Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing August 13th!

As usual, Peter Heller's writing is gorgeous in this story of two best friends emerging from the woods of Maine after a hunting trip to find the towns around them have descended into chaos and what appears to be some kind of civil war. The atmospheric and nature descriptions are, standard for Heller, beautiful and evocative. I appreciated another return to the dystopian setting from him after liking his debut with The Dog Stars. That said, this one didn't work as well for me-there's a recurring flashback to an event that feels deeply weird and out of place with the rest of the story, and despite the obvious impact on the main character, I still wasn't really sure why this was included and why we needed to hear SO much about it, and felt fairly unfinished in terms of its meaning. For someone who seems to be fairly calculating and level-headed in the midst of crisis throughout the story, our protagonist also makes what seem to be deeply stupid decisions in the last few chapters of the book (luckily, he realizes his mistakes and changes direction somewhat, but it still felt incongruous with the rest of his development). Despite some parts of this not working for me, it was still a good read and I finished it quickly.

This is exactly what I was hoping for out of a Peter Heller novel.

I was hooked in the first five pages and couldn’t put it down.

The only feedback I have is…I wish there was more! But I’m also satisfied with the way it ended.

I’ll be doing a full video review of this on my instagram and TikTok pages. As a girl dad, this one really wrenched at my heart strings, but boy did I love it.

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road meets the kick assery of SA Cosby’s Razorblade Tears.

Two life time friends are returning home from hunting trip only to find out there is a civil war has started.
Characters are interesting, but I didn't see the point of going back into there chilhood years. Ending was sudden and disappointing

I've read and enjoyed all but one of Heller's fictional titles, so I was thrilled to get a copy of this one from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, this one was a huge disappointment! I kept trying to figure out what he was attempting to accomplish with this one, and frankly, it read as if he wasn't sure himself? Dystopian makes me think an author is commenting on current cultural things, and maybe he was, but he didn't do it in a very convincing or cohesive way. The flashbacks -- what were they meant to communicate? (I won't give my opinion of this lest I include spoilers, but let's just say there was a lot to be disgusted by.) This is an author who has proven to be capable of much better. Hopefully, this is a one-off.

An interesting premise for a book, but I felt that the author didn't commit fully to whatever he was trying to get across. Once I realized we weren't going to get the details about why there was a succession, I settled in to thinking I was going to get a wilderness survival type of story. But it never really got to that either. In fact, at one point the book seemed to skim ahead about 100 miles to get to the next spot of interest. And as for a look at male friendship, it stayed shallow in that regards as well. Never was there an emotional peak, even with some of the foundations for one so plainly laid out. The "startling discovery" kept me engaged and reading to the end. And, oddly enough, this is one book I wish had included an epilogue.

I went into this book thinking that it is a dystopian adventure story. That is what the summary of the book says. Yes it is an adventure story set in a dystopian present/future where a war is raging between secessionist North England states and the Federal Government. Jess and Storey out on their annual hunting trip are caught in the middle of it. However there is also a parallel story line told in a series of flashbacks. This parallel narrative is a coming-of-age story exploring complex relationships, male friendship and growing up in small town USA. The two storylines could well have been two separate novellas. The narrative about the dystopian adventure is definitely gripping with lots of action, imagery and cliffhangers. The other narrative is poignant in its own way. The ending seemed a bit abrupt and left me wanting more. Overall a quick read for those who want dystopian with a lot of introspection. A slow burn!
Thank you Netgalley, Knopf Publishing and Peter Heller for the ARC.

Burn was a bit of a quieter, more introspective apocalypse fare about two men stranded in the Maine woods when SHTF. Jess and Storey are besties from way back, and they get together annually to camp and hunt and such. Sounds miserable, but you do you. Then... some stuff happens. Thing is, Jess and Storey have no idea what that is. They can, at first, just tell that something is amiss. I loved that this is told through Jess's POV, because we the reader remain in suspense just as the guys do, which makes the book feel more exciting.

They do realize, fairly quickly, that they are not safe. And thus begins a quest for survival, and to make it home. Storey is desperate to get home to his wife and kids, while Jess now has time to think about what he has lost. We get a lot of glimpses back into the lives of Jess and Storey as younger boys/men, and what led Jess especially to the melancholic place he finds himself now- and that was before he was being actively shot at.

Let me just say, I love that this book is told in the perspective of these two male besties. There is simply not enough of that. Add to it, they obviously have a lot of deep chats since they're in emotional and physical turmoil. More of that, always. I don't want to say too much about the character evolution, since that is kind of a key point to the story, but Jess could be frustrating at times. Which is okay, because he is only human, but your initial sympathy for his "I lost my wife and dog" is going to... wane, a bit.

I do not mind a more thoughtful, contemplative apocalypse book. In fact, I quite like them. Here's the one thing that had this one frustrating me a bit: the ending just... (view spoiler). So I didn't love the ending, especially since a big part of the enjoyment of the book was the whole "what is happening here?" theme. My other minor qualm was that some of the flashbacks just ended up being a bit lengthy, when a little more time in the present would have been better for character development. Just my opinion, of course.

Ultimately, what we (and the characters) knew about what was going on seemed eerily plausible. Also, what the heck would you do out in the woods with no cell service and no way to get home? I'd say "this is why I don't hang out in the woods", but the truth is, their being isolated likely is why they survived.

Bottom Line: A quieter, yet still dark and tumultuous apocalypse fare, I enjoyed the story and just wanted more answers.

(3.5⭐️) Being a Mainer myself, reading about a dystopian-type story set in Maine was a little unsettling, as I could sort of easily see this happening😂😅

Jess and Storey were such interesting MCs, and I loved that we got the present day timeline as well as the timeline looking back on their friendship since they were young boys. The look at male friendship over this span of time was interesting and nuanced, and took some turns I wasn’t expecting.

As for the present day storyline, it was definitely a slower burn and took some time in figuring out what’s going on & getting the plot further along; at some points it felt a little repetitive. The reader is plopped into the story without some background on what’s happening, which made some things a little confusing, but you figure it out enough along the way. I do think the last 25% really picked up and I would rate that section alone at 4 stars. The ending felt pretty abrupt and I would’ve liked to see more there, but we’re left with enough for me to be content.

This was a messy read that turned out way too predictable for me. The beginning will hook you, nice writing. Good depths of friendship. Interesting setting. But this book does include an adult parent figure having sex with a teenager, so avoid if that may trigger you. Honestly that part was in no way necessary for this story or the friendship arc, many other options would have sufficed. The whole thing was creepy.

The ending was very unsatisfying.

I’m nearly forty-years-old, an optimist by nature, and full of gratitude for my family and friends, but I have to admit: It often seems like the world is on fire both literally and metaphorically. Consider recent events. Scientists recorded the planet’s two hottest days on record. A shooter attempted to assassinate a former president of the United States. Political polarization continues to grow as “the number of Americans who identify as either extremely liberal or extremely conservative has increased.” War rages in the Ukraine and the Middle East. And some people quietly and not-so-quietly speak of another U.S. civil war.

In this context, Peter Heller's Burn imagines how two lifelong friends, Jess and Storey, might survive in rural Maine as secessionists and the U.S. military engage in fire bombing and ground combat. Having emerged from a hunting trip in the woods, Jess and Storey discover a town ravaged by fire. The burning has left mostly embers, a blown bridge, few bodies, and countless questions. What caused this destruction? Are there any survivors? If so, where are they?

The reader joins Jess and Storey as they seek answers, move carefully from town to town, dodge bullets, and scavenge for supplies. Along the way, they encounter a five-year-old girl named Collie who is desperate to find her family. Storey, whose own wife and daughters are hopelessly unreachable in Vermont, scoops Collie into his arms and tries to comfort her as the trio desperately searches for safety.

