Customer Reviews

Devil in the North Woods

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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As a rule I am not a fan of fiction, historical or otherwise. I suspect it may be a flaw in the genes or DNA or the like but there it is. However, every once in a while there is an exception and this book is a perfect example. I became interested due to its subject matter, Wildfires. I have been intrigued with Wildfires after once living on the western slope of Colorado and experiencing their often devastating effects first hand on numerous occasions. Thus, when this book was recommended to me it piqued my interest and it turned out to be well worth my time.
The author skillfully blends the true story of Michigan's largest wildfire in modern history, the Metz fire of October 15, 1908, and the actual experiences of survivor Henry Hardies with a host of other characters, some fictional and some composites of real participants to tell a story that is highly readable, believable, and guaranteed to hold your interest from first page to last. The effects of the fire which killed 43, destroyed in excess of 900 homes, left 4,600 homeless, and destroyed the town of Metz is recounted in vivid detail and contains elements of love, death, sorrow, family, friendship, and rebirth that will leave the reader both a bit sad and yet hopeful.
In a time when some 175,000 books are published each year and many good writers, such as Walt Shiel, go unnoticed due to financial limitations for promotional activities, books such as this deserve a wide spread audience. This is first rate writing that at times will leave you wondering whether it is fact or fiction but in a manner that does not deceive or talk down to the reader. Highly Recommended.

"Devil in the North Woods" by Walt Shiel is a real barn burner. I kept trying to put out the fire. Walt's style kept me immersed in the story and fully engaged until way too late each night. I enjoyed the read and the education.

This is one of those books that change your life in a subtle way after you read it. Very well written page turner. Very good story of an actual account, VERY emotional.

I simply could not put this book down. I stayed up till 3AM three nights in a row, exhausted but unable to put this book down. And now that I've finished it, I'm sad that it's done, and I wish there was a movie based on this book, or this historical event.

This gripping story is based in Northern Michigan, an area that I have vacationed in and around, during my (youth) family's various vacations. The lure of the north woods, the clear clean waters of places like Crystal Lake, Beulah, Oscoda, Traverse City, Calumet, Michigan are quite a draw. It was worth it to get into the 68 degree water of Lake Huron, Michigan and Crystal Lakes. You could see small snails on the bottom, 20 feet down, as clearly as you could see them in the palm of your hand. Until we lived and walked in the Black Forest in Germany, it was the most impressive landscape of (mostly) pine forest that I ever experienced. These are beautiful magical places as long as the rains come regularly and the weather does not get too hot.
When pine forest is dry and the weather is hot, particularly near a land mass and a large body of water boundary, the weather can be unpredictable. Added to that threat, the only way to really prevent forest fires are to set vary controlled burns. You have to burn the underbrush beneath those tall pines or it will accumulate to the point that the least spark will cause it to detonate (and I use that word deliberately). These burns, particularly with changing wind currents can quickly get out of hand. What can occur then is Hell on Earth.
Devil in the North Woods is a story of a number of good, hard-working, simple pioneers, trying to earn their living in this remote and harsh environment - in 1908. That date caught my eye as that was the year that my Father was born. You already know why I focused on the area. Through Chapter 6, Mr. Shiel crafts a gently intertwining of half dozen families. He does so with excellent character development, not only within the individual threads, but between the threads themselves. The danger slowly develops, but these pioneers trust in their God and always look on the optimistic side of things. They do so at their peril.
The terror of the fire and the way it impacts these families and threads, cause you to lose yourselves in the words on the pages, which flip all too fast. You cannot put this book down; you are digging a hole in the ground with your bleeding fingers, so that you might breath, as the crown fires take away all oxygen and rain fire everywhere. The pine tops do not just catch fire - they explode. They explode violently enough that 100 ft. tall pines shoot into the air like rockets. You are breathing the unbearably hot and smoke-filled air, feeling your damaged lungs degrade within you. Your throat closes, your mouth is parched and the weak simply give up. The tragedy of the Metz, MI fire is profound. The fire experience is not over done but it is described in such a way that you are struggling with your neighbors to survive.
The magic of this book, if my preceding recitation has not drawn you in, is that more than 60% of the book is seen through the eyes of children. The central character is Henry Hardies. He is a middle child in a very large family and Henry is a classic 10 year-old, in behavior and in emotion. Where he excels is his spirit. He is strong and focused beyond his years. All too often these historical fiction stories are from the viewpoint of the adults. Henry and the other children are the reason you can't put this book down!
Not all survive, many you do not know their fate until the end. This is a story that you feel in your gut, and the lessons to be learned are on every page.

Well written. Exciting!
My mother Olive Gibbs Webber daughter of Charles Gibbs gave an exciting account of her livng through the wildfire on the Gibbs homestead about the same time the Metz Michigan wildfire occurred. This book gives a detailed account of what our ancestors went through, even tho' it is a novel, it is based on accounts of another person who also lived through the fire's events.

This book is great. My father in laws dad was Emil Luebke and he saved his house but almost died in the fire. We are from Rogers City. The story that is told has been told down our family and is very much what was told. We really enjoyed this book and would encourage anyone to read it, specially if your interested in Michigan history.

This is an excellent book based on the Metz fire. My father-in-laws dad is Emil and the stories in this book have been told to him many times. He said this is a keepsake for his family and beyond. We have read many things on this fire, but this is the most interesting. My husband lived in the farm house Emil saved during the fire. This is truly a great gift to all readers of Michigan history.

Devil in the North Woods is a work of historical fiction, based on modern reports and oral histories of a terrible 1908 wildfire in Michigan. Ten-year-old Henry Hardies survived the fire that claimed his mother and three younger sisters; in real life, Hardess told personal stories that his own children have handed down to this day. Devil in the North Woods vividly recreates the terrible blaze from start to finish, the toll it took, and the trials of human beings forced to recover from the devastating losses it inflicted. Though Devil in the North Woods tells the story of man vs. nature, its core is emotional and human-centered.

"Devil in the North Woods" by Walt Shiel grabs your attention, especially as he explains the historical background of this captivating story. He weaves history and drama into a serious page-turner. Recommended reading!