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Fire Above
For fans of Brandon Sanderson and Marie Lu comes an epic, action-packed fantasy. I love her so much, I'd risk anything. She and I don't have names. We're just slaves, after all. But our hearts don't care, and we're lucky, we have a chance at a scrap of happiness in our terrible lives. My father is the Queen's pet. But when my love discovers the lords' newest atrocity, she lashes out, does the unthinkable, and attacks one of them. Her courage is heroic, but now they have stuffed her in prison, getting ready to slaughter her. With nothing to lose, I dare to dream of a life far from the lords. I fight for our freedom, and escape to the woods with my love. We can do no less than free all of our people in the effort. Our flight through the woods is only the start of our journey. The lords’ flaming attacks, their deception, the loss of so many of my people—I don't know if I will survive, or if I even want to. But for my love, I will do almost anything, even battle the fire above.
372 pages, Paperback
Published March 6, 2015
6 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 2, 2017
Excellent story line. The development of the characters and their history comes out throughout the book. Many twists and turns . Makes for a good heart stopping read.
March 17, 2015
Reviewed for Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock
I am a long-time reader of fantasy and science fiction, so it usually takes an extremely unique presentation to hold my interest, and C. H. MacLean has done just that. Fire Above begins in a manner that is very similar to many fantasy novels... the ones that don't start out in a tavern, in any case... and begins to tell the trite tale of slaves and their sadistic masters. It doesn't take long before the story takes a much different feel. It is impossible to divulge just exactly how MacLean makes his story different than hundreds like it without huge spoilers, so I won't. All I will say is that don't think this is your run-of-the-mill fantasy novel.
I find a lot of my enjoyment of a novel to be tied into the characters, so the fact that the slaves have no names made it a little difficult to get to know them. But the personalities are so distinct that I had little trouble in deciding who the main character (known later in the book as Run, and you need to read the book to understand how the slaves gained their names) was talking about. I found myself identifying with the main character's love, who later became known as Carer. Her compassion for the children and her horrified reaction to the behavior of the lords had me rooting for her throughout the book.
If I have one complaint, it is that the fight scenes seem to be entirely too plentiful. I understand that the fight for the slaves' freedom is an integral part of the story. However, the action made the last third of the book really drag for me in places. I am hopeful that, in future books, MacLean will find a way to make battle scenes more climactic and less gratuitous. I'm all in favor of both battle and sex scenes, but hate when either are thrown into a book to pad word count.
The subject matter of the book, and the aforementioned scenes of violence, force me to rate this for mature 14+ readers.
I am a long-time reader of fantasy and science fiction, so it usually takes an extremely unique presentation to hold my interest, and C. H. MacLean has done just that. Fire Above begins in a manner that is very similar to many fantasy novels... the ones that don't start out in a tavern, in any case... and begins to tell the trite tale of slaves and their sadistic masters. It doesn't take long before the story takes a much different feel. It is impossible to divulge just exactly how MacLean makes his story different than hundreds like it without huge spoilers, so I won't. All I will say is that don't think this is your run-of-the-mill fantasy novel.
I find a lot of my enjoyment of a novel to be tied into the characters, so the fact that the slaves have no names made it a little difficult to get to know them. But the personalities are so distinct that I had little trouble in deciding who the main character (known later in the book as Run, and you need to read the book to understand how the slaves gained their names) was talking about. I found myself identifying with the main character's love, who later became known as Carer. Her compassion for the children and her horrified reaction to the behavior of the lords had me rooting for her throughout the book.
If I have one complaint, it is that the fight scenes seem to be entirely too plentiful. I understand that the fight for the slaves' freedom is an integral part of the story. However, the action made the last third of the book really drag for me in places. I am hopeful that, in future books, MacLean will find a way to make battle scenes more climactic and less gratuitous. I'm all in favor of both battle and sex scenes, but hate when either are thrown into a book to pad word count.
The subject matter of the book, and the aforementioned scenes of violence, force me to rate this for mature 14+ readers.
April 1, 2015
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that we were looking at a love that was so strong the characters would do whatever it took to ensure they were able to have their lives together. It is a love so strong that they will begin a fight for it. A fight for it and all those around them. It is beautiful.
It was a very interesting story, with a unique take on the location, lives, world and social status of the characters. I have read books before, where the characters were slaves, but this book took a very different perspective, as the focus wasn’t on slavery entirely, it was on love and just how far they would go to experience that love and the lives they deserve. The blend of these two topics and the emotion in the story reminds me of the film Gladiator, which is one of my favourites.
I found that the characters had depth and strong personalities, which they had to to be able to endure what they were and to have the courage and strength to fight back. I also liked that the secondary characters were developed enough to give us an array of characters, from the strongest to the weakest, which really rounded out the story and made the world seem real.
I also liked the pace of the story. It was fast paced enough that I really got a feel for the urgency and speed at which the slaves needed to escape the danger they were in, and get free. I also got a feel of the danger from the emotions and haste in their words and actions.
Overall, this was a clever and interesting story, which I really enjoyed reading. If you are a fan of fantasy and paranormal reads, with a bit of history and a good challenge in them, then you will like this book.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that we were looking at a love that was so strong the characters would do whatever it took to ensure they were able to have their lives together. It is a love so strong that they will begin a fight for it. A fight for it and all those around them. It is beautiful.
It was a very interesting story, with a unique take on the location, lives, world and social status of the characters. I have read books before, where the characters were slaves, but this book took a very different perspective, as the focus wasn’t on slavery entirely, it was on love and just how far they would go to experience that love and the lives they deserve. The blend of these two topics and the emotion in the story reminds me of the film Gladiator, which is one of my favourites.
