Galefire is a Urban Fantasy novel by Kenny Soward, author of Gnome Saga.
Lonnie is just your average runner for the infamous Eighth Street Gang when he gets an urgent phone call to back up his crew after trouble follows them home from a drug deal gone bad.
During the ensuing firefight, Lonnie sees some things he wishes he hadn’t, including the gang’s leader, Selix, channeling her powers from a place called the Fade by getting high…and dancing. Memories begin unraveling inside Lonnie’s darkened mind. Memories of dragons and fiends and fire-swept otherworlds. Memories Selix controls with a simple touch. But what is real and what is not?
In the strange and violent world of Galefire, Lonnie comes to realize not everything is as it seems, including his own identity. But will Lonnie and Selix reconcile the past before they are caught by those who seek to drag them home in chains?
The sequel, Holy Avenger was released in 2017.
Tropes present in this work:
- Becoming the Mask: The 8th Street Gang are warriors from the Fade who are pretending to be human junkies and drug-dealers. They're now fairy junkies and drug dealers who have a few of their old skills and abilities.
- Big Brother Is Watching: The only way to escape Devan was to flee to Earth, wipe their leader's memories, addict him to drugs to keep him addled, and then pretend to be drug-dealers. Unfortunately, Becoming the Mask ensued.
- Drugs Are Bad:
- Lonnie lives in a fugue state where he doesn't do anything other than what he's told. It also helps keep him from remembering his past. It also reduces the majority of the 8th Street Gang to living in squallor, making stupid decisions, and just watching telvision all day.
- Played with as there's enough element of Drugs Are Good that it also shows why he takes them regularly.
- Functional Addict: Lonnie is a badass gangster even though he's high as a kite 24/7. When he's not in battle, though, Lonnie is very much an Addled Addict.
- Ms. Fanservice:
- Selix is one of the sexiest women Lonnie has ever met despite the fact she's a heroin addict. He even calls her the living embodiment of heroin chic.
- The sisters qualify as well being vampires, sisters, and British.
- More than Mind Control: Lonnie was addicted to drugs by his gang to help control him.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Lonnie doesn't recall anything about his past other than he had a wife and a child. Who turn out to be creations of Selix. It was also done at his behest so he could escape from Devan's divination spells.
- Our Fairies Are Different: They're a bunch of sleazy drug-addicted gangsters living in Cincinatti.
- Tomato in the Mirror: The realization his wife and child were nothing more than constructs to keep him grounded. Also, the fact Lonnie is a fairy prince.
- Urban Fantasy: A bunch of fairies and supernaturals living as a gang in Cincinnati.
- Villains Out Shopping: After a gun fight which takes up a quarter of the book, the 8th street gang spends a good deal of time arguing over the television set while discussing getting high.
