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Smoke Eaters #3
Flame Riders
The third and final instalment in Sean's rip-roaring 'firefighters meet dragons' fantasy series
In the final instalment of the Smoke Eaters series, the New United States Army has taken over and America has devolved into a full-on dragon apocalypse. Smoke eaters are banned and have gone into hiding to avoid being held prisoner by the soldiers.
Guiellermo Contreras is a private in the NUSA, and when he's accused of potentially being a smoke eater upon pain of death, he escapes and sets out to find the heroes who disappeared years before. But what he discovers is that the NUSA has been working on something unthinkable, and it's going to take more than a few smoke eaters to stop them.
In the final instalment of the Smoke Eaters series, the New United States Army has taken over and America has devolved into a full-on dragon apocalypse. Smoke eaters are banned and have gone into hiding to avoid being held prisoner by the soldiers.
Guiellermo Contreras is a private in the NUSA, and when he's accused of potentially being a smoke eater upon pain of death, he escapes and sets out to find the heroes who disappeared years before. But what he discovers is that the NUSA has been working on something unthinkable, and it's going to take more than a few smoke eaters to stop them.
- GenresFantasy
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 22, 2021
6 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Sean Grigsby
16 books107 followersSean Grigsby is a professional firefighter in central Arkansas, where he writes about lasers, aliens, and guitar battles with the Devil...when he’s not fighting dragons.
Find him at www.seangrigsby.com
Find him at www.seangrigsby.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 30, 2021
Thank you so much to Angry Robot for the early digital copy of Flame Riders by Sean Grigsby! This is a fast paced military fantasy, that is book 3 in a series but can be read as a standalone. All opinions are my own!
First off I just want to say that I may increase my initial rating once I've read the first two books!
This is a fast paced novel that occurs after some kind of apocalypse brought on by dragons, and apparently a Phoenix had something to do with it as well.
There is a ton of action and many fun fighting scenes where sci-fi and fantasy cross paths for hi tech battles of smoke eaters vs dragons. I would have liked more info on the experiments being done and technology used by the two forces.
I liked the team of characters and banter quite a bit. Brannigan and Happy were my two favorites, although I couldn't really get behind Guillermo (the main character). He had a good start and end but lost me in the middle after he kept freezing up and putting his teammates in danger. Brannigan was absolutely hilarious and I kind of definitely want to go back and read his book.
There was some pretty coarse language as well but not too much more than I'd expect in a military based book.
My main thing was that while the book definitely could work as a standalone, there is no background to know why there are dragons everywhere, how they got there, or who the heck all the returning characters are. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a hi tech fantastical military adventure, but would probably recommend reading the trilogy to meet the full cast of heroes first.
First off I just want to say that I may increase my initial rating once I've read the first two books!
This is a fast paced novel that occurs after some kind of apocalypse brought on by dragons, and apparently a Phoenix had something to do with it as well.
There is a ton of action and many fun fighting scenes where sci-fi and fantasy cross paths for hi tech battles of smoke eaters vs dragons. I would have liked more info on the experiments being done and technology used by the two forces.
I liked the team of characters and banter quite a bit. Brannigan and Happy were my two favorites, although I couldn't really get behind Guillermo (the main character). He had a good start and end but lost me in the middle after he kept freezing up and putting his teammates in danger. Brannigan was absolutely hilarious and I kind of definitely want to go back and read his book.
There was some pretty coarse language as well but not too much more than I'd expect in a military based book.
My main thing was that while the book definitely could work as a standalone, there is no background to know why there are dragons everywhere, how they got there, or who the heck all the returning characters are. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a hi tech fantastical military adventure, but would probably recommend reading the trilogy to meet the full cast of heroes first.
April 25, 2021
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
If you liked the previous two books, then I can't imagine not liking this one as well. We have the same hyper-activity and smart-alec quips, though with a different protagonist (yes, our previous protagonists like Cole Brannigan play a major part in this book, too). The milieu has gone from sci fi near-future to post apocalyptic/dystopian, which admittedly took a lot of the shine, polish, and originality away. But it is still good fun - a Summer big budget action movie in novel form.Story: Guillermo Contreras has enlisted in the New United States Army (NUSA) - but is soon finding that it is more mercenary band than civilian defense. The NUSA are hunting down/killing/experimenting on the smoke eaters so the smokies have gone underground. When not hunting smokies, NUSA is extorting supplies for protection from the remnants of scattered villages.
Contreras, through compassion for the villagers, makes a critical error. In desperation, he steals a NUSA tank and runs. All he wants to do is get back home and lay low. Yet fate has different plans as he comes in contact with a group fighting against both the dragons AND the NUSA.
