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Fire Storm: A Novel
A ranger tracking a young arsonist finds himself trapped in a raging forest fire along with his prey, causing the rivals to become partners against an even greater foe
- GenresAdventure
111 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1979
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Robb White
38 books48 followersRobb White was partnered with gimmick horror film king William Castle during Castle's most popular and productive period. Born in the Philippines, White was a preacher's son who held a wide variety of jobs before landing in the Navy during World War II. He initially collaborated with Castle on the short-lived TV series "Men of Annapolis" (1957), then joined forces with the enterprising producer-director on the horror thrillers "Macabre" (1958), "House on Haunted Hill" (1959), "The Tingler" (1959), "Homicidal" (1961), and "13 Ghosts" (1960). He later went back to TV writing, including "Perry Mason" (1957), as well as novels.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 27, 2014
A captivating novel, Robb White spins a tale of fire so thick you can feel it breathing down your neck.
When a patrol man and a boy find themselves stranded in the middle of a terrible forest fire they must keep their wits and use all their combined knowledge of the great outdoors to keep themselves alive.
What I loved about this book - information was provided in a very organic way, so it never felt cheesy or forced, or like a lecture. Instead the reader learns about the fire and survival tactics as the events unfold. The characters are also fleshed out as the story goes along, until in the end the reader is invested in their fates.
What I didn't like - the relationship between the characters was very antagonistic in the beginning, which is understandable, but using the same old "misunderstanding" technique, particularly when the misunderstanding is because one person doesn't want to listen to the other, is unoriginal.
Once you pick this book up you won't want to put it down until you are done, and the ending hits you like a sledgehammer.
When a patrol man and a boy find themselves stranded in the middle of a terrible forest fire they must keep their wits and use all their combined knowledge of the great outdoors to keep themselves alive.
What I loved about this book - information was provided in a very organic way, so it never felt cheesy or forced, or like a lecture. Instead the reader learns about the fire and survival tactics as the events unfold. The characters are also fleshed out as the story goes along, until in the end the reader is invested in their fates.
What I didn't like - the relationship between the characters was very antagonistic in the beginning, which is understandable, but using the same old "misunderstanding" technique, particularly when the misunderstanding is because one person doesn't want to listen to the other, is unoriginal.
Once you pick this book up you won't want to put it down until you are done, and the ending hits you like a sledgehammer.
December 21, 2012
A well told children's story that captures the reader's mind immediately and demands to be read in one sitting. The story is somewhat contrived and condescending, but nevertheless succeeds in that the reader likes the characters and becomes absorbed in the plot which ends with an unexpected little ironic twist. The tone is somewhat dated and may not fly with more sophisticated modern day children, but the story is captivating enough to compensate for this.
Robb White also wrote a delightful children's sea adventure, the first edition of which was illustrated by Andrew Wyeth. These original editions now sell for hundreds of dollars, when they can be found.
Robb White also wrote a delightful children's sea adventure, the first edition of which was illustrated by Andrew Wyeth. These original editions now sell for hundreds of dollars, when they can be found.
August 30, 2018
Something about this cover was pretty, the vivid colors, that made me wanna read this, more than the actual story. I was lucky it was still at the bookshop I volunteer at, so when I discarded the old books, I got to take this home for free.
I didn't like how 'the man on the horse' called the boy names, like idiot and dummy. He didn't come across as very professional when he did that.
It really bugged me and made no sense that they just say there talking for so long while a fire raged around them,& worried about his bag. Just let the boy take it.
If the boy really needed his backpack, it didn't make sense that he'd let the man talk him into leaving it behind, only to say he needed it later.
It also seemed counter intuitive and just plain wrong to light up a cigarette in the midst of a forest fire.
There were dashes where it didn't make sense:
"And go-where?"
"When I tell you to sit down you-sit down."
'Mister-get-ready.'
'So-now-don't move.'
'And-now-stop.'
'But-you didn't.'
'I'd've-come apart.
'When I got down into this valley you-were-already-here.'
There was also a sentence that should have said 'an' instead of 'a':
'You look like a old bald-headed man.'
I was very surprised when the boy said he wasn't an arsonist because they got paid to start fires, because I've never heard of that. An arsonist was always someone who deliberately set fires.
When the boy asks if the man would still hate him if he knew he didn't start the fire on purpose, the man says maybe not as much, but you have to hate anyone who's stupid enough to set the woods on fire, I didn't like that. You shouldn't hate someone who did it by accident.
The author really seemed to know about what happened in the woods during a fire. It was very graphic and tragic when he described a fire he'd been in after, walking through the ashes,& seeing charred bodies that were twisted in agony. And how all the animals were heading down the creek, not paying him any attention, not afraid of him, because they feared for their lives, and how the wind roared, how air pockets in trees exploded like cannons, and rocks cracked sounding like rifles.
The boy acted so odd, I didn't know what was wrong with him, if he was crazy or what. It went from assuming the boy started the fire, to him being at the wrong place at the wrong time, to even thinking he was a ghost or angel. I had no idea what was going on. Especially when he said it was accidental. Or where his knowledge of fires and survival and snakes came from. Or who he was calling Annie.
The rattlesnake scene was ridiculous, how slow the snake took actually getting to the man. The fact that it passed by his face, and got stopped in an eddy of water and was pressed up against his face, about to strike. It didn't make sense how it could have passed the boy, yet the boy sees the snake coming down the river heading toward the man,& the man's back was to the snake. How were they positioned in the river to make that possible?
The man up and says he likes the boy, which didn't ring true at all because he's hated him the entire book. When, why, and how did you suddenly like him?
They call it a fire storm when it kills everything. I always like when the title is included in the book. Fire moves faster up and down the hills, because of the wind. Down in the valleys the wind isn't as strong, so the fire moves slower.
It became pretty layered when we find out he was indeed calling someone's name, that it's his brother Danny. He said he started the fire, but by accident, then it came out that Danny did, but their dad couldn't know because he was proud of Danny. So we thought the kid was lying and taking the blame the whole time.
The man was seriously tactless to say Annie is with all the other dead things, and what does it matter now? & that there's no use blaming a dead person. The kid had his turn to call the man stupid, which is only fair since the man called his names in the beginning. Although I was surprised he did. It was funny when he said there's no Annie, his brother is named Danny.
I couldn't believe he went through all the trouble to get his backpack, and then just let it burn. But it turns out that was part of his plan.
The wildlife in the creek died because the water boiled them, the fire made it so hot. It also boiled the water, making it shallower. It was so tragic to hear all this, because you have no idea what happens in a fire.
The man at times could be very dense, and it was a shame a 14 year old was smarter than him. He seemed to really think the tents were dead caterpillars, even though he knew the boy--Murdock, we're finally told his name--had tents in his bag. He also tried to get out if the tent, so he'd be fighting instead of laying down when the fire came. He didn't understand that the kid intentionally burned his stuff, that he picked a spot the fire had already burned over so there'd be nothing more to burn, that he wet his safety shirt with the water from his canteen to put on their faces so they could breathe that in with their heads on the ground.
I was so mad at that stupid man for trying to get out of the tent, even though it was clearly going to save them, which prompted the boy to stick his head out,& then his hair caught on fire. He used the wet shirt to pat it down, but his hair burned and his head was bloody. I wanted to know the outcome of his injuries, if his hair would ever grow back, and how bad it was.
There were three astronauts who were burned alive in their spaceship, so Murdock's dad worked on an asbestos cloth that wouldn't burn. The silvery stuff reflects the heat away from it so it can't get hot enough to burn you.
If the author had killed Danny, it would have ruined this book. So I was really glad when Danny showed up. It turns out he jumped in a well, with animals jumping down with him. He said he put a tree down the well so most of them were able to get out, which I really liked.
Buck, the man, sure said it when he said "you two kids are something else."All I know is, if I was ever in a fire, I'd wanna be with Murdock so we'd make it out alive! His survival skills and knowledge of fires and what to do and not to do was amazing. It seems he's picked up a lot from his dad.
I couldn't believe it,& I didn't like the twist where it turned out the man was the one who started the fire. Although he needed something to happen where he'd learn not to hate people who accidentally start fires. Because now he's guilty of it.
There wasn't enough room to wrap up, either.
It was just confusing because why did the kid say he started it? Why did he think his brother started it? Why, when, Murdock told Danny he wouldn't tell who started it, did Danny not say he didn't do it? If you're innocent, why would you let people accuse you of being an arsonist and a crazy person?
I didn't really understand the hoops they were talking about in the sleeping bags.
There was like a whole other story going on. It seemed like people told the boy they didn't understand him a lot, like his dad favored Danny. We needed to hear more of that, and how he knew so much about fires, survival, and even rattlesnakes. He couldn't have picked all of that up from his dad, because his dad only studies the way heat changes things.
