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Fire-us #3
The Kiln
After most of the world's population was wiped out by a deadly plague five years ago, this small group of children formed a family. They've taken care of each other, scavenging food from deserted supermarkets, fighting off the wild animals that prowl soccer fields and schools. The children thought they were the only ones left. Then they came across the Keepers, the first Grown-ups they'd seen for years, living in an abandoned shopping mall. The Keepers offered fresh food, clean beds, and security. But what looked like safety was instead the worst danger the family had yet faced. Now the family is once again on the road. But if they want to reach the end of their journey, if they want to solve the mystery of what happened and who is to blame, they must head straight into danger -- to Pisgah, the heart of the Keepers' power. In this stunning conclusion to the Fire-us Trilogy, Jennifer Armstrong and Nancy Butcher return to the post-apocalyptic world they created in The Kindling and The Keepers of the Flame, as the family discovers the dark secret that changed their world forever.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Armstrong
96 books71 followersJennifer Armstrong learned to read and write in Switzerland, in a small school for English speaking children on the shores of Lake Zurich. The school library had no librarian and no catalog – just shelves of interesting books. She selected books on her own, read what she could, and made up the rest. It was perfect. As a result, she made her career choice – to become an author – in first grade. When she and her family returned to the U.S. she discovered that not all children wrote stories and read books, and that not all teachers thought reading real books was important. Nevertheless, she was undaunted. Within a year of leaving college she was a free-lance ghost writer for a popular juvenile book series, and before long published her first trade novel, Steal Away, which won her a Golden Kite Honor for fiction.
More than fifty additional novels and picture books followed, and before long she also tried her hand at nonfiction, winning an Orbis Pictus Award and a Horn Book Honor for her first nonfiction book, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. In late 2003 she will travel to the South Pole with the National Science Foundation to do research for a book on ice.
More than fifty additional novels and picture books followed, and before long she also tried her hand at nonfiction, winning an Orbis Pictus Award and a Horn Book Honor for her first nonfiction book, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. In late 2003 she will travel to the South Pole with the National Science Foundation to do research for a book on ice.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 8, 2014
The "all the adults are dead" trope has been done before, and much better than this. I found the non-names of the characters (Teacher, Mommy, Teddy Bear, Doll) incredibly irritating, the younger ones seemed to serve no purpose in the story at all, the weird fugue states that Teacher falls into when she writes strange things in The Book are never explained, the addition of the messianic political figure seemed out of place in a YA book that leans more towards the Y than the A, and Angerman's obsession with the mannequin was just, well, bizarre. Also, plot holes abound.
My two biggest peeves, however, were these:
1) The incredibly, almost offensively, stereotypical gender roles: girls are Mommy and Teacher, while boys are Hunter and Anger -- argh, argh, argh. Not to mention that Mommy is ashamed when she starts menstruating -- really?? And this book was written by two women. Very disappointing.
2) The number of times I had to suspend disbelief. As just one example: when the kids escape from the religious cultists at the mall, Hunter harnesses a horse up to a cart and drives it. I grew up in the country, we had horses and, for a while, a cart that we drove them with. There is no way that a ten-year old kid who has never even seen a horse until he got to this community is going to be capable of that.
This series was tolerable for me, but just barely.
My two biggest peeves, however, were these:
1) The incredibly, almost offensively, stereotypical gender roles: girls are Mommy and Teacher, while boys are Hunter and Anger -- argh, argh, argh. Not to mention that Mommy is ashamed when she starts menstruating -- really?? And this book was written by two women. Very disappointing.
2) The number of times I had to suspend disbelief. As just one example: when the kids escape from the religious cultists at the mall, Hunter harnesses a horse up to a cart and drives it. I grew up in the country, we had horses and, for a while, a cart that we drove them with. There is no way that a ten-year old kid who has never even seen a horse until he got to this community is going to be capable of that.
This series was tolerable for me, but just barely.
January 27, 2008
The third and last book of the Fire-us trilogy was fantastic. A lot of people think it did not live up to the previous two books, but I thought it was amazing.
