Smokebirds

by Daniel Breyer

In the near future, when every autumn is fire season in California, wealthy San Franciscans flee their city for smoke-free pastures. Among them are the Petersons, a family enriched by the lumber industry, who traditionally spend every August in Hawaii. This annual retreat, once a period of leisure and luxury with golf, hikes, and high-society mingling, takes a turn when 22-year-old Cole Peterson aligns himself with Aid For Earth, a climate justice organization. Cole and Aid For Earth proceed to mire the Peterson family in scandal, alleging that Peterson Lumber started a forest fire, covered up their culpability, and then profited off a government contract to extract the burnt lumber.



Smokebirds is not just a narrative about the complexity of familial bonds and the facade of integrity; it is a commentary on the enduring power of privilege against the backdrop of climate justice. It captures the tension between societal expectations of accountability and the reality of an elite untouched by the demands for change, reflecting on who truly bears the cost of our environmental crises.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction

296 pages, Hardcover

Published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare novels that manages to be both funny and brutal. It follows a wealthy California family through wildfire season—but what it’s really about is how privilege can distort people’s values, relationships, and sense of self.

The characters are flawed in the most fascinating ways: driven by ego, insecurity, and the need to feel deserving. Some of them say the right things about their privilege—but deep down, they’re still shaped by it in ways they can’t see or won’t admit.

The writing is sharp without being showy, and the satire never feels cheap. It’s not trying to moralize—it’s trying to illuminate. And it does.

If you like stories about dysfunctional families, moral gray areas, and quiet emotional unraveling, this one’s worth your time.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding story with nuanced characters.  Wealthy lumber family company with patriarch Duke, his kids single Eliza hoping to take over family biz and Richard, a (not vg) VC. Richard is married to Lily, and they have two sons Stanford student Cole and HS Emmett. Despite being largely unlikable, almost each one of them said or did something that resonated. They leave their west coast home every year during fire season to HI.

To get back at his wealthy family, Cole sends incriminating emails to Bella at an Occupy Wall St-type nonprofit. Turns out Duke’s right hand man Chris whom Duke has pitted against Eliza for CEO winds up leaking info to WSJ and taking cover under Cole.

Things get way out of control in so many ways, and protests go initially to the company HQ and then to the family’s house which is set on fire.

There have been too many times to count where I’ve loved the book and then been disappointed in the ending, but Breyer totally nails the ending with the twist at the end with Cole planning the fire.

Very enjoyable, and one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp, messy, and super readable. A darkly funny look at wealth, family, and what happens when people with too much money start falling apart. If you like Succession or White Lotus, this is very much in that world.

[Chani Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sharp and at times cutting look at wealth, activism, and the personal struggles of the wealthy.

[Jim]

reviewed in WSJ. written by a billionaires son.
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...

release date april 18

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a native san franciscan this hit a littttttle too close to home; really loved this, felt like they got away with too much hence the 4 but perhaps that is the way of the world 🤠

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the ending of this book!

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interestingly funny, yet also politically on the nose and serious read. A family in CA—rich from the lumber business and with it, the wildfires—travels to Hawaii for “fire season” every year. They’re caught up in a scandal that wreaks havoc on business and family.

I feel like each characters was likeably unlikeable; complex, funny, people you empathize.

[Jimena Lankenau]

Succession X White Lotus semi distópico

[Isabelle Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I hate every character… and I think I love that

[BookNookLover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always hesitate with recent books written by new authors given AI but this book was very well written with a compelling story line. Well done to this first time author.

[Joline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over de miserabele levens van stinkrijke Amerikanen en hun first world problems. Vermakelijke white lotus vibes maar geen page turner.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. The characters are terrible people, but very entertaining. I laughed out loud numerous times.

[Michael Sugarman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel has so much potential. Set against the near (dystopian?) future, it speaks to what has happened to America: the oligarchs have reaped what they have sewn, and America is literally on fire. But because its told from the perspective of a wealthy family, they are (mostly) able to escape the consequences of the society that has enabled this devastation. And more, the family has greatly assisted it.

What really undercuts the novel was the writing style. The author seems to have either never have heard of the maxim "show, don't tell" or is going for some sort of modernist style of writing I'm not familiar with where the novel is told from a 3rd party perspective, but using such a flat narrative that its off-putting and the opposite of engaging. I found myself having to willfully ignore the style to read the story.

Maybe the writing style was done to insure that the reader feels zero empathy with the characters, but if this is the case, then why have them journey towards epiphany and self-realization/actualization at all? Further, the narrative style also flattens any interest/fear in what the author predicts will happen to the earth because of capitalism run amok.

Finally, since I can't re-write the novel or offer the author any writing tips beyond what i've written above, I'd like to instead suggest a name change: "Fahrenheit $451million".

[Annemarie Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Daniel Bryer’s Smokebirds, and it’s one of those books that lingers long after the final page. The author does an exceptional job with character development—these aren’t just characters, they’re people, flawed and deeply real. Their relationships felt layered, sometimes honest, and often deceptive especially as they unravel under the weight of a world that’s literally burning. Set just a few years into the future, Smokebirds imagines a California where wildfire smoke dominates the seasons—so much so that only the wealthy can afford to flee during "smoke season." What struck me most was how the family's business quietly thrived off this destruction, becoming profitable selling the lumber and in some cases under the assumption of a controlled burn. That tension—between family relationships, complicity and survival—runs through the novel in a way that’s both uncomfortable and gripping. Ironically I found myself having compassion for some characters as their personal flaws were human and not something that money could fix. I also never saw the ending coming – it was brilliant!
This isn’t just a story about climate catastrophe—it’s about class, denial, and what we’re willing to look away from to protect ourselves.
“California is choking on its own smoke and for some, survival is currency—and complicity is the cost.”

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tore through Smokebirds in a couple of sittings. It’s about a California family navigating wildfire season, but it’s really about power, privilege, and how people justify their worst behavior. The characters are messy in the best way — flawed, self-aware, and sometimes infuriating. If you like Succession, White Lotus, or novels that sit at the intersection of family drama and social satire, this one’s worth checking out. Congrats to Breyer on a terrific debut.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of highly flawed, mostly unlikeable characters. Which is not bad, but just something to be aware of. This wasn’t what I expected, which is not the books fault. I don’t really know what more to say. You’ll either go with the plot and characters as they are, or you’ll hate this.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the novel. Darkly funny, also very readable. Like white lotus or succession on the page.

[jeremy streich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in a week, absolutely excellent. Daniel really has this kind of composure on the page that you don't come by easily today. And wry, witty humor. Recommend

[Jessica C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Succession, this book is a darkly comic take on a highly dysfunctional, uber-wealthy family. It is a fast and engrossing read and has a great twist ending. Highly recommend.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely and riveting darkly comic family drama, reminiscent of the best parts of succession.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of moral ambiguity here along with family dysfunction. The characters are interesting and complicated and pull you along. Recommend!

[Jerilyn Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down! Highly recommend.

[Sarah Likes Robots]

The fact that this is written by a billionaire's son...hooooo boy the tea is about to be SCALDING

[Emma Kurihara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about privilege

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

+

[Emily Cooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was INSANE. succession meets white lotus and it takes place during a NorCal wildfire season?!? this was meant for me. I hated everyone. and I loved it.

[Jackson Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this. Could not put it down.

[Mariana Mendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fácil de leer y divertido, una familia millonaria con drama y cada persona con el suyo propio. Está como que escrito en el futuro y eso está padre de ver la perspectiva del autor.