Fire [Paperback]

George R. Stewart (Author), Ferol Egan (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1984

Spitcat, a raging forest fire in the Sierra Nevada of California, had a lifespan of merely eleven days, "yet its effects could be reckoned ahead in centuries." So writes George R. Stewart in this engrossing novel of a fire started by lightning in the dry heat of September, and fanned out of control by unexpected winds. The book begins with the origins of the fire—smoldering quietly at first, unnoticed, then suddenly bursting into a terrifying inferno, devouring trees and animals over acre after acre and leaving nothing but desolation in its wake.

Firefighters and lookouts, forest rangers and smokejumpers—as well as animals in the forest, many of them the bewildered victims of the blaze, and all the varied tress and bushes there—are characters of this realistic story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The writing is superb—hard, lean, expressive prose. The feelings of the men as they work, eat, sleep, talk, are eloquently set forth. It''s an exciting story. . .and so real it''s hard to believe that the Spitcat never existed, never burnt a tree, so magnificently has Stewart imagined and circumstantially created it."—Christian Science Monitor

(Christian Science Monitor )

"A vivid and dramatic account of man pitted against one of his worst enemies. Fire shows the effect of this desperate fight upon the bodies, minds and souls of the men and women involved."—Newsweek

(Newsweek )

"An unforgettable novel."—New York Times

(New York Times )

"The cumulative effect of the whole thing is tremendous; there''s no other word for it."—San Francisco Chronicle

(San Francisco Chronicle )

About the Author

Other books by George R. Stewart available in Bison Book editions are Storm (BB 826) and The California Trail (BB 850).

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; First Edition edition (February 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803291388
• ISBN-13: 978-0803291386
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,178,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GET IT RIGHT, January 12, 2006

By 

Mr. Roger J. Allen "RJA" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

All of the reviews below this one are not about this book.
Fire is a meticulous description of a forest fire in California in the 1940s and of the people- foresters, fire-watchers, fire-fighters- and animals affected by it and its spread. It is well-written and an interesting companion to Norman Maclean's Young Mern and Fire.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and suspenseful work, June 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire (Paperback)

Stewart has written a wonderful piece. I easily finished the book in one day because I simply couldn't put it down. And to top it all off I wasn't as captivated by the men and women of the story as by the desire to know the fate of the fire. A great book and one that I would read again and again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fire, October 17, 2010

By 

Patsy J Rimmer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fire (Hardcover)

I was interested in this book because I had read Stewart's "Earth Abides" and "Storm" both listing this book as one of their author's earlier titles..then found it wasn't ever published in paperback, had no luck finding it in several used book stores, and finally discovered it was available on Amazon in hardcover. I enjoyed following the progress of the persistent spark in a well known forest that became an uncontrolled inferno in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the lives of the rangers, firefighters and denizens of the wilderness ..similar to his "Storm" novel in his riveting description of the tiny momentum of air that eventually affected so many familiar communities and their occupants.