What a fantastic story to remind me of the courage of the human spirit! Our young hero is only 12, but he has seen horrors that would leave most adults trembling. He perseveres, not only saving himself, but also many others he meets along his journey.

I felt so much compassion for the Middle Eastern migrants, forced to leave their homes to face the unknown, if they are to survive. It’s an extremely timely and fast paced story which I recommend to readers of thrillers, spy stories, and eventual happy endings!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this book in exchange for my honest review.

A timely tale of the challenges faced by a refugee Syrian boy, Nani, making his way you Germany in hopes of reuniting with his father. Unbeknownst to him he is a highly prized and sought after asset to western intelligence forces and MI6 for his knowledge of the inner workings and people of ISIS, which made him equally sought by the terrorists to prevent that information from being shared. The spycraft seemed fairly up to date technologically and worked well as a backdrop to Naji’s personal interactions and his pursuers’ attempts to track and find him. All in all, a good read.

I haven't read an adventure novel in quite a while, but I am glad I read this one. It held me in its clutches from the very start. The action kept me turning the pages and I found each new character to be more interesting than the next. This was truly an enjoyable read. I received his ebook free from NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley I received this as an ARC. I enjoyed it very much was good solid read. Solid 4 Stars for me!

First published in Great Britain; published by Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press on October 2, 2018

Stories about plucky young refugees are always good for some heartwarming moments. Firefly combines a refugee story with elements of a spy novel and an action thriller. The plot is smart, the characters are complex, and the detailed atmosphere contributes a sense of realism to the story.

Firefly begins with a young Syrian refugee named Naji who is trying not to drown after his raft capsizes. Naji has stolen some information from a terrorist who wants to marry (enslave) Naji’s sister. Naji’s hope is to make his way to Germany, where he can establish himself and send for his family. But Naji is being chased by the terrorist whose information he hid the in the cloud, and the key to the cloud is hidden in the battered cellphone he uses to stay in touch with his sister.

The novel’s other primary character is Paul Samson, a former intelligence operative who is recruited by the SIS to find Naji. A psychologist named Anastasia who worked in one of the refugee camps befriended Naji, learned that he is being pursued by terrorists, and contacted officials who put Samson on the case. Samson is skilled at finding people, and he puts those skills to use as he follows Naji’s trail through Macedonia.

Samson is brave but he’s no superhero, which makes him both believable and sympathetic. Samson relies on his wits rather than muscles and guns. He stands apart from all the former Special Forces thriller heroes who can outfight twenty terrorists at a time. His personality balances darkness with decency.

Naji is cunning and resourceful, but also compassionate. He treats his harrowing journey as an opportunity for learning and growth, but he never stops being a kid who has been forced into an adult world. And he falls in love with a dog, which makes him a good kid. All novels are improved by the inclusion of a dog.

Firefly maintains a steady pace without shortchanging the details that bring stories and characters to life. Henry Porter depicts the problems faced by refugees who flee oppressive regimes with sensitivity that is free from maudlin sentiment. In short, Firefly does everything well. It is one of the most enjoyable thrillers I’ve read this year.

RECOMMENDED

There is so much in the news about refugees and the effects of Civil War on children, and I find myself wanting to escape into a good book. After reading Henry Porter’s latest, Firefly, I keep thinking about the sad situation faced by so many, and how grateful I am to have won the geographic lottery at birth…and YES, this is a good book!

Henry Porter has been referred to as a next-generation John le Carré, and has become a bestselling author in the UK, winning the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award along the way. Firefly begins with the young boy Naji fleeing his Serbian village with his parents and younger sisters. Just before his father dies, he instructs Naji to get to safety in Germany and arrange safe travel for his mother and sisters to join him. His chose route is from a refugee camp in Turley over water to Greece, then through Macedonia to Germany. Because of his small size, he is unable to pass as an adult, and has to use his wits to book passage. To add to the challenge, he is being tracked by members of a terrorist cell who want to eliminate him as a source of intelligence about the future plans of the bad guys.

MI6, being determined to find Naji (codename Firefly), recruits ex-case officer Luc Sampson, a Lebanese refugee himself whose fluency in Arabic is vital to the search. Luc’s mission is to find Naji, gain his trust, and bring him to safety.

It’s a great plot, with memorable characters. That in itself would earn it four stars. When you add in the impact of the story of the refugees and their challenges, it raises it to five. Unsettling due to being based on a tragic reality, but extremely well done. Thanks to Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis of Firefly led me to believe it would be a spy/thriller type genre. It was – in a way. At the same time, it was about so much more than that.

It was about humanity and how far people would go for the right to live.

The plot, in a nutshell, is fairly simple. A young refugee is fleeing for his life, escaping terrorists after stealing valuable information from them. He has to cross borders without the right papers and hide from the men on his trail who will kill him as soon as they find him.

The security services are following, attempting to get to him first – while he is considered the priority. When priorities shift, however, only one man, unattached to any official government agency is determined to help Naji – just because he is a young boy, alone and in need of help.

It’s a straightforward plot; a long chase from beginning to end. But it was masterfully told, drawing the reader in and keeping them in suspense with near-misses and shifting allegiances. I was gripped throughout the entire book and couldn’t put it down, desperate that Naji would find safety and Samson would prove humanity is more important than politics.

What really made this book, however, is the characters.

Samson is detached from any agency because they believe he has a gambling problem. But, unlike most thrillers I’ve read recently, this character flaw isn’t his defining characteristic: it’s a hobby, not an addiction, and it doesn’t dictate his actions throughout. He’s respectful to his mother, attentive to those he cares about and is single because he hasn’t found the right person rather than some personal tragedy in his past. He was a genuinely nice guy, and is the only one in the book prepared to follow Naji because it is the right thing to do, regardless of orders from up high.

Naji is extremely intelligent; it would have been easy to make him precocious. But he isn’t – he’s a scared teenager willing to do whatever it takes to get his family to safety. He’s brave and resourceful, but also terrified and emotional. He was a well-defined character and it’s easy to both like him and hope he survives.

There are numerous secondary characters that both aid and hinder Samson and Naji. Anastasia – a child psychologist – brings love to Samson and hope to Naji. The terrorists are chilling and those in power of the agency are detached in a way you fear for humanity with them calling the shots.

I found myself deeply effected by the plight of the refugees and what they are prepared to go through to reach safety. It’s something I’m ashamed to admit I know little about, but Firefly is told in a moving and sympathetic way that left me wishing the world could just be a much nicer place.

Firefly is an engaging and moving story that makes you truly feel for the characters. Both gripping and suspenseful, I recommend this book.

Put me in mind of reading eighties and nineties Tom Clancy. The little boy is a charming and resourceful character that immediately has you rooting for him. Several of the other characters are more caricatured but such is the way of this genre. One has to have the interfering and unhelpful intelligence services, the well-connected and funded benefactor and the hero with past military and espionage experience. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book; I did, and thoroughly. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre and those who like a good story.

This book started a little slow in my view, but quickly got my full attention, The main plot arc is supplemented with several other very interesting and suspenseful stories. The characters are developed in detail and provided with little idiosyncrasies that make them very real. By the ending this book was in competition for the best spy thriller I have read. Problems arise from every quarter and includes interference from the government bureaucracy as well as the bad guys. The main plot thread follows the tracks f a young boy as he tries to escape an assassin bent on killing him and arrange for his family to enter the EU after escaping from Syria. He is beset by his seriously evil pursuer and his men, corrupt and perverse government officials, and other refugees seeking to steal anything he has of value. Danger follows him and often impacts those who befriend him. The style of writing is clear and simple, providing sufficient details for great mental images. After giving it a rest, I plan to read this again.

Henry Porter is a new author for me and while I read a lot in the spy/thriller genre, his approach was a bit unique as well! I found his deep dive into the refugee arena to be very compelling; I enjoyed the characters and would like to see future adventures, if positible.

ISIS is a terrorist organization. The crimes they commit against their own people have been chronicled extensively. They kill, main, rape, and pillage scaring those who do not acquiesce into such a fearful state of affairs that they dare not disagree with the ISIS mantra. Kill the infidels, kill the unbelievers, and kill those who refuse to capitulate to their regime. In the book, Firefly we are taken to the refugee camps in Greece and travel as our young protagonist, Naji, runs from a man who is evil personified and his group of followers. Eluding capture from the refugee camp in Turkey where his family was, he traverses through many obstacles and impediments to try to survive and save his family. People in this Turkish camp and others are trying to escape the carnage, the poverty, and the war torn nations that they are from. Naji, who is thirteen, is desperately trying to bring his family to Germany. He is one among many. However, he has something stored in his phone that is his insurance that he can save his family. It is also a death sentence should he be caught by the terrorists who pursue him. Tasked with finding,Naji is Luc Samson, a former Lebanese refugee, who has to battle a numbers of things in his quest to find Naji. The terrain, the bureaucracy, and the inhuman members of ISIS are some of the things that thwart him. Will he be successful in finding this young man or will those who are intent on Naji's destruction and that of the information he carries be the victor.

I very much enjoyed this story of intrigue, drama, and the resiliency and brilliance of Naji. He was able, through his love of family, to take the word courage and live it every minute of every day. He was a fighter, a combatant in his war against cruelty and the men who espoused acts ever so horrible to win their goal. In his travels, Naj meets many people, the good the compassionate and those who endeavor to both befriend and help this young warrior. They are the ones who are pitted against the evildoers.

The only issue, I had with the story was the length that Mr Porter went to describe each and every detail. At times, this slowed down the pace of the story telling. However, most time the story was able to mimic the anxiety, the fear, and the terror that this boy was experiencing. Other than that, this was a daring story of young gladiator who above all knew that family is a treasure and one that most would do anything to preserve.

Thank you to Henry Porter, Grove Atlantic, and NetGalley for a copy of this thought provoking novel

Thanks to Mysterious Press and Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy of this book. The views expressed are my own.
Fired MI6 operative Paul Samson reluctantly agrees to help his former employers find a young Syrian refugee, Naji, who becomes known as Firefly. Naji has valuable intelligence about an ISIS warlord and is on the run from him and his henchmen, who want to kill him to prevent the spread of the information to the authorities.
The story begins with Naji's arrival at Lesbos, a Greek island off the coast of Turkey. From there the story of Naji's journey northward is told in segments told from alternating points of view of Naji and Paul. Paul struggles to find Naji who needs to elude the IS warriors, while avoiding the authorities who would put him into custody as an unaccompanied minor. He needs to press on to Germany where he hopes to establish himself and set up a home for his family. It's an exciting and suspenseful story, with Naji having several dangerous adventures along the way. For example, at one point he and a companion are attacked by bears looking for food. It's an account of the struggles faced by refugees trying to reach the so-called Schengen area established by the European Union where they can re-settle. Nagi encounters many kind people along with the usual greedy ones who profit from the refugees' plight.
The story also introduces Paul, a Lebanese refugee in his youth, who now that he has left MI6 works to find missing persons in the Mediterranean area. His main outside interest is betting on horse races in the UK; this activity is what led to his separation from MI6. It is a disappointment for me that this book doesn't really focus on Paul aside from his mission to locate Naji. However, it can serve as a platform for an interesting sequel.
This is an intelligent thriller which provides background colour to the plight of refugees.

Loved this book.
The characters, especially the young boy, are intriguing and well-developed. I hope the author plans a series, with the unusual protagonist doing other missions. He is both a gambler and a wise investor in the future, compassionate and ruthless at once, complex as most of us are.
When I started the book, I feared this would be another pro-immigrant rant with little fictional value, but I was wrong.
The concurrent stories of Isis pursuers, a traumatized but brilliant youngster seeking refuge, and a rescuer beset by politicians and opportunists merge quite successfully.
I will search for more by this author!

A wonderful espionage thriller! I immensely enjoyed delving into the world written by Henry Porter. Constant action and compelling plot motivates this story along. The writing was brilliant and i loved how well searched the backdrop to the plot was. The inner motives of the characters within this novel made for a wonderful novel.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

Can Firefly be saved, or will he be lost to the devastation wrought by war? Firefly is a 13-year old boy fleeing from a group of terrorists. He has two goals: to stay alive, and to bring his family to safety. An awful responsibility for a young child. But Firefly, Naji Touma, is no ordinary 13-year old. He has travelled alone from Syria to Turkey, heading to Germany. There he hopes to find a place to live in safety with his Mother and sisters. But he is followed every step of the way by men determined to torture and kill him because he knows too much.

Paul Sampson, ex MI6 operative was hired to find Naji and bring him to safety. As he traveled behind Naji, just missing him, he kept at it. His determination was on a par with Naji’s as each struggled to accomplish their goals.

This is the first Henry Porter book I have read, and I was pulled into his tale very early on. I enjoyed the book immensely but found it frustrating. The trekking was over-done, too many escapes from danger, too many spies, and too quickly ended. However, the story was good, the characters were interesting, and the writing was well executed. I would read another of his books, and I definitely will read “A Most Wanted Man.”

Book was archived before I could get to reading it. I am new to the galley and didn’t realize that the archive date meant that I could not access the title to read even if I had already downloaded it. Guess I will have to buy the book. Sorry I missed the opportunity. Too bad.

Feels so true

You will really like this book and you will learn from it. I have spent a lot of time recently working on refugee issues near the locations used in this story and this book feels so true. It reflects the stories of my friends who have fled the destruction of their homes. For those of you who hear few real stories of refugees this book will be a revelation.

It's a ripping good spy story too, with convincing characters, great scenery, and plausible action.

Taking place in the modern era, we follow a 13 year old youngster named Naji who fled from his village in Serbia with his ailing father, his mother and three younger sisters. His father's last instructions to him before he died were to try to get to Germany and establish safe harbor and transportation for his mother and sisters. Naji attempts to make his way from a Turkish refugee camp across the water to Greece, and then through Macedonia to safe harbor in Germany. Naji is small for his age, and children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, so though he has funds to purchase passage on public transports, he cannot buy a ticket or ride without an adult in attendance. He is being followed by two of the three IS agents who were responsible for the attack on Naji's village murdering many, bad men who know what he saw in Serbia and want to silence him permanently. To add to his difficulties agents from Britain, Greece and assorted sundry desert nations also want to know what he knows, and they too are dogging his journey. How can you be sure who is friend, who is foe? You simply must just keep on moving.

This was a very interesting tale, well paced and with action to keep you flinching and guessing and reading on long after your bedtime. Naji is an awesome kid, empathetic and smart. You can only wish the best for him and cheer at his victories. I thoroughly enjoyed Firefly and will add Henry Porter to my list of must reads.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Henry Porter, and Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

This book is a mad dash from Turkey to Greece, Macedonia and beyond while thirteen year old Naji tries to get to the EU so he can establish a safe place for his family. I think this book would have been better named had they actually used codename Firefly in the beginning of the book instead of halfway through.

Naji has in his possession valuable information on an ISIS cell that could help MI6 avoid an attack.

Resourceful and cunning I found myself cheering for this boy as he ran from terrorists and crossed borders undocumented giving MI6 and Samson a former Lebanese immigrant now a contractor for MI6 a run for his money. Samson's immigrant status and fluency in Arabic help him in trying to win Naji's trust.

Porter did a great job of showcasing what immigrants will go through in order to be safe and how there is now more than ever a distrust and fear of immigrants. This is a very timely book, has great intrigue and is well written.

I shudder whenever I read a book blurb comparing the author with a recognizable “big name,” someone who is well-known by most readers. The Le Carre reference was bothersome, but I gave Henry Porter’s “Firefly” a chance, and am glad I did.

The book is different than most of the spy stories on the market today. This story is written with thoughtfulness, with an eye on the plot and the characters at all time. If you are one who craves constant action with an agent whose accuracy with a gun is uncanny and is only rivalled by his skill with bedding beautiful women, you will probably be bored by Mr. Porter’s tale. I found the writing descriptive, placing me in the action and constantly revealing the inner characteristics of the people that the author chose to inhabit his story.

And this is where the Le Carre references originate, because this book depicts life as reality, crafting multiple stories of major and minor characters, melding them all together into a story that holds a reader’s interest with mild tension and a desire to see what happens to the people who inhabit the book’s pages. It is also where the references should end, because there is no doubt that Mr. Porter can stand on his own. “Firefly” is a compelling story, one worth the time to read slowly and savor the descriptive passages that tell of one boy’s battle to save his family and one man’s crusade to save the boy.

Bottom line: Excellent writing with a plot based on realism, with characters that leap off the pages and allow you to get to know them. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance complimentary ebook.