[.ca] Firefly Rain (ISBN 0786948566)

Firefly Rain delivers:
Richard Dansky owes me a night's sleep. Firefly Rain kept me up to the wee hours of the morning, and not just because I had to read the next page to find out what happened next. No, the book had me wondering if the creeks and groans I was hearing were coming from inside my apartment and asking myself if I'd locked my patio door before curling up under the covers of my bed. There arent many books that manage to give me chills, but Firefly Rain has at least two moments where I felt goose-bumps rise and the heart race. Before, between and after those moments, Dansky has crafted a wonderful tale of a man coming home to a place hed never thought of as home. In between the plot and story elements, Dansky also manages to create believable and sympathetic characters. Among the strongest of these is the town and house that form the setting. I grew up on an non-farm outside Edmonton, Alberta and found the book's version of that small town rustic life had a great resonance with my own experiences (although Alberta is some distance from the North Carolina setting of the novel). With the expertly crafted characters and setting, a plot designed to build suspense and wonder, and a few excellent ice-down-the-spine moments, Firefly Rain is a wonderful start to the new book line from Wizards of the Coast, and one hopes is merely beginning of what will be a long and successful career.