few grammatical errors and one particularly difficult punctuation error made throughout the novel - this is an ARC so, hopefully, proofreaders will fix that before final publication). He is gifted with imagery, there is no lack of detail in describing the landscape and, in particular, the weather.
The bad: unfortunately, there was a lot wrong with this story for me. The characters were two-dimensional, I couldn't find a camaraderie with any of them. Also, while Mr. Even described the scenery in exquisite detail, the characters seemed an afterthought, described so little (or not at all) that I had a difficult time picturing them.
Throughout the book, I found myself utterly bored. There was no crescendo to a climax. In fact, after finishing the book, I feel as though the climax happened before the book ever started, and that the novel was a monotonous tale of the aftermath. The book bounced back and forth between different parts of the story (at times, even going backward in time) with no indication it was doing so; sometimes I spent paragraphs - even pages - lost, wondering which character I was reading about.
In terms of different threads of the story, some were superfluous. I found myself wondering what had been the point of some of the sub-plots. Combined to create that feeling, was the fact that some of the threads never really weaved their way into a cohesive story.
Overall, this one was a major flop for me. Two thumbs down.
The good: the author is technically proficient (minus a few grammatical errors and one particularly difficult punctuation error made throughout the novel - this is an ARC so, hopefully, proofreaders will fix that before final publication). He is gifted with imagery, there is no lack of detail in describing the landscape and, in particular, the weather.
The bad: unfortunately, there was a lot wrong with this story for me. The characters were two-dimensional, I couldn't find a camaraderie with any of them. Also, while Mr. Even described the scenery in exquisite detail, the characters seemed an afterthought, described so little (or not at all) that I had a difficult time picturing them.
Throughout the book, I found myself utterly bored. There was no crescendo to a climax. In fact, after finishing the book, I feel as though the climax happened before the book ever started, and that the novel was a monotonous tale of the aftermath. The book bounced back and forth between different parts of the story (at times, even going backward in time) with no indication it was doing so; sometimes I spent paragraphs - even pages - lost, wondering which character I was reading about.
In terms of different threads of the story, some were superfluous. I found myself wondering what had been the point of some of the sub-plots. Combined to create that feeling, was the fact that some of the threads never really weaved their way into a cohesive story.
Overall, this one was a major flop for me. Two thumbs down.
June 26, 2022
A Southern Gothic story based on real historical events, He Comes In Fire is unique, engaging, and brimming with detail. The prose is exquisite, the atmosphere intense and tension-filled, and the world stunningly beautiful in spite of the darkness within. I appreciated the unconventionality of the characters; I felt that they were people I haven't met before, and never will meet again. For anyone who enjoys Southern Gothic tales or whodunits, this could well be a winner.
January 25, 2020
Fun read with predictable twists along they way. Pick it up for a fast fun read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews