The Fireman by Joe Hill

This book is horrifying because it could be true.  It's an airborne disease that travels through ash.  If the ash touches you, you get the disease.  It's an unusual disease...

William Morrow and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 17th.

Stress can set you on fire.  Dragon scales form on your skin just like tattoos and you either learn to control the fire impulse or it eats you up.  Watching people instantly combust in front of you is terrifying.

As is usual, the government responds too slowly, the disease spreads and then vigilante groups begin killing.  No place is safe for those so touched.  Even the safe places aren't safe...

There is a nurse at the core of this story.  She's anxious to help people and volunteers at the local hospital.  She works there until the hospital burns down taking all the people within except for the fortunate few who escape.  Then she finds out she has the disease...

Her husband is not happy about it.  He wants her to commit suicide.  She's pregnant and wants to have the baby first.  Suddenly her loving husband has become her enemy.

This is a very long story but I skipped nothing.  It took all those words to show how it was to survive in the new world.  You meet characters that you empathize with and you find yourself hoping for a happy ending.  The ending was not quite what I wanted but nothing is predictable or right in this world.  Mr. Hill even throws a ghost in for good measure.  After you've read it, you'll be thinking about it for a while.