It was sweet how it ended with the man's horse coming to look for him, and the man is proved wrong once again. He kept saying horses are dumb and wouldn't have the courage to come back to look for a person, but his horse did.
I liked when the kid said early on that he let the horse go to give it a chance because it couldn't carry the boy and the man. When he first sneakily undid the bridle, I wasn't sure what his motive was. It looked like he was evading capture.
I wanted to see the boys show their dad his equipment worked, that he knew what they'd gone through, that they were safe.
Based on the synopsis I thought this would be a man trapped in a fire with a troubled kid who started it. They'd have talks, heart to hearts, come to understand one another, but it turned out so different.
I wished it had also been in the boy's perspective, so we could know what was going on in his head, but then the mystery would be ruined, so I can see why the author couldn't do that. I just got tired of being in the man's perspective, and wished for a change.
This was just confusing, with things not adding up and not being fully explained. Twist ending I didn't see coming.
I was wavering between one and two stars, because I didn't like the writing, and I just didn't enjoy the book. I usually don't like books written by men, especially old ones. They're just not very emotional writers in my experience. I would have loved if it had been more touching, and emotional. This was a little too harsh, serious, graphic, and depressing in places. I did like the humor, although some of it was a little harsh, sarcastic, and mean also. I wish this had been as good as the cover, and what the synopsis hinted at. It could have been an emotional, heartfelt story. Although there was the big shock at the end, it didn't go anywhere, because the book ended right after. This could have been so much better.
I didn't like how 'the man on the horse' called the boy names, like idiot and dummy. He didn't come across as very professional when he did that.
It really bugged me and made no sense that they just say there talking for so long while a fire raged around them,& worried about his bag. Just let the boy take it.
If the boy really needed his backpack, it didn't make sense that he'd let the man talk him into leaving it behind, only to say he needed it later.
It also seemed counter intuitive and just plain wrong to light up a cigarette in the midst of a forest fire.
There were dashes where it didn't make sense:
"And go-where?"
"When I tell you to sit down you-sit down."
'Mister-get-ready.'
'So-now-don't move.'
'And-now-stop.'
'But-you didn't.'
'I'd've-come apart.
'When I got down into this valley you-were-already-here.'
There was also a sentence that should have said 'an' instead of 'a':
'You look like a old bald-headed man.'
I was very surprised when the boy said he wasn't an arsonist because they got paid to start fires, because I've never heard of that. An arsonist was always someone who deliberately set fires.
When the boy asks if the man would still hate him if he knew he didn't start the fire on purpose, the man says maybe not as much, but you have to hate anyone who's stupid enough to set the woods on fire, I didn't like that. You shouldn't hate someone who did it by accident.
The author really seemed to know about what happened in the woods during a fire. It was very graphic and tragic when he described a fire he'd been in after, walking through the ashes,& seeing charred bodies that were twisted in agony. And how all the animals were heading down the creek, not paying him any attention, not afraid of him, because they feared for their lives, and how the wind roared, how air pockets in trees exploded like cannons, and rocks cracked sounding like rifles.
The boy acted so odd, I didn't know what was wrong with him, if he was crazy or what. It went from assuming the boy started the fire, to him being at the wrong place at the wrong time, to even thinking he was a ghost or angel. I had no idea what was going on. Especially when he said it was accidental. Or where his knowledge of fires and survival and snakes came from. Or who he was calling Annie.
The rattlesnake scene was ridiculous, how slow the snake took actually getting to the man. The fact that it passed by his face, and got stopped in an eddy of water and was pressed up against his face, about to strike. It didn't make sense how it could have passed the boy, yet the boy sees the snake coming down the river heading toward the man,& the man's back was to the snake. How were they positioned in the river to make that possible?
The man up and says he likes the boy, which didn't ring true at all because he's hated him the entire book. When, why, and how did you suddenly like him?
They call it a fire storm when it kills everything. I always like when the title is included in the book. Fire moves faster up and down the hills, because of the wind. Down in the valleys the wind isn't as strong, so the fire moves slower.
It became pretty layered when we find out he was indeed calling someone's name, that it's his brother Danny. He said he started the fire, but by accident, then it came out that Danny did, but their dad couldn't know because he was proud of Danny. So we thought the kid was lying and taking the blame the whole time.
The man was seriously tactless to say Annie is with all the other dead things, and what does it matter now? & that there's no use blaming a dead person. The kid had his turn to call the man stupid, which is only fair since the man called his names in the beginning. Although I was surprised he did. It was funny when he said there's no Annie, his brother is named Danny.
