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Fire on the Mountain Edward Abbey 9780380714605 Books

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Fire on the Mountain Edward Abbey 9780380714605 Books

Have you ever loved something so much that you would die for it? John Vogelin, Billy’s grandfather does. Fire on the Mountain depicts Vogelin’s struggle to preserve his New Mexico ranch as told through the eyes of his grandson, Billy, who lives each school year in the city, high on the expectation of returning to his grandfather’s ranch for a summer of living the cowboy life. “Brightest New Mexico. In the vivid light each rock and tree and cloud and mountain existed with a kind of force and clarity that seemed not natural but supernatural.” So does Fire on the Mountain begin with Billy’s view of this rugged land, this “country of dreams.” Billy’s mother has no love for the ranch, but for Billy, like his grandfather, the place is in his DNA. Billy’s barely accustomed to the rhythms of his long awaited vacation when the summer turns sour. One of Vogelin’s horses has gone missing. They later find him dead under mysterious conditions high up along the mountain trail. Vogelin’s suspicions about the identity of the perpetrator are confirmed when the Air Force lawyer arrives soon after. The U.S. government wants Vogelin’s land since it sits squarely in the middle of their new armaments testing site. While Uncle Sam has offered to pay Vogelin well above the fair market value of the property if he’ll give it up voluntarily, Vogelin sees that offer as legally sanctioned theft. The affable lawyer never stops smiling at Vogelin while he explains how the government will have the property one way or another, but Vogelin’s neither buying nor selling it. He was born on the ranch and has lived there his entire life, raising kids and cattle alike, carving out a living. Never mind that Vogelin’s father stole the ranch from the Indians and that theft seem to run with the land. Vogelin has no intention of going, quietly or otherwise, and takes up arms after the U.S. Air Force tacks up condemnation notices. Vogelin’s neighbors sell out one by one, yet even Vogelin’s best friend, Lee, can’t persuade him to do the same. To fight the government is to pick a fight with a bully, and it’s a fight you can’t win, Lee counsels him. Vogelin remains steadfast, the one voice raised in protest against what he sees as an unfair government practice, two if you count Billy. Billy is steadfast in his own way, refusing to leave his grandfather’s side even after his parents order him home, even after the shooting starts. If you’re thinking there will be an intense conflagration at the end, you’ll have it, but it won’t be the one you expect. Fire on the Mountain is the tale of one man’s love not just for hearth and home, but the mountains and rivers and sky that hold it, a boy’s unwavering loyalty, and best of all, a love song to the earth’s wide-open spaces.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989), writer, badass environmentalist, and self-described as “one who loves the unfenced country,” influenced the more radical environmental groups with books like The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975), a subversive, environmental espionage thriller of a novel, and Fire on the Mountain (1962). Considered to be one of the fathers of modern environmental writing and dubbed, The Thoreau of the American West, by Larry McMurty (author of Lonesome Dove), Abbey’s work stands today as a testament to conservation and preservation practices.


Tags : Fire on the Mountain [Edward Abbey] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. “The Thoreau of the American West.”<br />—Larry McMurty, author of <em>Lonesome Dove</em> “Abbey is a fresh breath from the father reaches and canyons of the diminishing frontier.”<br />—<em>Houston Chronicle</em> “One of the very best writers to deal with the American West.”<br />—<em>Washington Post</em> A half-century after its original publication,Edward Abbey,Fire on the Mountain,HarpPeren,0380714604,Action & Adventure,Political,20th Century American Novel And Short Story,Abbey, Edward - Prose & Criticism,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Action & Adventure,Fiction Literary,Fiction Political,Literary

Fire on the Mountain Edward Abbey 9780380714605 Books Reviews

In the fictional "Fire on the Mountain," published in 1962, it's pretty clear that Edward Abbey's ideas about individual liberty and wilderness preservation are pretty well developed, but not yet completely evolved. That philosophical evolution comes to it's glorious apex in "The Monkeywrench Gang," a dozen or so years down the road, but nevertheless, "Fire on the Mountain," is vintage Abbey of his "Desert Solitaire" period and well worth reading.

The way I read Abbey, it's clear he inserts himself into his fictional characters. Fire on the Mountain is no exception and you can see Abbey in all three of the heroes of the book. The book itself is about an aging, but very spirited and independent small rancher, John Vogelin, who's ranch property in New Mexico unfortunately butts up against the White Sands Missile Range, which for purposes of "national security," is being expanded in area. Vogelin's ranch will become part of the WSMR and Vogelin won't have a choice in the matter. Vogelin then fights back.

The other heroes are Vogelin's junior-high age grandson, Billy Starr (Billy's from the East and he's on summer vacation -- he visits his grandpa every summer) and his onetime ranch hand-turned-real estate entrepeneur (and idol of young Billy), Lee Mackie.

The story is about Vogelin's bitter struggle with the US government and the bureaucrats working for the "G" in charge of getting Vogelin to accept the government's terms (generous for those days) and get Vogelin "resettled." Vogelin won't leave his ranch and indicates he'll shoot and kill "the first man that touches my ranch house" and that he'll have to be killed by the US Marshals in order to leave. Billy loves the land as much as his grandpa and would stay to the death with him if he could. Mackie is torn between sticking with the old man and persuading him to accept the reality -- and inevitability -- of the situation and leave peacefully with his life and a fattened bank account. Vogelin won't take the government's money and he refuses to leave.

Abbey's utter contempt for a governmental institution that would take away our personal liberty while destroying wilderness is expressed in the resolute John Vogelin as he struggles against all odds to keep his ranch and his land. The impersonal, yet slick bureaucrats in charge of trying to get him off his land and their less-than-bright operatives providing the muscle are both treated with equal disdain by Abbey in the book.

Vogelin's ranch land is part of a wild, rugged, spectacular high desert landscape and with Abbey describing Vogelin's, Billy's and Lee's various sojourns into the surrounding land and mountains, it's clear he's traveled those roads and trails on horseback as did his heroes. In my opinion, Abbey is almost peerless in his ability to describe the often overlooked subtleties in a wilderness landscape -- especially of a desert wilderness. Sometimes, it's those little points of observation by Abbey that helps us to see even more in what is already stunning beyond imagination. I digress, but the fun part is to walk those same trails, ride those same rivers and trails and put one's own powers of observation to work....

There are a number of twists and turns in the plot, but in general, it's a pretty straightforward and credible story. I'm not going to give away the ending, but it's a good one and one I think an Abbey reader would like. I think Ed saw himself in all three of his main characters at that point (and throughout the book -- even in the conflicted Lee Mackie) and in some way, it was a bit prophetic too, as he faced his own mortality in the late 80s.

I'll give it 5 stars, with the caveat that while it's probably not his best work -- it's still really good.
Have you ever loved something so much that you would die for it? John Vogelin, Billy’s grandfather does. Fire on the Mountain depicts Vogelin’s struggle to preserve his New Mexico ranch as told through the eyes of his grandson, Billy, who lives each school year in the city, high on the expectation of returning to his grandfather’s ranch for a summer of living the cowboy life. “Brightest New Mexico. In the vivid light each rock and tree and cloud and mountain existed with a kind of force and clarity that seemed not natural but supernatural.” So does Fire on the Mountain begin with Billy’s view of this rugged land, this “country of dreams.” Billy’s mother has no love for the ranch, but for Billy, like his grandfather, the place is in his DNA. Billy’s barely accustomed to the rhythms of his long awaited vacation when the summer turns sour. One of Vogelin’s horses has gone missing. They later find him dead under mysterious conditions high up along the mountain trail. Vogelin’s suspicions about the identity of the perpetrator are confirmed when the Air Force lawyer arrives soon after. The U.S. government wants Vogelin’s land since it sits squarely in the middle of their new armaments testing site. While Uncle Sam has offered to pay Vogelin well above the fair market value of the property if he’ll give it up voluntarily, Vogelin sees that offer as legally sanctioned theft. The affable lawyer never stops smiling at Vogelin while he explains how the government will have the property one way or another, but Vogelin’s neither buying nor selling it. He was born on the ranch and has lived there his entire life, raising kids and cattle alike, carving out a living. Never mind that Vogelin’s father stole the ranch from the Indians and that theft seem to run with the land. Vogelin has no intention of going, quietly or otherwise, and takes up arms after the U.S. Air Force tacks up condemnation notices. Vogelin’s neighbors sell out one by one, yet even Vogelin’s best friend, Lee, can’t persuade him to do the same. To fight the government is to pick a fight with a bully, and it’s a fight you can’t win, Lee counsels him. Vogelin remains steadfast, the one voice raised in protest against what he sees as an unfair government practice, two if you count Billy. Billy is steadfast in his own way, refusing to leave his grandfather’s side even after his parents order him home, even after the shooting starts. If you’re thinking there will be an intense conflagration at the end, you’ll have it, but it won’t be the one you expect. Fire on the Mountain is the tale of one man’s love not just for hearth and home, but the mountains and rivers and sky that hold it, a boy’s unwavering loyalty, and best of all, a love song to the earth’s wide-open spaces.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989), writer, badass environmentalist, and self-described as “one who loves the unfenced country,” influenced the more radical environmental groups with books like The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975), a subversive, environmental espionage thriller of a novel, and Fire on the Mountain (1962). Considered to be one of the fathers of modern environmental writing and dubbed, The Thoreau of the American West, by Larry McMurty (author of Lonesome Dove), Abbey’s work stands today as a testament to conservation and preservation practices.