I found that the characters had depth and strong personalities, which they had to to be able to endure what they were and to have the courage and strength to fight back. I also liked that the secondary characters were developed enough to give us an array of characters, from the strongest to the weakest, which really rounded out the story and made the world seem real.
I also liked the pace of the story. It was fast paced enough that I really got a feel for the urgency and speed at which the slaves needed to escape the danger they were in, and get free. I also got a feel of the danger from the emotions and haste in their words and actions.
Overall, this was a clever and interesting story, which I really enjoyed reading. If you are a fan of fantasy and paranormal reads, with a bit of history and a good challenge in them, then you will like this book.
July 21, 2015
Monstrous lords rule over slaves. Without names to even differentiate themselves, the slaves live only to serve the lords. The lords are able to take control of the slaves bodies or 'puppet' them, read minds and breathe fire or shoot sparks. Any rebellion by the slaves would be quickly squashed. One slave, the son of the Queens 'pet' has developed the gift of mind reading, just like the lords. When his love is imprisoned by a lord, he will do anything it takes to free her and establish a life of their own.
This fantasy was very intriguing to me. The lords were a bit of a mystery at first, it was unknown what creatures they truly are since they are able to take different forms. Also unknown is the full extent of their powers and if they just had special abilities or if they were truly evil. Through the eyes of one slave, the lords true nature is discovered. Since none of the characters had names throughout most of the story, I did have a little bit of a hard time keeping track of everyone. I was very grateful when the slaves began to name themselves as well as find a different title for themselves. This was one of my favorite parts of the story; after many of the slaves escape they have to figure out how to live on their own, figure out leadership and community without the rule of the lords. However, when the groups were on the run from the lords, the story did move a little slowly. Things picked back up again near the end and the true form of the lords are revealed.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This fantasy was very intriguing to me. The lords were a bit of a mystery at first, it was unknown what creatures they truly are since they are able to take different forms. Also unknown is the full extent of their powers and if they just had special abilities or if they were truly evil. Through the eyes of one slave, the lords true nature is discovered. Since none of the characters had names throughout most of the story, I did have a little bit of a hard time keeping track of everyone. I was very grateful when the slaves began to name themselves as well as find a different title for themselves. This was one of my favorite parts of the story; after many of the slaves escape they have to figure out how to live on their own, figure out leadership and community without the rule of the lords. However, when the groups were on the run from the lords, the story did move a little slowly. Things picked back up again near the end and the true form of the lords are revealed.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
July 30, 2015
Fire Above, by CH MacLean, was quite the interesting fantasy read. It might've begun with a well-familiar theme of slaves and their inhuman oppressors, but soon enough became far more than that. I have to admit, it was a bit before we learned what, exactly, these 'lords' were, and it drove me nuts. Well done!
The oppressors have a variety of magickal/psychic skills, most notable of which is the ability to 'puppet' their slaves. This is basically taking over the slave's body, while leaving the mind quite aware of what they are being forced to do. (Never okay... Puts me in mind of the rare medical condition known as 'locked-in syndrome') They do this with terrifying frequency.
Throughout most of the book, characters are not given specific names. This did annoy me at first, for I love names. However, it fit the context of the story quite well. The slaves aren't allowed names, and it makes sense that the slaves would not be allowed to think of their masters in terms other than titles- lords, Queen. The story is told from a slave's point of view, and this tactic helps immerse one in the slaves' way of thinking. Names do come into play later in the book.
At a later point, you get to see a part of the population learning to redefine their culture, and who they are. As someone with an interest in anthropology, and how culture forms and shifts, I found this enjoyable.
There were a few places where I found the book to be a bit sluggish, scenes that could be pared down a bit, but overall CH MacLean's Fire Above was quite an enjoyable read.
The oppressors have a variety of magickal/psychic skills, most notable of which is the ability to 'puppet' their slaves. This is basically taking over the slave's body, while leaving the mind quite aware of what they are being forced to do. (Never okay... Puts me in mind of the rare medical condition known as 'locked-in syndrome') They do this with terrifying frequency.
Throughout most of the book, characters are not given specific names. This did annoy me at first, for I love names. However, it fit the context of the story quite well. The slaves aren't allowed names, and it makes sense that the slaves would not be allowed to think of their masters in terms other than titles- lords, Queen. The story is told from a slave's point of view, and this tactic helps immerse one in the slaves' way of thinking. Names do come into play later in the book.
At a later point, you get to see a part of the population learning to redefine their culture, and who they are. As someone with an interest in anthropology, and how culture forms and shifts, I found this enjoyable.
There were a few places where I found the book to be a bit sluggish, scenes that could be pared down a bit, but overall CH MacLean's Fire Above was quite an enjoyable read.
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June 5, 2016DNF @ 20%
I expected epic action, romance, and strength. What I got was a slave who complained about starving all the time even when he ate a lot more than I expected, Queens and Lords who can control people, and multiple escape chances not taken.
I was bored. It didn't hook me or make me want to continue on.
I expected epic action, romance, and strength. What I got was a slave who complained about starving all the time even when he ate a lot more than I expected, Queens and Lords who can control people, and multiple escape chances not taken.
I was bored. It didn't hook me or make me want to continue on.
September 5, 2016
I don't usually give 5 star ratings but this book was really
good. It is a keeper. Will reread it a bit later. Will tell others
about the book.
good. It is a keeper. Will reread it a bit later. Will tell others
about the book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews