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Firefly Island
King Sinther, his flesh made of stone, tyrannizes the enchanted Firefly Island. Swords and arrows break against him. Armies crash before him. All of Firefly Island, a land of magic and mystery, suffers under his cruelty.
But one girl, a simple slave girl, has magic that can stop him. Whatever Aeolia feels, she can make others feel: joy, sadness, hunger... even pain. If she hurt herself and shared the pain, she could hurt the mad stone king.
Can Aeolia escape King Sinther's assassins, defeat him, and save Firefly Island?
But one girl, a simple slave girl, has magic that can stop him. Whatever Aeolia feels, she can make others feel: joy, sadness, hunger... even pain. If she hurt herself and shared the pain, she could hurt the mad stone king.
Can Aeolia escape King Sinther's assassins, defeat him, and save Firefly Island?
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2007
25 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Arenson
159 books878 followersDaniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. The Huffington Post has called his writing "full of soul." He's written over forty novels, most of them in five series:
EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.
REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.
MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.
ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.
EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.
REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.
MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.
ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 25, 2010
Life, when we sit back and look at it from a certain point of view, is all about pain, our reaction to it, and the transitions that help us overcome it. From this perspective, there are sacrifices every person must make in order to reach that place in existence where we can appreciate love, joy, security, and even sorrow and death. In many ways we are defined by the choices we make. And, at the end of the day, we must forgive ourselves for making the wrong ones, because if the final result is an inner peace and sense of community and togetherness, then those bad decisions had just as much to do with our accomplishments as the good ones.
Firefly Island, the breathtaking novel by Daniel Arenson, is all about decisions. It’s all about pain and torment and horror and, at the end of the day, love. It’s a dark fairy tale about the lengths we will go to in order to prove our devotion to our siblings, our friends, our communities, our fathers. And, finally, it’s about mistakes. Horrible, world-shattering mistakes whose ramifications reach far and wide, affecting even those on the periphery we wouldn’t expect.
The story takes place on an island split into five separate and (oftentimes) warring states. Each state is unique, in that the different populaces hold different abilities, or “magic”, as it’s called. The isolateded communities look down on interracial breeding. In some places, those that do are outcast because they create “impure” offspring, children who hold fragments of the abilities both their parents have. In each community there is born, once a century, a “Firechild” (dubbed so because of the belief that the fireflies inhabiting the island have imbued the people with these magics). These are beings whose powers are the penultimate of their individual races.
Aeolia, a sixteen-year-old slave girl, is one of these Firechildren. She has the ability to merge minds (and possibly even souls) with any person within close vicinity. Whatever she feels, they feel. If her body dies, theirs does, too. In the novel, she is sold into slavery by her callous father very early on, and grows up for the next ten years, until the bulk of the tale begins, never knowing freedom, until one day, in an intense and heartbreaking scene, she achieves it by doing the one thing she promised she would never do – breaking a vow to a person she loves more than anything.
Along her travels after achieving freedom, she meets others much like her. This is a fast-moving novel, and sometimes their interactions can feel rushed, but in the end it works because author Arenson understands that in a fantasy tale like this, it’s the scope of the adventure that matters and not the minutia that can bog a story down. He handles it beautifully – we understand that Aeolia will fall in love with a man she’s just met because she’s never known love, only pain and despair. We know that two other characters will become romantically entangled, though they’ve never met, because they’ve dreamed of each other and this is a work of fantasy. And in fantasy if a vision tells you something, you believe it. Hell, this happens in real life sometimes, as well.
As I said earlier, however, this is a novel about pain. It drips from virtually every page. The awfulness people do to each other is affecting and oftentimes purely evil. We see five different communities all battling amongst each other, all on the brink of civil war, and in certain cases look at the others as being lesser than themselves. If there’s a better allegory for the dangers of racism, xenophobia, and jingoism, I haven’t seen one.
As I said, there are a LOT of horrors acted out in this book, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t beauty, as well. As a character, Aeolia embodies what it means to be human. She is at the same time weak, strong, lost, cowardly, brave, indecisive, firm, forlorn, and lustful. She’s a living contradiction. The choices she makes (here we are talking about choices again) in the name of decency are often times not so decent, and it is this sort of dichotomy that makes a story interesting and real. And yet she is a gorgeous person. We can see this, and we want her to succeed. She’s not perfect – not even close – and yet neither are any of the other characters. In fact, one could look at even the villains of the piece and find, at some point in their development, a sense that you might want to root for them. This makes for great conflict, as well as tension. Not to mention it’s simply great writing.
What I also appreciated about this particular example of fiction is the way it plays with genre conventions. It is fantasy, of course, and yet it has more of a historical feel, even though there are monsters and magic. There are promises made between characters, clichéd promises you’ve seen a thousand times since the onset of that little ring-carrying person with hairy feet, and yet Arenson doesn’t always allow those promises to be fulfilled. There are so many twists and turns, so many characters, that you truly don’t know what to expect. And yet, when you finish and look back on it, you realize that the directions he took make perfect sense. Even the end, which I found to be a bit formulaic at first, I grew to appreciate and even love when I went back and read it again. There is so much darkness held within these pages, so many atrocities, that the characters deserved to finish up with a respite of sorts. The author has a message to tell, and it comes through loud and clear, and it wouldn’t have worked if the story had ended any other way. Again, that’s just great writing.
My only problem with the book isn’t really a problem, but a longing for more. I wanted to know the history of Firefly Island. I wanted to know the legacy of the Firechildren throughout history. If they come about every hundred years, are the outcomes always the same? Have the Stonesons (those who control minerals) always hated the Esirens (psychic types like Aeolia)? Was there once a single monarchy that split, weakening the masses by isolating individual talents? Again, these are questions that could be answered in another book, or not at all if Arenson so chooses, because this particular novel works without these things being explained. So why did I mention it? Probably because it’s not in my nature to go through an entire review without being at least a little critical.
To wrap it all up, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I’m not usually one for fantasy, but I couldn’t stop reading it. It’s really that good.
Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
Firefly Island, the breathtaking novel by Daniel Arenson, is all about decisions. It’s all about pain and torment and horror and, at the end of the day, love. It’s a dark fairy tale about the lengths we will go to in order to prove our devotion to our siblings, our friends, our communities, our fathers. And, finally, it’s about mistakes. Horrible, world-shattering mistakes whose ramifications reach far and wide, affecting even those on the periphery we wouldn’t expect.
The story takes place on an island split into five separate and (oftentimes) warring states. Each state is unique, in that the different populaces hold different abilities, or “magic”, as it’s called. The isolateded communities look down on interracial breeding. In some places, those that do are outcast because they create “impure” offspring, children who hold fragments of the abilities both their parents have. In each community there is born, once a century, a “Firechild” (dubbed so because of the belief that the fireflies inhabiting the island have imbued the people with these magics). These are beings whose powers are the penultimate of their individual races.
Aeolia, a sixteen-year-old slave girl, is one of these Firechildren. She has the ability to merge minds (and possibly even souls) with any person within close vicinity. Whatever she feels, they feel. If her body dies, theirs does, too. In the novel, she is sold into slavery by her callous father very early on, and grows up for the next ten years, until the bulk of the tale begins, never knowing freedom, until one day, in an intense and heartbreaking scene, she achieves it by doing the one thing she promised she would never do – breaking a vow to a person she loves more than anything.
Along her travels after achieving freedom, she meets others much like her. This is a fast-moving novel, and sometimes their interactions can feel rushed, but in the end it works because author Arenson understands that in a fantasy tale like this, it’s the scope of the adventure that matters and not the minutia that can bog a story down. He handles it beautifully – we understand that Aeolia will fall in love with a man she’s just met because she’s never known love, only pain and despair. We know that two other characters will become romantically entangled, though they’ve never met, because they’ve dreamed of each other and this is a work of fantasy. And in fantasy if a vision tells you something, you believe it. Hell, this happens in real life sometimes, as well.
As I said earlier, however, this is a novel about pain. It drips from virtually every page. The awfulness people do to each other is affecting and oftentimes purely evil. We see five different communities all battling amongst each other, all on the brink of civil war, and in certain cases look at the others as being lesser than themselves. If there’s a better allegory for the dangers of racism, xenophobia, and jingoism, I haven’t seen one.
As I said, there are a LOT of horrors acted out in this book, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t beauty, as well. As a character, Aeolia embodies what it means to be human. She is at the same time weak, strong, lost, cowardly, brave, indecisive, firm, forlorn, and lustful. She’s a living contradiction. The choices she makes (here we are talking about choices again) in the name of decency are often times not so decent, and it is this sort of dichotomy that makes a story interesting and real. And yet she is a gorgeous person. We can see this, and we want her to succeed. She’s not perfect – not even close – and yet neither are any of the other characters. In fact, one could look at even the villains of the piece and find, at some point in their development, a sense that you might want to root for them. This makes for great conflict, as well as tension. Not to mention it’s simply great writing.
What I also appreciated about this particular example of fiction is the way it plays with genre conventions. It is fantasy, of course, and yet it has more of a historical feel, even though there are monsters and magic. There are promises made between characters, clichéd promises you’ve seen a thousand times since the onset of that little ring-carrying person with hairy feet, and yet Arenson doesn’t always allow those promises to be fulfilled. There are so many twists and turns, so many characters, that you truly don’t know what to expect. And yet, when you finish and look back on it, you realize that the directions he took make perfect sense. Even the end, which I found to be a bit formulaic at first, I grew to appreciate and even love when I went back and read it again. There is so much darkness held within these pages, so many atrocities, that the characters deserved to finish up with a respite of sorts. The author has a message to tell, and it comes through loud and clear, and it wouldn’t have worked if the story had ended any other way. Again, that’s just great writing.
My only problem with the book isn’t really a problem, but a longing for more. I wanted to know the history of Firefly Island. I wanted to know the legacy of the Firechildren throughout history. If they come about every hundred years, are the outcomes always the same? Have the Stonesons (those who control minerals) always hated the Esirens (psychic types like Aeolia)? Was there once a single monarchy that split, weakening the masses by isolating individual talents? Again, these are questions that could be answered in another book, or not at all if Arenson so chooses, because this particular novel works without these things being explained. So why did I mention it? Probably because it’s not in my nature to go through an entire review without being at least a little critical.
To wrap it all up, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I’m not usually one for fantasy, but I couldn’t stop reading it. It’s really that good.
Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
January 17, 2011
Well when you have a kindle you find yourself looking for cheap/free books with good reviews. That normally means you end up reading fantasy since there are so many titles in this area. This was one of them. Yikes.
The book read like the plot of a bad video game. Four groups of people, each with special powers, live on a big island. Apparently they don't like each other, but they have never ever fought each other. And they didn't realize that one of the groups was way stronger than all the others. So strong that when they do decide to attack they wipe everyone else out. Easily.
For each race there is a super-powered individual. The only thing that can stop the evil king is one super-powered girl. Surprise surprise she does. Along the way we learn that the other two races' superpowers are really lame and not at all powerful. One of them is so awesome that the guy with superpowers has been living his whole life not realizing his powers are super. Despite using them all the time. And no one else realized it either. He wasn't hiding. Just lame.
At least the writing was mostly ok. Arenson has a tendency to try to use fancy words. Other than that the writing is pleasant. The character development was, well, video game-esque. Not much happens as far as emotional development. Good guys are good; bad guys are bad. There is some attempt to make the bad guy seem not as bad because he's being manipulated by his father, but he's still bad.
Don't bother unless you are bored.
The book read like the plot of a bad video game. Four groups of people, each with special powers, live on a big island. Apparently they don't like each other, but they have never ever fought each other. And they didn't realize that one of the groups was way stronger than all the others. So strong that when they do decide to attack they wipe everyone else out. Easily.
For each race there is a super-powered individual. The only thing that can stop the evil king is one super-powered girl. Surprise surprise she does. Along the way we learn that the other two races' superpowers are really lame and not at all powerful. One of them is so awesome that the guy with superpowers has been living his whole life not realizing his powers are super. Despite using them all the time. And no one else realized it either. He wasn't hiding. Just lame.
At least the writing was mostly ok. Arenson has a tendency to try to use fancy words. Other than that the writing is pleasant. The character development was, well, video game-esque. Not much happens as far as emotional development. Good guys are good; bad guys are bad. There is some attempt to make the bad guy seem not as bad because he's being manipulated by his father, but he's still bad.
Don't bother unless you are bored.
November 11, 2010
A truly remarkable tale!
What I like most about Firefly Island by Daniel Arenson is the depth of emotion it expresses. First of all, I still can’t get through the first few pages without tearing up. The fear and despair of the young child, Aeolia, being sold into slavery is moving and heart-wrenching. It pulls you into the story and won’t let you go. Great opening! Mr. Arenson knows how to tug at your heartstrings. The other amazing thing is that throughout the story, I kept forgetting that this is a fantasy. The characters and their thoughts and feelings are masterfully portrayed, they are convincing and real. Of course, this is a fantastic tales with battles and events right out of fantasy land, but the feelings and thoughts of the characters, whether they were ogres or half-human or human, are genuine. Mr. Arenson creates a complex, often cruel, harsh world, which is tempered by love and compassion. This is one of the best fantasies I have read in a while.
What I like most about Firefly Island by Daniel Arenson is the depth of emotion it expresses. First of all, I still can’t get through the first few pages without tearing up. The fear and despair of the young child, Aeolia, being sold into slavery is moving and heart-wrenching. It pulls you into the story and won’t let you go. Great opening! Mr. Arenson knows how to tug at your heartstrings. The other amazing thing is that throughout the story, I kept forgetting that this is a fantasy. The characters and their thoughts and feelings are masterfully portrayed, they are convincing and real. Of course, this is a fantastic tales with battles and events right out of fantasy land, but the feelings and thoughts of the characters, whether they were ogres or half-human or human, are genuine. Mr. Arenson creates a complex, often cruel, harsh world, which is tempered by love and compassion. This is one of the best fantasies I have read in a while.
January 6, 2012
“Firefly Island” is going to be exasperatingly difficult to review, not because I disliked the novel, but because this was a fantasy novel that had so many twists and turns that it is almost impossible to sum it up with a simple “this was good.”
We all know that I love fantasy novels, there is something so fantastic and epic about them that its like having a really cool pop-up book inside of your head. They are about journeys and soul searching, conquering evil and finding ones self, they are about ogres and warriors and the kings that lead them. They are about seeing what nobody else sees… and in this particular case it was about what “Daniel Arenson” saw.
Firefly Island is on the brink of civil war and there is only one girl that can stop it, unfortunately she was sold as a slave to an ogre when she was a small child. Knowing that nothing short of a miracle is going to set her free Aeolia jumps for joy when a mysterious, man dressed in battle gear, (and claiming to be her brothers best friend) comes to take her away. It’s just to bad that her knight in shining armor turns out to be evil incarnate. After discovering that things in the outside world aren’t quite so peachy, Aeolia and her band of very gifted friends take matters into their own hands, wielding swords and magical gifts, determined to topple an evil king and change the future of the 5 races.
“Arenson” wrote fantasy in every aspect of the word. He had pages of flourishing details, new lands that were described right down to the color of the leaves, and clans of people that were engaging and unique. The plot was smooth (even throughout the flashback sequences) and unbelievably complex. (several stories, 1 defining plot) The biggest complaint I have (naturally) was with the character development. The majority of the main characters were described flawlessly (emotional thought, appearance, reaction) but there were a few characters that (to me) seemed more like afterthoughts. There were also a few places (in the action scenes) that seemed to stop a tad abruptly, and to be honest the last couple of paragraphs were just kind of BLAH… but up until that point it was an action filled, fun ride.
There were shape shifting girls, chameleon boys, and angry prince with a wicked scar, the most dangerous arrows ever created, roughly 200 battles (ha), and 1 very pissed off girl with a torch.
If you are a fan of books like “Lord of The Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” you will LOVE this book. For the rest of you… you will probably be entertained but won’t be running in the streets screaming it’s praises.
Figure out who you are… and run with it.
Happy reading my fellow Forestfolk and remember: Hiding in a tunnel only works for terrorist and crazy poets, and I’m pretty sure you are neither.
We all know that I love fantasy novels, there is something so fantastic and epic about them that its like having a really cool pop-up book inside of your head. They are about journeys and soul searching, conquering evil and finding ones self, they are about ogres and warriors and the kings that lead them. They are about seeing what nobody else sees… and in this particular case it was about what “Daniel Arenson” saw.
Firefly Island is on the brink of civil war and there is only one girl that can stop it, unfortunately she was sold as a slave to an ogre when she was a small child. Knowing that nothing short of a miracle is going to set her free Aeolia jumps for joy when a mysterious, man dressed in battle gear, (and claiming to be her brothers best friend) comes to take her away. It’s just to bad that her knight in shining armor turns out to be evil incarnate. After discovering that things in the outside world aren’t quite so peachy, Aeolia and her band of very gifted friends take matters into their own hands, wielding swords and magical gifts, determined to topple an evil king and change the future of the 5 races.
