The Fire Sermon cover art

The Fire Sermon

Fire Sermon, Book 1

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The Fire Sermon

By: Francesca Haig
Narrated by: Yolanda Kettle
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About this listen

When Zach and I were born our parents must have counted and recounted: limbs, fingers, toes. The complete set. They would have been disbelieving – nobody dodged the split between Alpha and Omega.

Nobody.

Cass is born a few minutes after her brother, Zach. Both infants are perfect, but only one is a blessing; only one is an Alpha.

The other child must be cast out. But with no discernible difference, other than their genders, their parents cannot tell which baby is tainted.

Perfect twins. So rare, they are almost a myth. But sooner or later the Omega will slip up. It will eventually show its true self. The polluted cannot help themselves.

Then its face can be branded. Then it can be sent away.

©2015 Francesca Haig (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Adventure Dystopian Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Scary

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Critic reviews

‘This book is a thought-provoking whirlwind of a story, with a fab lead character, grisly politics and brave adventure. I loved it!’ Jessie Burton

'A hell of a ride. I would recommend it to anyone I can, regardless of age' James Oswald

‘Set in a vividly realised world of elite Alphas and their ‘weaker’ Omega twins, it holds a mirror up to our obsession with perfection’ Guardian

‘Words like ‘masterpiece’ and ‘instant classic’ are cliché, but in the case of Francesca Haig’s astounding The Fire Sermon, they’re the only words to use’ Starburst Magazine

‘This terrific set-up spools out into a high tension tale of mistrust and dependency, injustice and optimism, told with poetic intensity’ Daily Mail

‘Haig’s post-apocalyptic world is colorfully fleshed out, and the conclusion ask us to consider who, really, is the Other’ Washington Post

‘With its well-built world, vivid characters and suspenseful plot, this book… is poised to become the next must-read hit.’ Kirkus
All stars
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Have you listened to any of Yolanda Kettle’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I thought it was a little dispassionate.

Any additional comments?

In this dystopian post-apocalyptic novel, there are two kinds of people, alphas, and omegas. Cass hides her status well, because unlike her fellow omegas, she has no deformity. She is an outcast even among her own kind and when Zach locks her in a holding cell she has plenty of time to dream, which is what seers do best. When she begins to dream of the island she knows that she has to keep it a secret, especially from the woman who probes her mind like a drill.
This is an epic science fiction cross fantasy adventure. The dystopian world is unique and disturbing, and the characters are well crafted. You get the sense of bleakness from the surroundings but Cass’s optimism keeps the story flowing warmly. There is just enough detail to visualize the world but not too much that you get bogged down with it. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book in the series.

Epic dystopian fantasy

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An excellent story. I have continued straight to book 2 I enjoyed it so much. Yolanda Kettle's narration is very good too.

Great story

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A great story, good characters and excellent propose. The story carries you along well and the world is fascinating. It's a powerfully written book

Very good book

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Would you listen to The Fire Sermon again? Why?

Yes. First book I've read/listened to since the Hunger Games, which is a worthy book in the post apocolyptic young adult dystopian fiction genre. Original. Gripping. Well developed characters. Looking forward to the next book.

Original, gripping

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Worth a listen if you like this genre. Set in a dystopian future, the main heroine Cass (an Omega) is on the run from the Alphas.

Entertaining

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loved it, great story. would definitely recommend to others looking for things to read. great

fantastic

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The author writes poetically and beautifully, telling the 1st part of this story of a post-apocalyptic primitive world in which residual radiation damage from a nuclear blast causes every family to give birth to twins - one normal, one deformed. The normal twins are the ruling "Alphas", the deformed ones the rejected "Omegas". Most Omegas are split and sent away soon after birth, to be looked after by relatives at Omega settlements. The twins are linked so strongly that if one dies, both die, so they can't just kill the weaker twin. So you'd have thought they might want to save them from suffering, but no, this isn't the case!

The discrinination is horrific to read, especially in this day and age. Omegas are cast out from society, shunned, feared and loathed. They are seen as a curse, whereas they are actually nature's way of preserving the species - twinning each birth, the mutations all concentrated in one half so the other half can be perfect. Far from being grateful to their mutated twins for saving them from mutation themselves, the Alphas make their twins' lives as hard as possible.
Within their own communities they are deprived of fertile growing land, tithed and hunted by the dominating Alphas. It's hard to figure out why they can't just coexist in peace! This is what Cass wants. But the Alphas don't agree.

Many Alphas are on the ruling Council, and the Council members are fighting among themselves. The danger of attack or assassination by killing their twin to get rid of them leads many Alphas to lock up their twins to keep themselves safe.

Then they discover old technology from before the nuclear destruction. This allows them to develop "holding tanks" full of viscous liquid to hold Omegas in suspended animation, life support tubes attached to every limb and orifice.

This book charts the life of Cass, the Omega twin of Zach. Cass is a telepathic seer, with no visible mutation, and Zach's whole life is twisted by his hatred of her because her lack of visible difference meant they were not split up until their teens. He sees her wish to stay with their family as a selfish desire to steal hia Alpha identity, and becomes a man driven by revenge and hatred, determined to rid the world of Omegas altogether.

The narrator is good, and pleasant to listen to but could have given each character a more distinct voice. It's sometimes hard to tell which character is speaking and I had to rewind.

This book reminds me of The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, and may have been inspired by it.

A cautionary tale!

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l bought this book on a curious whim. I was intrigued by the title. Upon starting the first chapter l was hooked. l was drawn in.

I am not familiar with the author or the narrator, however, l am happy l chose this book.

lt's suspense filled, beautifully written, characterised with verve and delicately presented.

The story is jarring and yet pulling. This book is an infectious story.

An Infectious Story

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Looking forward to the following story. Loved the narrator. Gripping and unusual. I recommend this book.

Really enjoyable story, well told.

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it was an interesting, thought provoking listen but it suddenly ends just as you think its getting to the crux. It felt like after all the detail and story building, the author couldn't be bothered to carry on with it. If there is no second book then that us how it felt. Unfinished like she was mid tale, frustrating ending.

ends just as it's getting really interesting

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