In this book, the group leaves Florida where they had stayed with the grownups for a while, and travels to an island to see the President. Apparently, the President has been hiding a vial with the virus that is the cause of the apocalypse. It is up to the group not to let him release it, wiping out everyone who does not have an antidote.
The plot in this novel surpassed those of the previous two books. The huge huge twist at the end threw me way off guard. Of all the things that I predicted to happen, that one wasn't even on my list. It also had a very tear-jerking and touching ending.
In this book, the group leaves Florida where they had stayed with the grownups for a while, and travels to an island to see the President. Apparently, the President has been hiding a vial with the virus that is the cause of the apocalypse. It is up to the group not to let him release it, wiping out everyone who does not have an antidote.
The plot in this novel surpassed those of the previous two books. The huge huge twist at the end threw me way off guard. Of all the things that I predicted to happen, that one wasn't even on my list. It also had a very tear-jerking and touching ending.
August 20, 2009
The final book of the 'Fire-Us' trilogy. Not as strong as the previous two. It loses a sense of that post-apocalyptic isolation and dread feeling that the kids had to face in the first two books, a premise that originally attracted me to the series in the first place. But I suppose that it was unavoidable as they introduced so many Grown-Ups in the previous book, while also trying to resolve everyone's plot lines here in this book as well.
Overall, 'The Kiln' is mildly disturbing as certain plot twists are revealed, but still a satisfying conclusion to the 'Fire-Us' series.
Overall, 'The Kiln' is mildly disturbing as certain plot twists are revealed, but still a satisfying conclusion to the 'Fire-Us' series.
August 11, 2009
Fairly complex tying up of the major arcs. I was satisfied on most points (the cause of the disaster, motivations of many of the characters, decisions made to bring resolution. Again, some small points that I whent 'yeah, right- THAT would happen'. But overall I loved the whole series. Would be great if there could be a 4th installment documenting the subsequent cross country journey of the group. I'm not really ready to leave this bunch of characters.
July 23, 2009
For sure the weirdest of the trilogy, the third book concludes the story and explains how the virus leaked out and who perpetrated the mass murder of most of the planet - also why the children and ??? survived. Charismatic leaders, cult behavoir, and a little coming of age drama keep the story fresh and interesting. I love how she deals with mental illness and stress anxiety in young adults.
March 12, 2010
I really liked this series and this book is a great ender. The children are constantly pushed to do more than anyone their age should ever have to face. The secret of Fire-us is disturbing and the villain is creepy and psychotic. I hope these authors collaborate again.
October 4, 2012
Even though Fire-Us: The Kiln is a step up in maturity from the rest of the Fire-Us books, it was probably my favorite. I love all the surprises that turn up, such as the identity of Supreme Leader and the truth behind Angerman. This is a great book to finish up the series.
October 29, 2018
I would actually rate this book 3.5/5 stars, but since Goodreads doesn’t do half stars, I had to go with 3.
I just couldn’t verify giving this book a four. While I am so happy to finally have been able to read the final book, I was pretty disappointed with how fast it went. It was like the authors just wanted it to be over, I am glad that we got our answers as to what the fire-us was and how it happened. And we also get some other shocking news (spoilers!!).
Overall, the third book desk has many twists, but I feel like the information didn’t have to be as rushed. To put so many important details in one book, it should have at least been the longest book in the series, not the shortest.
I just couldn’t verify giving this book a four. While I am so happy to finally have been able to read the final book, I was pretty disappointed with how fast it went. It was like the authors just wanted it to be over, I am glad that we got our answers as to what the fire-us was and how it happened. And we also get some other shocking news (spoilers!!).
Overall, the third book desk has many twists, but I feel like the information didn’t have to be as rushed. To put so many important details in one book, it should have at least been the longest book in the series, not the shortest.
October 7, 2023
Didn’t really like this one. I remember forcing myself to finish it because the first two were so good.
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May 14, 2025Mature content for young teens
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January 7, 2026Adult content!!
