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Birth of Fire
In the not too distant future Mars has become a transportation planet for convicted criminals from Earth. Convict Garrett Pittson is transported and finds himself enslaved to giant mining corporations. Rather than accept his fate he finds and joins the Free Mars Army.
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
14 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Pournelle
263 books548 followersDr Jerry Eugene Pournelle was an American science fiction writer, engineer, essayist, and journalist, who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte, and from 1998 until his death maintained his own website and blog.
From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.
Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.
Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.
“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”
Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.
From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.
Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.
Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.
“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”
Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 29, 2009
Garrett (who I kept reading as “Beckett” from Innocence because I read all these books too close together) starts me off in the book I wanted to read—on the streets of a future Earth full of gangs and darkness. I can’t help it. I’m drawn to that sort of thing. But early on, Garrett gets in a gang fight and kills a guy and gets shipped off to Mars in this colonization act . . . thingy. I didn’t really care, because I wanted to know more about the state of Earth.
When Garrett was on his way to Mars, I was on my way to the blurb on the back of the book. Is this really what the book’s about? I asked myself. Well, half of my back cover was ripped off by my son on one of his book rearranging binges, which are the bane of motherhood. I’ve decided.
But wow, look at that. Right there on the back, it calls Garrett a Marsman. Shit. And looky there on the front cover: Mars needs mercenaries! Double shit. I gotta work on my skills of observation.
Okay, so I settle back in, thinking that if I had only known what the book was going to be about, I might have enjoyed it more. This is when I fully realized that this book was in first person. Another one? I closed it, glared at it, and tried to recount the number of first person POVs I’ve read lately.
Wait, this is a plot recap. Not an outline of my reading activity.
Garrett gets to Mars and hooks up with this outfit that’s trying to win independence from Earth because they get the hell taxed out of them and have all these horrible restrictions. He also manages to get him a woman (yes, that’s exactly how I’d put it) in a land where women are scarce.
Not only that! But he manages to get it on with some geologist chick on the side, and then Erica finds out and stays with him! On a planet full of men that would do anything for the hand of a woman like Erica!
Ugh, my head hurts.
And I’ll tell you what I really think:
Scenery/Setting: This is cool. I mean, I wanted to stay on Earth because of the brief glimpse I got of it. It was interesting and I wanted to see more than just what Garrett was into at the moment. This is because I felt there was more. That’s important. That’s good stuff.
I attribute my ability to get over the fact that the book picked up and moved to Mars on Pournelle’s depiction of Mars life. The cavernous “city” with its tunnels and cubbies was fantastic. Some of the outside residences, which is where Garrett lived and worked, were foggy, but the vehicles they used for getting around made up for that. Pournelle thought a lot about how people that lived in airlock might live day to day, right down to keeping their helmets near them at all times in case of depressurization.
This is cool stuff. Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story.
Characters: Boo. Boo! But it is a rare treat to get awesome characterization in sci-fi. Orson Scott Card doesn’t only come to mind, he takes a chair and gets comfortable. Him and . . . no, that’s pretty much it as far as published authors go. That’s not to say they’re all bad; just not great.
Since we’re in Garrett’s head, he’s pretty good. He reminds me of what I think every man wanted to be in the late 1970s and early 1980s, should they have been shipped off to Mars. His vernacular and attitude was an idealized version of Han Solo meets a young and inexperienced John Wayne. Which, quite frankly, scared the hell out of me.
He had a quip now and then that tempted me to think about chuckling, but it was too obviously put in there to make me do just that. I can’t be chuckling all willy-nilly when some ex-gang Marsman wants me to.
I kind of hate Erica. From the beginning she was much more of a fantasy than a real person. Boo, Pournelle, boo. You know, sci-fi had female fans, too.
Oh wait, this was written the late 1970s. I guess there weren’t that many back then.
Still.
Plot: Hey, lookit that; it’s a pocket book. The plot’s going to be predictable, quick, and not too deep. And that’s what it is. By the time I settled into the fact that we were on Mars, I knew everything that was going to happen and I wasn’t worried enough to really care about how it was all going to happen. I think if I were a dude and I was reading this around the time of Star Wars, it would have been great.
But I am not a dude and we are in the post-Episode One era, which is a sad, sad place to be. I need more to plot than “Garrett needs to establish his own station where he can grow stuff and make stuff and carve out his own life with Erica, but he also needs to help his other station-owning friends rebel against the government so they can stop being oppressed. They do it.”
Overall: For those of you who have never heard me rant about Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, well, you’re not going to now either because I don’t have the time or energy. They co-write a lot of books. I always pick them up. They have big problems. Not so much writing problems as much as their morals generally piss me off.
But I discovered something a while back: Larry Niven, by himself, has an imagination that rules out his science-nerd grasp of personal relationships. (No offense to science nerds—I know that some of them are quite socially adept.) I wanted to know what Pournelle was adding to the mix. And I’ve found . . . nothing.
The lingering questions: What the hell is the matter with me?
When Garrett was on his way to Mars, I was on my way to the blurb on the back of the book. Is this really what the book’s about? I asked myself. Well, half of my back cover was ripped off by my son on one of his book rearranging binges, which are the bane of motherhood. I’ve decided.
But wow, look at that. Right there on the back, it calls Garrett a Marsman. Shit. And looky there on the front cover: Mars needs mercenaries! Double shit. I gotta work on my skills of observation.
Okay, so I settle back in, thinking that if I had only known what the book was going to be about, I might have enjoyed it more. This is when I fully realized that this book was in first person. Another one? I closed it, glared at it, and tried to recount the number of first person POVs I’ve read lately.
Wait, this is a plot recap. Not an outline of my reading activity.
Garrett gets to Mars and hooks up with this outfit that’s trying to win independence from Earth because they get the hell taxed out of them and have all these horrible restrictions. He also manages to get him a woman (yes, that’s exactly how I’d put it) in a land where women are scarce.
Not only that! But he manages to get it on with some geologist chick on the side, and then Erica finds out and stays with him! On a planet full of men that would do anything for the hand of a woman like Erica!
Ugh, my head hurts.
And I’ll tell you what I really think:
Scenery/Setting: This is cool. I mean, I wanted to stay on Earth because of the brief glimpse I got of it. It was interesting and I wanted to see more than just what Garrett was into at the moment. This is because I felt there was more. That’s important. That’s good stuff.
I attribute my ability to get over the fact that the book picked up and moved to Mars on Pournelle’s depiction of Mars life. The cavernous “city” with its tunnels and cubbies was fantastic. Some of the outside residences, which is where Garrett lived and worked, were foggy, but the vehicles they used for getting around made up for that. Pournelle thought a lot about how people that lived in airlock might live day to day, right down to keeping their helmets near them at all times in case of depressurization.
This is cool stuff. Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story.
Characters: Boo. Boo! But it is a rare treat to get awesome characterization in sci-fi. Orson Scott Card doesn’t only come to mind, he takes a chair and gets comfortable. Him and . . . no, that’s pretty much it as far as published authors go. That’s not to say they’re all bad; just not great.
Since we’re in Garrett’s head, he’s pretty good. He reminds me of what I think every man wanted to be in the late 1970s and early 1980s, should they have been shipped off to Mars. His vernacular and attitude was an idealized version of Han Solo meets a young and inexperienced John Wayne. Which, quite frankly, scared the hell out of me.
He had a quip now and then that tempted me to think about chuckling, but it was too obviously put in there to make me do just that. I can’t be chuckling all willy-nilly when some ex-gang Marsman wants me to.
I kind of hate Erica. From the beginning she was much more of a fantasy than a real person. Boo, Pournelle, boo. You know, sci-fi had female fans, too.
Oh wait, this was written the late 1970s. I guess there weren’t that many back then.
Still.
Plot: Hey, lookit that; it’s a pocket book. The plot’s going to be predictable, quick, and not too deep. And that’s what it is. By the time I settled into the fact that we were on Mars, I knew everything that was going to happen and I wasn’t worried enough to really care about how it was all going to happen. I think if I were a dude and I was reading this around the time of Star Wars, it would have been great.
But I am not a dude and we are in the post-Episode One era, which is a sad, sad place to be. I need more to plot than “Garrett needs to establish his own station where he can grow stuff and make stuff and carve out his own life with Erica, but he also needs to help his other station-owning friends rebel against the government so they can stop being oppressed. They do it.”
Overall: For those of you who have never heard me rant about Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, well, you’re not going to now either because I don’t have the time or energy. They co-write a lot of books. I always pick them up. They have big problems. Not so much writing problems as much as their morals generally piss me off.
But I discovered something a while back: Larry Niven, by himself, has an imagination that rules out his science-nerd grasp of personal relationships. (No offense to science nerds—I know that some of them are quite socially adept.) I wanted to know what Pournelle was adding to the mix. And I’ve found . . . nothing.
The lingering questions: What the hell is the matter with me?