We've gone from an original story of suburban firefighters battling dragons to Mad Max/Damnation Alley. Grigsby does a good job of moving the story along but I felt like I've read this type of story too many times: civilization has fallen apart and scattered bands of people are fighting monsters (just check out the millions of YA dystopian novels from the last 10 years). Ah well, at least Flame Riders has dragons and not zombies.
The hallmarks of the previous novels are here: hyper-action, few slow times, and a lot of swearing and killing. One huge highlight is that there are fewer Marty Stu undertones and our protagonist does not go from zero to hero. He survives, gets a few bon mots between, but character-wise does stay fairly true. He's likable in a gawky teen sort of way.
Many of the characters from pervious novels make a return. It was interesting to see them from an outsider perspective (Contreras' POV). It was kind of a 'the gang's all here, let's go kick butt!" situation that is always going to appeal. There are some new twists to the dragon story but for the most part, it is "kill dragon(s), move on. Kill dragon(s), move on." The heart of the story is a rescue mission.
In all, I am still enjoying these books greatly. They are almost a guilty pleasure and certainly there is nothing wrong with that. The writing is smooth and the story very fun and easy to follow. This is escapism at its best; now, if only they would do a movie from the series, directed by Michael Bay.... Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
June 22, 2021
I LOVED this book! Besides the fact that my husband is a firefighter (and enjoyed my daily recaps of what I’d read), Flame Riders is just the dystopian dragon story I’ve been looking for.
Told after events from two previous books, Riders follows an outcast New Army grunt trying to survive a world where mechanical senior officers, humans, AND dragons all want him dead.
The plot moves very quickly, the characters are extremely likeable (and often funny), and there some movie quality action sequences.
Reading Flame Riders was like watching a deliciously-drenched-in-rich-butter popcorn movie, and I am eager to go back and read the books that came before!
Told after events from two previous books, Riders follows an outcast New Army grunt trying to survive a world where mechanical senior officers, humans, AND dragons all want him dead.
The plot moves very quickly, the characters are extremely likeable (and often funny), and there some movie quality action sequences.
Reading Flame Riders was like watching a deliciously-drenched-in-rich-butter popcorn movie, and I am eager to go back and read the books that came before!
June 26, 2021
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.25 of 5
It's been awhile since the Smoke Eaters were given their walking papers and the New United States Army has taken control of policing the country- or what's left of it. North America has become a dystopian society with great cities, such as Chicago, in complete ruin due to the dragon activity.
Guiellermo Contreras is a private in the New United States Army (NUSA), and as the low man in the company he is assigned to some community relations and doing some show-and-tell with the local children. What Contreras only comes to learn is that NUSA is more of a mercenary organization, intimidating the local communities into supporting them and providing them with resources. NUSA is also looking for Smoke Eaters (those who are able to breathe while in a room full of smoke and tend to be dragon fighters). This has caused the Smoke Eaters to go into hiding.
When the NUSA division that Contreras is with makes an attempt to harm a local child because they suspect the youth of having Smoke Eater abilities, Contreras, who has a hero-worship passion for Smoke Eaters and has studied all he can on them, steps in to protect the child and winds up stealing a NUSA tank and accidentally killing members of his unit. His desire now is to get away, get back to his home town, and try to forget all about the NUSA. But it doesn't quite work out that way and instead, Contreras meets, works with, and becomes one of the historical figures he has studied since childhood. Which is good, because the Smoke Eaters are going to need him since a band of NUSA supporters have learned to control and fly dragons, making them much more dangerous than they already were.
Just as with the first two books in the series, this is a heck of a lot of fun.
Author Sean Grigsby has done a wonderful job of taking this series and growing the characters and the story with each book while retaining what has made it fun - the action and the concept . The first book had some 'issues' with a sense of being a "Marty Stu" book - male fantasy toward women, sex, and heroism. That is gone, so it is quite easy to sit back and enjoy the ride here.
One of the reasons I can't give this a full five stars is because while I like that Grigsby keeps it new, with fresh ideas and characters, this also means we have to spend a fair amount of time re-learning this world and how it has changed since we last visited, and we have to get to learn the new character who is the primary focus throughout the book. I really wanted to dive right in and go, go, go, but I had to wait while I learned who Contreras was and how he would be impactful with dragons (I wasn't sure there were going to be dragons for the longest time, and I was going to be really angry if there weren't).
The Goodreads page for the book notes that this is the third and final installment in the series. I sincerely hope that is not true. There is a lot of new potential here as we end this book and this world is just too darn fun to abandon now. If someone were to make a summer film of these books I suspect there would be more books for years to come.
Looking for a good book? Flame Riders by Sean Grigsby continues the high-octane action of the Smoke Eaters series. If you are looking for an exciting beach read, pick this up.
It's been awhile since the Smoke Eaters were given their walking papers and the New United States Army has taken control of policing the country- or what's left of it. North America has become a dystopian society with great cities, such as Chicago, in complete ruin due to the dragon activity.
Guiellermo Contreras is a private in the New United States Army (NUSA), and as the low man in the company he is assigned to some community relations and doing some show-and-tell with the local children. What Contreras only comes to learn is that NUSA is more of a mercenary organization, intimidating the local communities into supporting them and providing them with resources. NUSA is also looking for Smoke Eaters (those who are able to breathe while in a room full of smoke and tend to be dragon fighters). This has caused the Smoke Eaters to go into hiding.
When the NUSA division that Contreras is with makes an attempt to harm a local child because they suspect the youth of having Smoke Eater abilities, Contreras, who has a hero-worship passion for Smoke Eaters and has studied all he can on them, steps in to protect the child and winds up stealing a NUSA tank and accidentally killing members of his unit. His desire now is to get away, get back to his home town, and try to forget all about the NUSA. But it doesn't quite work out that way and instead, Contreras meets, works with, and becomes one of the historical figures he has studied since childhood. Which is good, because the Smoke Eaters are going to need him since a band of NUSA supporters have learned to control and fly dragons, making them much more dangerous than they already were.
Just as with the first two books in the series, this is a heck of a lot of fun.
Author Sean Grigsby has done a wonderful job of taking this series and growing the characters and the story with each book while retaining what has made it fun - the action and the concept . The first book had some 'issues' with a sense of being a "Marty Stu" book - male fantasy toward women, sex, and heroism. That is gone, so it is quite easy to sit back and enjoy the ride here.
One of the reasons I can't give this a full five stars is because while I like that Grigsby keeps it new, with fresh ideas and characters, this also means we have to spend a fair amount of time re-learning this world and how it has changed since we last visited, and we have to get to learn the new character who is the primary focus throughout the book. I really wanted to dive right in and go, go, go, but I had to wait while I learned who Contreras was and how he would be impactful with dragons (I wasn't sure there were going to be dragons for the longest time, and I was going to be really angry if there weren't).
The Goodreads page for the book notes that this is the third and final installment in the series. I sincerely hope that is not true. There is a lot of new potential here as we end this book and this world is just too darn fun to abandon now. If someone were to make a summer film of these books I suspect there would be more books for years to come.
Looking for a good book? Flame Riders by Sean Grigsby continues the high-octane action of the Smoke Eaters series. If you are looking for an exciting beach read, pick this up.
June 27, 2021
Flame Riders, the third and, from what I understand, the final story in the Ash Kicker's universe, is just as much fun as the first two books and had me finishing the book in one night. To recap the first couple of books in the Ash Kicker's universe, the world is a violent and ash-covered dystopia. Dragons of all sorts have erupted from the ground years ago and wreaked havoc on humanity. They burned down whole cities and brought humanity to their ash-covered knees.
That is, if you can survive dragon smoke. Not many folks can; if you can, you are deemed a smoke eater and trained to fight dragons. And the dragons are winning. Boy, are they winning. Grigsby pulls out all the stops and incorporates dragons from myth, i.e., the phoenix from the second novel, to new creations that look a bit like a kid with a crayon thinking of the wildest beasties possible. Also, did I mention that once you have been chewed into human bits your spirit becomes a whole new creation with sharp claws that goes after you?
There is gore, there is action, and there is that sort of Godzilla versus Japan kind of glee when reading it.
In this installment, the military has taken over control of the defense of humanity's cities and towns and has dismantled the Smoke Eaters and killed and kidnapped all those they found in hiding. They suck at defense, run on bribes, and steal food and supplies from the meager rations of the surviving human towns—an insult to injury. The remaining Smoke Eaters are in hiding or gone and have become nothing more than a heroic memory.
Enter this Flame Riders protagonist, Guillermo Contreras or Gilly, to his family. A kid who is a fanboy to all things Smoke Eaters. In his youthful exuberance and naivete, he joins the military in thinking that he could make a bit of difference or good in the world. He is sorely mistaken and is abused, mocked, and bullied during his year in the ranks. He has to earn his place, which is an impossibility because his very nature goes against everything they stand for.
After his squad is attacked by a dragon and carnage happens, Guillermo sustains a burn. Or, it is thought he had. When Smoke Eaters skin is burn tolerant. He isn't burned when he should be, and he is in a lot of trouble. Later that evening, after eating his last can of delicious peaches, a rarity. Gilly awakes to his whole body being paralyzed and his robotic officer accusing him of having to test him as a Smoke Eater. Gilly knows that this is certain death, so he, hilariously, evades capture in a bathrobe, hijacking a tank at low speed. I can imagine this poor kid's bathrobe flapping in the wind, ass hanging out for the moon to see him running from a murderous robot and stealing a tank at low speed. It is hilarious.
From there, there are brilliantly done battle effects, crazy dragons, wild fire fighting, and fun characters—some special surprises. Gilly comes into his own throughout the story, and I loved seeing that. I found myself cheering for him throughout the series and cheering for all of his newfound family he meets along the way. The dragons are meaner in this book; there is one multi-headed one that made a fantastic scene.
I love this series and have loved it as I went through it book by the book. It is incredible, so unbelievable that it makes you laugh. You might think, "firefighters fighting dragons? C'mon," Hell, yes, they fight dragons, and it seems like a logical jump considering the circumstances. What the hell else will they fight when all buildings have to be made of cinderblock and asbestos now? They have a genetic quirk of breathing the poisonous cloud of smoke dragons breath, so why not use it for the good of humanity?
So I say hell yes to dragons and firefighters! Get out there and read Flame Riders or this series from the start, have some popcorn and enjoy it!
That is, if you can survive dragon smoke. Not many folks can; if you can, you are deemed a smoke eater and trained to fight dragons. And the dragons are winning. Boy, are they winning. Grigsby pulls out all the stops and incorporates dragons from myth, i.e., the phoenix from the second novel, to new creations that look a bit like a kid with a crayon thinking of the wildest beasties possible. Also, did I mention that once you have been chewed into human bits your spirit becomes a whole new creation with sharp claws that goes after you?
There is gore, there is action, and there is that sort of Godzilla versus Japan kind of glee when reading it.
In this installment, the military has taken over control of the defense of humanity's cities and towns and has dismantled the Smoke Eaters and killed and kidnapped all those they found in hiding. They suck at defense, run on bribes, and steal food and supplies from the meager rations of the surviving human towns—an insult to injury. The remaining Smoke Eaters are in hiding or gone and have become nothing more than a heroic memory.
Enter this Flame Riders protagonist, Guillermo Contreras or Gilly, to his family. A kid who is a fanboy to all things Smoke Eaters. In his youthful exuberance and naivete, he joins the military in thinking that he could make a bit of difference or good in the world. He is sorely mistaken and is abused, mocked, and bullied during his year in the ranks. He has to earn his place, which is an impossibility because his very nature goes against everything they stand for.
After his squad is attacked by a dragon and carnage happens, Guillermo sustains a burn. Or, it is thought he had. When Smoke Eaters skin is burn tolerant. He isn't burned when he should be, and he is in a lot of trouble. Later that evening, after eating his last can of delicious peaches, a rarity. Gilly awakes to his whole body being paralyzed and his robotic officer accusing him of having to test him as a Smoke Eater. Gilly knows that this is certain death, so he, hilariously, evades capture in a bathrobe, hijacking a tank at low speed. I can imagine this poor kid's bathrobe flapping in the wind, ass hanging out for the moon to see him running from a murderous robot and stealing a tank at low speed. It is hilarious.
From there, there are brilliantly done battle effects, crazy dragons, wild fire fighting, and fun characters—some special surprises. Gilly comes into his own throughout the story, and I loved seeing that. I found myself cheering for him throughout the series and cheering for all of his newfound family he meets along the way. The dragons are meaner in this book; there is one multi-headed one that made a fantastic scene.
I love this series and have loved it as I went through it book by the book. It is incredible, so unbelievable that it makes you laugh. You might think, "firefighters fighting dragons? C'mon," Hell, yes, they fight dragons, and it seems like a logical jump considering the circumstances. What the hell else will they fight when all buildings have to be made of cinderblock and asbestos now? They have a genetic quirk of breathing the poisonous cloud of smoke dragons breath, so why not use it for the good of humanity?
So I say hell yes to dragons and firefighters! Get out there and read Flame Riders or this series from the start, have some popcorn and enjoy it!
June 23, 2021
The final installment of the Smoke Eater trilogy has landed and folks, I adore these books. Flame Riders is set years after the end of the second book. The Smoke Eaters are illegal and basically hunted. The world is ravaged by dragons and wraiths and patrolled by the New US Army. Think dystopian/apocalyptic crumbled world setting with killer dragons. Toss in a brigade of ruthless boys who call themselves soldiers. Add a cup of brutalizing and stealing from the poorer towns and shanties they come across. Well, you get a tasty delicacy to feast your eyes upon in the action department.
The MC, Gilly Contreras, is one of the few new recruits who still has humanity in his heart. When he is accused of being a Smoke Eater, he flees and runs into the old gang. Let me just tell you how freaking excited I was when Brannigan and the old crew appeared. If you like the type of sarcasm and comradery that only the cleverest of grumpy old men can provide, you’ll love Brannigan as much as I do. Hilarity, action and dragons… ok and wraiths. What more do you need?
I do feel that the deeper apocalyptic setting pushed this more into dystopian than the first two books. I didn’t quickly connect with Gilly even though he holds more humanity in his little pinky than the majority of the other recruits did. Personally, I would not recommend this as a standalone due to the past characters and back history of how the world came to be at this level of destruction. There is some science and back history sprinkled throughout the first two that just add so much more to this book as a whole. You’d be missing out to skip them. I’m still hoping for a prequel that dives into the meat and potatoes of how everything started. I think that would be a highly action-packed novel and give credence to the technology, weaponry and overall back story.
Military, sci-fi, dystopian fantasy may just be my new secret pleasure. If you haven’t given Smoke Eaters a try yet, I recommend jumping on this one! Scribd subscribers can get these in their subscription (the audio for book one is fantastic). Thank you Angryrobot for the gifted digital copy. Even more thanks for not only getting me to finish a full trilogy in a few months but for introducing me to Grigsby’s work!
The MC, Gilly Contreras, is one of the few new recruits who still has humanity in his heart. When he is accused of being a Smoke Eater, he flees and runs into the old gang. Let me just tell you how freaking excited I was when Brannigan and the old crew appeared. If you like the type of sarcasm and comradery that only the cleverest of grumpy old men can provide, you’ll love Brannigan as much as I do. Hilarity, action and dragons… ok and wraiths. What more do you need?
I do feel that the deeper apocalyptic setting pushed this more into dystopian than the first two books. I didn’t quickly connect with Gilly even though he holds more humanity in his little pinky than the majority of the other recruits did. Personally, I would not recommend this as a standalone due to the past characters and back history of how the world came to be at this level of destruction. There is some science and back history sprinkled throughout the first two that just add so much more to this book as a whole. You’d be missing out to skip them. I’m still hoping for a prequel that dives into the meat and potatoes of how everything started. I think that would be a highly action-packed novel and give credence to the technology, weaponry and overall back story.
Military, sci-fi, dystopian fantasy may just be my new secret pleasure. If you haven’t given Smoke Eaters a try yet, I recommend jumping on this one! Scribd subscribers can get these in their subscription (the audio for book one is fantastic). Thank you Angryrobot for the gifted digital copy. Even more thanks for not only getting me to finish a full trilogy in a few months but for introducing me to Grigsby’s work!
May 20, 2021
This and more reviews at superstardrifter.com!~
This is the story of Guillermo Contreras (or Gilly to his friends). He is a private in the New United States Army, which is… basically a group of mercenaries at this point. This volume of the story takes place about ten years after Ash Kickers, and so things have changed quite a lot since that time. Most noticeably, the US is pretty much a wasteland of tiny settlements, and most of the larger settlements are avoided and overrun by dragons. Being a Smoke Eater is illegal these days, and so when the NUSA accuses Guillermo of being a Smoke Eater, he escapes from them in spectacular fashion and ends up bumping into a few familiar individuals. And believe me, many shenanigans are had.
I quite enjoyed this one. More than the first two, I would say. Guillermo is a likeable character, and he was easy for me to cheer for. He’s just trying to make the best of what is obviously a pretty garbage situation, and I can relate to that.
This one had a bunch of chuckle inducing moments, from references to movies I like, to sports references that I actually understood and giggled at. The pacing was good, and the action was steadily kept up without being too much. I read this one in just short of two days, staying up a little late to get that last bit in before bed.
I didn’t realize that this was the final book in the series until I was reading the blurb for this review, but it does make sense. The story is brought to a logical end, leaving room for further exploration if that’s something that the author decides he’d like to do.
All told, I thought that this was a great conclusion to the Smoke Eaters series. While I wasn’t in love with the first book, the series got progressively better and better for me as it went. I’m definitely interested in what other stories Sean Grigsby has to tell.
Thanks to the author, as well as Angry Robot for the review copy!~
This is the story of Guillermo Contreras (or Gilly to his friends). He is a private in the New United States Army, which is… basically a group of mercenaries at this point. This volume of the story takes place about ten years after Ash Kickers, and so things have changed quite a lot since that time. Most noticeably, the US is pretty much a wasteland of tiny settlements, and most of the larger settlements are avoided and overrun by dragons. Being a Smoke Eater is illegal these days, and so when the NUSA accuses Guillermo of being a Smoke Eater, he escapes from them in spectacular fashion and ends up bumping into a few familiar individuals. And believe me, many shenanigans are had.