December 29, 2020
I did feel there were some plot holes at the end of this trilogy but nothing that I can't let go. I love this trilogy- it makes me think. I don't think the writing is complicated, just tells a story of kids trying to save the world. This was the darkest of the three.
June 8, 2017
2015 Reading Challenge: a trilogy.
3.5 stars. This wraps up this YA post-apoc trilogy. My rating is really for the trilogy as a whole, though I think it could have been condensed into one longer book instead of broken up. This would be a great trilogy for a teen reader, or even a middle reader who's mature enough to understand some of the "adult" material that is implied in this book (never shown or really explained, but definitely implied). While I initially thought this trilogy was for a middle reader, some of the material in the 3rd book (and a smidgen in the 2nd book) make me think it's for teens after all.
Although the ending was a bit rushed, and there were some contrived moments, I think this trilogy is still very good for either new post-apoc readers or more open-minded experienced readers. Those who've already read a lot of Post-apoc novels or more advanced sci-fi might find this one a bit too straight forward, but if you're just in the mood for some light adventure, then this is just fine.
The gist of the trilogy is that a loose "family" of kids has survived some mysterious event that has wiped out nearly the entire adult population. With the arrival of some newcomers, the group decides to try to reach Washington DC or wherever the president is, to see if he's still alive. Along the way, they run into a group of deeply religious adults (the Keepers) who also survived the apocalypse, and the kids begin to understand that things may be even more sinister than they seem. Plenty of action, plenty of interesting foreshadowing, plenty of coy social commentary.
As for more "adult" material, in the 2nd and 3rd book we see teen girls being prepped to go marry the Supreme Leader of the Keepers, and later we see that these girls are basically being used as breeders to produce babies. So, there isn't any specific discussion of sex, but it is implied (including mentions of the wedding night), and when one of girls from the original group starts going through puberty, some vague birds-and-bees stuff is discussed. So...I'd say that this is somewhere on the lower end of YA, but not quite a middle reader book.
Characters...I liked that there was about an equal mix of male and female characters in the original group of kids. The older kids have more developed characterization, since they're more central to the plot than the younger kids. Each battles their own demons, and each has their own strengths, and each are respected as important members of their group. One thing that was virtually absent from this YA post-apoc trilogy that is almost a given in a lot of newer books published to the genre? A love triangle. The closest thing we get is the barest hint that two of the boys might be noticing or feeling more protective of one of the girls, but it's only barely hinted at. How refreshing to read a YA trilogy with female protagonists who AREN'T distracted by romance.
So, overall, I quite liked this trilogy, with the allowances that it's not as "epic" as some prefer and that it really should have been one stand alone novel.
3.5 stars. This wraps up this YA post-apoc trilogy. My rating is really for the trilogy as a whole, though I think it could have been condensed into one longer book instead of broken up. This would be a great trilogy for a teen reader, or even a middle reader who's mature enough to understand some of the "adult" material that is implied in this book (never shown or really explained, but definitely implied). While I initially thought this trilogy was for a middle reader, some of the material in the 3rd book (and a smidgen in the 2nd book) make me think it's for teens after all.
Although the ending was a bit rushed, and there were some contrived moments, I think this trilogy is still very good for either new post-apoc readers or more open-minded experienced readers. Those who've already read a lot of Post-apoc novels or more advanced sci-fi might find this one a bit too straight forward, but if you're just in the mood for some light adventure, then this is just fine.
The gist of the trilogy is that a loose "family" of kids has survived some mysterious event that has wiped out nearly the entire adult population. With the arrival of some newcomers, the group decides to try to reach Washington DC or wherever the president is, to see if he's still alive. Along the way, they run into a group of deeply religious adults (the Keepers) who also survived the apocalypse, and the kids begin to understand that things may be even more sinister than they seem. Plenty of action, plenty of interesting foreshadowing, plenty of coy social commentary.
As for more "adult" material, in the 2nd and 3rd book we see teen girls being prepped to go marry the Supreme Leader of the Keepers, and later we see that these girls are basically being used as breeders to produce babies. So, there isn't any specific discussion of sex, but it is implied (including mentions of the wedding night), and when one of girls from the original group starts going through puberty, some vague birds-and-bees stuff is discussed. So...I'd say that this is somewhere on the lower end of YA, but not quite a middle reader book.
Characters...I liked that there was about an equal mix of male and female characters in the original group of kids. The older kids have more developed characterization, since they're more central to the plot than the younger kids. Each battles their own demons, and each has their own strengths, and each are respected as important members of their group. One thing that was virtually absent from this YA post-apoc trilogy that is almost a given in a lot of newer books published to the genre? A love triangle. The closest thing we get is the barest hint that two of the boys might be noticing or feeling more protective of one of the girls, but it's only barely hinted at. How refreshing to read a YA trilogy with female protagonists who AREN'T distracted by romance.
So, overall, I quite liked this trilogy, with the allowances that it's not as "epic" as some prefer and that it really should have been one stand alone novel.
March 9, 2010
This was ridiculous. I almost hated it. Why I even wasted time reading the whole trilogy, I don't know. Although, you would probably call it more like skimming because after reading the first book, I definitely only sped-read through the last two. So, this series is about a gang of kids who survived a deadly virus that swept across the world killing everyone but them (or so they believed). They've been living on their own for five years until a strange boy and twins show up in their town. The strange boy convinces them to go looking for whomever caused the virus. For some unexplained reason, the kids all forgot their real names so they name themselves after what they do, hence, Mommy, Teacher, Hunter, Action Figure and so on. It's stupid and I loathed it. Also, the strange boy (Angerman/Anchorman) is unhinged and goes off on these strange announcerish tangents. I skimmed every one of these horrible tirades. The ONLY thing that even kept me reading past book one was the last paragraph of the entire book when the kids found a grown-up. That foolishly made me think the next book was worth reading. Instead, it only got worse from there. The adults turn out to be religious fanatics who rename themselves books of the Bible (Corinthians 1:5, Deuteronomy 2:7) and who are assisting their "supreme leader" is genocide. Well, at this point, I was so amazed at how ridiculous these books were, I went ahead and skimmed book three. The kids manage to escape the religious fanatics and stumble into a retirement village filled with old women who somehow survived the virus as well. The flimsy reasoning was that the virus seemed only to affect anyone with hormones (so pre-puberty children and post-menopausal women weren't affected). The kids decide they need to take out the "supreme leader" and get to the bottom of the mystery themselves. They end up getting captured by the religious fanatics again and discover that the "supreme leader" is actually the President of the United States who engineered the virus that was supposed to wipe out everyone (except he and his followers who hid in a bunker), so that he could then marry every furtile female in an attempt to produce the next "savior" as an off-spring. Every child born from his "marriages" is tested (and this is code for BURNED TO DEATH) once they start walking. The kids manage to kill the President and his followers immediately (and conveniently) abandon their cause, making the way clear for the kids to live their lives. Oh, and yes, that strange boy who went into unhinged tangents? He happens to be the President's son, who came back to make sure his father paid the price for killing the rest of their family with the virus. So, yes, happy times these books. Steer clear of this trilogy.
February 8, 2015
The final book in this series made me even more frustrated than some of the others (the frustrations are listed below), but I finished it. This one ramps up the YA factor with a lot of discussions of child-brides ("Time for my wedding night" says the President of the US as he drags a 14-year-old girl behind him) and menstruation (which is viewed very negatively by the survivors of the apocalypse). Anyway...the family unit of kids discovers a retirement home filled with old women and while staying there, they discover that the Supreme Leader referenced in the past book may be holding the President hostage. This is then turned into a rescue mission by the kids, which goes awry and leaves them wondering how they are going to escape their latest calamity as they find that the President is actually the bad guy who purposely released the virus that killed everyone with hormones and that he still has one vial of the stuff to use as a threat.
Oh, Mr. President, why are you so dumb? Why would this man, who has clearly had to think through many things to get to the position he is in, carry the virus in a glass vial in his pocket? I know then he could always keep an eye on it, but what if someone bumps into him and crushes the vial? Or it falls out of his jacket? Oops. He and his clan are all dead.
