The Fire Eaters - Softcover

Almond, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340944994 ISBN 13: 9780340944998

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books, 2013

Synopsis

There he was, below the bridge, half-naked, eyes blazing. He had a pair of burning torches. He ran them back and forth across his skin., He sipped from a bottle, breathed across a torch, and fire and fumes leapt from his lips. The air was filled with the scent of paraffin. He breathed again, a great high spreading flag of fire., He glared. He roared like an animal.That summer, life had seemed perfect for Bobby Burns. But now it's autumn and the winds of change are blowing hard., Bobby's dad is mysteriously ill. His new school is a cold and cruel place. And worse: nuclear war may be about to start., But Bobby has a wonder-working friend called Ailsa Spink. And he's found the fire-eater, a devil called McNulty. What can they do together on Bobby's beach? Is it possible to work miracles? Will they be able to transform the world?A stunning novel from the author of the modern children's classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award., David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

About this title

Review

Continuing his tradition of strange and wild novels for young adults, David Almond, in The Fire Eaters, introduces a bizarre character making a sparse living as a self-mutilating, fire-swallowing street performer. McNulty's existence shakes young protagonist Bobby Burns to the core as he contemplates the end of the world (the year is 1962 and the US and Soviet Union seem to be heading toward nuclear war), power, pain, class and death, as well as friendship. The menace and sweetness in Bobby's life parallels the worlds, big and small, he inhabits. A loving family, seaside home and good friends form the foundation. But a crack in that wall is spreading: Bobby's father is ill, class differences are separating him from his best friend, and a ruthless schoolmaster is forcing Bobby to understand that everything has a price. McNulty's growled refrain--"Pay! You'll not see nowt till you pay!"--reiterates the lesson for the often bewildered, but ever stronger boy. Readers familiar with Almond's other haunting books, including the award-winning Skellig, will welcome this rich, challenging novel. As always, Almond refuses to shy away from the big topics, resulting in a novel dappled with light and dark, filled with wonder and mystery. --Emilie Coulter, Amazon.com

Review

An affecting meditation on pain, cruelty, class, belonging and the redeeming power of love. (The Sunday Times)

A beautiful and brilliant novel. There really is nobody quite like Almond. (The Times)

This is beautifully written and polished to a lapidary gloss. (The Guardian)

A wonderful novel. (The Times)

An astonishing, beautiful tale. Almond at his best. (The Daily Telegraph)

A tale so marvellously told it seems a shame to label it as only for children. (The Daily Telegraph)

Stays with you long after the book is closed. (The Guardian)

Almond makes familiar issues fresh; his characters are finely drawn and his depiction of place perfectly realised. (The Guardian)

Lyrical and atmospheric. (The Bookseller)

A near-perfect piece of fiction. (Time Out)

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0340944994
• ISBN 13: 9780340944998
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256