“Arenson” wrote fantasy in every aspect of the word. He had pages of flourishing details, new lands that were described right down to the color of the leaves, and clans of people that were engaging and unique. The plot was smooth (even throughout the flashback sequences) and unbelievably complex. (several stories, 1 defining plot) The biggest complaint I have (naturally) was with the character development. The majority of the main characters were described flawlessly (emotional thought, appearance, reaction) but there were a few characters that (to me) seemed more like afterthoughts. There were also a few places (in the action scenes) that seemed to stop a tad abruptly, and to be honest the last couple of paragraphs were just kind of BLAH… but up until that point it was an action filled, fun ride.
There were shape shifting girls, chameleon boys, and angry prince with a wicked scar, the most dangerous arrows ever created, roughly 200 battles (ha), and 1 very pissed off girl with a torch.
If you are a fan of books like “Lord of The Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” you will LOVE this book. For the rest of you… you will probably be entertained but won’t be running in the streets screaming it’s praises.
Figure out who you are… and run with it.
Happy reading my fellow Forestfolk and remember: Hiding in a tunnel only works for terrorist and crazy poets, and I’m pretty sure you are neither.
August 8, 2010
Let's call this 3 1/2 stars and a giggle. Bear with me on this review.
I suppose if you're going to do something, you had better go all the way with it. Imagine taking every fantasy cliche known to mankind and writing it up defying every admonition in modern writing, and you end up with Firefly Island. It's so breathtakingly bad that it's really quite good...despite the fact that clearly Mr. Arenson has some 15th century dictionary hidden away somewhere which he flips through with unabashed glee (what on earth is a tatterdemalion? I don't know, and neither does the Oxford English Dictionary).
Modern writing, of course, is absolutely terrified of the plot-driven novel. It's terrified of straight-forward storytelling and bitter victories. All of these things you will find here. It's not like reading an immaculately constructed Neal Stephenson or an endless saga like The Fire of Heaven trilogy (Russel Kirkpatrick). It's more like listening to the old storyteller Scheherazade learned her trade from. The dialog is unlikely, the magic is a freewheeling deus ex machina and anything the characters are thinking or feeling is flat-out told rather than implied. Some might find this annoying, but I found myself as delighted as a child hearing about Hansel and Gretel without stopping to wonder why the gingerbread house didn't ever melt in the rain. Realism is for sissies!
I will add to this that there is an undeniable complexity to Firefly Island. If it had been written with contemporary sensibilities in mind, it probably would not be languishing away in obscurity for $2.99 on kindle. For being plot-driven, this at least, is expertly and (to a certain degree) subtly done.
In many ways, Firefly Island breaks the mold. You might adore it or you might hate it, depending on you mood and what kind of writing style you're willing to tolerate. I can only say that I'm hugely thankful that this isn't a trilogy, simply because I'm tired of series and trilogies in Fantasy, and having one nice epic neatly wrapped up is another breath of fresh air from Daniel Arenson. You can't beat it for the price, and regardless of its style, I really did enjoy it.
On a random note, I completely dig the cover. The other cover, which I gather is for the hardback edition, is absolutely dreadful, and I wouldn't have put it on my shelf (kindle or otherwise) even for a penny. Just goes to show that good cover art can sell a book. Or maybe I'm just a cover whore. Both are probably true...just sayin'.
I suppose if you're going to do something, you had better go all the way with it. Imagine taking every fantasy cliche known to mankind and writing it up defying every admonition in modern writing, and you end up with Firefly Island. It's so breathtakingly bad that it's really quite good...despite the fact that clearly Mr. Arenson has some 15th century dictionary hidden away somewhere which he flips through with unabashed glee (what on earth is a tatterdemalion? I don't know, and neither does the Oxford English Dictionary).
Modern writing, of course, is absolutely terrified of the plot-driven novel. It's terrified of straight-forward storytelling and bitter victories. All of these things you will find here. It's not like reading an immaculately constructed Neal Stephenson or an endless saga like The Fire of Heaven trilogy (Russel Kirkpatrick). It's more like listening to the old storyteller Scheherazade learned her trade from. The dialog is unlikely, the magic is a freewheeling deus ex machina and anything the characters are thinking or feeling is flat-out told rather than implied. Some might find this annoying, but I found myself as delighted as a child hearing about Hansel and Gretel without stopping to wonder why the gingerbread house didn't ever melt in the rain. Realism is for sissies!
I will add to this that there is an undeniable complexity to Firefly Island. If it had been written with contemporary sensibilities in mind, it probably would not be languishing away in obscurity for $2.99 on kindle. For being plot-driven, this at least, is expertly and (to a certain degree) subtly done.
In many ways, Firefly Island breaks the mold. You might adore it or you might hate it, depending on you mood and what kind of writing style you're willing to tolerate. I can only say that I'm hugely thankful that this isn't a trilogy, simply because I'm tired of series and trilogies in Fantasy, and having one nice epic neatly wrapped up is another breath of fresh air from Daniel Arenson. You can't beat it for the price, and regardless of its style, I really did enjoy it.
On a random note, I completely dig the cover. The other cover, which I gather is for the hardback edition, is absolutely dreadful, and I wouldn't have put it on my shelf (kindle or otherwise) even for a penny. Just goes to show that good cover art can sell a book. Or maybe I'm just a cover whore. Both are probably true...just sayin'.
July 10, 2010
There is much to enjoy about this fantasy tale.
Firefly Island is divided into five kingdoms, each with its own special magic: animal, stone, wood, mindreaders, and healers.
The disparity between the types is somewhat disconcerting since Arenson uses varying names for each kingdom, sometimes based on its magic type, other times with a fantasy-sounding name which hinted of the magic. It took me well into the book to figure out which was which.
There are four protagonists and one villain in the book. The point of view changes (in an orderly fashion on chapter breaks) with the most talented of the magic users in each kingdom. Called "firechildren," these four are not the leaders of their realms, but a rare occurrence of supermagic of each type. The villain is the firechild of the stone kingdom. He wants to take over the entire island, but has to destroy the other supermagicians to do so. He also has a really, really rotten son who doesn't die near soon enough.
So, the magic and world are well-established and consistent. This is a good thing.
The writing is lively and smooth. The plot flows nicely after you figure out who the heck all the characters are and their importance.
I'd definitely recommend the book for fantasy lovers.
Firefly Island is divided into five kingdoms, each with its own special magic: animal, stone, wood, mindreaders, and healers.
The disparity between the types is somewhat disconcerting since Arenson uses varying names for each kingdom, sometimes based on its magic type, other times with a fantasy-sounding name which hinted of the magic. It took me well into the book to figure out which was which.
There are four protagonists and one villain in the book. The point of view changes (in an orderly fashion on chapter breaks) with the most talented of the magic users in each kingdom. Called "firechildren," these four are not the leaders of their realms, but a rare occurrence of supermagic of each type. The villain is the firechild of the stone kingdom. He wants to take over the entire island, but has to destroy the other supermagicians to do so. He also has a really, really rotten son who doesn't die near soon enough.
So, the magic and world are well-established and consistent. This is a good thing.
The writing is lively and smooth. The plot flows nicely after you figure out who the heck all the characters are and their importance.
I'd definitely recommend the book for fantasy lovers.
May 10, 2011
This is a book that left me with mixed feelings. For a $2.99, self-published kindle book, it wasn't bad. I like the author's imagination and the world that he created. The story with 4 kingdoms, each with their own special abilities was pretty cool. The book was also a pretty fun read. However, I think that it needed to be longer. There were many, many action scenes but, in my opinion, not enough in between scenes which focus on the characters while giving the readers a bit of a breather. I think the main character, Aeolia, was nicely developed as well as a few of the more minor characters but some of the characters I felt like I didn't know enough about and therefore didn't really care about them or what happened to them.
Overall though, I did enjoy the story and would read another book by this author if the chance arose. He definitely has a lot of potential with the imagination and writing talent he's got. I just think that with this one, he missed his chance in turning a fun book into a great book.
Overall though, I did enjoy the story and would read another book by this author if the chance arose. He definitely has a lot of potential with the imagination and writing talent he's got. I just think that with this one, he missed his chance in turning a fun book into a great book.
July 15, 2017
A unique fantasy stand-alone. Seems like every story these days has to be about the chosen one and the evil kings quest to get rid of them before they can fulfill some prophecy... yada, yada, yada. This one has that for it's basic outline too, but just does it differently. It's hard to explain, for one thing actions have real and lasting consequences in this story. There is no hero shield and the hero is fallible, but in a way that was real and genuine, not in a "they need to have a character flaw" way. This book is just so different that it's hard to explain. If you're curious pick it up and read it for yourself.
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March 20, 2011"This is the most excited I have ever been about a fantasy book!" -- ReaderViews.com
"A very promising debut... I would highly recommend this book." -- FantasyBookSpot.com
"Breathtaking... It's all about pain and torment and horror and, at the end of the day, love. It's a dark fairy tale about the lengths we will go to in order to prove our devotion to our siblings, our friends, our communities, our fathers... I LOVED THIS BOOK. I'm not usually one for fantasy, but I couldn't stop reading it. It's really that good. Check it out. You won't be disappointed." -- Author Robert J. Duperre
"A very promising debut... I would highly recommend this book." -- FantasyBookSpot.com
"Breathtaking... It's all about pain and torment and horror and, at the end of the day, love. It's a dark fairy tale about the lengths we will go to in order to prove our devotion to our siblings, our friends, our communities, our fathers... I LOVED THIS BOOK. I'm not usually one for fantasy, but I couldn't stop reading it. It's really that good. Check it out. You won't be disappointed." -- Author Robert J. Duperre
July 19, 2010
This one was very good. It reminded me of Grimm's fairy tales and the like.
It was very much an adult fairy tale because there was bloodshed and corruption in the story; but it was very good!
Daniel's writing is really imaginative and enjoyable. He's also a very descriptive writer. I found that in the beginning of the book I needed to pay close attention as I was introduced to all the characters who we find out are connected in some way.
Overall, I thought it to be an enjoyable read and a great adult fairy tale.
It was very much an adult fairy tale because there was bloodshed and corruption in the story; but it was very good!
Daniel's writing is really imaginative and enjoyable. He's also a very descriptive writer. I found that in the beginning of the book I needed to pay close attention as I was introduced to all the characters who we find out are connected in some way.
Overall, I thought it to be an enjoyable read and a great adult fairy tale.
October 31, 2011
Enjoyable fantasy read. Many interesting characters with many links to each other. Firefly Island is a land with four differnt races of people. Each of the races had a specific magical power. One of the rulers become hungry for power and allowed evil to be part of his reign. Each path to evil was explained . I enjoyed the examples of forgiveness and courage . The relationships between the characters grew and developed nicely. The descriptive language allowed me to hear, taste, see, feel and smell Firefly Island. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
May 8, 2010
This is the book that got me to start reading fantasy in the first place! It's an expertly crafted story line that is blended with amazing description. The scenes and characters from this novel have travelled with me over the years.
The novel is also now available for Kindle, so I am enjoying rereading it in e-form.
The novel is also now available for Kindle, so I am enjoying rereading it in e-form.
February 8, 2011
Easily one of my favorite fantasy novels...in my top 10 for sure.
While sometimes you get bogged down with descriptive details, the world still comes alive with rich characters, locations, and villians.
It's the first outing for Daniel Arenson, and if this novel is any indication of his other work, you can bet his other works will be great to read.
While sometimes you get bogged down with descriptive details, the world still comes alive with rich characters, locations, and villians.
It's the first outing for Daniel Arenson, and if this novel is any indication of his other work, you can bet his other works will be great to read.
June 4, 2012
This is difficult to describe...definitely a good story. Full of Ogre's, fairies, fire flies in colors of red, white, gold and green. There are people who have certain abilities to over throw the big bad King Sinther, even that name is slimey!!
It is a really good story, very colorful, and full of action and adventure! Maybe Disney will catch the ride and make a movie...okay not Disney.
It is a really good story, very colorful, and full of action and adventure! Maybe Disney will catch the ride and make a movie...okay not Disney.
February 19, 2011
This was, actually, a suprisingly good book. It was only a cheap download from Amazon but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot was good, with twists and turns along the way and it was fast moving. A great book!
January 11, 2015
I quite enjoyed this story. It sort of fulfills a lot of the standards for a good fantasy genre book...enchanted land, beyond human powers, good and evil. It was a fun, escapist read that kept me entertained.
July 8, 2011
Enjoyable read. I will read his other books!
