(The Wildfire Season was published in 2005)

Alright, so up until now, I’d read ‘The Demonologist,’ ‘The Damned,’ and ‘Lost Girls.’ I still had a ways to go and while I’d loved everything Pyper had produced that my eyeballs had witnessed, I was still somehow scared to be let down. (Oddly, I still had that fear with just ‘The Guardians’ and ‘The Killing Circle’ left to read. That fear has been completely crushed now, Pyper doesn’t fail to deliver – ever.)

I was reading more and more, but my life was changing and in big upheaval. In Abbotsford, I had been managing an Orthotics Clinic while working towards my Pedorthic certification annnnnd trying to become some semblance of a world class thrower in shotput (which never happened!) I had a significant elbow injury and while trying to come to terms with no longer thrower and maybe never being competitive again, I recalled a conversation I had a few years back and took the chance. Over the next year, I lost 100 pounds and transformed from a thrower to a bobsledder. I moved to Whistler for six months and then we moved to Calgary the following October, as I tried to pursue sliding and the very, very, very small chance of making the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Come 2016, we were expecting our first child, and with my body completely breaking down, I stopped pursuing the Olympics. Our son arrived in August 2016, then in January 2017, I was told my job was ending and after going to numerous interviews, I was at a loss as to what to do next. Then, an offer was extended from a clinic in Edmonton, and in February we moved to Edmonton and I started my job, where I still work to this day.

When September of 2017 rolled around, I was struggling mentally with a lot of stuff. So, when we went camping at Crimson Lake, I made sure to bring a few books.

One such book was ‘The Wildfire Season.’ You see, when my mental state is seeing roadblocks and barriers and having trouble finding the sun, I turn to a comforting voice – and in literature, that voice is Pyper.

I started reading ‘Wildfire…’ in physical, reading 50% of the book over the few sporadic reading spots I got that week. Coincidentally, I would’ve read it all if I’d not been inspired to write draft one of my book ‘The Stranger’ while there!

I finished reading ‘Wildfire…’ on my Kindle and when I was done, I messaged Andrew and gushed about the book and how it had felt like such a connection for me. At the time, he replied kindly, while wondering if he should hit the block button, but it still boggles my mind when I look back at this book.

‘The Wildfire Season’ follows our main character, Miles who works as a forest firefighter – more specifically the crew chief. He’s haunted by his past, when he lost a crew member and lives each day with horrific scars to remind him of his decisions. He’s now fled to Ross River, Yukon. For Pyper fans, you’ll see a frequent connection with the North of Canada in many of his books, this one being firmly set there.

Pyper introduces us to a number of characters in this small town and between a raging fire descending on the town, the prospect that a ‘firebug’ may have purposefully started it and a pissed off bear deciding to exact some revenge, the reader is blessed with a psychological thriller, an eco thriller and a supernatural slow burn.

Ross River is a real place. It’s not close to anything.

That’s it at the red dot, far up on Google Maps.

And it’s small. See, let’s zoom in!

I grew up thirty minutes from a place about the same size as Ross River, with many of the same similarities. My dad was a logger and when needed in the summer’s, he’d fight forest fires when called upon.

Much like Ross River, we’d even lived under evacuation alert during one summer, watching with awe and fear as the fire on the other side of the Arrow Lakes jumped over to our side.

Growing up, I’d also been on hunting trips with my dad frequently. These were usually just day trips, sometimes over night excursions, but I dreamed of the life my cousin Jason had – tracking big game through the Yukon and Alaska. I’d been introduced to ‘using what the land provides’ from a young age, my grandpa having a trap line and everyone having massive gardens to grow most of our food.

All of these experiences culminated to feel like ‘The Wildfire Season’ was written specifically for ME. I know it’s an odd thing to say or even feel, but when you’ve read something that just speaks to you, the reader, then you know what I’m saying.

When I’d finished reading this, I proclaimed at that time, that this was my all-time fav read. While, I wouldn’t state that now, it’s not because the memory of this book has diminished – not at all.

It’s because I’ve read more of Pyper’s work and have continued to fall further and further into love with his writing voice and his storytelling.

Up next, I’m going to dive into reading ‘The Only Child,’ but until then, enjoy a companion review of ‘The Wildfire Season.’