Above the Fire
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-12 07:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael O'Donnell
- ISBN：B0BRRQVGLC
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
An enthralling debut， Above the Fire crystallizes the relationship between a father and son as they survive a winter of isolation。 Perfect for fans of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller and The Road by Cormac McCarthy。
Laboring under a shared loss， Doug and his young son， Tim， set out on a late season backpacking trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire。 They find beauty and solidarity in the outdoors， making friends along the trail， and falling into the rhythms of an expedition。 But when reports of warfare and social collapse reach the ranger station， Doug--seeking to protect the only family he has left--withdraws even further into the backcountry。
The alpine winter presents its own dangers， as father and son must endure the elements， the solitude， and the ever-present threat of outsiders。 As their isolation intensifies， and the nature of the country's disorder becomes more unsettling， their bond with each other grows more fierce。 But as spring approaches， they must decide whether--and how--to confront the perils of a changed world。
Laboring under a shared loss， Doug and his young son， Tim， set out on a late season backpacking trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire。 They find beauty and solidarity in the outdoors， making friends along the trail， and falling into the rhythms of an expedition。 But when reports of warfare and social collapse reach the ranger station， Doug--seeking to protect the only family he has left--withdraws even further into the backcountry。
The alpine winter presents its own dangers， as father and son must endure the elements， the solitude， and the ever-present threat of outsiders。 As their isolation intensifies， and the nature of the country's disorder becomes more unsettling， their bond with each other grows more fierce。 But as spring approaches， they must decide whether--and how--to confront the perils of a changed world。
Reviews
Kathleen Odinga
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I loved this book。 It was a poignant story of parenthood， childhood innocence， grief， and survival in the great outdoors。 The thoughtful character development and attention to descriptive detail completely enraptured me。
Karine
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Doug， a recent widower， takes his young son Tim on a backpack holiday along the Appalachian Trail。 On their third day， worrisome information seeps through to their location and Doug can only conclude that civilization as we have always known it doesn't exist anymore。 His main task is to keep his son safe， and Doug decides to spend the winter in a cabin in the woods， where both father and son depend on each other to survive in solitude。 The arduous life in a small cabin in winter with limited res Doug， a recent widower， takes his young son Tim on a backpack holiday along the Appalachian Trail。 On their third day， worrisome information seeps through to their location and Doug can only conclude that civilization as we have always known it doesn't exist anymore。 His main task is to keep his son safe， and Doug decides to spend the winter in a cabin in the woods， where both father and son depend on each other to survive in solitude。 The arduous life in a small cabin in winter with limited resources but surrounded by stunning nature made me think of the sublime novel The Wall by Marlene Haushofer， which is one of my favorite books of all time。 Above the Fire isn't as poignant and kinder and leaves the reader hopeful at the end。 But the characters of father and son are very well crafted and there is the continuous dilemma of returning to society or staying withing the relative security of the mountain hut。 The description of the mountains and the life in the cabin surrounded by wildlife is beautifully done。 This debut is surprisingly expertly crafted， the writing is as crisp as mountain air on a spring morning。 An author that needs to be watched， for sure ！ A sincere thanks to NetGalley， Blackstone Publishing and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Anne Altman
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4。25 or 4。5 stars probably。 I really enjoyed this quiet little novel。 It’s something between a Leave the World Behind， Station 11， These Silent Woods， and The Road type of reading experience。 The story is about a man and his son on a hiking trip in the mountains when there is a cyber attack on the US and all hell breaks loose down below in the cities and towns where most people live。 There is no plague or anything like that， but the world is unstable so they try to survive in the mountains。 It’s 4。25 or 4。5 stars probably。 I really enjoyed this quiet little novel。 It’s something between a Leave the World Behind， Station 11， These Silent Woods， and The Road type of reading experience。 The story is about a man and his son on a hiking trip in the mountains when there is a cyber attack on the US and all hell breaks loose down below in the cities and towns where most people live。 There is no plague or anything like that， but the world is unstable so they try to survive in the mountains。 It’s a very quiet survival story about a father and child trying to make it on their own and the friends， challenges， and struggles they encounter along the way。 This isn’t a blood rushing， plot driven story。 Instead， it’s a character study and an exploration of a father-son dynamic。 It was very quiet but very beautiful， and I felt so deeply for these characters。 Thank you， Libro。fm， for this wonderful audiobook。 。。。more
Kristi
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Rtc
Jennifer
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In “Above the Fire” a father-son backpacking trip takes an unexpected turn when reports of social collapse start trickling into the wilderness。 Trapped in a backcountry hut， the duo must use all their skills to survive a harsh winter in the White Mountains。 The narrative is character-driven， with a focus on the relationship between the father and his young son。 The few moments of action are fleeting， leaving the book feeling more like a slice-of-life than a survival story。 Still， the narrative i In “Above the Fire” a father-son backpacking trip takes an unexpected turn when reports of social collapse start trickling into the wilderness。 Trapped in a backcountry hut， the duo must use all their skills to survive a harsh winter in the White Mountains。 The narrative is character-driven， with a focus on the relationship between the father and his young son。 The few moments of action are fleeting， leaving the book feeling more like a slice-of-life than a survival story。 Still， the narrative is engaging， and I was very invested in what would happen to the characters。In the end， the book left me feeling frustrated。 The story ends abruptly， with many questions left unanswered。 I would have appreciated a short epilogue to tie up some loose ends。Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for sending me this book for review consideration。 。。。more
John M。 Boatman
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I really enjoyed the relationships in the book。 I pre-ordered the book based on a recommendation and I’m so glad I did。
Shannon （It Starts At Midnight）
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Above the Fire is a quiet survival story about a father and a son attempting to make it out of the Appalachian mountains unscathed when chaos strikes in the world below。 Doug and Tim have set out for a long hike， to get some distance from their grief， really， and to reconnect。 Doug's wife and Tim's mom died not all that long ago， and Doug feels like they are just kind of stuck。 Since hiking was something he and his wife enjoyed doing， he figured it would be a good bonding experience。Things start Above the Fire is a quiet survival story about a father and a son attempting to make it out of the Appalachian mountains unscathed when chaos strikes in the world below。 Doug and Tim have set out for a long hike， to get some distance from their grief， really， and to reconnect。 Doug's wife and Tim's mom died not all that long ago， and Doug feels like they are just kind of stuck。 Since hiking was something he and his wife enjoyed doing， he figured it would be a good bonding experience。Things start out pretty normal for a hike with a seven year old。 But pretty quickly into the hike， they receive word that something is amiss off-mountain。 Word spreads that a fire is decimating a nearby town， and people are straight up vanishing。 Some folks want to stay on the mountain， far away from the melee， while others want to get home as soon as possible。 Doug falls into the former camp。So yeah， survival！ I really enjoyed the story， especially seeing Doug try to build his relationship with his son， all while keeping them both safe。 There are some other characters introduced in the story， and I was glad for them。 It made the story feel a bit more well rounded。 Without giving too much away， I will say that the only downside for me is not having enough of my questions answered。 There are quite a few loose ends that I just hated not knowing the answers to， but alas。 The story was still a good one！ Very atmospheric， too- I could definitely feel the cold and the wilderness， and the isolation from the rest of the world。Bottom Line: Obviously a very big focus on family and survival， this was a very quiet yet lovely story about a father and son trying to stay alive during dire conditions。You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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Above the Fire by Michael O'Donnell is a highly recommended novel about a father and son relationship in a dystopian situation。Doug， a middle-aged widower， and Tim， his seven-year-old son， are on a late season backpacking hike through the White Mountains of New Hampshire。 The trip is to introduce Tim to hiking outdoors an activity his father and mother used to enjoy。 The trip is going well for father and son when something happens in the world。 All communication is lost and there are fires repor Above the Fire by Michael O'Donnell is a highly recommended novel about a father and son relationship in a dystopian situation。Doug， a middle-aged widower， and Tim， his seven-year-old son， are on a late season backpacking hike through the White Mountains of New Hampshire。 The trip is to introduce Tim to hiking outdoors an activity his father and mother used to enjoy。 The trip is going well for father and son when something happens in the world。 All communication is lost and there are fires reported in the towns below。 They later learn at the Mt。 Washington ranger station some limited news: a massive cyber attack on infrastructure that has resulted in violence breaking out， looting， and perhaps war。 Doug decides it would be safer for them to wait things out through the winter at Madison Spring hut。Above the Fire is an introspective， reserved， and thoughtful dystopian that moves beyond the rumored chaos hitting the world off the mountain。 The writing is very good in this debut novel。 It is a quick， compelling read that establishes a hopeful tone during a difficult and stressful situation。The relationship between father and son and their survival is the essential focus of the novel。 Both Doug and Tim are portrayed as realistic characters。 Doug is especially fully realized in his role as a father protecting and caring for his son while battling nature as the unknown hits the USA。 He and his son bond together and experience some healing during their time together on the mountain。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2023/1。。。 。。。more
Karen
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I was invested in this story… and very let down at the end！ So many loose ends… I don’t know what the point of the story was， to end it this way。 Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC
Candie
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3。5 starsI enjoyed this book。 It was a good mix between the sweet character based story of the father and his son and the tense， on the edge of your seat what is going to happen feeling。 It was endearing to see the father and son being forced to block out all the extra noise in life and just focus on their relationship and surviving。 The author is very good at writing the inside of people's minds and hearts but making it seem so simple and casual。 The writing really has a lot of feelings and dra 3。5 starsI enjoyed this book。 It was a good mix between the sweet character based story of the father and his son and the tense， on the edge of your seat what is going to happen feeling。 It was endearing to see the father and son being forced to block out all the extra noise in life and just focus on their relationship and surviving。 The author is very good at writing the inside of people's minds and hearts but making it seem so simple and casual。 The writing really has a lot of feelings and draws you into the characters。 I personally felt that the ending was a bit loose。 I was left with quite a few questions， but I think that was the intent。 I feel like people who enjoyed I Who Have Never Known Men would enjoy this book。I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Todd
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After viewing a captivating interview with Michael O'Donnell， I was curious to read this book， which is unlike my usual reading fare。 An adventure and survival story set in a suddenly dystopian United States， but in the peaks of New Hampshire's White Mountains， far from the chaos below。 The deep dive into the relationship that O'Donnell portrays between widower Doug and his 7-year-old son Tim is incredibly well-done。 I don't remember reading a more accurate description of a child that age and hi After viewing a captivating interview with Michael O'Donnell， I was curious to read this book， which is unlike my usual reading fare。 An adventure and survival story set in a suddenly dystopian United States， but in the peaks of New Hampshire's White Mountains， far from the chaos below。 The deep dive into the relationship that O'Donnell portrays between widower Doug and his 7-year-old son Tim is incredibly well-done。 I don't remember reading a more accurate description of a child that age and his fleeting moods， his brilliant observations， and his need for companionship。 Doug is also a revelation。 I love character portrayals of people I can imagine knowing， and the author depicts Doug as a fully-fleshed out person who needs to adjust to a new reality， and fast。 Realizing their potential fates and making thoughtful decisions， sometimes with very little time to consider them， was impressively written。 The setting was beautifully rendered， having been to the top of Mt Washington some years ago in the summer， I can only imagine was a late fall and winter would be like up there。Occasionally I would have liked even a bit more introspection （and perhaps more speculation on what was actually happening "below"）， but I think that for the most part Doug's need to focus on his and his son's survival and future made sense。 I liked the short sentences and portrayal of the manner that men tend to think。 The fairly short length of the book was appropriate， and while a sequel is possible， I wouldn't necessarily need to read it， as this stands on its own just fine。A really strong four stars， for a book I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did。 。。。more
Sarah Dykes
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Father and son duo， Doug and Tim， are on a hiking trip up in the mountains when there is a cybersecurity attack on America， and the grid goes down。 Chaos ensues and while many other hikers opt to go down to their homes and families， Doug decides that it is safer for himself and Tim to remain in the mountains。 This is a beautiful story of grief， relationships， and survival。 Above the Fire is a very quiet story but incredibly compelling to read — I could not wait to read it， and I could not put it Father and son duo， Doug and Tim， are on a hiking trip up in the mountains when there is a cybersecurity attack on America， and the grid goes down。 Chaos ensues and while many other hikers opt to go down to their homes and families， Doug decides that it is safer for himself and Tim to remain in the mountains。 This is a beautiful story of grief， relationships， and survival。 Above the Fire is a very quiet story but incredibly compelling to read — I could not wait to read it， and I could not put it down。 It is elegantly written， and the character development is exceptional。 There is certainly a dystopian element to the story， and there are bleak times， but overall， the tone is hopeful。 Above The Fire is an outstanding debut novel。 I am already recommending it to friends。Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for review。 。。。more
J。
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I thought this was a beautiful book。 Widower Doug and his 7 year old son set out for a week long hike in New Hampshire's White Mountains。 Early in their trip something happens in the world below the mountains。 Communication and electricity is out。 The Rangers aren'y able to tell people what is going on but lead the hikers out。 Doug and his son hesitate to return to the unknown problems below。 They decide to wait things out in the stocked hiking camp。 Their wait extends into winter。 This is a ver I thought this was a beautiful book。 Widower Doug and his 7 year old son set out for a week long hike in New Hampshire's White Mountains。 Early in their trip something happens in the world below the mountains。 Communication and electricity is out。 The Rangers aren'y able to tell people what is going on but lead the hikers out。 Doug and his son hesitate to return to the unknown problems below。 They decide to wait things out in the stocked hiking camp。 Their wait extends into winter。 This is a very thoughtful book about the relationship between the father， son and nature。 Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title。 。。。more
