James Kidmans first novel (written as the pseudonym for author Brian Freeman) is a dark, disturbing offering utilizing three methods to get the story across. The reader is treated with the past history of the character, the present, and journal tidbits. This manner leads to a convoluted, confusing tale that kept

my mind dancing along the edges of sanity as I followed in the footsteps of the mains characters trials.

While the tale is exciting, foreboding, and filled with dark memories of the past, certain things weighed it down, including slower paced introductory chapters, a little too much middled leading, and not much on the side of scares.

The protagonist, Eddie, is a well written character with a hellacious life. I felt for him the whole time, and enjoyed being in his head - his personality held chemistry with mine. There weren't that many other characters involved, but the ones that were did their job. The book is a very solitary tale, told in a first person point of view, a form not used as often these days. I, however, love it when this POV is used, as long as it's done well. I felt a stronger bond with Eddie because of it, and the atmosphere came across as confusing (in a good way!), dramatic, and creepy.

The ending of Black Fire stunned me; that alone made it worth the read. Although it's not flawless, it is a terrific debut, strong in plot and characterization, but a bit weak in pace. ( )