August 5, 2011
Daniel Arenson's writing has a great fairy-tale quality. This one has many clever surprises. Recommended!
November 24, 2015
He did it again!!!!!!! This author has a great IMAGINATION
June 6, 2018
Divided into 5 sections, each with its own type of magic, each with its own type of people, each with its own color of firefly.
Dominated by the volcanic cone in its center, Firefly Island was divided like pieces of a pie. Four segments surround the volcano, each with its own population, each with its own magic. The people who lived within the volcano had their own magic, like all the rest, could be used to a degree by everyone - some more than others. Each magic was represented by a color of firefly flashing through the evenings, giving the island it's name. Each land produced one special magic-user capable of much more magic than usual. If each magic's firechild was alive, that color firefly flew.
This brilliantly imaginative story centered around a sixteen year old girl, sold into slavery by her father, shackled to service to the Ogre and his daughter for the last ten years. The other end of the story was dominated by the Stone King, Sinther, the Stone firechild who had turned his skin to stone so that no weapon could harm him. King Sinther had only one fear - prophecy predicted a girl could put her pain in his mind and end his life.
I honestly didn't see this coming when I started reading this tale. I expected to be entertained and amused, but not to be overwhelmed with the skill and artistry woven into the rich tapestry of Firefly Island. The characters live and breath through the story which they define.
This is a brilliantly readable fantasy, breathtaking action surrounding betrayal and unrelenting love. A great read! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Dominated by the volcanic cone in its center, Firefly Island was divided like pieces of a pie. Four segments surround the volcano, each with its own population, each with its own magic. The people who lived within the volcano had their own magic, like all the rest, could be used to a degree by everyone - some more than others. Each magic was represented by a color of firefly flashing through the evenings, giving the island it's name. Each land produced one special magic-user capable of much more magic than usual. If each magic's firechild was alive, that color firefly flew.
This brilliantly imaginative story centered around a sixteen year old girl, sold into slavery by her father, shackled to service to the Ogre and his daughter for the last ten years. The other end of the story was dominated by the Stone King, Sinther, the Stone firechild who had turned his skin to stone so that no weapon could harm him. King Sinther had only one fear - prophecy predicted a girl could put her pain in his mind and end his life.
I honestly didn't see this coming when I started reading this tale. I expected to be entertained and amused, but not to be overwhelmed with the skill and artistry woven into the rich tapestry of Firefly Island. The characters live and breath through the story which they define.
This is a brilliantly readable fantasy, breathtaking action surrounding betrayal and unrelenting love. A great read! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
March 6, 2013
In Firefly Island, Mr. Arenson tells of a land separated into five distinct regions, each inhabited by a people with a particular magic ability. One among each of the peoples is gifted with power far beyond the normal, and this novel relates the fight against one such firechild who seeks to rule the entire island.
Why to buy this book: There does exist within this book a coherent story.
Why not to buy the book: My use of the word “tells” in the first paragraph of this review wasn’t an accident. The author spends far too little time showing. There is absolutely nothing subtle or engaging about the techniques employed in the writing of this novel.
Bottom Line: Please understand that it is my desire to support authors. I want to read and enjoy books. Unfortunately, this novel is too poorly written for me to offer even the most lukewarm recommendation. If this were a self-published writer, I’d probably tell him that he needs to work on his craft a bit more. It boggles my mind that a traditional publisher, even a small one, would choose to put a product like this one on the market. Two stars.
Why to buy this book: There does exist within this book a coherent story.
Why not to buy the book: My use of the word “tells” in the first paragraph of this review wasn’t an accident. The author spends far too little time showing. There is absolutely nothing subtle or engaging about the techniques employed in the writing of this novel.
Bottom Line: Please understand that it is my desire to support authors. I want to read and enjoy books. Unfortunately, this novel is too poorly written for me to offer even the most lukewarm recommendation. If this were a self-published writer, I’d probably tell him that he needs to work on his craft a bit more. It boggles my mind that a traditional publisher, even a small one, would choose to put a product like this one on the market. Two stars.
April 24, 2011
Instead of writing a full review of this, I'd like to simply link to someone else's review that exactly echos my sentiments for this book. It also cracked me up.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
April 18, 2011
I read about two thirds before realising that my brain was starting to atrophy. I just couldn't read any more. It's parked; I may delete it without finishing.
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