Also, why are these nefarious adults who have things to hide from the "family" kids letting them roam freely around their compound? That didn't work out so great when the kids escaped the mall and burned part of it down. Obviously they are going to try to come up with a way to escape or hinder the president's plans; would it be so hard to have someone watching over them? And why don't any of the adults have guns? Have they used up their ammunition in the past 5 years? I would think the President of the United States could access some weaponry beyond spears.
My last frustration: the president really didn't know Angerman was his son? I thought as soon as Angerman arrived and immediately started sitting at the front of the sermons, everyone must have known who he was. If not, why would he be welcomed that quickly into the fold? And now that Angerman is around the source of his craziness, he is able to control his fits of delusion?
Overall, this was a series that I wanted to be able to recommend to students who had read all of the "mainstream" dystopian science fiction, but it seems like I will need to look elsewhere.
Oh, Mr. President, why are you so dumb? Why would this man, who has clearly had to think through many things to get to the position he is in, carry the virus in a glass vial in his pocket? I know then he could always keep an eye on it, but what if someone bumps into him and crushes the vial? Or it falls out of his jacket? Oops. He and his clan are all dead.
Also, why are these nefarious adults who have things to hide from the "family" kids letting them roam freely around their compound? That didn't work out so great when the kids escaped the mall and burned part of it down. Obviously they are going to try to come up with a way to escape or hinder the president's plans; would it be so hard to have someone watching over them? And why don't any of the adults have guns? Have they used up their ammunition in the past 5 years? I would think the President of the United States could access some weaponry beyond spears.
My last frustration: the president really didn't know Angerman was his son? I thought as soon as Angerman arrived and immediately started sitting at the front of the sermons, everyone must have known who he was. If not, why would he be welcomed that quickly into the fold? And now that Angerman is around the source of his craziness, he is able to control his fits of delusion?
Overall, this was a series that I wanted to be able to recommend to students who had read all of the "mainstream" dystopian science fiction, but it seems like I will need to look elsewhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2023
Upon receiving this book I jumped up and down and screamed. Was I still so elated after I finished the book? Almost. Good points: prose is great. Wordplay continues to be witty. Content is appropriate for teens. Nothing bad, but certain topics are discussed. Plot: good until the end. Cory, introduced in the second book, has limited interactions with the characters around her and the action she takes to end the conflict is touchy to a critic. Her motive was weak and her fulfillment of the plan seemed rather unintelligent. Meaning I could clearly see an easier way to get things done, where she wouldn't have to die. However, I wouldn't slam this book as hard as Booklist did. They said that the string of events stretched to "unbelievable". My friends at Booklist, that's what a book is for. I couldn't believe something like this would happen in real life, and that's why it's so good! The other characters made up for Cory. I knew that Supreme Leader=the President. I guessed it from Book 2. That wasn't a huge revelation. But I didn't know who Angerman or Bad Guy truly was until I finished the book. Wow! It all makes sense now. Very picky about errors, like make sure to use 'he' when referring to a male character . . . One spot where description came in too late, don't tell me three paragraphs in he's crying and make me re-work the last five minutes in my head. Other than the weak ending, it was great! I walked around in that post-good-read haze after I was done, still wrapped up in the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2015
I read this series as a young kid, so when I ran across it on an underrated books blog, I decided to reread it as an adult and see if it was worth how much I loved it as a kid.
Is it predictable? Yeah, it is, but in the world of post-apocalyptic fiction this is certainly nothing new. I can certainly see why it kept my attention as a kid (the main characters are kids, the world is gritty, and it shows that kid are capable of some pretty amazing things). The whole series is pretty fast paced with lots of exciting moments. The characters are for the most part likable and interesting, although Mommy got on my nerves at times, and the little kids are useless and unnecessary to the general plot. Angerman is, however, a character that has stuck with me through the years; even when I could not remember the name of this series, I remembered his character. In a lot of ways it was worth rereading the series as an adult to experience his character again.