The story's page-turning action is brought to life by Heller's careful weaving of timeless themes: love and loss, belonging and breakdown, regret and reunion. Jess and Storey are close enough to be brothers, but we learn that Jess has been holding onto a secret that haunts him and threatens to sever his bond with Storey. Meanwhile, Jess grapples with how his own selfishness alienated his former wife, who he still loves deeply. At every turn, care threatens to give way to callousness, and conviction leads to sacrifice.

Jess's dreams and reflections are as integral to the novel as its dystopian plot, helping the reader to explore how our relationships evolve and sometimes collapse. Why do we knowingly act in ways that hurt those we love? How do we summon the courage to admit our wrongs and ask for forgiveness? Can it be too late to reconcile?

Heller's attention to detail and exemplary descriptions of the natural world continue to be a hallmark of his style, which is punctuated by believably sparse dialogue. Characters act more than they speak, and when they do, it's mostly to figure out what to do next. By leaving so many words unwritten, Jess's internal turmoil, in particular, is somehow deeper and graver.

Near the end of the novel, we learn what has happened. This satisfies our need to know how the world turned so violent so quickly, but it proves to be far less important than what Heller has to say about the need to nurture our relationships with others, own our mistakes, and have the humility to mend what's been broken. After all, these are the surest ways to preserve and protect what binds us as individuals and as a nation.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced adventure through a believably-fallen landscape, I highly recommend Peter Heller’s Burn, releasing on Tuesday, August 13th, 2024.

Peter Heller is one of my favorite authors - I love his poetic turns of phrase, the wilderness settings, and the sense that something is going to go wrong and someone is going to have to kick some ass to make things right. This book is no exception. The premise of too-close-to-home pandemic-ravaged political unrest intrigued me, and I thought Heller handled the uncertainty very well. Interspersed are memories of the past, circumstances that made these two men who they are today. In reading this book, you're also reminded that there are people on all sides of war -- people who have families and truly believe in the righteousness of their side. My only complaint was that I wanted more! I could have read twice as many pages and been just as engrossed.

In Peter Heller’s newest book, Burn, I felt a return to the magic of his earlier works including The Dog Stars, The Painter and Celine. Burn tells the story of two longtime friends who find themselves in a hellish situation. In that sense it conjured up The Dog Stars post-apocalyptic feel but was new and different. One thing I really enjoyed about Burn was the main characters are in an unknown situation where we, as the readers, learn what is going on along with them. It felt like it added to the tension of coming to understand slowly as the story unfolds.

This book isn’t just a post-apocalyptic journey, but also an introspective journey into the past. Despite being in a really stressful situation, one of the main characters, Jess, takes a journey back in his memory and ruminates on his past relationships and how he has ended up where it is now. This felt like a nice balance to the action of what they were experiencing and gave an ebb and flow to the story. This is also very much a story of their friendship, how it has changed over the years and the bond they have.

As with all Heller’s books the descriptions of nature are beautiful. He really understands and notices the smallest details, and his writing really brings them to life. I have read all of Peter Heller’s fiction as well as one of his non-fiction books (Kook, a great read) and loved this newest book. His books are very much outside of the genres I typically read, but for me he is an auto-buy and I am looking forward to adding Burn to my growing collection of his books.

I highly recommend Burn by Peter Heller and want to thank Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC to review.

This story of male friendship and love of the outdoors is similar to Peter Heller's The River and The Guide. The plotting also reminded me of Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. I loved Heller's descriptions of the Maine wilderness, lakes and coastal towns. The mystery of the why behind what is happening drives the plot and keeps the pages turning. The backstory of Jess and Story's friendship is reveled as they work their way through Maine, not understanding why they are finding the destruction along their way. Certainly, another 5-star read in Heller's repertoire.

While I enjoyed the setting in the natural world, and the sections with interiority about the characters, I ultimately found this dry, hard to believe, and lacking in depth.

I want to start by saying that I'm a big Peter Heller fan and so I really was ready to enjoy another of his books. He creates wonderful characters and breathes life into their every interaction on a level that few authors really master. All of that is here in this book about two friends who have taken their annual hunting trip into the deep Maine woods and cut off from daily world updates. I had trouble buying into the premise that the escalation in the story could happen during the time span that they were out of touch and become so far reaching. Its not that things don't happen quickly in the world especially around radical events, to me it was the difficult to believe that the media blackout would be so far reaching including even cross border channels. With so much worldwide media, web, radio, etc it was difficult to believe they couldn't find any source of information on the situation upon their return. End result - great writing but a tough premise.

In some respects, Peter Heller's new book is an exciting survival story, an adventure, an Odyssey, as Jess and Storey, two longtime friends who've been on a two-week camping trip, try to navigate their way home through rural upstate Maine, a state suddenly torn apart by civil war. But it is also Jess's introspective look at his life and his loves, what he's always believed about himself and what he had all wrong. The beauty of the natural surroundings stands in big contrast to the ugliness of what human beings are doing to each other. Another page-turning read from Peter Heller who never disappoints.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

A dystopian thriller taking place in Maine..
Lifetime friends Jess and Storey are headed home from their annual camping/hunting trip and on their route home, a bridge has been blown up and demolished. Later on their path.. they find local towns burned down, and corpses littered around.
This happens in town after town they come to.. they are shot at..helicopters search for people and take people out, if seen.
The men do not know what is going on in the world without a phone signal or radio, etc.
They are now fighting for survival… added to their dilemma is that they find 5 yr old Collie that was hiding in a boat .. and they want to try and get her to her family.
A wilderness adventure that …sadly… never gives a real ending… after all that we read, we really don’t know what ends up happening with these characters… otherwise it would have been a five star read for me.

Publish date August 13

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

I devoured Peter Heller's book, The River, a few years ago, so I jumped at the chance to review his newest book, Burn. When I read the plot summary for Burn, it sounded like a great premise. Two lifelong friends–Jess and Storey–have been off the grid hunting and camping in the backwoods of Maine. When they return to civilization, they discover that a civil war has broken out. They don't know who they can trust.

I enjoyed the overall story of the book. It was suspenseful and thought-provoking. There were a lot of flashbacks to Jess and Storey's childhood and teenage years that didn't add a lot to the story, and I felt like they slowed the plot down. That was my only quibble with the book.

It left me thinking a lot about "good guys" vs "bad guys" and how our sense of self-defense often conflicts with our duty to help those around us. If you enjoy character-driven stories with an interesting plot, this is the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishers for an advanced copy of Burn.

I don't think I've ever not enjoyed one of Heller's novels. Something about his writing really speaks to me, and this introspective dystopian is another beautifully written novel. Two childhood friends go on their annual hunting trip and emerge to a profoundly changed landscape in Maine. The story is told from Jess's perspective, with flashbacks to his earlier years and the quiet enduring constancy of his friendship with Storey. This is an ode to male friendship and the natural world, set alongside the violence of a deeply troubled and divided world. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for a digital review copy.

Burn is the latest book by Peter Heller. It centers around two friends, Jess & Storey, who discover the world is in upheaval upon returning from their annual hunting trip in Maine. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past. I found the flashbacks interesting though some of the details are a bit bizarre. The two boys grew up together, and Jess had kept a secret from Storey that weighed on him for their whole relationship. Eventually the secret comes out and Storey reveals he already knew it. Heller describes the modern US civil war setting with remarkable skill. The story explores friendship, betrayal, redemption, honor, resilience, love, chosen family, survival, – all themes we often see from Heller – which is part of why we love him as an author. The story is thrilling and suspenseful, Heller has written other dystopian fiction – “The Dog Stars” and a short story “The Island.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an ARC

#PeterHellerBurn #NetGalley