The Fireman by Joe Hill + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today kicking off the TLC blog tour for Joe Hill's latest, The Fireman.

It was a plague unlike any other before. A spore that infected and spread, causing its victims to smoke and heat until they burned. Harper Grayson, a nurse, witnessed her first death by fire while the schools were still open. They closed that very day. After that, the hospitals became overrun, the power went out, food became scarce, and Harper herself became infected. 

But Harper has a reason to live. A reason to fight. A life growing inside her that all evidence says can survive this thing - if Harper herself can live until the birth. With her deranged husband intent on ending them both and a government tracking down all those infected, she'll have her work cut out for her. But she's not alone. She has a an ally by her side, one who wants to see them all through this thing. 

Wow! I've been a fan of Joe Hill's work for quite some time and one thing I've definitely learned is that each and every new piece - whether it be a novel, a novella, or a short story - is going to be something completely different from the last. And, as was the case here, something completely unexpected. That said, Hill's work is such a must read for me that I admittedly go into them without even really reading what they're about. So I had no idea this one was about a plague that caused spontaneous combustion. Or that it was basically a viral apocalypse novel.

Harper is wonderful! I loved her from the very first page. A school nurse who placates crying children with candy, a radish, and a potato! A nurse who is willing to risk her own life to help others.

These two things combined are what leads to the rest of her story. As a volunteer in a hospital - one of those overrun by people infected with Dragonscale (aka Draco Incendia Trychophyton) - Harper steps in to help a desperate fireman. This act earns her a respect and protection that she doesn't even realize she has until she so desperately needs it. And of course her desire to help people leads to her infection. The fireman is oh so cool and fabulous. Or, maybe not cool in the literal sense. But you have to find that out for yourself. But, unlike the title would lead you to believe, Harper is the star of the show!

The Fireman is dark and bleak at times, but that our heroine loves Julie Andrews, and Mary Poppins in particular, should be a clue to the fact that all is not doom and gloom here. There are some great moments of dark humor and a ton of fantastic pop culture references. It makes for such a fabulous chunkster of a read, perfect as a first book of the New Year!

The Fireman is out in paperback today, so if that holiday gift card is burning a hole in your pocket...

And now for the giveaway! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, January 16. Open US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Joe Hill and his work you can visit his website here. You can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram. And if you're on Litsy, you can find him there as joe_hill.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble