in his first adult fantasy novel, Colfer takes on dragons. Highfire is a briskly entertaining outing centred on the curmudgeonly and slobbish Vern, last of the fire-breathing beasts of folklore ... Vern is closer to the size of a bear than a dinosaur, and the central plank of the book is his relationship with savvy local teenager Squib Moreau, who chances on the dragon’s lair. What could have been a fairly saccharine odd-couple, cross-generational confection, with Vern as the ultimate boomer to Squib’s Gen Z-er, becomes something more satisfying in Colfer’s deft hands ... While the humans who populate this grittily realised world are sometimes rather too quick to accept the existence of Vern, it’s probably necessary to keep the bouncy plot moving. With this satisfying and at times hugely joyous novel, Colfer is, like his engaging scaly protagonist, cooking on gas.

Thronged with dragon-sized metaphors, Peter Pan fans will adore the cheeky imagery and characters in this irreverent fantasy. Instead of Captain Hook, there’s Constable Hooke. Karma seems to be a character. Dastardly deeds come back to bite Hooke --- and not figuratively. This is Squib’s coming-of-age tale, the boy who does grow up. A huge high five to Highfire.

The question...seems to be, is there space for Colfer’s specific brand of Irish wit within this already crowded space? ... And the answer is yes. But that’s not exactly what we’re getting with Highfire. Primarily because it’s set in a swamp in Louisiana in southern United States. And while this gives Colfer a whole new palate of linguistic flair and colloquialisms to play with, it also, strangely, limits his traditionally expansive storytelling style ... It’s incredibly hard to write an original fantasy novel. And talking dragons are nothing new. But Colfer has managed to produce something fresh and infinitely readable here. Vern in particular is an incendiary joy; a cantankerous, lonely and existentially challenged dragon with a proverbial heart of gold – or fire. He resides happily at the core of a novel that never quite reaches its potential but has a hell of a lot of fun trying ... Colfer’s style is compelling, his language inventive, and, most importantly, his ideas are entertaining. I just want more. There’s no bigger picture here, and you can feel the lack ... Highfire is deliciously funny at times. In a sea of forgettable modern fantasy titles, it offers moments of genuine originality. It’s violent, but not quite violent enough. It’s witty but it’s not as razor sharp as some of Colfer’s best work. It’s ambitious but it could do better.

Author Eoin Colfer has a solid instinct for the vernacular, pronunciation, and dialogue of the language of America’s deep south, a talent perhaps made all the more unlikely from someone born, raised, and living in Ireland. His animated images of inhabitants of a backward Louisiana bayou is accurate and very well applied ... the author also creates evocative and haunting scenes, along with well-developed characters bound to eternal good and evil. The author has created sophisticated and well-designed protagonists, cloaked in very appropriate personas and with accurate bayou dialog. Unfortunately, the secondary characters are less fully developed ... This type of editing is useful for the sake of brevity, but not much else ... The book’s realism, corruption, vulgar dialogue, and criminal characters, suggests this book is unlikely to be referred to as 'classic literary fiction.' Yet it is thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining. Eoin Colfer’s specialty is magical realism, and it shines through this entire tale.

Highfire, the latest effort by Eoin Colfer, is a (literally) high-flying adventure wrapped in a fantasy, with a hint of police noir thrown in for good measure ... Highfire is infused with witty touches throughout. Vern may be a dragon, but he is truly Everyman — he loves his vodka, Netflix, and the movie Flashdance, ... Fantastical stories often fall prey to an enervating earnestness, demanding that we follow along with the protagonists on their oh-so-serious, heroic quests. Colfer, however, balances his work with just enough cynicism. And the Louisiana-bayou vernacular peppered throughout brings levity to the narrative’s more terrifying situations ... It is Colfer’s realistic portrayal of his characters that brings Highfire to life ... Above all, to enjoy Highfire, you should have a love of fantasy and an open-minded approach to the genre. It’s a fun, rip-roaring read that draws you in and leaves you short of breath from both action and laughter. It’s hard not to be captivated.

It's hard to know what to make of Highfire, the debut book for adults from Eoin Colfer. On one level it's a sort of pastiche of - or tribute to - the freewheeling, funny, picaresque crime capers of American writers such as Carl Hiaasen or, in his more whimsical moods, Elmore Leonard. On a whole other level, the book has a dragon for a central character ... The basic premise of Highfire is so ridiculous, in some senses, that you'd nearly wonder how it even came to mind for Colfer ... Highfire stands out...though whether that's in a good or bad way depends, I guess, on the individual reader ... Did I enjoy it? Yes and no. The novel is zippy and entertaining but goes on for too long. There are moments of real comic brilliance but at other moments the tone is all over the place.

Highfire is odd in a good way. It’s a delightfully bizarre book, a cross between a Burt Reynolds’ deep south good-ol’-boys action comedy and a coming of age fantasy. It’s ridiculous, raunchy and funny, and its characters are amusingly winning in a way that buoys the book ...The best character in the production is, naturally, Vern, who is the most interesting dragon figure I’ve read about in some time. The others stand out as unique enough but don’t draw as much attention as he does, with his confidence and cock-eyed sense of humor ... The banter, action, dialogue and sense of humor...are all top notch and absolutely elevate Highfire to a high-recommended level grade. It’s a fun, ridiculous, rollicking trip that’s worth all of the little bumps along the way.

In his return to adult fiction, Colfer...spins a twisty, tongue-in-cheek fantasy that’s part thriller, part action movie, and wholly irreverent ... Colfer’s catchy narrative voice suits the characters and their setting perfectly, capturing Vern’s world-weary nature, Squib’s youthful adaptability, and Hooke’s malicious cunning. This no-holds-barred yarn is good fun from start to finish.

Vern may be a dragon, but he has a taste for TV, vodka, Flashdance T-shirts, and all sorts of things he can’t get for himself ... Vern’s taste for modern life (he’s on the Keto diet) is clever, and he is a prickly but lovable foil to the unholy terror that is Constable Hooke ... A fun, unusual contemporary fantasy that doesn’t skimp on violence.