September 8, 2024
In a soft dystopia, an electric engineer turned gangbanger is sent to Mars instead of going to jail. Of course, he meets a girl and joins a revolution.
Very much of its time.
Very much of its time.
October 23, 2014
Nov2013 Review: My earlier review was right on. It was a fun read & has stood up well over time. I'm giving it 3 stars this time, but it deserves a bit more.
Pre2007 review:
I gave this book 4 stars when I joined GR, although I don't recall the last time I read it. I wrote the following:
Reminded me somewhat of Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" without all the lecturing & Mike. More action. Tightly written & interesting.
Pre2007 review:
I gave this book 4 stars when I joined GR, although I don't recall the last time I read it. I wrote the following:
Reminded me somewhat of Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" without all the lecturing & Mike. More action. Tightly written & interesting.
August 30, 2024
This is pretty standard Pournelle-graphy. Good adventure story set in a gritty future. This time the transportee (mostly convict) population of Mars is being squeezed by greedy corporations and the Terran government.
Lots of libertarian subtext and the sorts of second-amendment rhetoric about the right to overthrow an intolerable government that comes around online in the 2020s. The book, however, was written in the 1980s. The book matches things my libertarian friends would say back then, so my take is nothing has changed.
The secondary characters are not especially well fleshed-out. The male and female main characters are fine, though. It is nice to see a space opera book with a competent female character written in that time.
Lots of libertarian subtext and the sorts of second-amendment rhetoric about the right to overthrow an intolerable government that comes around online in the 2020s. The book, however, was written in the 1980s. The book matches things my libertarian friends would say back then, so my take is nothing has changed.
The secondary characters are not especially well fleshed-out. The male and female main characters are fine, though. It is nice to see a space opera book with a competent female character written in that time.
October 16, 2020
Veloce, descrittivo e con bei personaggi. Peccato che si interrompa nel momento clou. Merita comunque una lettura!
November 17, 2020
Birth of Fire is a standalone Science Fiction novel by Jerry Pournelle. It takes place several decades from now in a future where Mars has been settled. The planet is being used as an alternative to prison for convicts, much like Australia. In this novel, Garrett Pittson is convicted of a murder he did not commit. He is given the choice of twenty years to life in prison or exile for life to the Mars colony. Garrett jumps at the chance to get off-planet and leave his old life behind. When he arrives on Mars he is trained on his new life on Mars and then let loose to find employment or to die when his money and oxygen allotment runs out. He is taken under the wing of Sarge, a man with his own Martian farm. After a period of adjustment, Sarge and others let Garrett in on a secret. They plan on overthrowing the "Feds" who control almost every aspect of life on Mars in the near future. The future comes sooner than expected when the Feds start raiding farms and taking prisoners. Garrett and Sarge and many others will be forced to fight for their freedom and the freedom of Mars itself! This book reads much like a Robert A. Heinlein novel from the days when Heinlein was in his prime. It was a real treat to read and took me back to my youth.
April 17, 2017
While Pournelle loves this book, I found it just OK. It was originally intended to be a serial (or series) and it really shows. The book could easily have been expanded to a three volume set as many events are simply glossed over. It's an entertaining read, but the characters are so wooden and stereotypical that it's tough to care about any of them.
February 23, 2015
The product description gives the impression that our protagonist leads a Martian proletarian revolt. That's not quite the case - and the naked politics of the book betrays the politics of its author who is known to be something of an arch-Reaganite. Decent enough read though.
July 23, 2018
A fast paced story of revolution on the Red Planet, led by Garrett Pittston. Mars is envisioned as a penal colony from Earth, somewhat like Australia was to the UK in the 19th century. Shades of Heinlein's "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress"! And he also has a girlfriend, Martian-born Erica. A satisfying quick read.
September 1, 2019
I was having difficulty finding any new science fiction I really wanted to read, so picked up my brother-in-law's old Laser Books copy of this story. I'd never read it before. There's lots of action, but the story is pretty basic, the politics evil them (government) vs noble us (pioneer/ex-convicts/revolutionaries) so, all-in-all, rather disappointing.
August 19, 2018
A decent story about a convict transportee to Mars who gets involved in a war for independence from Big Government. Something of a libertarian fantasy but fun with lots of action.
October 24, 2018
A good read.
May 30, 2022
In brief -- if you liked Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, will probably like this!
December 30, 2023
Pulp sci-fi at its finest. This Mars space colony adventure was written in 1976 yet the story and concepts are timeless. Pournelle knows how to tell a good yarn.
July 7, 2025
Quick read, but could have been more developed.
September 8, 2025
Is Ricky smart or not?
Read
October 23, 2025Military science fiction.
October 21, 2024
A solid entry into the world of military sci-fi by the man who nearly defined it back in the 70s and 80s.
Garrett's transformation from a smarter than average street punk into a Marsman is more subtle than the usual 'Hero's Journey', but highly effective. It was happening to a lot of young men and women who joined the armed forces back then.
Many of them joined as a way to escape poverty or jail, but a lot of them I met over the years were a lot like Garrett; they didn't have much of a future otherwise. Some of the best I served with went right into the service within a few days or weeks after aging out of the foster care system. Great people.
Anyway, Garrett quickly found himself in the role of a revolutionary. The trigger was taxation without representation by a corrupt government that didn't care what happened as long as the money rolled into the coffers. Sound familiar? Good. If it doesn't, go read a history book published before 2000 and then smack your old history teachers really hard for failing you.
Highly recommended for fans of Pournelle, Military Sci-Fi or Science Fiction in general.
FIND IT! BUY IT! READ IT!
Garrett's transformation from a smarter than average street punk into a Marsman is more subtle than the usual 'Hero's Journey', but highly effective. It was happening to a lot of young men and women who joined the armed forces back then.
Many of them joined as a way to escape poverty or jail, but a lot of them I met over the years were a lot like Garrett; they didn't have much of a future otherwise. Some of the best I served with went right into the service within a few days or weeks after aging out of the foster care system. Great people.
Anyway, Garrett quickly found himself in the role of a revolutionary. The trigger was taxation without representation by a corrupt government that didn't care what happened as long as the money rolled into the coffers. Sound familiar? Good. If it doesn't, go read a history book published before 2000 and then smack your old history teachers really hard for failing you.
Highly recommended for fans of Pournelle, Military Sci-Fi or Science Fiction in general.
FIND IT! BUY IT! READ IT!
October 10, 2013
I enjoyed this far more than I anticipated based on the opening pages. Maybe it was a case of the right book at the right time, since I don't usually go for the action/adventure end of the sci-fi spectrum. But Pournelle's tale of civil war set on a colonized Mars was reminiscent of Jack London's best work. His central protagonist, Garrett Pittson is, like London's best characters, tough, yet thoughtful, hard, but not superficial. That may be the key to why I enjoyed this lightweight, fast-paced romp so much. The science was plausible from a mid-70s perspective, but the science was secondary to the plot and character development. And if Pournelle's efforts weren't always flawless (I was particularly irked by Erica's stand-by-your-mannerisms when confronting Pittson's infidelity), they were close enough to leave me wanting more. A story like this relies on well-wrought characters, plausible plot threads, and believable dialogue, and Pournelle delivers on all counts.
August 10, 2011
If someone had given me this book with the authorial information removed, I would have asked for details about how an unpublished Heinlein young adult novel was found. Birth of Fire really does read like a book by the master. Heinlein's influence is no surprise, I suppose, as Pournelle and Heinlein were close friends in 1973 when this book was originally published. That is another thing -- Birth of Fire is not dated at all even though it was written almost 40 years ago. It could have been written yesterday.
Basically, this is a science fiction adventure about a Martian war of independence. Military SF fans take note. It is also a coming of age story, and it has a strong line of romance to boot. It was recently rereleased in Kindle format with a new afterward by the author as an added bonus.
Read it, you won't be sorry.
Basically, this is a science fiction adventure about a Martian war of independence. Military SF fans take note. It is also a coming of age story, and it has a strong line of romance to boot. It was recently rereleased in Kindle format with a new afterward by the author as an added bonus.
Read it, you won't be sorry.
September 18, 2011
If you can get past the vintage seventies feel of the book, this is a decent and rather simple story about a young convict who comes to Mars and later leads a freedom fight. Oh, and he also finds love and belonging, of course.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1136
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1136
February 16, 2017
Quite good. I usually prefer longer stories, and when I read Sci-fi, I'd like to find lots of details about science, planets and so on. This story could have been more detailed, just a little bit would have sufficed, but it's a nice reading anyway.
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December 13, 2007N/A
September 17, 2009
While I much approve of workers revolting against exploitative interplanetary corporations, I don't remember this book very much at all.
June 7, 2014
'ware the audio version of this one, worst narration ever...
April 28, 2015
1982 grade B-
March 29, 2009
Eh. I've read better.
Read
June 7, 2010science fiction
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews