(*This review originally was featured here on May 31, 2019)

Title: The Trade Mission

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: September 1, 2002

As most of you have seen, I’ve been celebrating all things Andrew Pyper this May – dubbing it PYPERMAYNIA.  I started the month off by reading his latest The Homecoming which was a stunning work of family tension and psychological thrills.  It catapulted itself into my favourite book position and one I’m actually considering re-reading, which is something I very, very rarely do.

My ambition was to read The Homecoming, The Trade Mission, The Killing Circle, The Guardians and Kiss Me, his short story collection.  Sadly, I have failed you all, as in the month of May I read The Homecoming and last night finished The Trade Mission.  I’ll still be reading the other three here in short order, I’d just hoped to get through all five.

In May, Andrew also kindly agreed to a short interview and it was one of my literary highlights to ask him some of the burning questions I had clanging around my head.  I cheekily even asked him two more questions via DM that he amazingly answered, but all in all, I’m super happy about PYPERMAYNIA and I hope some others were able to add his books to their TBR or even read some of his work.

Now, as for The Trade Mission – this was a book I’d had on my TBR for a little while.  I’m a sucker for all things ‘Lost World’ sounding.  Whether it’s the Amazon rain forest, a forgotten island, Dyatlov Pass or something just set in Siberia, then I’m game.  The synopsis is one that would always grab my attention – a group of Canadian entrepreneurs have travelled to South America trying to increase interest in their start up business.  While there they go on a sight-seeing trip up one of the numerous rivers.  After a celebratory party one night they are kidnapped by unknown assailants and from there it becomes a tale of survival.

The story is told from the point of view of 38 year old translator Liz Crossman.  The other main characters are the two faces of the business Wallace and Bates as well as 50 something Barry and another co-worker Lydia.  I can’t honestly say I remember what Barry and Lydia’s jobs were but enjoyed both characters immensely.

The opening to the story in my opinion is a decent set up for what the business is and why they are down in South America, but ultimately wished it was a tad shorter.  The true grit in this tale is Pyper’s psychological journey once the characters are captured.

The jungle itself is one of the biggest antagonists in this story.  They are in the middle of nowhere with the only source of travel being on the river, which itself plays host to a number of animals wanting to turn them into a snack.

The survival aspect and tale in this story is top notch.  From their capture through to the ending I enjoyed watching each characters descent into turmoil and madness.  It should be noted that at the same time of reading this, I was also reading The Silence by Tim Lebbon and Let’s Go Play At the Adams’ by Mendal Johnson.  While I haven’t finished The Silence yet, I did finish Let’s Go Play and this trio of stories all play with the mental aspect of survival as well as what happens when the odds are turned against you.  They worked well to heighten each other and I really lucked out into each working off of one another.

Overall this is another exciting entry into Pyper’s bibliography and one I’m glad I finally got to read.  I’m looking forward to finishing off the rest of his work and will await the announcement of his next release!

4/5 stars to a gripping tale of survival that takes place in a world where everything is out to kill you.

The Trade Mission was released in 2002.

So, up to this point, I’d read all of Pyper’s work except ‘The Trade Mission,’ ‘Kiss Me,’ ‘The Guardians,’ and ‘The Killing Circle.’

Notice something with those releases?

Except for ‘Lost Girls,’ and ‘The Wildfire Season’ those are all of Andrew’s earlier releases.

You see, I was a feeble coward. Andrew had wowed me with ‘The Demonologist,’ ‘The Damned,’ ‘The Homecoming,’ and ‘The Only Child,’ and a big part of me was worried that I’d find one I didn’t connect with or worse yet, enjoy.

‘The Trade Mission’ other than ‘Kiss Me’ seems to be the forgotten Pyper. I see a bunch of his books on Twitter and Instagram all the time, but I very rarely, rarely see ‘The Trade Mission.’

Why?

The synopsis should grab you and bring the reader in. We follow some young entrepreneurs on a trade mission to Brazil, trying to sell their amazing new product. When an eco-tour river cruise goes wrong, they end up lost in jungle. And then things get worse.

Like all of Andrew’s books, and something I mentioned in the previous post about ‘The Homecoming,’ one of the main characters in this book is the jungle and river itself. This book is set in a completely inhospitable place. An area of the world where you can walk two minutes in any direction and end up completely lost or devoured by any of the massive predators that call that territory home. And that isn’t mentioning the mysterious indigenous populations that consider foreigner’s to be put down on sight.

What I loved about this book was how Andrew made me feel like I was there, that I was the one surviving and doing whatever I could to make it to the next minute of the day.

By the end of this book, you’ll feel just as exhausted as our main character does and, while I won’t play spoiler, you’ll see the ending as a satisfying conclusion.

Now, of all of Andrew’s books, I didn’t feel as connected with this one, but I think that was based on the setting, not the writing style or the story itself.

I really enjoyed this one and it gave me the kick in the pants to not be so scared to read his other ‘older’ releases!

On one last note – I only recently discovered that this was also released as ‘Dark Descent.’

For why? Well, Andrew actually answers that question on the 22nd!

(*This review was originally published here on May 10, 2019)

Title: The Homecoming

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: February 26, 2019

If you’ve followed me on any of my social media platforms – you’ve seen me rave about Andrew Pyper and how he’s my fav author.  If you haven’t – well… uh… he is!

I’ve read a number of his works and as I’ve said before, something about the way he writes connects and resonates on a different wave length for me.

As I’ve made my way through prior releases, each one has etched itself into my mental library.  It started by discovering The Demonologist, then I read The Damned and The Lost Girls.  When I read The Wildfire Season, I sat stunned when it was done.  There were so many personal connections that I felt like the story had been written specifically for me.  It vaulted to my fav read by my fav author.

Then I read The Only Child.  Someone had asked me if I’d read it and I said ‘yup’ all confident, then realized I had it confused with Lost Girls.  So I snagged it, read it and was blown out of the water.

Pyper has a gift with using minimal words for maximum description.  His prose flows so easily off the page that you are immediately sucked into the story and you begin to root for the characters almost from word one.

The Only Child had my favourite opening line of anything I’ve ever read.  I didn’t expect it to be topped, and The Homecoming didn’t.  But the opening chapter.  Hells bells.  Pyper goes straight to the jugular here and then its full throttle until the horrifying, heart breaking ending.

The Homecoming is one of the more unique tales I’ve read, but that’s with most Pyper books.  Nothing is what it seems.  Go read the synopsis of The Only Child as an example for that.  His stories are complicated wrapped with technical aspects told with simple words.  It’s the hallmark of a deft story teller but also a confident writer.

The premise is pretty straight forward – the often absent father, who lived a mysterious life, dies.  His family is summoned to a sprawling piece of property in the Pacific Northwest where they find out that they will each receive a sizeable inheritance, but it comes with a catch.  They must live at the property for the next thirty days, no contact with the outside world, no cell phones, no TV, no internet.  No leaving the property.  If they do they will be disqualified from their inheritance.

The property and house they’ve been brought to, is called Belfontain and the three grown children all have memories of the place – whether it’s actually being brought there when they were little or through stories they remember their dad telling them, the place has a fairy tale quality to it.

Pyper’s description of Belfontain actually reminds me of Blaylock Mansion near Nelson, BC.  I grew up near Nelson and that mansion and property always had an air of mystery about it.  If you’ve never seen it before, check it out – https://www.blaylock.ca/

Now, I’ll keep this review completely spoiler free, but within the first 20% of this book Pyper takes that simple premise and completely throws it out the window.  More surprises from the father’s past make appearances, the dread and horror grow and Pyper keeps you guessing right up to the very end.

This book has elements of Frankenstein, A Clockwork Orange, The Island of Doctor Moreau and that’s just scratching the surface.

At the end of the day, this book was phenomenal and I would have read it in one sitting if time would have allowed.

I think even though Andrew Pyper is my favourite author, I read his work more critically than any of the other authors I love, because I have elevated my standards for what I expect of his writing.  That sounds unfair, but I don’t think it is.  I also know now, having read six of his books that I don’t expect to be disappointed.

I can’t say that Pyper has gotten better with each release he’s had, I would instead describe it as getting bolder, greater.  There’s a quote floating around that says; “Pyper may be the next Stephen King.”  I’ll second that but with two caveats.  First – Pyper’s work is never bloated or overly detailed for page counts.  The Homecoming is listed at 368 pages but reading it you feel like it could easily have been only 100.  Every single word has a purpose and the story flows so freely and easily that you’ll be surprised at how much you’ve read in such a short time.  The second is I’ve never read a Pyper book where I finished and went ‘huh?’ at the ending.  Many people say King struggles to end his books, and I’ve come across that a few times, but never with Pyper.  They always end purposefully.  (Side note – Mr. Pyper, if you are reading this, feel free to write a 1000 page book.  I’d read it!)

This is one review where I could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it up here.  This was my first read for my PYPER-MAY-NIA celebration and tonight I’ll be starting The Trade Mission.  When I reviewed The Only Child I said I put off reading it after I got it because I didn’t want it to end and not have a new Pyper book to jump into.  To have The Trade Mission, The Guardians, The Killing Circle and Kiss Me lined up after brings a smile to my face.

In closing – I’m elated to read that The Homecoming is being adapted for TV.  I’ve fallen out of love with watching TV but this will be one show I’ll make an effort to see.  And for those at home keeping score or wondering – I can confidently say that The Homecoming has become my favourite Pyper release.

This is a must read for all fans of the horror/thriller/suspense and was an easy book to score 5/5.

The Homecoming was released in 2019

It’s funny.

I’m writing these retrospectives during a global pandemic and the premise of ‘The Homecoming’ is almost topical, to a degree.

A family get’s thrust into a mysterious mansion in the Pacific Northwest. They are told that if they stay here, together for a certain amount of time, with no outside contact, they’ll each collect a portion of a massive inheritance.

But that’s where the similarities to any memes end and Pyper makes sure nothing is as it seems.

I really started to wiggle my way into the larger horror world in 2018. I’d released a few books at that point, but didn’t really take the time to interact too much on Twitter or Instagram, and had really been just posting on Facebook. After making a number of connections and relationships on Twitter, I saw that Andrew Pyper had a new book coming out.

As a super fan – I was over the moon.

I saw it was available on Netgalley, but I decided to wait. I didn’t request it. I pre-ordered the ebook and then when it loaded onto my Kindle even my wife mentioned my smile was intense!

You see, ‘The Homecoming’ was my very first Pyper that I owned (in some format) on day one. It was like a band you loved but had always missed release date.

Maybe a week after the release date, my wife and I were walking in our local Shopper’s Drugmart and she noticed that the book was there and it was 25% off.

“Get it,” she said, “I know you’ll be begging for it anyways.”

“But Amanda,” I replied, “I have all his other books!”

She probably grabbed it with a mocking eye-roll, but I didn’t care – it was in my possession. And, amazingly, I sent it to Andrew and got it signed.

‘The Homecoming’ to me is a book that really showcases how Andrew is the most ‘vicious-commercial’ writer out there. Don’t believe me? Read this and tell me differently after the ending. I can guarantee you, the two part ending, or two act ending, depending on how you want to categorize it, will be something you never see coming. Ever.

And when I use the word ‘commercial’ I don’t mean it in a negative way. No, I mean it in a visible way. Much like King, Crichton, Gaiman, Hill, Koontz, and even Malerman now, Pyper is one of the rare horror author’s whose books you’ll find in Walmart, Costco and grocery stores.

When you read a book like ‘The Homecoming,’ you become engrossed. I’ve often talked of Andrew’s writing voice and his use of setting as a character. Both of these are on full display here. With simple, concise descriptions, you get the entire layout and it becomes ingrained in your mind. The estate is known simply as Belfontain. It has a fence, an impressive main living house/mansion and throughout the woods around it, guest houses or work houses. But it’s those things beyond the edge of the forest, that still reside in the fenced property that Andrew uses to the detriment of the reader.

In my review, I mentioned how much it reminded me of a mansion on the outskirts of Nelson, BC. Blaylock Mansion was always a mystery to me, a place that I’ve longed to visit and take a tour but also one I want to never go on, just so that it stays a mystery to me, if that makes sense. You can find out more about this mansion here: https://www.blaylock.ca/

Growing up, whenever we’d drive by it, my head would snap over and I’d watch it pass by, wondering just what was behind those windows, those doors. Much the same as Pyper brings you into this imagined location and once we get the expected ‘bump in the night,’ he never let’s his foot off the gas.

Andrew has a number of writing trait’s or trademarks, but to me, the one that I enjoy the most is the way he writes. It never changes but always progresses. He has become a more refined writer and has excelled at the craft with each and every release, but as I’ve found out by just recently reading two of his earlier releases, the Pyper that resides in a Pyper book has never wavered, never changed.

For that we can all be thankful for.

When I finished this book, I did feel crushed. A new Pyper book had come and gone, and at the time, nothing had been completely announced yet for 2020’s ‘The Residence.’

But, ‘The Homecoming’ is a book I’ve found, that doesn’t get read and stored away. No, it stays alive within the reader for long after. When you drive through the mountains it makes you wonder. What’s at the end of the driveway? What is beyond that fence? Where do you go when that gate opens?

All of these questions will go through your head while reading the story. They’ll be questions you re-ask yourself time and time again, months and years after having read this book.

That’s just what Pyper does.

(** This post originally featured on One Legged Reviews, on July 12, 2019**)

Title: The Only Child

Author: Andrew Pyper

I’m pleased to also offer up a guest review from my friend Jennifer Sullivan of Andrew’s fantastic book ‘The Only Child.’ Jen is a fantastic friend, fellow reviewer from Kendall Reviews and one of the few people in the book world I’ve actually met!

(I’m super jealous because Jen has actually met Andrew!)

Take it away Jen!

**

Years ago, my critique buddy, Larry Brown, convinced me to attend a book reading from an author I hadn’t heard of at the Brantford Public Library.

“He writes spooky things. You’ll like it,” Larry said, knowing my weakness for anything horror related.

The author was Andrew Pyper, the book ‘The Damned.’ Walking out of that live reading I became a Pyper fan. Not just because ‘The Damned’ sounded like something I needed to read (which it was), but because of the way the author talked about his creative process. In answering questions, he spoke as if the characters were real, as if he were transcribing memories instead of making the whole thing up. And even when his stories take a turn toward the supernatural there’s such a heightened sense of reality that I can believe in monsters.

In Pyper’s novel ‘The Only Child,’ the main character Lily believes in monsters, too. Not the mythical creatures, but the human variety. After years of working as a forensic psychiatrist it would be nearly impossible for her to downplay the evil that lives inside humanity. Yet, there’s a memory from her past, the night her mother was killed, which her scientific mind can’t quite unravel. When she meets a new patient, a man with no name, who knows more about Lily than should be possible, her quest for answers becomes more desperate.

After the man she comes to know as Michael escapes custody she chases after him in a cat-and-mouse game through Hungary, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Lily and Michael’s encounters are often brief along the way, but through conversations and letters he leaves behind she learns of his connections to Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and even Robert Louis Stevenson. At first the information seems to be the ramblings of a madman, however as pieces of Michael’s past start to come together, Lily’s doubts begin to fall away, and she reconsiders her lack of faith in non-human monsters.

‘The Only Child’ is one hell of a ride! From bringing together elements from Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to the descriptions of the European cities, and the complexities of the character relationships, this is a novel you fall into and it consumes you to a point where you have to remind yourself the story is fiction.

As soon as I read the first line of ‘The Only Child,’ I was hooked: “She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.” How can you read that and not want more? There’s no long preamble or unnecessary character set up, he just jumps straight into the story, grabbing the reader straight away. The rest of the novel is just as lean too, something I’ve come to expect from Pyper. He never takes the story down inconsequential tangents, nor does he interrupt the pacing for flowery descriptions or sidebar internal character thoughts. Every word on the page is there for a reason. However, the author’s exactness still manages to paint vivid mental images of the scenery and provides character introspection. It’s almost like magic.

While the plot is thrilling and the style of writing is beautiful, what I will probably remember most about ‘The Only Child’ is Lily’s character. She’s a woman conflicted with herself, which starts from the first page and intensifies through the story. Her memories of the night her mother was murdered is at the heart of her internal struggle. In keeping with the classic Gothic stories woven into the book, Lily’s fight centres around what science can prove against what life’s experiences demonstrate to be true. Being a woman of science, Lily wants to completely dismiss anything that can’t be logically explained, and as evidence mounts for the existence of the supernatural, she begins to unravel, clinging on to anything and anyone that might provide comfort. In the end though, she comes to accept that she’s known the answers all along and embraces who she really is in a final scene which still gives me shivers.

There’s so much more I could say about what I enjoyed in this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice to say, I highly recommend ‘The Only Child.’

My rating is 4 of 5 stars.

As a brief end-note, in March of 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend the Toronto International Festival of Authors presentation called “Oh, The Horror of It All” where Andrew Pyper spoke as part of a fantastic panel. After the event I was able to chat with Pyper briefly, and he signed my copy of ‘The Only Child,’ which is a real treasure!

If you’re ever able to attend one of his live events, don’t let the opportunity pass you by – he’s passionate about books, writing, and is an all-round wonderful person.

Thanks so much, Steve, for sharing Pyper-May-Nia with the world and for allowing me to celebrate our mutual love for this superb Canadian author!

**

Absolutely my pleasure, Jen! I hope to be able to meet up with you again in the future!

So, now really, what are you waiting for?!

(Review 1 of 2 featured for The Only Child, with Jennifer Sullivan providing the other one today! This originally was posted to Goodreads on November 14, 2018)

Title: The Only Child

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: May 23, 2017

“She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.”
With that opening line burrowing in your head, ‘The Only Child’ kicks off. What a ride.
If you follow me on Twitter, you have undoubtedly come across any number of my tweets stating how Andrew Pyper is my favourite author. I have shared this tale before, but I stumbled across Mr. Pyper’s work in Walmart of all places.
Leading up to reading ‘The Only Child’, I randomly read ‘Vlad the Impaler’ and ‘The Resurrectionist.’ In hindsight, I truly couldn’t recommend two books better to read beforehand than those.
‘The Only Child’ reads like a horror book, wrapped in a dark psychological drama, wrapped in an ongoing ‘Where in the World is Carmen Santiago?’ – action adventure. I read this in three sittings (only because I had to travel for work so saved it for the plane) and the number of phenomenal cliff-hangers in this book is amazing. You will be flipping the pages frantically, being pulled ever further into this amazing alternative history tale.
The story follows the main character Lily, haunted by the visions she sees of her mother’s death all those years ago in their tiny cabin in Alaska. Now working as a psychiatrist at a criminal centre in New York, she is assigned a curious admission. A man who tells her he is the true-life inspiration behind Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This patient tells Lily that he is over 200 hundred years old. Then the cat and mouse game begins.
One of the numerous gifts the author has is the ability to transport you to an exact location and allow you to feel the street under your feet, the buzz of surrounding traffic and people, and the smallest details that let your fingertips to actually feel the environment. His ability to use minimal words to convey maximal emotion will make you gasp time and time again.
Until reading this book, my favourite book of all-time was easily his 2006 release The Wildfire Season. Until reading this book, it was. ‘The Only Child’ transfixed me from sentence one and never let go. I found myself pausing at points and using google street view, only to find the exact description I had read was so accurate I would be smiling.
The entire book is a sprint, a trip around the world that ends with a dramatic and action-packed finale. Sometimes you can go home again, and in this case Andrew Pyper shows why you must and what secrets still lay buried.
I couldn’t recommend this book more. 5 star ratings are sometimes inadequate and in this case it falls far short of what I want to rate it.
If you haven’t read any of Andrew Pyper’s work, please, please fix that ASAP, and this would be a fantastic place to start.

(The Only Child was released in 2017)

“She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.”

Up to this point, I’d read a number of Andrew’s works and loved them all. I’d not been staying on top of the ball with his most recent releases and as I became more involved in the Twitter/Instagram book world, I always found it amazing when other’s mentioned they loved Pyper’s works as well.

Look, I know, I know. Andrew is an International Bestseller, Award-winning author and millions of people have read his books.

But a part of me still considered him to be my secret author.

It was during a Twitter exchange with either Sadie Hartman or Mindi Snyder where they asked if I’d read ‘The Only Child’ to which I replied ‘of course!’

Only it took me a moment to realize, that I had not in fact read it. I had confused it with another book. Which one? No idea.

But I righted that wrong, snagged the book and then let it sit.

Part of the reason I let it sit was knowing ‘The Homecoming’ had been announced and I didn’t want to fly through this and be left without the impending announcement of more Pyper. I know, that sounds odd, especially considering there were still other releases of his that I hadn’t read yet.

A common thread that you’ll find in these retrospectives is my personal fear of ‘what if?’ I’ve said it a few times, and it’ll pop up in a few more during this month, but what if I read something and I don’t like it? If you look at the quote on the cover of ‘The Only Child’ and in fact this quote appears on a number of Mr. Pyper’s covers, it says “Pyper could be the next Stephen King.” This was from a National Post feature on him, some years back. Well, to me – Andrew is my Stephen King.

King was my introduction to the horror game, and as mentioned in the first piece I shared here about ‘The Demonologist,’ for many years was my main horror source. Hell, I only just read a Clive Barker book in the last few years. So, time and time again, I went to King and there’s very few pieces of his I haven’t enjoyed. But truth be told – I’ve never related to King on any sort of level. It’s an interesting thing to sit down and digest. And I’m not talking about the fact he’s a millionaire many times over, has 60 books out, has 25 or so adaptations of his work on the big screen. No, I’m talking about not relating to him because of where he’s from and the fact he’s almost double my age. He doesn’t write at all about Canada or Canadian locations etc.

