Raising Fire by James Bennett
Review by: Michael Evan
Every once in a while I come across a writer whose work is so powerfully written, so challenging and so beautiful that I am simply left spellbound at the God given gift that has clearly been bestowed upon that individual. David Mitchell, Salman Rushdie, David Foster Wallace, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and RJ Barker are all names that come to mind whose genre bending exemplary work have had a profound and lasting impact on my life.
James Bennett is one of those writers. His incredibly beautiful, historical, mythological and poetic story about Red Ben Garston, the last dragon, the lore that keeps him alive , his damsel in distress, and his struggle to survive, just may be one of the most unique creations in the fantasy genre. Far from the urban fantasy it is marketed as, I found myself going back to certain sections in disbelief, just to re-read the beautiful abstract prose.
James writes fantastic thrilling action sequences, and everything in this sequel to The excellent “Chasing Embers” is ramped up a notch, however if you come to the series expecting Jim Butcher or Kevin Hearne, you will be disappointed. This is literature in its finest form. It will challenge you, make you think, make you laugh and make you cry, but more than anything else, it will make you NEED to know how it all ends for Ben Garston in the third instalment.
5*