I quite enjoyed this one. More than the first two, I would say. Guillermo is a likeable character, and he was easy for me to cheer for. He’s just trying to make the best of what is obviously a pretty garbage situation, and I can relate to that.
This one had a bunch of chuckle inducing moments, from references to movies I like, to sports references that I actually understood and giggled at. The pacing was good, and the action was steadily kept up without being too much. I read this one in just short of two days, staying up a little late to get that last bit in before bed.
I didn’t realize that this was the final book in the series until I was reading the blurb for this review, but it does make sense. The story is brought to a logical end, leaving room for further exploration if that’s something that the author decides he’d like to do.
All told, I thought that this was a great conclusion to the Smoke Eaters series. While I wasn’t in love with the first book, the series got progressively better and better for me as it went. I’m definitely interested in what other stories Sean Grigsby has to tell.
Thanks to the author, as well as Angry Robot for the review copy!~
April 6, 2021
Brilliant battle scenes, dragons, and more dragon hunting firefighters! This one has it all. The third instalment of Sean Grigsby’s smoke eater series packs another punch. Flame Riders kicks off a little while after the events of Ash Kickers with the Army now taking over the fight against the dragons and it ain’t going so well. Like, not at all. The smoke eaters have been forced into hiding because the government wants to experiment on them and discover how they can survive dragon smoke.
One Nusie, and a smoke eater fanboy, Guiellermo Contreras joined NUSA to save people. As the lowest on the totem pole in his unit he is just a Private forced into an errand boy/bootlicker who has to “earn” his place in the squad. When the squad robot officer accuses him of being a smoke eater he has to run – or he’ll be killed – or worse taken captive by the NUSA to be experimented on.
Contreras runs straight into trouble. But finds his idols – the smoke eaters – and maybe they are all he believed them to be. They are certainly going to be the only ones able to keep him alive. But running from danger is one thing, running into danger is something else. He is being hunted by dragons and NUSA alike and he will have to think fast, and move even faster if he is to survive what is coming.
There are surprising twists and turns in this one. And the appearance of several old friends who made me cheer aloud. (One surprising guest star I was very very happy to see!) As always, Sean’s battle scenes are glorious to read. Full of exciting action that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I devoured this in only a few sittings and I am always left wanting more from this talented writer.
If you like Dragons, Dragon Hunters, Firefighters and fabulous action – jump on this series immediately.
One Nusie, and a smoke eater fanboy, Guiellermo Contreras joined NUSA to save people. As the lowest on the totem pole in his unit he is just a Private forced into an errand boy/bootlicker who has to “earn” his place in the squad. When the squad robot officer accuses him of being a smoke eater he has to run – or he’ll be killed – or worse taken captive by the NUSA to be experimented on.
Contreras runs straight into trouble. But finds his idols – the smoke eaters – and maybe they are all he believed them to be. They are certainly going to be the only ones able to keep him alive. But running from danger is one thing, running into danger is something else. He is being hunted by dragons and NUSA alike and he will have to think fast, and move even faster if he is to survive what is coming.
There are surprising twists and turns in this one. And the appearance of several old friends who made me cheer aloud. (One surprising guest star I was very very happy to see!) As always, Sean’s battle scenes are glorious to read. Full of exciting action that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I devoured this in only a few sittings and I am always left wanting more from this talented writer.
If you like Dragons, Dragon Hunters, Firefighters and fabulous action – jump on this series immediately.
June 18, 2025
Not a bad ending but if you are going to say this is the end then end it don't imply there is more. This trilogy would have been better served as a quadrilogy. Especially the last book. Book one and two work fine. maybe a little more fleshing out. The end for book two was great but is very shortly reversed in book 3. Book 3 biggest issue is the fact a new character is introduced and is the sole viewpoint for the duration of 309 pages. You never really get to know this character very well nor his somewhat romantic interest before they are killed off. So I don't really care about this character. The second biggest issue is too much new stuff is introduced before the book is over and you have this feeling of being rushed with no real explanation. The third issue is the non romantic issue with Brannigan. Book one hints of feelings for him from Jendall but never develops that due to him being married. Book 2 never really talks about this and then off script Brannigans wife is killed between books 2 & 3. Now "supposedly" this was a very long marriage. For the author to then have Jendall and Brannigan to meet back up in book 3 within the last 50 pages of the book and to imply they had these strong feelings for each other (in the entire trilogy they have only kissed twice) is a bit distasteful. This book had too many undercooked ideas that would have worked in a longer series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley.com and Publisher/Author for the ARC in exchange for a review.
The Smoke Eaters are back again! I wondered if there were going to be any more stories of these dragon fighters, and was so happy to see another book come out. This one is centered more on a new-to-be Smoke Eater, who went AWOL from the New USA Army. While growing up he was a fan of the Smoke Eaters, who have now been disbanded by the NUSA. Gilly is surprised to become one of them, and finds himself on an adventure with his heroes.
Grigsby has done a good job in creating this futuristic apocalyptic US, and a new kind of hero the average American can do nothing but love. I wouldn't recommend reading this as a stand-alone novel, as part of the story line and characters are developed from earlier books. I was happy to see the return of CB, and the new twist that the Smoke Eaters have to face is not unexpected, though was curious how Grigsby was going to put it in story. Definitely recommend to others to read, if they start with the first one!
#FlameRiders #NetGalley
The Smoke Eaters are back again! I wondered if there were going to be any more stories of these dragon fighters, and was so happy to see another book come out. This one is centered more on a new-to-be Smoke Eater, who went AWOL from the New USA Army. While growing up he was a fan of the Smoke Eaters, who have now been disbanded by the NUSA. Gilly is surprised to become one of them, and finds himself on an adventure with his heroes.
Grigsby has done a good job in creating this futuristic apocalyptic US, and a new kind of hero the average American can do nothing but love. I wouldn't recommend reading this as a stand-alone novel, as part of the story line and characters are developed from earlier books. I was happy to see the return of CB, and the new twist that the Smoke Eaters have to face is not unexpected, though was curious how Grigsby was going to put it in story. Definitely recommend to others to read, if they start with the first one!
#FlameRiders #NetGalley
July 17, 2021
What a perfect ending to this truly wonderful trilogy! For me, it doesn't get any sweeter than a near-future apocalypse where we find a new breed of firefighters: the Smoke Eaters, who are fully capable of withstanding much higher temperatures and smoke (than are conventional firefighters), enabling them to fight Dragons... all different kinds of Dragons, and yes they all breathe fire! Btw, Sean Grigsby's day job is being a fireman, so he writes what he knows, and that knowledge fuels his Vivid imagination!
You could read the book as a stand-alone, as it's from the view-point of a new protagonist (Guiellermo Contreras), plus it takes place several years after the end of Ash Kickers... But seriously I wouldn't do that, as the events and characters of the first two books do play heavily in Flame Riders. And wow, who wouldn't want to read 'em all? After all, it's about Calendar Worthy firefighters, and Dragons!!!
As for the narration, Michael Uribes was a wonderful choice to voice this dragonishly fun book!!!
You could read the book as a stand-alone, as it's from the view-point of a new protagonist (Guiellermo Contreras), plus it takes place several years after the end of Ash Kickers... But seriously I wouldn't do that, as the events and characters of the first two books do play heavily in Flame Riders. And wow, who wouldn't want to read 'em all? After all, it's about Calendar Worthy firefighters, and Dragons!!!
As for the narration, Michael Uribes was a wonderful choice to voice this dragonishly fun book!!!
June 26, 2021
I'm quite unobservant and I didn't notice this is the 3rd book in a series. I was lucky because it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone even if I think I missed part of the world building.
It's a fast paced, highly entertaining dystopia set in a world where a dragon apocalypse happened.
There were people called "smoke eater" who were able to fight dragons but they are outlawed and the military are fighting the dragons.
That said I had a lot of fun as there's plenty of humour and the plot never drags. I loved Guiellermo and the cast of characters as they are interesting and well thought.
The world building is highly original and I want to read the previous stories to understand how the dragon apocalypse happened.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I already bought other books he wrote.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a fast paced, highly entertaining dystopia set in a world where a dragon apocalypse happened.
There were people called "smoke eater" who were able to fight dragons but they are outlawed and the military are fighting the dragons.
That said I had a lot of fun as there's plenty of humour and the plot never drags. I loved Guiellermo and the cast of characters as they are interesting and well thought.
The world building is highly original and I want to read the previous stories to understand how the dragon apocalypse happened.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I already bought other books he wrote.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
October 26, 2022
It took me a minute to figure out where this story was going, but once I got there the story took me along quite nicely.
At first, we are introduced to some new characters and new scenarios that are an outgrowth of the previous two books. But then some familiar characters and situations - and dragons - show up and the pieces start to fall into place. The main character this time is a young man who is fascinated wiht the Smoke Eaters, but has grown up in a time after their ascendence. And his only hope is to work for the army (police? militia?) - an army that is corrupt and uncaring about the plight of the people they are presumably protecting. Thus the conflict when the Smoke Eaters finally appear in the book, and our main character makes some choices.
At first, we are introduced to some new characters and new scenarios that are an outgrowth of the previous two books. But then some familiar characters and situations - and dragons - show up and the pieces start to fall into place. The main character this time is a young man who is fascinated wiht the Smoke Eaters, but has grown up in a time after their ascendence. And his only hope is to work for the army (police? militia?) - an army that is corrupt and uncaring about the plight of the people they are presumably protecting. Thus the conflict when the Smoke Eaters finally appear in the book, and our main character makes some choices.
January 4, 2024
Scalies, Smokies and now... Nusies! Great fun futuristic fiction with dragons, soldiers and firefighters all up in arms against each other, oh and don't forget the droids!
4.5 stars rounded up because my favourite cranky character made a reappearance amongst some other familiar faces.
Sad it's the last but probably for the best not to drag it out and end up regretting it. I'll be happy to re-read this series anytime.
4.5 stars rounded up because my favourite cranky character made a reappearance amongst some other familiar faces.
Sad it's the last but probably for the best not to drag it out and end up regretting it. I'll be happy to re-read this series anytime.
July 20, 2021
The book didn't draw me in as much as the first two; I think because the world building was already established. Still fun.
February 5, 2024
Great conclusion to the series
August 30, 2024
3.5
I do hope the author writes more in this series. I've become invested.
I do hope the author writes more in this series. I've become invested.
June 16, 2021
Firefighters in the future with Dragons. An excellent way to pitch a series. I really enjoyed the two previous books in this series. After reading the third one, I can tell you that this one stands up well with those two.
This book starts out with the world in even worse shape than it was before. Our main character is a new Army recruit who is a big fan of the legend of the Smoke Eaters. He’s a likable enough guy, I just never found him as well rounded as characters from previous books.
This third book upped the stakes with bigger stakes, new gadgets and a couple of fight scenes that I just enjoyed.
I’ve read that the author doesn’t like writing action scenes, but in my opinion, he handles them superbly. All of them seem to have a cinematic flair.
I hope this series isn’t just a trilogy. I would love to see more from this world.
This book starts out with the world in even worse shape than it was before. Our main character is a new Army recruit who is a big fan of the legend of the Smoke Eaters. He’s a likable enough guy, I just never found him as well rounded as characters from previous books.
This third book upped the stakes with bigger stakes, new gadgets and a couple of fight scenes that I just enjoyed.
I’ve read that the author doesn’t like writing action scenes, but in my opinion, he handles them superbly. All of them seem to have a cinematic flair.
I hope this series isn’t just a trilogy. I would love to see more from this world.
February 5, 2022
After having read Ash Kickers, I couldn't wait to get back into this dragon-filled world. I was surprised though after the cliffhanger ending of Ash Kickers, that we start all over with a brand new character but it didn't take long to get back into the flow. The world has progressed through finding out how to deal with the dragons to more of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The smoke eaters who were idolized years before have been banned. The New United States Army (NUSA) is not the organization that Guillermo Contreras believed it was. They aren't entrusted with keeping the world safe and are in fact, mercenaries who are bullying the civilians into providing resources for them. Contreras steals a tank intending to return home, but things don't always turn out as expected.
Guilly is a well-crafted character that you can't help but root for from the start. He's listening to his conscience and attempts to flee the NUSA by stealing one of their tanks all while wearing nothing but a bathrobe. You'd think this would be a fantastic idea and that he could escape easily, but the tanks actually only go so fast, making this more of a humorous would-be sluggish getaway. Upon finding out that he is actually a smoke-eater and part of a now underground group that he completely fanboyed over, it only gets better from there.
Once again, Grigsby has continued his portrayal of this unique, but entertaining world. While the setting is much more dystopian than the previous book, it hasn't lost any of its high stakes. There's plenty of action, fire-spewing, and dragon fighting. Plenty of battles to be fought and danger to run towards. There's even the delightful appearance of some of his previous book's characters, tying all the books together. Flame Riders surprised me. Given the time jump and the incongruous new POV, I expected to not enjoy it as much as Ash Kickers but I devoured it in just a few hours.
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Guilly is a well-crafted character that you can't help but root for from the start. He's listening to his conscience and attempts to flee the NUSA by stealing one of their tanks all while wearing nothing but a bathrobe. You'd think this would be a fantastic idea and that he could escape easily, but the tanks actually only go so fast, making this more of a humorous would-be sluggish getaway. Upon finding out that he is actually a smoke-eater and part of a now underground group that he completely fanboyed over, it only gets better from there.
Once again, Grigsby has continued his portrayal of this unique, but entertaining world. While the setting is much more dystopian than the previous book, it hasn't lost any of its high stakes. There's plenty of action, fire-spewing, and dragon fighting. Plenty of battles to be fought and danger to run towards. There's even the delightful appearance of some of his previous book's characters, tying all the books together. Flame Riders surprised me. Given the time jump and the incongruous new POV, I expected to not enjoy it as much as Ash Kickers but I devoured it in just a few hours.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest
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