After the Fire: A Novel

by Daniel Robinson

Barnes, the supervisor of a Hot Shot wildfire suppression crew, is haunted by the season past, when many members of his dedicated, young team were killed in a Colorado forest fire that went all wrong, scorching the Hot Shots as they fled, some as they struggled into their fire shelters. He wakes each morning in the presence of their ghosts as they proceed across his bedroom or assemble at his kitchen table, their eyes asking questions that he cannot answer. As he tries to unravel the threads of what happened - what went wrong - he relives the deadly fire again and again in his mind.Barnes's responsibility for the lost lives is an unbearable weight upon him, lightened only by his neighbor, a little girl named Grace, who lives with her mother and grandfather. This family of three has its own struggles, and Barnes is able to help each of them through the simple act of friendship and, finally, one lucky act of salvation. But it is they who save him, ultimately, and as Barnes becomes more deeply enmeshed in their lives, he understands that the ghosts may not be with him forever.Robinson skillfully pieces together the past while interweaving it with the present, creating an unforgettable mosaic of heroism, fatal errors, sorrow, and hope.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction-novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Peter Durnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robinson is a good man and an AP reader, so this was required reading. It's good, too, though my long slog through the hundreds of books by the same title make me wonder about that choice. It's shot through with machismo, so I don't necessarily recommend it widely, but it is a chilling look at fire jumpers.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading quite a bit of wildfire narratives over the last few years, from the worlds of smokejumpers to (more commonly) hotshots....and recently a couple of fictional works, from experienced hotshots, this as well as Wildfire: A Novel, have joined those ranks. The melancholy is real here, thought the two halves of the narrative aren’t perfectly in balance...still it’s a solid tale.

[Sandi Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first novel of a wildfire team leader!

Robinson brings a reality to Barnes and his team, even to the loss of part of his crew. Good characterization, a good read!