I definitely am a bit biased - this series was my introduction to a love of post-apocalyptic fiction and media that has kept with me to this day - but I do think this is a light, fun series for middle-grade kids.
Is it predictable? Yeah, it is, but in the world of post-apocalyptic fiction this is certainly nothing new. I can certainly see why it kept my attention as a kid (the main characters are kids, the world is gritty, and it shows that kid are capable of some pretty amazing things). The whole series is pretty fast paced with lots of exciting moments. The characters are for the most part likable and interesting, although Mommy got on my nerves at times, and the little kids are useless and unnecessary to the general plot. Angerman is, however, a character that has stuck with me through the years; even when I could not remember the name of this series, I remembered his character. In a lot of ways it was worth rereading the series as an adult to experience his character again.
I definitely am a bit biased - this series was my introduction to a love of post-apocalyptic fiction and media that has kept with me to this day - but I do think this is a light, fun series for middle-grade kids.
May 8, 2013
The Kiln which is the 3rd book in the Fire, US series was pretty good. Overall i found it very interesting that the characters names were Mommy, Hunter, and even Angerman. They have very distinct names. Fire U.S. is basically a post apocalyptic book. With even the president of the U.S. being involved in it with strange characters like the Keepers of the fire and etc. This book has the traits of love, retaliation, craziness and even betrayal. After reading most of these books this edition of the Fire U.S. series actually reveals what Fire U.S. is. After all of this time the children find out what it is. Its not a monster nor something else that they made up. Someone is responsible for all of the Adults dying and only the children surviving. There must be a reason why there are these "keepers of the fire" and there must be a leader! Angerman throughout the series has a pretty good idea of who it is and in the end he takes it into his own hands to resolve the problem. I would recomend this book to mostly anyone that enjoys a good post- apocalyptic book or enjoys books with action.
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October 7, 2013This third book is a wonderful example of a great ending to a great trilogy. The mystery of the original apocalypse is solved, the children able to understand what happened that caused all of their parents to die, and a number of the group find resolution to baffling memories they've had. As a whole, this trilogy provides the classic elements of a great books for young adults: it has mystery, adventure, young adults battling for survival and winning, and no parents (except the occassional evil ones). What's even better is that it looks at relationships, the notion of 'what makes a family' and the rights and responsibilities of group members to the group as a whole. A fun and interesting read.
September 13, 2010
The children travel to Pisgah Island to find the President, only to discover that he is the Supreme Leader who released the virus in the first place. Plot holes (if all females about menopause survived, why haven't the children seen more adults in five years? Was the virus really in the vial, or was it a decoy?) galore. Kids will want to read to find out the ending, but it's a disappointing one. Shallowly presented, with quick character turn-arounds (Angerman) and hasty-seeming motivations. Plot needed a story twice as long to fulfill the questions raised.
May 25, 2013
While I wasn't impressed with the second of this trilogy, I was pleasantly surprised that the final book made up for the disappointment I felt. This book was action packed and the authors did a splendid job developing the plot and creating an exciting conclusion. I'm new to reading young adult novels, and I was surprised by the mature themes covered in this final book- rape, murder/suicide, eugenics, etc. Especially when compared to the first two books. I'm glad to report that this book made me not regret reading the trilogy- which was a concern of mine after finishing the second.
September 5, 2013
This was a good ending to this series. It wasn't overly positive but you get the sense that they will be okay as long as they are together. This ending was pretty disturbing considering and I wish the author had written some plot twists differently but this was a good, short series to read.
February 18, 2009
Please tell me you read the first two first or else this would make no sense.
September 24, 2012
The idea of a guy burning his own children, after committing mass-genocide was beyond disturbing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2015
Bringing this trilogy to a close "The Kiln" will reveal all and get really serious. The main characters will have to make some hard choices before the end of this book.
June 9, 2008
I liked this series at first but then it got kinda crapier as it went.
August 9, 2010
Oooh, this one was sad, but soooo good!!
March 27, 2017
I couldn't put this book down. I had to know how things were going to end.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews