Fire Will Fall

Streams of Babel #2

by Carol Plum-Ucci

ShadowStrike poisoned the water of Trinity Falls two months ago. Now the Trinity Four, the teens most affected by the poison, have been isolated in a remote mansion under twenty-four-hour medical care while scientists on four continents rush to discover a cure. Meanwhile, U.S. operatives scour the world for the bioterrorists responsible for this heinous crime, as two teen virtual spies, also infected, hunt for the criminals on the Internet. The danger remains real—for ShadowStrike has every reason to pursue the Trinity Four, and their evil plan will unleash a new designer virus that’s even deadlier than the first.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Dystopia, Science Fiction

485 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Carol Plum-Ucci is a young adult novelist and essayist. Plum-Ucci’s most famous work to date is The Body of Christopher Creed, for which she won a Michael L. Printz Award in 2002 and was named a finalist to the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Describing her subjects as "the most common, timeless, and most heart-felt teenagers," Plum-Ucci is widely recognized for her use of the South Jersey shore to set scenes for engaging characters embracing suspense themes.

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Streams of Babel, the book that preceeds this volume, Plum-Ucci introduced readers to a series of teens pulled into the center of the War on Terror. Four teens (among others) living in a s small New Jersey town named Trinity are infected in with a bio-engineered virus that causes widespread illness and even the death of two of their mothers. The Trinity Four, as they have become known in the press, have become stabilized and have been moved to live on a small estate in a New Jersey coastal town with the hopes of keeping them alive until a cure can be found for Q3, the disease with which they have been infected.

Each of the teens is dealing with their own personal issues as they try to keep up the fight to survive with blinding headaches, bloody noses, and other dangerous symptoms. Romance is blooming. Cora is confronted with the loss of her mother, who abandoned her with her grandmother to continue her career as a photojournalist on the frontlines of war zones all over the world, during the initial attack. Brothers Scott and Owen are also dealing with their mother's death, and one of them has also developed a life-threatening anuerism that makes his condition even more dangerous than the others. Rain is having trouble with trying to live a normal live among all of the challenges they are facing as a group.

Two other teens play a major role in our story, though, they are secretly working for the government as cyberspies in the hopes of hunting down terrorists. They were the ones who tracked down ShadowStrike, the terrorists who started this whole thing in the previous novel. Tyler's mother has been arrested for spying on America for the North Koreans, and Shahzad is an Afghani who was recruited for the work because of his proven methods while working in his homeland with his cousin.

While they were infected by ShadowStrike in a secondary attack, they are still on the job. That is a good thing because it seems like ShadowStrike is not done with their plans for America.

I was really excited to know that a sequel was coming out because I really wanted to know what happened to all of the characters after the really intense first novel. The book really has a great storyline, but I think it get a bit bogged down by having too many subplots flowing through it. Each of the characters has his or her own plots and all of this is centered around the resolutions from the previous book and a new terrorist plot. As a result, the novel is a too long and really doesn't have the quick pacing that such a story should have. It should feel like a roller coaster with the reading holding on as the story progresses from one thing to the next.

I don't want to say it is a bad book because i really did enjoy it. And each of the stories is interesting on its own, but the book just seems to bite off more than it really can sustain. The book seems to also swing into an odd focus on the various relationships between the Trinity Four as it shifts gears toward the conclusion. The result is a flat landing on what was really a pretty exciting concept.

[Yvonne Powderly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know until lately that this is the sequel to Streams of Babel. This novel stands by itself, but for greater interest you probably should read the first.
The story is told in alternating chapters which is a downer for me. I lose track of what's happening or if I don't like a character I resent reading about them too much; if I like a character I want to skip over to they parts where he/she is featured. Anyway, this is not my kind of format.
The story: Trinity Falls' water supply was infected with a virus when bioterrorists attacked. The four teens who were the most affected by the virus are moved to a big mansion so that their health can be monitored. Symptoms and emotional issues form the backbone of the narrative. Two other teens are introduced. These two are searching for clues to the bio-terrorists, and what these crazies are up to next.
Will the teens recover from the virus and its effects? Will the terrorist succeed in launching another attack? Read the book to find out.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was handed this ARC with the directive: "Read this, I really want to know what you think." Someone knows how to woo me!


I had never heard of Carol Plum-Ucci before, but she's on my radar now!

A New Jersey resident, and Young Adult author, Plum-Ucci has been the recipient of countless awards, including, but not limited to, the Michael L. Printz Honor, Edgar Allan Poe Award, ALA's Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults, and Amazon Editor's #1 Choice in Young Literature. She has had great success with titles such as The Body of Christopher Creed (2001), What Happened to Lani Garver (2003), and The Night My Sister Went Missing (2007). Her YA novel, The Body of Christopher Creed has been optioned by Dreamworks.

Carol Plum-Ucci takes on a topic and a perspective the likes of which I had never read before. Bio terrorism. And the victims are teenagers.

9/11 changed the world as we knew it. Many of us will forever remember where we were and what we saw that day. What about the teenagers who were suddenly thrust out of childhood? Their innocence officially ended. The boogie man of their grammar school years had a face and a name and he was hiding in a cave somewhere in the middle east planning his next attack. So, what if there was another attack?

Fire Will Fall takes place within a year after 9/11 and is about a group of teenagers, known to the world as the Trinity Four, who are the victims of a bio-terror attack on a small town in New Jersey. They drank tainted water that infused their body with a virus that have scientists on four continents working on a cure. Brothers, Scott and Owen, and the girls, Rain and Cora, are brought to a mansion out in the woods of the Pine Barrens. There they will be under 24/7 medical care, as well as government protection. The fictional USIC believes that "a dog does not return to its vomit," but they are wrong.

The Trinity Four are an intriguing group of characters, with this horrific attack bonding them. Still, they manage to find love and friendship and a sort of therapy among themselves. Scott, the oldest, takes on the patriarchal role for the group. A former EMT, he is usually first on the scene when any of the other kids are in need of medical attention. Owen is your typical nice guy, but also has a spiritual side and gives everyone a unique perspective on their situation. It doesn't seem like Owen ever truly got over his mother's death. Rain just wants to be normal. She wants to have friends, go to college, get married, have babies and be President of the PTA. If it weren't for this stupid virus, and the fact that her father is in the USIC. Cora is the quiet one. She lived with her grandmother until her mother came back from trying to save the world, addicted to drugs. Cora watched her mother die, yet is still haunted by her.

Outside the Trinity Four, we learn of the activities and illnesses of two more not-so-ordinary teenagers. These guys are v-spies, or virtual spies, tracking the whereabouts and chatter among the bio terrorism group known as ShadowStrike, and reporting their findings to a source at USIC (a fictional US Intelligence Agency). The two v-spies,known as the Kid and Tyler, read an ominous message, "Fire will fall on Colony 2." Trinity Falls was known as Colony 1, and Tyler and The Kid work around the clock to get more intelligence in order to prevent another attack. Where is Colony 2? What is "Fire"?

These two were like my comic relief in this book. They were as opposite as Felix and Oscar, yet they work and live well together. I loved bouncing back and forth between their lives and the goings on of the Trinity Four.

All the kids are on edge almost to the point of paranoia, and every adult seems suspicious. The Trinity Four not only worry about another attack, they are worried about what each day will bring -- another Headache from Hell, or another Throat from Hell, accompanied by high fevers and hallucinations. While one of them may be having a four-star day (symptom free) another may be down (bedridden). In the middle of all of this, they are trying to handle the trials and tribulations of simply being teenagers. There is lots of suspense, and some lighter moments to break the heavy storyline.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I wonder if I would have liked it even better had I read the first book. DOH! I did not know until after I finished Fire Will Fall that it was the second book in a series. The first book is Streams of Babel, and tells the story of the first bio terror attack that claimed the lives of two of the teens' mothers. Even though I wished I had read the first book, Fire Will Fall could be read as a stand-alone. I am assuming by the loose ends, that there will be another to follow.

NOTE: This book is classified as Young Adult, however, there are mature subjects in addition to terrorism: Rape, drug use,teen alcohol use, sex, oral sex, and masturbation. Not to spoil the book, but the teens don't necessarily engage in any of these activities, but they are a part of their conversations and memories.

Visit author Carol Plum-Ucci's website here.

To read more of my reviews, please visit my book blog:

[Carl J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't read 1st book, but still very good, June 2, 2012

I received this book from a friend. Upfront, I'll just say I didn't read the first book in the series. Not intentional. The book does a good job of keeping things fresh while bringing in backstory. Not sure how much of it would've been rehash. In any case, as a standalone, a good read.

Some people won't like the alternating points of view (Scott, Owen, Cora, and Rain), but I didn't mind. It took a bit of getting used to, of course. The story follows them in the days and weeks after they've been exposed to a chemical terrorist attack and the effects it's having on them and their neighborhood. It also follows the terrorists through cybersurveillance. Both of these are interesting subjects and Plum-Ucci does a good job of keeping us enthralled on both fronts. The writing is good and keeps things moving. The story moves along well.

My two biggest gripes have to do with characterization. None of the characters (with a couple extreme exceptions not given because of spoilers) was all that distinct from any other. They all felt the same to me. The other gripe is that these are supposed to be teenagers in highschool, yet it felt like they were in the early/mid-twenties. I'd be willing to bet my hat that this was how the books were initially written, for an older audience, and the editor/publisher requested they be redone for a younder crowd. Mistake. I found I enjoyed the book much more once I convinced myself the kids were older.

Overall, a fascinating read if you like enough technical detail to tickle the scientific side of your brain, enough action and tension to appease the emotional side. I will go back and read the first, Streams of Babel.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers are hidden in here. Just, FYI.

Wow. I love this story line. I want to read more, even though I know their story has ended. I was only a little disappointed, mainly because Scott was being a jerk and Cora wouldn't stop crying. I'd like to know what happened next, like what did Rain name her child? and what happens between Scott and Cora? and whatever happened to Tyler and Shahzad? and did Rain's son/daughter have Q3?
I was so engrossed with Scott's and Cora's complicated romance of jerkdom and crying that I kind of forgot to feel utterly despondant at the death of Owen. I mean, I was sad, but then I forgot about it, because Scott was being...Scott.

Overall, though, I really loved it. I was so happy that Tyler and Shahzad were not actually dead, and I totally called Henry being bad. I just knew it. Cora should have listened to Scott.
And was it just coincidence, or did all their last names end in -man for a reason? (holman, eberman, steckerman)

[Pratyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m obsessed w these characters and their incredibly distinctive + naturalistic voices and personalities, I love them all so much. Best book

05/25 - took me this many yrs to realize this entire book takes place over a couple of days and not weeks

[DeWayne Schooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire Will Fall, while not a bad book, attempted to condense a story into a single book that should've been two and expanded on things more. To start with what the book did right, the main characters, all of whom were teens, seemed very life like. Scott Eberman, the oldest of the group and a former paramedic, is displayed as being charismatic, charming, but manipulative, while Cora Holman, the daughter of a famous news reporter who became an opium addict, is displayed and quiet, often fragile, but resilient when it was absolutely necessary. The book also has each teen narrate different parts of the story. It begins with Scott, and the rest of the "Trinity Four," as the main characters are referred to, being the four worst victims of a terrorist attack in Trinity Falls, New Jersey, get a turn to narrate, but they aren't the only narrators. Two additional teens take their turns narrating as well. Both of them are college drop out who hack for the U.S. government illegally. The section they hack for is called the U.S.I.C., standing for United States Intelligence Coalition, and their sections are very interesting as what Ms. Plum describes is a very real possibility in today's society. The terrorists communicate anonymously online in chat rooms and code their messages, even though they never speak English in these chat rooms.
The book is a very intriguing concept, but it is far from flawless. It starts with the U.S.I.C. itself. United States Intelligence Coalition is a unique name, but that's the only one. The terrorist group has the most cliche name a villainous group could have. It is called "ShadowStrike", their biggest funder goes by the name "Chancellor" in the chatrooms, and while unique, their lead scientist is called "OmarLoggi" and that isn't an intimidating name, a cliche name might even be better. The book also tries condensing to much into a single 400 page book. Around halfway through the book, the Trinity Four, two males and two females, start getting real mushy with each other, and while it's not necessarily a bad thing, it seemed very abrupt and rushed. The book also over played their villains. The villains are portrayed as being untouchable, always one step ahead, and always having an out, but they never really feel like a threat. The terrorists are shown as planning, getting ready for a second attack that will be even more dangerous than the last, and yet the villains are taken down completely after the "Chancellor" is taken down. This book had the potential to be amazing, but it should have slowed itself down and delved into it's topics more, and if a third book was needed, that would've been fine. If it wanted to introduce romance, that's fine, but it was too fast, and the villains needed to feel like a bigger threat. A terrorist organization like ShadowStrike seems like it would have a fall back plan if it's lead funder was captured or killed, but apparently not.

