Above the Fire is a breathtaking novel with a unique perspective and storyline. I need to look for additional Michael O'Donnell books.

Above the Fire is a quiet survival story about a father and a son attempting to make it out of the Appalachian mountains unscathed when chaos strikes in the world below. Doug and Tim have set out for a long hike, to get some distance from their grief, really, and to reconnect. Doug's wife and Tim's mom died not all that long ago, and Doug feels like they are just kind of stuck. Since hiking was something he and his wife enjoyed doing, he figured it would be a good bonding experience.

Things start out pretty normal for a hike with a seven year old. But pretty quickly into the hike, they receive word that something is amiss off-mountain. Word spreads that a fire is decimating a nearby town, and people are straight up vanishing. Some folks want to stay on the mountain, far away from the melee, while others want to get home as soon as possible. Doug falls into the former camp.

So yeah, survival! I really enjoyed the story, especially seeing Doug try to build his relationship with his son, all while keeping them both safe. There are some other characters introduced in the story, and I was glad for them. It made the story feel a bit more well rounded. Without giving too much away, I will say that the only downside for me is not having enough of my questions answered. There are quite a few loose ends that I just hated not knowing the answers to, but alas. The story was still a good one! Very atmospheric, too- I could definitely feel the cold and the wilderness, and the isolation from the rest of the world.

Bottom Line: Obviously a very big focus on family and survival, this was a very quiet yet lovely story about a father and son trying to stay alive during dire conditions.

Above the Fire by Michael O'Donnell is a highly recommended novel about a father and son relationship in a dystopian situation.

Doug, a middle-aged widower, and Tim, his seven-year-old son, are on a late season backpacking hike through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The trip is to introduce Tim to hiking outdoors an activity his father and mother used to enjoy. The trip is going well for father and son when something happens in the world. All communication is lost and there are fires reported in the towns below. They later learn at the Mt. Washington ranger station some limited news: a massive cyber attack on infrastructure that has resulted in violence breaking out, looting, and perhaps war. Doug decides it would be safer for them to wait things out through the winter at Madison Spring hut.

Above the Fire is an introspective, reserved, and thoughtful dystopian that moves beyond the rumored chaos hitting the world off the mountain. The writing is very good in this debut novel. It is a quick, compelling read that establishes a hopeful tone during a difficult and stressful situation.

The relationship between father and son and their survival is the essential focus of the novel. Both Doug and Tim are portrayed as realistic characters. Doug is especially fully realized in his role as a father protecting and caring for his son while battling nature as the unknown hits the USA. He and his son bond together and experience some healing during their time together on the mountain.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It was a good mix between the sweet character based story of the father and his son and the tense, on the edge of your seat what is going to happen feeling. It was endearing to see the father and son being forced to block out all the extra noise in life and just focus on their relationship and surviving.

The author is very good at writing the inside of people's minds and hearts but making it seem so simple and casual. The writing really has a lot of feelings and draws you into the characters.

I personally felt that the ending was a bit loose. I was left with quite a few questions, but I think that was the intent.

I feel like people who enjoyed I Who Have Never Known Men would enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was invested in this story… and very let down at the end!
So many loose ends… I don’t know what the point of the story was, to end it this way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC

Above the Fire by Michael O'Donnell is an engrossing debut.
This is an entertaining, well-written and engaging story.
I enjoyed the story from the very beginning.
The writing was done so well. Kept my attention till the very end.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Father and son duo, Doug and Tim, are on a hiking trip up in the mountains when there is a cybersecurity attack on America, and the grid goes down. Chaos ensues and while many other hikers opt to go down to their homes and families, Doug decides that it is safer for himself and Tim to remain in the mountains.
This is a beautiful story of grief, relationships, and survival. Above the Fire is a very quiet story but incredibly compelling to read — I could not wait to read it, and I could not put it down. It is elegantly written, and the character development is incredible. There is certainly a dystopian element to the story, and there are bleak times but overall, the tone is hopeful.
Above The Fire is an outstanding debut novel. I am already recommending it to friends.
Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for review.

I thought this was a beautiful book. Widower Doug and his 7 year old son set out for a week long hike in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Early in their trip something happens in the world below the mountains. Communication and electricity is out. The Rangers aren'y able to tell people what is going on but lead the hikers out. Doug and his son hesitate to return to the unknown problems below. They decide to wait things out in the stocked hiking camp. Their wait extends into winter. This is a very thoughtful book about the relationship between the father, son and nature.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.

A very quiet and thoughtful story of survival from internal struggles and external circumstances. Doug and Tim join a group hiking to the top of a mountain range in New Hampshire, as a way of doing something to keep them busy and engaged after the loss of Doug's wife. Very shortly, the group finds out that the world has experienced something massive, communications and internet go down, and madness soon ensues. This story then really focuses on Doug, his son Tim, and their ever growing relationship, hope, endurance, and life. Beautifully done, especially for a debut novel.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

DNF - Read the first chapter
The premise of this book is interesting but the writing is staccato. It doesn't allow you to immerse yourself because it's so choppy.
Additionally, the dad has been on his own with his kid for "several years" but it's mentioned multiple times that he doesn't know how to talk to or understand his kid. You're his only parent and this is the relationship you have?

I'm sure this will be a fine book, but I definitely will not have time to get to the story before the archive date happens, in which case I will not be able to give my feedback. That would negatively impact my response ratio, which is not good, as I already missed out on giving feedback on so many books because this year has been so absolutely busy and stressful that I have not had the time nor mental capacity to get to many of these books before they are gone forever! It is as upsetting for both sides. I apologize, but I will do better for the future! I am appreciative that I have been giving access to so many great new releases.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

"Above the Fire" is the story of a father & his son stuck in the mountains as the US is hit by a cyberattack destroying the infrastructure (power grid, no electricity, no cellphone signal) and throwing the States into chaos. Because of looting and the violence below, the father decides to stay in the mountains, to wait for all of this to blow over after the winter. Isolated in a cabin high in the mountains, father and son survive. Doug makes sure that Tim's education does not suffer while dealing with intense anxiety and the total isolation from both the world at large and other adults / human contact. Not knowing what is going on below is scarier than I thought. I loved how soft spoken and thoughtful the father was, always pondering as to how to best protect but also help his son grow as a human being.

While this might sound like a dark, dystopian novel, it is actually quite hopeful and more introspective than action driven, which I really really loved. The novel is compared to "The Road" but I do not think that this is fitting apart from the character constellation as both plot, tone & ending are vastly different.

I really liked this book!

4.5 stars

This book is reminiscent of The Road, but there are differences as well. A father, Doug and son, Tim, are dealing with the loss of their wife and mother, by going on a backpacking trip in the mountains of New Hampshire. All is going well until they meet up with other backpackers and find that the outside world has collapsed and no one can get in touch with anyone anywhere.
This news brings confusion to everyone they have met. Everyone has to make decisions to stay and get through the winter that is coming or venture out to outside world and deal with it. Doug and Tim decide to stay and weather through it and deal with all that comes with a collapsed world.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is quiet book about relationships - with yourself, with family, with friends, with nature. There isn't a lot of on the page action but the disorder that the country is undergoing presents a stressor that creates tension. Loved this book. It was thoughtful and had depth. The writing is rich with description and atmosphere. Highly recommend.

An apocalyptic story that’s closer to the often discussed soft apocalypse rather than the more stereotypical apocalypse story, concerned less with the event itself and more with relationships between people, in this case, a father and his son. I do feel though that this story could benefit from a sequel, telling what happened after the characters left the mountain.

Set in a dystopian world where survival rules, a man forges an unbreakable bond with his young son. Doug and seven year old Tim go hiking in the White Mountains before cold weather sets in. Doug is an introverted widower and has trouble connecting with Tim. Their shared grief has failed to unite them. However, when an unknown national disaster cuts off all communication, they must work together to survive. Something unseen has left the country without power. There are riots, uncontrolled fires and unknown disasters. Doug decides to remain in the mountains and seeks refuge in a ranger’s cabin with Tim. Over the course of a lonely winter, he and Tim must rely on each to stay alive.

Above the Fire is beautifully written with characters so well described that you can see their souls. Debut author Michael O’Donnell draws us into an atmospheric world of outer bleakness and inner loneliness to show us the growing love between Doug and Tim. The other characters, David, the Danish couple and the man with the orange socks are also vividly depicted. I didn’t want this book to end. Thank you, Michael O’Donnell. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Michael O’Donnell for this ARC.

Very atmospheric and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Michael O'Donnell does a wonderful job of putting you onto the mountain and into the cabin.

I've been telling everyone who will listen in the past week about this book.