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The Fire: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,822 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Katherine Neville’s groundbreaking novel, The Eight, dazzled audiences more than twenty years ago and set the literary stage for the epic thriller. A quest for a mystical chess service that once belonged to Charlemagne, it spans two centuries and three continents, and intertwines historic and modern plots, archaeological treasure hunts, esoteric riddles, and puzzles encrypted with clues from the ancient past. Now the electrifying global adventure continues, in Neville’s long anticipated sequel: THE FIRE 2003, Colorado: Alexandra Solarin is summoned home to her family’s ancestral Rocky Mountain hideaway for her mother’s birthday. Thirty years ago, her parents, Cat Velis and Alexander Solarin, believed that they had scattered the pieces of the Montglane Service around the world, burying with them the secrets of the power that comes with possessing it. But Alexandra arrives to find that her mother is missing and that a series of strategically placed clues, followed swiftly by the unexpected arrival of a mysterious assortment of houseguests, indicates that something sinister is afoot. When she inadvertently discovers from her aunt, the chess grandmaster Lily Rad, that the most powerful piece of Charlemagne’s service has suddenly resurfaced and the Game has begun again, Alexandra is swept into a journey that takes her from Colorado to the Russian wilderness and at last into the heart of her own hometown: Washington D.C. 1822, Albania: Thirty years after the French Revolution, when the chess service was unearthed, all of Europe hovers on the brink of the War of Greek Independence. Ali Pasha, the most powerful ruler in the Ottoman Empire, has angered the sultan and is about to be attacked by Turkish forces. Now he sends the only person he can rely upon–his young daughter, Haidee–on a dangerous mission to smuggle a valuable relic out of Albania, through the mountains and over the sea, to the hands of the one man who might be able to save it. Haidee’s journey from Albania to Morocco to Rome to Greece, and into the very heart of the Game, will result in revelations about the powerful chess set and its history that will lead at last to the spot where the service was first created more than one thousand years before: Baghdad. Blending exquisite prose and captivating history with nonstop suspense, Neville again weaves an unforgettable story of peril, action, and intrigue.
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"I enjoyed it but I kinda feel it should end here but the ending suggests another couple of books, which leads to my main worry. I enjoyed the first 3/4 books in the Maximum Ride series and then it got weird and I didn't even bother buying the last book that was released in that series and I'd rather that not happen to this one. The Maximum Ride series was ruined for me and I'm afraid the same will happen with this one if they try to drag it out."
— Suzan (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“[An] exotic, labyrinthine conspiracy tale…The perfect escapist adventure.”
— Washington Post -
“The Fire impresses as much for its literary aspects as it does for its action, puzzles, and suspense…This is a book to be savored as it’s read, and admired for the beauty of its accomplishment.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“For fans of The Da Vinci Code and The Rule of Four, Neville’s historical detective story…packs an epic wallop.”
— People -
“Neville deftly employs time-shifting storytelling and casts historical figures in her story with such dexterity that you are sure all these people must really have known one another. Ingenious puzzles, enthralling historical ambience, and masterful plot twists abound. More please!”
— Library Journal -
“Stellar…Despite the staggering amount and quality of the research, nothing feels shoehorned or extraneous. The story’s relentless pace is matched by characters both sympathetic and real. In the end, readers will be heartened to find signs pointing to the continuation of the Game in future novels.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
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Selected for the November 2008 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
The Fire Listener Reviews
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" What a fun series. Reminded me of a cross between Hunger Games and Harry Potter. It had magic and a crazy government/political situation. It was fun and I loved the characters. But it wasn't as well written as HG or HP. "
— Meghan, 2/19/2014 -
" Good ending to a good series. The second book "The Gift" was a bit of a let down, so I was pleasantly surprised how good this one was. "
— Brenda, 1/26/2014 -
" well i am not 100 percent shoure if this is the last book or not but it was awsome they finly beat the one who is the one brother and sister and there mom and dad even lived but poor ceil did not but at least she got to move on and cross over and she finly told whitt how she dies the one killed her choked her to death so all in all 150 thumbs up and in all for the whole book sires 500 thumbs up "
— Bernice, 1/25/2014 -
" Wow! When I read the first one, I just barely convinced myself I was gonna read the second one. But that one was SO much better, so I read this one! And it was great! A worthy conclusion! "
— ☞Proud☜, 12/24/2013 -
" i got bored half way through and stopped. the first 2 books were good but then i ot really bored with second one! "
— Cailey, 11/24/2013 -
" Just ok. Not as compelling as the first 2. Definitely kids books. "
— Shelley, 11/13/2013 -
" Best one ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make more plz!!!!!!!!!! "
— Caleb, 10/24/2013 -
" I ALSO BOUGHT THIS BOOK TO HAS IT IS THE LAST IN THIS GREAT STORY, CHILDREN WILL LOVE THESE BOOK, I DID AND I CAN'T PUT THEM DOWN. "
— Louise, 10/24/2013 -
" second book awsome as well very addicting. "
— Tiffanycarlee, 9/26/2013 -
" I hate that this series is called Witch & Wizard. When it should really be called Witch. Whit was my favorite character and he wasn't really even that important. "
— Mica, 9/20/2013 -
" not as good as the first 2 "
— Nedra, 9/9/2013 -
" This is one of the two series I like by James Patterson. I love the characters of Whit and Wisty. I also love the introduction of some new characters. Not sure if there will be another one, but even if not I can live with this ending. If there is another one then I'll be there waiting for it! "
— Samantha, 7/30/2013 -
" I liked it. It's hard to tell if there will be more. Guess I will have to wait and see. :) "
— Sarah, 5/9/2013 -
" Slow starting but I am glad I finished it. They finished what they started out to do but I am pretty sure this story will continue. Nothing special but I like this series "
— Cheryl, 4/27/2013 -
" It was a very interesting book.It was good ,but I have to warn you.....YOU NEED A STRONG STOMACH TO READ THIS BOOK!!!!! It had lots of violence,but it still was a good book. "
— Angeleen, 2/18/2013 -
" The best of the three, but I'm still disappointed in general with the writing style and plot development.maybe it would have been better of I had invested in the comic books that wee in between the regular books, it could have been better. "
— Lindsay, 10/8/2012 -
" I love this series like the max ones,I love the ending to this book. I couldn't put this book down (well I have a hard time with that for every book, but more so than others). "
— Bev, 7/4/2012 -
" Not as good as the first one. But it was okay. "
— Yasmine, 2/22/2012 -
" The final in the series. The ending left me shaking my head, but for what it was, it was enjoyable. "
— Siobhan, 11/12/2011 -
" Any one who loves violence, magic you should read this book! "
— Alan, 10/14/2011 -
" I don't know how this got so many negative reviews. I loved it. It was definitely the fastest book I have read this year (who else but Patterson?) It was a great way to end the series "
— Bran, 9/5/2011 -
" It was okay. Not a bad ending.. "
— Joyce, 8/23/2011 -
" I love James patterson's young adult books, this is an awesome series, really liked it. "
— Laurie, 7/11/2011 -
" It was hard to finish this book. It was just crap. "
— Julie, 5/12/2011 -
" The book started well with the father taking the daughter to a chess tournament. Along theway,the story begins to get a bit muddled with the storyline and plot. All in all a pretty good read but if the author had tighten the plot and weave a solid tale, it should be a fantastic read. Thanks. "
— Fan, 4/28/2011 -
" Better than DaVinci Code! I loved this book and can't wait to dive in and research all the history it was infused with. If you like conspiracy theories interwoven with amazing historicals, you will love this book. "
— Tonya, 4/25/2011 -
" sequel to the eight is terrible, nonsensical, though original; instructions-basic rules given to mankind was cool "
— Michelle, 4/1/2011 -
" This continues the story started in The Eight and again there are many thought provoking sections especially about the puzzles and clues. I enjoyed the relationships of numbers and ways information was shared as well as an action filled story. "
— Marilyn, 3/27/2011 -
" Definitely wasn't as good as "The Eight." I guess my expectations were too high. "
— Angie, 2/26/2011 -
" Very uneven. This book is a sequel to "The Eight," which I remember as excellent. This one meandered and had too many things going on. It was well-researched, but a lot of the historical detail was extraneous. Parts of it were verrry slow. The ending was too nebulous for me. "
— Michele, 2/21/2011 -
" Hard going at times but glad i stuck with it xx "
— Caroline, 2/5/2011 -
" I couldn't finish it. It bored me to death in the first 20 pages. Maybe some day I'll go back to it. But as many others have said, it is even less than a pale imitation of the first. I'm so disappointed it's not funny.<br/><br/>Sigh. "
— Joyce, 1/21/2011 -
" way to complicated to follow satisfactorily "
— Martha, 1/13/2011 -
" I loved the Eight, and boy do i wish i'd stopped with that one, which was a complete story in itself. This was confusing, convuluted, nonsensical, and any other synomyn you can think of. I stuck with it, hoping it'd be worth it in the end--nope, was awful. "
— Amanda, 1/5/2011
About Susan Denaker
Susan Denaker is an actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator. Her extensive theater credits include numerous plays in the West End of London, national tours, many English rep companies, including a season with Alan Ayckbourn’s company in Scarborough. In the US, she has appeared in Our Town and Sweet Bird of Youth at the La Jolla Playhouse and Breaking Legs at the Westport Playhouse.