Customer Reviews

Burn

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this short novel on a long AMTRAK trip and imagine my surprise when part of the story took place on . . . a train! The setting is a planet that has been turned into a social experiment where the residents live in the sort of simple, utopian, agrarian society advocated by Henry David Thoreau. Unfortunately, their ideal world has displaced the planet's original residents, the Pukpuks, who retaliate by setting fires in the forests planted by the utopians.

The science fiction element of the novel felt subtle and as a reader I was instead drawn in by the character of Spur, a firefighter wounded while battling the fires, and the rural community that could be anyone's hometown. This is very much a novel about a damaged man trying to do the right thing, with a good mix of humor, action and thought-provoking moral questions that mirror those of our own 21st century world.

Good stuff. And who knew Thoreau was so fascinated by fire?

Mr. Kelly's descriptions of burning and being burned, and the interactions between all his characters are really well done. And some are really painful. Spur and his relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife Comfort, the pain of his memories of the death of Comfort's brother in a self-immolation that did so much destruction, I felt them all.

The relationship of Walden with The Thousand Worlds is intricate and interestingly flawed. And the characters of Spur, High Gregory and the others of his band, and the various villagers and "government" people are very well done.

"Burn" is a very fine multilayered book that reads quickly, like a simple adventure, but will cause you to come back and think about the many philosophical questions that JPK raises.

Read this book. You'll like it!

James Patrick Kelly's BURN tells of a small planet whose new owner has his dreams of building his personal Walden from scratch - where voluntary simplicity is the rule. Unfortunately its existing inhabitants have other ideas - and they are capable of using fire to defend their own freedoms. Compromises, conflicts, and conflagrations evolve in a satisfying, changing plot that never fails to surprise.

This is an interesting take on the Sci-FI story of clashing cultures. Our main character, Spur is a resident of what a appears to be an agricultural society with the technology standards similar to our own of the 20th century, though they appear to practice more of an "Amish" life style, living in simplicity. The main story revolves around an "upsider" or someone from space who comes to this world, due to the inadvertent actions of Spur and we see the story play out from there. However, this is not the clash of cultures between the upsider and spur as you might initially expect. Instead what we see play out is almost an observance of the battle at hand between two cultures on the world. It is an interesting twist on the idea and for the most part works out.

The payoff in the story is unfortunately fairly predictable with the "villain" being exactly who you expect it to be. The reasoning for this person's actions are never fully explained though and I was left feeling a little empty on that part. I would have liked to learn more about the "pukpuk's" and their casue for the ensuing fight.

This book has a very literary feel about it. James Patrick Kelly has some quite wonderful, evocative passages, some intricate, subtle, and flawed characters, and a topic that resonates both with current events and with lovers of Thoreau. As an exercise in science fiction world-building (both political and geographical), however, there is a lack of complexity and reality that I think many scifi readers will find disappointing. Add in a few jumpy plot conveniences and a fairly silly and non-credible major character (The High Gregory) and you end up being vaguely dissatisfied. You may have gotten some extremely rich and tasty literary calories, but at the end you are still hungry. Donald J. Bingle, Author of Forced Conversion.

Well, it looks like I am in the minority here. I read this book in an evening and wasn't impressed. I understand what the author was trying to do, but when I read Sci Fi I want SCI FI. I want to know more! It seems like I was missing a ton of pages that explained or at least described things more. I'd like to hear back from anyone that feels the same.