[Matthew Trieu]

So, I couldn't find the questions but I presume they go something like this
1) why did you choose the book?
2) do you any previous knowledge regarding the author or series?

And my Answer:

I chose the book because reading the little intro on the inside of the front cover sounded interesting. It is about a biochemical weapon that went off, and the most affected four "Trinity Four" are living in isolation. Meanwhile the government is tracking down who released the weapon, and "ShadowStrike" the bad guys, are plotting to make an updated/upgraded virus.

I do not have any previous knowledge of this book, have not had any recommendations on it or read any of the author's other books. I just had a pull towards it while it was sitting on the shelf in the library.

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just dumb. I didn't hate it enough to give it two stars, but my god, was it stupid. That three star rating is a low three.

I don't want to write a long ranting review because this book is not worth any more of my time, but I can say that neither Rain nor Cora had any agency, and Scott was the biggest asshole I've seen in a while. What an absolute dickwad. Controlling Cora and being jealous and pissy every chance he got. It wasn't fun to read. To be honest, this whole book wasn't fun to read. I didn't hate it, but I am so glad it's over.

[Nida Anwar]

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The cover caught my eye when I was looking through my teachers books. After the first couple of pages I got interested in it and I wanted to keep reading it. It was hard to put the book down. It was well written and I really liked how it should all the main characters point of views. This helped me be able to vision the story better. I would highly recommend the book to anyone to read!!!

[Lauren Gibb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second & final book in the streams of babel series. Very good continuation from the first book & has a little less suspenseful movements but nonetheless still good. I loved this series & have recommended it to those who like a good sci-fi thriller like book.

[Poobalan · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow moving. teens stuff.

[Brianna Brosnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

-What did you think about the book? Why?
I thought the book was a very good read. I took a long time to read it because I wanted to space it out because it was an interesting read. Fire Will Fall was not as predictable as I thought it would be, except for how the couples were going to be. I always knew Rain and Owen were going to be together.. And even though Cora was hard to get, she finally gets with Scott in the end. However, one of the Shadowstrike agents completely caught me off guard because I never would have suspected him to be a traitor to the Trinity Four.

-What character did you like? Why?
My favorite character was Scott Eberman. He is the eldest between himself and Owen. He is a medic, and a fairly down to earth guy. He looks out for everyone in the Trinity Four and he acts as leader to the group. He tries to calm everyone down in heated situations and is constantly wanting to do something, he hates sitting around not doing anything. He wants to capture the ShadowStrike operatives as badly as anyone else, and he wants to obtain a job at USIC, who are tracking down the bad guys. He is super intelligent, which is a little humorous because he was a player in high school.

-What character did you not like? Why?
I did not like Rain Steckerman. She was way too whiny, and she always wanted to be the center of attention. She has the mind of a teenage boy, and, having said that, she basically only wants one thing. She cries a lot, which fits her name, Rain, perfectly. To me, it only seemed as if she "liked" Owen because she knew she would not be back to her normal life anytime soon, and because she knew she wouldn't get Scott. Also, she has almost a habit of talking about doing the dirty, and she eventually becomes pregnant after Owen dies at the end, with his child of course.

-Discuss 3 literary characteristics & how they were used.
The prominent literary characteristic that was used was character versus fate. The Trinity Four were not supposed to live, and, unfortunately Owen dies at the end. However, the other three victims Scott, Cora, and Rain did survive. In the end, Cora and Scott are happily together while Rain waits to give birth to her and Owen's baby.
Another literary characteristic that was used is character versus character. The Trinity Four have to fend against the bad guys, ShadowStrike, the ones who poisoned the water supply in their home town. ShadowStrike wants to create a powerful enough concoction to wipe out an entire town, if not an entire country filled with citizens. They are able to ward off the bad guys, with the help of USIC.
The last literary characteristic that was used was character versus nature. The Trinity Four were rarely all in "good" spirits due to their sicknesses, and symptoms. They had to all be quarantined together, and sometimes the weather played a key role to whether or not they could be moved, or enjoy a nice day outside.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start out by saying that I love Carol Plum-Ucci, she's one of my favorite authors. But, despite my common love for her works, I found myself at odds with Fire Will Fall.

What did I like?
I loved the guy characters. They were hilarious, and they had strong character development. I especially loved Shazdad and Tyler; they were my peeps.
I also liked how the book has an anti-abortion message.

What did I dislike?
Pretty much everything else.
The female characters were weak, both in personality and development. I wish I had a dollar for every time they broke down and cried, wined or whatever. They were constantly running into the closest guy's arms. Get a freakin' backbone.
The plot was more on the boring side. Yeah, it did have some action, but not much. Instead, it decided to explore the characters' lives more in depth, which would have been great if all of the characters were interesting. I wanted to read about terrorists, and what crazy crap they were thinking up. But no, we only got a glimpse of the interesting part of the story.
The conclusion equals dry, predicable, trite. It kind of dropped itself on the reader without much introduction and concluded just as fast.
The bad guys were pretty weak in every aspect. They could have been so much better, eviler. But they weren't scary, despite the incessant insistence that they were.
The strong sexual content became a little old (and awkward, quite honestly). *Sign* Yes, I know their teenagers, and it's common for them to think about it. But do I want to read about it? Heck no. I was about to shoot Rain and her crying about not having sex before the whole scenario. About her not giving into guys. Some of the jokes were really hilarious, but others were just dirty. I want to read about terrorists, not four teenagers' sex lives! At least the over-the-top cussing was toned down in this installment.
However, the writing style is what really irked me. Is was like I was sliding down one of those cheap, plastic corkscrew slides. As soon as you start to gain momentum, your hips get stuck and you jerk to a stop. The sentences did not flow. In this book, I found myself having to stop every other sentence and reorient my brain to understand it. Some sentences made no sense, and I had to reread them multiple times to finally get the message. Usually, when a book is written well, I can slide through sentences without a second thought; becoming completely lost in the author's world. In this book, that was nearly impossible.

All in all, it wasn't a great book. I felt rather depressed and uninspired by the end, but I was relived it was over. I don't necessarily recommend it.

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read. FIRE WILL FALL was just great fun, although I have to complain a little about it keeping me up too late at night. In fact, the tension was so great at one point that I had to resolve not to read the book too close to bedtime because it was freaking me out.

The story is a follow-up to a previous book --Streams of Babel-- that I haven't read, but which I am definitely going to track down. It's principally about 4 teenagers who are recovering from a poisoning that took place in the previous book where terrorists dumped toxic bio-hazards into their small town's water supply. Most of these teens lost parents and friends, and they are still barely surviving on a pharmaceutical cocktail of meds that have some odd side effects. They are brought to a restored house to recover with the assurance that they are out of danger from the terrorists. 'Dogs don't return to their vomit', they are told. BUT unfortunately that doesn't turn out to be the case as they just happen to have been settled near the next target site.

TALKING POINTS:::
I don't do "terrorists/spy" books, and I don't do popular thrillers (no Dan Brown for me), but maybe I should broaden my reading and take a look at more books in this genre, because I really enjoyed FIRE WILL FALL. I thought Plum-Ucci did a fabulous job with building tension and with differentiating the characters. In fact, I guess that's why I like the book: I got hooked on the characters and how they interacted. The mind-tingling excitement of trying to figure out who would die, was just delicious icing on that cake!

All good things said, this shouldn't be a book you pick up when your exhausted because the chapters are divided amongst 6 points of view, and first person at that. Everything flows brilliantly, but it won't be as much fun for you if you are tired and can't quite remember who is who.

NOTE: You absolutely do not have to have read the first book. This one stands on it's own.

Brilliant fun. A definite 'guilty-pleasure'. Enjoy!

Pam T~
(booksforkids-reviews)

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sequel to Streams of Babel is once again told in the alternating voices of the Trinity Four. These are the four teenagers who drank water poisoned by bioterrorists. They're out of the hospital now, but still in critical health.

Although they are told they are in no danger from the remaining terrorists still at large, they are now housed in a historical mansion owned by the state of New Jersey and guarded by the U.S. Intelligence Coalition. While they cope with the physical and psychological fallout from the poison, they are also dealing with each other.

Cora tries to shake the long-time crush she has on paramedic Scott Eberman. She became more dependent on him in the hospital, where he saved her life. She's grateful to the mysterious young professor, who lives on the Kellerman House grounds, for taking her mind off her fear of terrorists and Scott.

Scott wants to work for the Intelligence Coalition. He's never been good at doing nothing, but most of all he wants to go after the terrorists who killed his mother. He has no intention of falling in love with Cora, but he can't help but worry now that she's seeing an older man.

A hospital nurse tells Rain that the illness caused by the poison might be transferable through bodily fluids. Rain's always planned that she and Owen will eventually marry, but he won't even discuss a relationship that might make her sicker.

Owen's not worried about his own health. He's not afraid of dying. He's believed from the beginning that he won't survive the poison.

The sixteen-year-old v-spy who uncovered the Trinity Falls terrorist plot is now living on Long Island. Although he worked for US intelligence in Pakistan, in the US his age is a factor and they can no longer employ him. Whether they want his help or not, the Kid, as he is called by his US handler, and his hacker friend Tyler, are still on the virtual trail of the bioterrorist who escaped after the Trinity Falls attack.

Sexual tension, love, international terrorism and teenage spies. What else is needed to keep the reader turning pages?

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire Will Fall is the sequel to Streams of Babel which I did not read, but the story was still easy to follow and enough background was provided to set a suspenseful tone and conflict. The series is about a group of teens who survived a bioterrorist attack on the NY/NJ water system, and the two teen hackers who were respnsible for discovering the identity of those terrorists. In Fire Will Fall the sick teens are in hiding receiving 24 hour medical care and protection. Doctors are hoping to keep them alive until a cure can be found for the virus that has made them gravely ill and killed members of their families. The hackers are also in hiding working, without government approval, to find out where the terrorists are hiding and what the terrorists are plotting for their next attack. There is much realistic fiction woven into the story as well as each teen deals with emotional and family problems left unresolved because of the attack. All of the teens are very likeable and realistic and each deals with the trauma, grief and anxiety of their situation differently. Needless to say, the terrorists find out where the teens are, and the hackers find out what the next attack will be, and scary events and lots of action result. I appreciated that the problems, events, and consequences of the events, of Fire Will Fall were not all neatly wrapped at the end. Author, Caroline Plum-Ucci, includes in the story that the teens will be dealing with physical and emotional PTSD forever, but they can still strive for a happy life. We'll see if they get it in book three of the series.

[Candace Hinnergardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure where to begin in reviewing this book. I guess I can start with the pros and see where that leads me.

Pros:
-less cussing; at least now the author doesn't seem to be arbitrarily throwing curse words in there for the sake of throwing them in there
-it focused more on the recovery than the terrorism aspect (though I consider this is both a pro and con because you get to see a different side of the story but for other reasons this wasn't the smartest move which I will discuss later)
-some mysteries are tied up
-some people finally admit to affections for others
-it seems to be left open for another book
-some deaths (and other incidences) are not dramatized like deaths by less talented authors because in real life, death is not dramatic: "Death is simply a failure to reappear." -Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Cons
-there is still a lot of cussing
-the series switches its focus more to the recovery of the four though the first gave the focus of terrorism which made the first more intense and better developed and making the series as a whole not very cohesive
-characterization seems to be poorly developed in this novel because the author writes Owen as one who completely falls back on his principles
-characterization also goes a little screwy with Cora

Not Plum-Ucci's best work, but a decent read.

[Courtney Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of Carol Plum Ucci's books, it was fabulous, with well-developed characters and intriguing plot lines. The really impressive part of it is that I picked up the book off the shelf assuming it was a novel; everything I've ever read by Plum-Ucci has been a stand alone novel. It wasn't until I was over halfway through the book that I took a peek at the back of the book and realized it was actually a sequel to Streams of Babel. Never once in reading the book did I feel like I was missing something, which is VERY impressive. I don't know if it was intentional of if Plum-Ucci's style simply lets readers come in mid-story, but I finished out the book as satisfied as if I had read the whole series. I don't often read books that are a part of series that still stand alone so well.
The only complaint I have is about heritage - I recognize that it is a big deal to some people, but I get a little sick of character's major development being about their parents who their never met. I have both my parents, so I may never understand, but it always seems like a cop-out to me that all an author has to do is make someone's parents' have a backstory and all of the sudden the character knows who they are. Regardless, the book was really well-done, still relevant despite it's setting nearly 15 years ago, and a page turner the whole way. Definitely recommend!

[Cherylann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plum-Ucci creates a frightening version of our world that hits close to home. Fire Will Fall is the sequel to Streams of Babel. I was fortunate to be able to read them back to back, which maybe wasn't a good thing. The books are heavy and dark and emotionally draining. Set in South Jersey in the spring/summer of 2002, Fire Will Fall deals with the aftermath of 6 teens who were victims of bioterrorism. I like that Plum-Ucci sets the novel in the past, close to 9-11. After talking to my students about another novel with no set time period, I got some interesting insight on the way they read. My students shared that if a book is set in the future (think 1984), and that time comes and goes and we, as a society, haven't achieved the author's vision (which in most cases is a good thing), they (my adolescent students) are turned off. Instead Plum-Ucci sets her novel in 2002 - before we've invaded Iraq when we only thought about WMD and before our anthrax scare (which shut down my post office for years). These events could happen - even now - and that's what makes the novel scary. In Fire Will Fall, Plum-Ucci deals with both the physical and emotional aftermath of bioterrorism.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trinity Falls' water supply was infected with a virus when bioterrorists attacked it two months earlier. In the aftermath of the attack, the 4 teens who were the most affected by the virus are moved to a big mansion so that their health can be watched more closesly. Plagued by symtoms and emotional scars from the attack on Trinity Falls, they have to try and get along with each other. To make things worse, the bioterrorists might just try to come back and finish the job. Will the teens recover completely from the virus that they have been infected with? Will the terrorist succeed in finishing off the children? Read the book to find out.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to pretty much anbody...however, I would definitely suggest reading the first book first. This book makes almost perfect sense without reading the first but I think that more questions would be answered by reading the other one first. I however, wasnt even aware that there was a first book until after I started reading this one. :S

[Cornmaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this story about bioterrorism, teens, and growing up with a lot of baggage. The writing was mostly well done, characterization well done. I felt the dialogue between the teens, especially some of the very candid conversations they had about sex were pretty typical for today's teens.

However, there were parts where I felt the dialogue went on too long and interferred with the story's progression. There were parts when the teens were thinking, or saying, things in a much more experienced adult's way, even though they had been forced to grow up faster than a regular teen. It just didn't feel right.

The movement between teen voices was OK, but sometimes I had to keep going back to the beginning of a chapter to see who was narrating - it got confusing at times because so many of the characters were narrating, not just one or two.

When the story was in 'action mode' it was really exciting.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book quite as much as Streams of Babel, I think because there wasn't as much action. Streams of Babel kept you on your toes where Fire Will Fall is a little more introspective the there is enough tension and twists to keep you reading.

This story picks up right where book one ended and does of nice job of deepening the characters, especially Cora. I still really liked Shahzad's voice and Tyler is fun too.

This story is almost plausible and I like that Plum-Ucci wrote about a topic that doesn’t get much coverage in the teen world. This book fills that niche with aplomb. I think Plum-Ucci is a very skillful writer and I look forward to reading her other books.

This series definitely needs to be read in order and I'm sure there will be a third.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has it all - mystery, terrorism, spies, computer hackers and international conspiracies. It will make you question how well our government can protect us from those who really want to do us harm. Fire will Fall is the sequel to Carol Plum-Ucci's Streams of Babel and makes us think about the threats to the US in a post-911 world. Shadowstrike is an extremist group with plans to poison the water and have as many Americans "die like mangy dogs". A young pakistani computer hacker finds out their plans and helps the US government track their progress with hopes to avoid the catastrophy. Told in the alternating voices of the bioterrorists, government officials and the unsuspecting targets, the reader will understand the various viewpoints of all involved. A suspensefull and panic filled thriller. Must be read in order.

[Jenee Rager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read "Streams of Babel" and thought it was okay, but I don't have the ability to NOT read the second book in a series, so I had to read this one. I found it to be a much better book, and could pretty much stand alone if a reader chose to skip "Streams of Babel." The plot moved a lot faster, yet realistically in this book in my opinion. And there was lots of Tyler, who is probably my favorite character in the series so that was a good thing. My only complaints are that Owen is almost a completely different character from the one developed in the first book, and the last 40 pages of this book should have just completely been cut. The story was resolved and those pages, which would basically be an "epilogue" added nothing to the story, weren't consistent with what the characters had been doing up to that point, and basically just made me angry.

[Catalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sequel so much, I think I liked it better than the first book. Fire will fall follows the teens as they make the safe house into a home. Of course that becomes a problem when the terrorsits find out where they are and want them all dead. The kids suspect there is someone on the inside spying for them and maybe working towards killing them off, but of course the adults won't hear any of it.. We also revisit the pakistani boy whose name i still forget. But now he has a companion, the chinese american who is also a computer genius and who is also helping to find out who the terrorists are. They end up finding out a lot more about them than they had expected and when the terrorists decide to go after them too, they have to go into hiding as well.

[Miss · Rating 5 out of 5]

So im going to go politcal in this reveiw and give you my pros and cons for this book.

Pros:
They killed the demonic terroist.
They found a cure for the "fanastic four"s disease.
Cora and Scott became a couple.
Cora find out who her dad is (kind of in a sense).
Owen and Rain gets to "third base and slides home"!
Rains pregnet with Owens child.

Cons:
Owen dies.
Rain might die giving birth to Owens unborn child.
Cora never will find her dad.
Owen Dies!
Other side characters die.
I cied while reading this book.
More sad moments than glad moments in this book.

Overall it was a great book. I wished Owen would have lived.
And i wish it would of had an eplouge to tell what the conclusion was for the remaing three.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me first say that I want to be a Biomedical Engineer when I grow up so I was really excited to read this book, I had not read the first book but I figured it would be ok, and I could catch up as I went along. While I was able to understand what was going on for the most part, I was really, really board.

I am not sure whether the first book was more interesting, but this book had too much whining for me, and even though I came to care about the characters, I could not really get into it. Maybe I will try again after reading the first book. If I change my mind I will be sure to let you guys know.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters' personalities weren't consistent, and the terrorists were dumber than bricks. Honestly, who puts that kind of info out there unless they want to be found? Those terrorists were busy discussing things they already knew (and didn't need to discuss!) in chat rooms just to help the v-spies? Or perhaps simply to further the plot, eh?
I was really caught up in this book, but the last quarter just kind of fizzled. By the end, I didn't really like any of the Trinity 4 anymore. I am definitely still a fan of The Kid, though, and Tyler.

[Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect Streams of Bable to have a sequel, and thus I wasn't sure what to expect when I read this book. In the end, it was all right. I found some of the different plot threads hard to square with one another, and I didn't always find the relationships between the characters believable, or even the characters themselves believable, for that matter, but there were a few characters I really liked, and they made up for it. The end seemed unnecessary to me in several different ways. It could have ended a chapter or two earlier.