Wildfire Mountain by Australian author Dr Ken Strahan is a frightening, compelling, and vivid fiction tale of bushfires in Australia.
Trigger warning: Graphic catastrophic bushfire, animal death, loss due to natural disaster.
It was 1 pm in the small town of Mount Barup when Ray stepped off his veranda, what should have been a clear day he was surrounded by darkness. Among the smog and crackling of trees and animals screaming, a fire was incinerating everything in its path.
As the fire rages, we are introduced to the characters one by one, with limited resources and only two fire trucks; Rocky One and Two they must rely on each other to save their town, homes, animals, and each other. Will any of them be able to survive this catastrophic fire?
The author writes with great intelligence, skill, and talent. He has crafted a highly first-rate action story rich in authentic detail immersing readers in the chaotic atmosphere and giving it a cinematic feel. The story itself is harrowing, fast-paced and terrifying to read. I felt as though I was right there, in the middle of the bushfire fighting the fiercest, most destructive force of nature.
The plot is brilliantly gripping, and the characters are vividly real. I found myself connecting with them, feeling the panic they felt and hoping they would all survive, I wanted to get in the pages and warn them of the dangers ahead. The volunteer firefighters showed so much heroic bravery and it made me think of all the firefighters who have put their lives at risk in the worst bushfires in Australia.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the book is the portrayal of the courage exhibited by the townsfolk. Despite the overwhelming scale of the disaster, they all worked tirelessly to put out fires and help each other while facing death and fear of losing their homes. Their determination and selflessness serve as an inspiring example in the face of adversity.
Wildfire Mountain is a gripping read and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit with ordinary people acting extraordinarily in the face of a natural disaster.
Strahan’s expertise as a social researcher and understanding of bushfires is evident throughout the book, as he provides valuable insights into disaster response and the importance of preparedness and resilience.
Australia is the most fire-prone land on Earth, although fiction I found this book to be a great reminder no matter where we live, bushfires are an inescapable reality in this country. It is vital to have a bushfire checklist and be prepared.
I highly recommend it to anyone who loves ecological thrillers and survival stories.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing Group for the opportunity to tread and review.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Wildfire Mountain by Dr Ken Strahan. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Such a surreal story!
Capturing the real essence of what can and does happen when a bush fire occurs but more so when it’s a mountain wildfire. Everyone needs to know their job, the importance of playing their part and to keep each other safe. Life depends on it and your trust you life at the hands of others.
Take a seat, this is thrilling, scary, true to life and will leave you understanding the back breaking effort to survival.
Well written, thoughtful and interesting.
Wildfire Mountain is a true indication of Australian fires!
Having just endured a bushfire myself almost 2 months ago now I could relate to so much of what was written in this book. Please note that this may be triggering for some, but I implore you to persevere and read this book. The in-depth research conducted by author Ken Strahan is quite evident throughout the book – one that was an amazing read and had me captivated from the very beginning. Neighbours and friends recount their experience of this devastating bushfire from its onset right through the end. These amazing people had to make life and death decisions and face the danger of this fire struggling to protect themselves and their beloved community. Each character’s perspectives/reactions differ on varying levels but definitely serves as an important reminder to have a bushfire ready/survival plan in place. The final chapter had me in tears – tears for those lost and for the beauty of resilience and strength of the human spirit.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing Group for my copy of Wildfire Mountain.
Thanks Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Wildfire Mountain – this book was a real page turner and had me living thru the bushfire like I was there with them. Where I live we have gone thru a couple of bushfires Black Saturday included and the author captured the scene and devastation and planning for one that bought it all back so lifelike. A great action packed page turner.
Wildfire Mountain by De Ken Strahan is a dramatic and intense fictional retelling of a community fighting for survival as a horrendous bushfire races towards them.
The people in the community each have a story to tell which portrays them as real people you relate to.
Most thought they were fully prepared for an event like this.
The fire thought differently.
Not everyone survives.
A thrilling action packed story of courage ,friendship and survival.
This story may not be for everyone, although it is a timely reminder ,as the fire season starts, of just what the elements are capable of during an Australian Summer.
Well worth reading.
Wildfire Mountain by Dr Ken Strahan (Shawline Publishing Group) is a very realistic and enthralling account of the threat of bushfire. As I am a ‘townie’ who has relatively recently moved to a country area surrounded by bushland I also found it quite thought provoking, informative and scarily relevant!
While this is a fictional account of a community facing the prospect of an approaching firestorm, it definitely rings true. The characters are very well portrayed and the variety in their attitudes feels quite authentic. And while each character’s viewpoint and perspective of how to cope and manage does differ, a clear message that comes through is that it is an absolute necessity to be well prepared for a bushfire and to have clear survival plans in place.
A very well written and clearly well researched book, that uses the medium of a fictional account to put forward some very relevant fire safety messages.
Wildfire Mountain by Dr Ken Strahan is a is an action packed, gripping page turner that will have you unable to put it down. This story about a small mountain top community forced to face a catastrophic bushfire is told from the various perspectives of each character. How they plan to deal with a bushfire and the reality of a bushfire are often very different.
While this is a work of fiction, the actions and stories told within this book could very easily be true stories from real bushfire survivors. They seem so real you could almost be there alongside them facing the fire. Wildfire Mountain is an engaging read that I very much enjoyed. I would urge caution for anyone who has dealt with catastrophic bushfires as this may be triggering
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Adrenalin hit me as soon as I started reading this novel. Bushfires I have witnessed or had family in the thick of them. Lives are lost, animals injured or killed. Trees and houses destroyed.
The author Dr. Ken Strahan has captivated the stories from people that live through these fires so well. You actually feel like you know the people in the storyline and can relate with their fears. I felt a lot of anxiety reading along with the stories of the characters. I could not put the book down.
I found myself flipping to the front where the author has a map of the characters places so that I knew where they lived.
With disasters like bushfires, you see relationships of townsfolk bond together, people saving neighbour’s houses whilst their house burns.
Everyone always responds to different avenues when faced with bushfires. Do we stay with the house and protect our life that is within the house or do we run and just hope everything will be fine?
I found myself with tears in some parts and my lips are sealed as to why. Unfortunately, this is true to life for Australians whether you live in the bush or communities with bush around. It really is an eye opener of the ferocious fires that happen here and will continue to happen down the track.
This is one of those novels that you do have to read and you will not be disappointed. Following a community through such a huge inferno really grips you right till the end. The cover is eerily just like what I have seen with bushfires.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Shawline Publishing for sending me this awesome novel to read. It is one I will cherish and read again for sure. To the author Dr. Ken Strahan you have captured the portrayal of what communities go through in bushfires that are just too strong for the firies as well. The storyline will remain in my memory for a while.
This book gave me goosebumps so many times. It’s a very well written, graphic and evocative description of a catastrophic bushfire in NSW and the responses of various community members. Dr Strahan has clearly had first-hand experience of this situation which is beyond the comprehension of most of us who have only seen bushfires through the media.
I was close to the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria and it gave me an insight into the trauma that many I know experienced. The book contains important messages about preparation, working together, and, above all, addressing climate change. The suffering of native animals was also explored, as well as the First Nations’ historic methods of preventing such fires.
Thanks to Shawline Publishing and Beauty & Lace for the chance to read this gripping and devastating account.