Dragonfire – James Swallow

The follow-up to 2022’s Firewall, James Swallow’s Dragonfire is his second novel in Aconyte Book’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell range of high-tech thrillers, and another gripping, action-packed page turner. Set after the events of both Firewall and the game Ghost Recon: Wildlands (specifically the ‘Operation Watchman’ mission, according to the author’s note), it sees Sam Fisher sent into North Korea on a typically high-risk mission to prevent a dangerous weapon from falling into the wrong hands, only for the mission to go badly wrong leaving Sam captured by ruthless enemies and disavowed by his own people. Ignoring orders from a Fourth Echelon wracked by political manoeuvring, Sam’s daughter Sarah risks her own life to bring him back, and between them the two Fishers start to unveil a plot that threatens to destabilise the global status quo.

Compared to Firewall this has a slightly more global feel to it, really digging into the geopolitical aspects of the genre and featuring suitably villainous antagonists whose goals revolve around national identity and power. In contrast with the wide-reaching plot, Swallow keeps a tight character focus on Sam and Sarah, continuing key themes of Sarah trying to understand her father and come to terms with what she wants for herself, and Sam worrying about both the safety of his daughter and the encroaching pressures of his age. Various characters return from Firewall (and presumably the games, if you’re familiar with them), but the focus is very much on the Fishers, their damaged relationship and the attempts they make to repair it even in the midst of life-threatening danger.

You know exactly what you’re going to get from a Swallow thriller, and this doesn’t disappoint whether you’re a fan of the video games or not. He has a real knack of writing tremendously entertaining plots that, while stretching reality like all good cyber thrillers do, are incredibly relevant, and this is no different. Certainly the idea of major nation states being drawn into conflict with North Korea is utterly, worryingly believable, and makes for a suitably ominous backdrop to a breathless tale of high-tech, globetrotting action and espionage. As always with this sort of tie-in fiction, however high the stakes there’s not much in the way of genuine fear for the survival of the main characters, but that actually contributes an element of comfort to the story that only adds to its strength as pure escapism.

What there is, however, is a sense that events here are having an impact on the setting and the characters, from the shifting dynamic between the Fishers to the changes happening within Fourth Echelon. It doesn’t just feel like another adventure, in other words, but rather a relevant plot point within the IP as a whole. Dedicated fans of the Splinter Cell IP will have a better handle on where this sits within the timeline, but as always with Aconyte there’s no requirement to be an existing fan. There are some clear references to characters and events, but even if you spot them and don’t know what they refer to, they don’t distract from the sheer momentum of the story. Even if you have no interest in the games, there’s more than enough here to enjoy purely as an excellent thriller in a vivid, well-drawn world. Here’s hoping Swallow has more adventures planned for the Fishers.

Review copy provided by the publisher

See also: my review of Firewall by James Swallow

Dragonfire is out now from Aconyte Books – check out the links below to order* your copy:

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