Audiobook9 hours
Pacific Fire
Written by Greg van Eekhout
Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
I'm Sam. I'm just this guy. Okay, yeah, I'm a golem created from the substance of his own magic by the late Hierarch of Southern California. With a lot of work, I might be able to wield magic myself. I kind of doubt it, though. Not like Daniel Blackland can. Daniel's the reason the Hierarch's gone and I'm still alive. He's also the reason I've lived my entire life on the run. Ten years of never, ever going back to Los Angeles. Daniel's determined to protect me. To teach me. But it gets old. I've got nobody but Daniel. I'll never do anything normal. Like attend school. Or date a girl. Now it's worse. Because things are happening back in LA. Very bad people are building a Pacific firedrake, a kind of ultimate weapon of mass magical destruction. Daniel seemed to think only he could stop them. Now Daniel's been hurt. I managed to get us to the place run by the Emmas. (Many of them. All named Emma. It's a long story.) They seem to be healing him, but he isn't going anyplace soon. Do I even have a reason for existing, if it isn't to prevent this firedrake from happening? I'm good at escaping from things. Now I've escaped from Daniel and the Emmas, and I'm on my way to LA. This may be the worst idea I ever had.
Author
Greg van Eekhout
Greg van Eekhout lives in San Diego, California, with his astronomy/physics professor wife and two dogs. He’s worked as an educational software developer, ice-cream scooper, part-time college instructor, and telemarketer. Being a writer is the only job he’s ever actually liked. You can find more about Greg at his website: writingandsnacks.com.
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California Bones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pacific Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Coast Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Pacific Fire
Rating: 3.9358974769230772 out of 5 stars
4/5
39 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It begins with a heavy dose of teenage angst and had me very, very worried, but that quickly fell away and turned into a story even better than its predecessor, California Bones. And California Bones was pretty great. Can't wait to start the final book in the series. Still needs more Gabriel Argent though.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After saving the Hierarch’s golem—a hugely valuable magical prize for anyone who could eat his bones—Daniel has been in hiding with him for years. But his old boss’s attempt to recreate a devastating magical weapon has him coming back to LA. Sam, the golem, is a major focus of this book, which involves more journeying/breaking and entering in a world that has Hollywood stars and airplanes but also apparently more limited tech than ours.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was a big fan of California Bones by Greg van Eekhout. I like when books bring something new and interesting to the fantasy world and California Bones had that by the bucket loads. The magic system of consuming bones (and other body parts) to draw power is still fascinating. Especially, considering that this includes humans. The story sprawls out over California but my favorite scenes are the ones in the reimagined canal filled Los Angeles.
This story starts 10 years after the conclusion of California Bones. Daniel is still on the run with Sam after the explosive conclusion of the last book. We get to meet lots of new characters (including a couple surprising ones) but my favorite is Em. I would read a whole book about her and her magically created sisters.
Greg van Eekhout is a wonderful writer and he continues to build on a world that I can't get enough of. The story is brisk and full of action. The magic is fierce. Plus, there is a fire drake as the main part of the story. The only issue I have with this book is that it ended and there is only one book left in the series.
If you are looking for a fast paced action fantasy jump on board this train. Go pick up California Bones and Pacific Fire, you will thank me for it. Well, you will thank Greg van Eekhout first. Then maybe me. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bone magic, and alt west coast, more to come.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I did not like this as much as the first one. The first was a heist, right? This one has a heist in it, but it isn't "a heist". Thematically, feels a bit more like half of a story than a story, but the new one is coming out any day now.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved it! Such a different take on magic, and lots of food for thought about different things from friends and family to power and love. Can't wait to see what happens next.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The bulk of this story takes place years after the first book, following the lives of osteomancer Daniel Blackland and his adopted son Sam, the golem created from the essence of the late Hierarch. The two have stayed under the radar for the last ten years, constantly staying on the move in order to keep Sam out of the wrong hands. That is until one day, word reaches them that some very bad people are attempting to build the ultimate weapon of mass magical destruction — a real, live, honest-to-goodness Pacific firedrake.The premise behind these novels has got to be one of the most original and creative I’ve ever encountered in an urban fantasy series. The magic system of osteomancy – wizards who ingest creature bones and other body parts to absorb their essence and gain their power — is as cool as it is disturbing. I’m also a sucker for heist stories, which is why I loved the first book. However, this sequel, while also featuring a caper aspect, is more of character study and coming-of-age tale centered around Sam. Daniel on the other hand is still a major presence in the story, but it does feel like at times he is taking a step back to let the character of Sam shine.In my eyes, the classic heist plot of California Bones still gives the first book the edge, but admittedly not by much; Pacific Fire is just as fun and full of thrills as its predecessor, and I do appreciate the differences in the two books’ structure because it definitely made things more interesting.