With Pyper, I’ve found an author whom I greatly admire as a master of his craft, but also as a proud Canadian who doesn’t shy away from including that. On Friday, the piece I’ll be posting will be a re-sharing of Andrew’s embrace of Canada in his works made me a better writer, so I won’t touch on that much here.

What I’ll instead say, is that I connect with Andrew because of shared upbringings, shared experiences, that only comes from that country connection. Of the love of hearing pucks hit the end boards during warm ups before a game, of the smell the air gets before a crisp early snowfall happens, and of the idea that no matter where someone comes from, being nice is always the first option.

Before I dive a bit deeper into ‘The Only Child’ let’s pop back for one second. I’m the worlds most extroverted introvert. I love, love being on my own and just reading and writing. There was a week a few years back where my wife and son went to visit her mom in Fort McMurray. I came back from a conference and had a few days off before needing to pick them up. When I went to get them, on the 5 hour drive from Edmonton to Fort Mac, I realized I hadn’t spoken a word out loud in almost 5 days. But, people are often surprised when meeting me. How outgoing I am. I can talk to anyone, anywhere about anything at anytime. I have no filter and at group gatherings, people will often assume I’ve had a few too many, because I’m the one to willingly climb something, jump off something or jump into something. All of this is to say, that when I first messaged Andrew, he could have easily said “Thanks, take care.” But instead, he engaged and has always been gracious when I’ve contacted him.

I try not be a pest, and it’s tough, but seriously – Andrew Pyper is my Stephen King. If Stephen King was kind enough to reply, wouldn’t you say have a few questions back? 🙂

(And this isn’t said to imply King is mean or doesn’t like people or is unrelateable.)

So, back to where the hell I was going, yeah?

I decided to dive into ‘The Only Child’ with a sense of dread over what I would find. That was allayed with the opening sentence, which I quoted at the start.

“She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.”

That line is my single favorite opening line and from there, Andrew doesn’t let up. ‘The Only Child’ is an immersive read, to the point of having a Dan Brown feel. Now, I know some people see Brown’s name and spit on the ground as though they are from Dog River and you’ve just mentioned Wullerton.

If you’re not sure of that joke;

But it’s an accurate description, in that the book takes us all over the world, starting with one of Andrew’s calling cards – a far North setting.

The book follows Dr. Lily Dominick, a forensic psychiatrist working in New York. Tasked with assessing the worst of the worst, things go astray when she’s assigned Client 46874-A. The nameless man tells her that he is the living inspiration for Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

WHHHHAAATT!

Yeah, I know right. What a pull in. Immediately Pyper immerses you in what is and what is not, and you soon find that not only are you questioning the around the world journey Lily embarks on as she tracks this man, but also why there is a strange connection between them.

There will be two reviews posted about ‘The Only Child,’ today as well, mine and my friend Jennifer’s, so I won’t go too deep into the rest of the book, but when I was done reading this, I was left speechless.

The story moved at such a break neck pace and as I’ve said before, Pyper has the single best writing voice out there. It’s like the Uncle at a family reunion who you haven’t seen in a few years, but you can’t wait to sit down and chat with.

One last note before I wrap this one up.

I’ve always loved this cover. It tends to lend some resemblance to all three of the ‘inspiration’ aspects featured within, but a part of me, deep down, believes that the figure on the cover walking away is actually Andrew. I searched once before, trying to find out if it was, but haven’t had any luck. I love the thought so much though, that I haven’t worked up the courage to actually ask Andrew.

Who know’s, maybe he’ll read this and message me?

Be cool if it was, eh?

(Now, go buy the book!)

(*This review was originally posted on Goodreads on July 2, 2018)

Title: The Wildfire Season

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: January 1st, 2005

My new favourite book, from my favourite author!

The Wildfire Season became my new favourite book for me personally, because of the connections I found I had to this novel.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, in a place not that different from Ross River. I grew up hunting, and my cousin Jason was a big game guide in the Yukon and Alaska.
We spent a number of summer’s on evacuation notice due to forest fires, and when my Dad’s logging job would be shut down due to fire hazard, he would work as a forest fire fighter.

I have always been drawn to books set in barren landscapes and characters that continue to fight against the odds, no matter how overwhelming they appear.

This book had everything and more for me.
If you love Mr. Pyper’s work, and haven’t checked this out yet, I highly recommend it!

(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.’