Kasia Hubbard
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A very quiet and thoughtful story of survival from internal struggles and external circumstances。 Doug and Tim join a group hiking to the top of a mountain range in New Hampshire， as a way of doing something to keep them busy and engaged after the loss of Doug's wife。 Very shortly， the group finds out that the world has experienced something massive， communications and internet go down， and madness soon ensues。 This story then really focuses on Doug， his son Tim， and their ever growing relations A very quiet and thoughtful story of survival from internal struggles and external circumstances。 Doug and Tim join a group hiking to the top of a mountain range in New Hampshire， as a way of doing something to keep them busy and engaged after the loss of Doug's wife。 Very shortly， the group finds out that the world has experienced something massive， communications and internet go down， and madness soon ensues。 This story then really focuses on Doug， his son Tim， and their ever growing relationship， hope， endurance， and life。 Beautifully done， especially for a debut novel。 *I received a copy of this book from NetGalley。 This review is my own opinion* 。。。more
Siobhán
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*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*"Above the Fire" is the story of a father & his son stuck in the mountains as the US is hit by a cyberattack destroying the infrastructure （power grid， no electricity， no cellphone signal） and throwing the States into chaos。 Because of looting and the violence below， the father decides to stay in the mountains， to wait for all of this to blow over after the winter。 Isolated in a cabin high in the mountains， father and son survive。 *I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*"Above the Fire" is the story of a father & his son stuck in the mountains as the US is hit by a cyberattack destroying the infrastructure （power grid， no electricity， no cellphone signal） and throwing the States into chaos。 Because of looting and the violence below， the father decides to stay in the mountains， to wait for all of this to blow over after the winter。 Isolated in a cabin high in the mountains， father and son survive。 Doug makes sure that Tim's education does not suffer while dealing with intense anxiety and the total isolation from both the world at large and other adults / human contact。 Not knowing what is going on below is scarier than I thought。 I loved how soft spoken and thoughtful the father was， always pondering as to how to best protect but also help his son grow as a human being。 While this might sound like a dark， dystopian novel， it is actually quite hopeful and more introspective than action driven， which I really really loved。 The novel is compared to "The Road" but I do not think that this is fitting apart from the character constellation as both plot， tone & ending are vastly different。I really liked this book！ 4。5 stars 。。。more
Samantha Moldovanyi
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Not so far out there after all the recent events in the world。 I appreciate the “growing up” we got to experience in the story and it kept my attention。 But there were so very many things left hanging。
Stephanie
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This is quiet book about relationships - with yourself， with family， with friends， with nature。 There isn't a lot of on the page action but the disorder that the country is undergoing presents a stressor that creates tension。 Loved this book。 It was thoughtful and had depth。 The writing is rich with description and atmosphere。 Highly recommend。 This is quiet book about relationships - with yourself， with family， with friends， with nature。 There isn't a lot of on the page action but the disorder that the country is undergoing presents a stressor that creates tension。 Loved this book。 It was thoughtful and had depth。 The writing is rich with description and atmosphere。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Set in a dystopian world where survival rules， a man forges an unbreakable bond with his young son。 Doug and seven year old Tim go hiking in the White Mountains before cold weather sets in。 Doug is an introverted widower and has trouble connecting with Tim。 Their shared grief has failed to unite them。 However， when an unknown national disaster cuts off all communication， they must work together to survive。 Something unseen has left the country without power。 There are riots， uncontrolled fires a Set in a dystopian world where survival rules， a man forges an unbreakable bond with his young son。 Doug and seven year old Tim go hiking in the White Mountains before cold weather sets in。 Doug is an introverted widower and has trouble connecting with Tim。 Their shared grief has failed to unite them。 However， when an unknown national disaster cuts off all communication， they must work together to survive。 Something unseen has left the country without power。 There are riots， uncontrolled fires and unknown disasters。 Doug decides to remain in the mountains and seeks refuge in a ranger’s cabin with Tim。 Over the course of a lonely winter， he and Tim must rely on each to stay alive。Above the Fire is beautifully written with characters so well described that you can see their souls。 Debut author Michael O’Donnell draws us into an atmospheric world of outer bleakness and inner loneliness to show us the growing love between Doug and Tim。 The other characters， David， the Danish couple and the man with the orange socks are also vividly depicted。 I didn’t want this book to end。 Thank you， Michael O’Donnell。 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， Blackstone Publishing and Michael O’Donnell for this ARC。 。。。more
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Above the Fire
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Above the Fire&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Above the Fire&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0