Fireworks

by James A. Moore

When the arrival of a UFO during the town of Collier's Fourth of July celebration wreaks death and destruction, the remaining townspeople must prepare for the return of an even greater threat. Original.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.

Reviews

[Carol]

The Hook 2016 Reading Plan – A book from my shelves

The Line "While it's true that Fourth of July was the last time Bobby Carlson ever did the fireworks, everyone had to agree it was also the most memorable."

The Sinker – How the hey did Fireworks get on my bookshelves and why didn’t I cull it when I did my last purge? I honestly don’t remember where I picked this book up but believe it was the promise of fireworks that intrigued me. I am addicted to fireworks, loving the pure pageantry, the color, the flash, the boom, the brighter, the bigger, the better. I’ll go miles and wit hours to see fireworks not only on the Fourth of July but also for other displays throughout the year. So I think the title is why I grabbed the book.

Fireworks is really not my kind of story. This does not make it a bad book, just not one that is high up on my best list. I did finish it even though fireworks played only a small part in the whole. Though the overall story of an alien ship ditching in small town Collier, Georgia resulting in a conspiracy theory plot by the US government did not wow me I have to honestly say I grew attached to the characters, particularly the Chief, the Captain, whatever you want to call him, Frank Osborne. He’s an old fashioned, no nonsense kind of guy who takes his job seriously and considers the citizens of Collier, good or bad, his responsibility.

The author, James A. Moore, gives a nod to the genius of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, both authors I read and like, as inspiration for his tale. Yep, this is a horror story, Moore’s second, written in 2001. Since, he has written many more in the horror, fantasy genre. The tone of his books suggests gritty, gruesome, creepy plots. This one not so much; it is more character than plot driven, I think and really not very scary. Bentley Little, another horror writer says of Moore

Here is a talent. Here is someone to watch.”

Well, I couldn’t really speak to that but I enjoyed watching the fireworks for certain.

[John Bruni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book to rate, because half of it is good, and the other half isn't, but the lines aren't drawn very well. It's like reading a shuffled deck. Sometimes you get a face card, sometimes you get a deuce. It takes a while to get into the story. It doesn't hit its stride until it focuses on Frank Osborn, the sheriff who is trying to keep the peace in a small town where a UFO has just landed. The government is pushing everyone around, and Frank finds himself between them and the townsfolk, and it's not an enviable position. However, the focus shifts a couple more times over the course of the book, and none of the other main characters are as interesting as Frank. Jack is all right, but he doesn't come close to Frank. This is also a slow-burn kind of book. Everything is drawn out pretty long, and sometimes that's good, because there are some interesting characters in town, and it's worth exploring them. Then again, there's a lot that could be going on. One of the big problems with the book is the ending, which feels completely rushed. Moore could have scaled back on maybe half of the book in order to tell the ending in a satisfactory way. It's definitely worth reading the book, but it could also have been much better.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason that this book didn't get five stars from me is because I don't think Moore did a good job of tying up the loose ends and explaining to the reader what, exactly, the object was that came crashing out of the sky at the beginning of the story.

Otherwise, Fireworks is an excellent, fast-paced novel, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes horror, sci fi, and action-adventure books.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spaceship crashes into a small city in the southern US of A and a branch of the army (or not) arrives and isolates the town. This is the premise and it was good.

The book is divided into three point of views. First a officer of Collier (the name of the city), then an intermission with a chapter with several characters points of view then it changes to a woman from that town for another couple of characters. Another intermission and the last POV is from the other side of the barrier, a guardsman who happens to had grown in that town.

I must say that despise everything it work alright. All stories are inter-connected and it gave a wider berth to the plot and view of what happened in that town. The book is well written and nothing is missing in my opinion in characterization or plot.

Unfortunally the only thing missing is the lack of knowledge that at the end of the book we have of the spacecraft that cuase all that.

James A Moore gives us is point of view of what covers the government can do and what we really know or think we know.

Of course, we know that there are somethings that the Government don't say to us and in this book we get it first handed. First a spacecraft crashes and the organization (later called ONYX) arrives and tells the world that it was a terrorism doing and it's closed for everyone sake. Then in the end we learn that this agency controls the media and everything else and they might not even being part of the government but apart. It's explicit that the president of USA doesn't know nothing about it and there are rumours of several crashes. Then we learn about some people that erases people mind and the rest are silenced and in the end everything is okay, the president gains votes because the army did good and the people of Collier (the ones who aren't dead) gain a new life without memories of the past. So what this means is that everything we know may not be truth. This book is to be included in the Goverment conspiracy theory range of books.

Now back to the book itself. After the initial set of rules imposed of the organization, the people of Collier starts to get resentful and later some of them revolt against it. There are also white supremecists who fight for freedom but at the same time James A Moore gives us gentle oppressors who don't like what they are doing to that town because they are taking orders from someone who they never seen it. In the end the space ship just escapes and all is for nothing. Terrible!

Conclusion
It was a good book for anyone who like a good politic book about conspiracy theory and also for psychological warfare. I also advice this book because the setting is simple but very nice.

Note: If anyone knows a good book about conspiracy theory say something.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy plots Batman, this story leaves you with more questions than last week's episode of Desperate Housewives! What happened to the little boy who went in the ship? What did the aliens want? Was Brightman a man who loved his town or an arrogant,power-hungry old tycoon? Were there any aliens even on the ship? I could go on for days people. Focusing almost entirely on the characters, the story suffers from lack of a point. Which would have been cool if there was actually something going on. Instead we spend 300 out of the 376 pages examining emotions and reactions. When action actually does occur, it's brief. My last problem with the story was the rushed, anti-climatic, happily-ever-after ending; that was just wrong.

Now even though the story was aimless, the speed wasn't. The pace is like an overbearing mother on speed. While he does tend to get a little too wordy, Moore's style of writing is intricate and personable. His major downfall, though, is his love for his characters. These people populate his world and are close to his heart, so naturally he wants to tell you all about them. Problem is he lets in too much at one time, rather then letting you slowly discover their idiosyncrasies on your own. Which leads the next problem - the text size. Trying to cram everything in, the editor decided that the way to get it all was to minimize the text. That was mean, and it was costly. Someone owes me $15 for the aspirin and magnifying glass.

The atmosphere is realistic and effective enough as long as you don't rely too heavily on it. Although you can tell Moore did his homework for the setting and locations mentioned,you can also feel that it was secondary in thought. What was taking up all of Mr. Moore's thoughts? I wish it would have been a roster so all of us at home could have kept track of the enormous cast of characters. Yes folks, in Collier there is a player for everyone. That was a mistake. There are far too many, way too different, and not one is distinguishable. I honestly cannot remember one name, because I tried too hard to remember them all. I understand Moore's desire to give us a 360 degree angle on the events in Collier, but all he managed to do was get me lightheaded.

My rating? I give it a 2. If you need something to pass the time that doesn't require all that much attention, grab this one from the library.


-As reviewed for Horror-Web.com

[DJMikeG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, almost great sci-fi tinged horror tale about a flying saucer that crash lands in a small Georgia town. This book has some well fleshed out characters and has some interesting things to say about the government, small town life and the human condition at large. The book really isn't about aliens, or any extra-terrestrial threat, but more about the situation that evolves in the town after it is quarantined and shut off from the rest of the world. Could have been much better. The ending felt rushed. Seems like its of the cookie cutter Leisure books length of 370 pages. It is written in almost epic style, so it seems like it wraps itself up a little too easily towards the end. I would be interested in reading another book by this author, he definitely shows a lot of promise here.

[William M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buyer beware! This book is labeled a horror novel by the publisher, and although the first half is very promising, it turns into nothing more than a military controlled warzone. Where's the horror? Where's the aliens? Where's the protagonist? The book shifts from one character to another without reason and fizzles out at the end. The first half was 4 stars, the second half was 2... so Fireworks deserves a 3. My other gripe is all the spelling errors in the last third of the book. Did the copy editor just give up two-thirds of the way through? It was very annoying and pulls you right out of the story. That being said, James A. Moore is a good writer, and even more importantly, he's a good storyteller. I know he'll pick himself up from this little slip.

[Jon Von · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone else described this one better but it's a really fantastic first 150 pages and then pretty much just sh*ts all over itself.

[Brandon S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no expectations going in. Once I made it through the first quarter of the book I thought I knew the direction this was going. Nope, not even remotely.
I was amazed by how relevant the themes are in today's world. It very much feels like a response to 9/11 but it was published in 2001. Did he really conceptualize and write this as well as get it published in a matter of 3 months? That would be wild.
I really appreciated the level of slow tension he builds. I love how the biggest elephant in the room is merely the catalyst for increasing paranoia.
The characters have complexity, not fitting into simple molds even when it seems like Moore is setting them up to do just that.

I can't say the writing is always great and there were some silly logical issues but I was able to look past that, experience the feeling of the story and go for the ride. despite the slow movement, I felt invested and intrigued by what would happen next.

This was overall a pleasant surprise and I'm going to be trying more Moore in the future.

[Tony Entrekin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really more of a two-and-a-half. Moore is a very good writer, and this novel is well-written, but the story ultimately goes nowhere. It's not really a horror or science-fiction novel. More the account of the military siege of a small Georgia town in the wake of a crashed UFO. You would expect most of the story to be taken up with the mysteries posed by the crashed ship, but it never becomes much more than a background element, hardly even relevant to the plot. The majority of the book is told from the points-of-view of two of the town residents and one of the military personnel with interspersed interludes. There is much regarding the turmoil between the residents and the military forces, but this element never really grabbed my interest, and truthfully I had to force myself to finish reading it.. Ultimately. a disappointing piece of work. However, I remain a fan of James Moore and will look forward to reading other works of his.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It is scary, not because of the alien incursion, but because of human behavior. It felt true to reality, even though it was obviously fiction. Good writing.

[Alex Budris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out quite intriguing. The second half felt rushed, like he had a word count or deadline to meet. A lot of loose ends. I've spent a day in worse ways. His Serenity Falls books are great.

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first foray into James Moore, Fireworks wasn't what I expected, as i didn't have an understanding of the term "ensemble cast". this story is more about the town and ALL the people in it rather than any one individual.

[Brett]

Horror

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this is the weakest of Moore's books that I've read. While many elements of the story are intriguing they don't blend together all that particularly well.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. How a town and the government cope with the landing of a UFO.

[Frederick Tan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have nothing to do all day on a slow summer then you might just want to pick up this book.