I couldn't believe he went through all the trouble to get his backpack, and then just let it burn. But it turns out that was part of his plan.
The wildlife in the creek died because the water boiled them, the fire made it so hot. It also boiled the water, making it shallower. It was so tragic to hear all this, because you have no idea what happens in a fire.
The man at times could be very dense, and it was a shame a 14 year old was smarter than him. He seemed to really think the tents were dead caterpillars, even though he knew the boy--Murdock, we're finally told his name--had tents in his bag. He also tried to get out if the tent, so he'd be fighting instead of laying down when the fire came. He didn't understand that the kid intentionally burned his stuff, that he picked a spot the fire had already burned over so there'd be nothing more to burn, that he wet his safety shirt with the water from his canteen to put on their faces so they could breathe that in with their heads on the ground.
I was so mad at that stupid man for trying to get out of the tent, even though it was clearly going to save them, which prompted the boy to stick his head out,& then his hair caught on fire. He used the wet shirt to pat it down, but his hair burned and his head was bloody. I wanted to know the outcome of his injuries, if his hair would ever grow back, and how bad it was.
There were three astronauts who were burned alive in their spaceship, so Murdock's dad worked on an asbestos cloth that wouldn't burn. The silvery stuff reflects the heat away from it so it can't get hot enough to burn you.
If the author had killed Danny, it would have ruined this book. So I was really glad when Danny showed up. It turns out he jumped in a well, with animals jumping down with him. He said he put a tree down the well so most of them were able to get out, which I really liked.
Buck, the man, sure said it when he said "you two kids are something else."All I know is, if I was ever in a fire, I'd wanna be with Murdock so we'd make it out alive! His survival skills and knowledge of fires and what to do and not to do was amazing. It seems he's picked up a lot from his dad.
I couldn't believe it,& I didn't like the twist where it turned out the man was the one who started the fire. Although he needed something to happen where he'd learn not to hate people who accidentally start fires. Because now he's guilty of it.
There wasn't enough room to wrap up, either.
It was just confusing because why did the kid say he started it? Why did he think his brother started it? Why, when, Murdock told Danny he wouldn't tell who started it, did Danny not say he didn't do it? If you're innocent, why would you let people accuse you of being an arsonist and a crazy person?
I didn't really understand the hoops they were talking about in the sleeping bags.
There was like a whole other story going on. It seemed like people told the boy they didn't understand him a lot, like his dad favored Danny. We needed to hear more of that, and how he knew so much about fires, survival, and even rattlesnakes. He couldn't have picked all of that up from his dad, because his dad only studies the way heat changes things.
It was sweet how it ended with the man's horse coming to look for him, and the man is proved wrong once again. He kept saying horses are dumb and wouldn't have the courage to come back to look for a person, but his horse did.
I liked when the kid said early on that he let the horse go to give it a chance because it couldn't carry the boy and the man. When he first sneakily undid the bridle, I wasn't sure what his motive was. It looked like he was evading capture.
I wanted to see the boys show their dad his equipment worked, that he knew what they'd gone through, that they were safe.
Based on the synopsis I thought this would be a man trapped in a fire with a troubled kid who started it. They'd have talks, heart to hearts, come to understand one another, but it turned out so different.
I wished it had also been in the boy's perspective, so we could know what was going on in his head, but then the mystery would be ruined, so I can see why the author couldn't do that. I just got tired of being in the man's perspective, and wished for a change.
This was just confusing, with things not adding up and not being fully explained. Twist ending I didn't see coming.
I was wavering between one and two stars, because I didn't like the writing, and I just didn't enjoy the book. I usually don't like books written by men, especially old ones. They're just not very emotional writers in my experience. I would have loved if it had been more touching, and emotional. This was a little too harsh, serious, graphic, and depressing in places. I did like the humor, although some of it was a little harsh, sarcastic, and mean also. I wish this had been as good as the cover, and what the synopsis hinted at. It could have been an emotional, heartfelt story. Although there was the big shock at the end, it didn't go anywhere, because the book ended right after. This could have been so much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2024
What a great book not the ending I was expecting
June 30, 2021
Rather absorbingly written, but unrealistic/contrived behavior and dialogue distract from the story. It makes no sense that two people caught up in a forest fire would converse in what is seemingly the Socratic method…
March 20, 2007
My 6th grade teacher read this one to the class. I remember loving it and wanting it to never end. It was one of her favorites fro growing up, which might have swayed me. She was pretty cool.
February 11, 2008
more for a 5th grader or older - survival story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews