Tense and atmospheric, Burn feels heavy with anticipation and questions while the main characters navigate a post-apocalyptic landscape after a wilderness hunting trip. The action is counter-balanced by the interior monologue of one of the protagonists, as he processes love and loss. I am a big fan of all Peter Heller's novels and this is no exception. I could read hundreds more pages about the civil war scenario he paints, but that's not what it's ultimately about.

This was by far my favorite Peter Heller book and I’ve read them all. You are immediately wrapped into the world of the two main characters and find yourself wondering, WHAT IS HAPPENING! When the secret is revealed the book is no less intriguing. This kept me turning page after page. Peter Heller has cemented himself as my favorite author.

I have mixed feelings. This book was so bleak it often felt like a slog, but it was also well-written and a great depiction of a deep male friendship that kept me anxious to find out how the characters would find their way out of the situation.

Heller was smart not to go very deep into the politics of the incident. The story is grim enough without opening that can of worms. If you’re not in a good headspace, save this one for later. It hits uncomfortably close to home and some days I just couldn’t bear to pick it up.

I think there will be people drawn in by the blurb who will find the story unsatisfying. It’s more of a character study than an adventure/suspense novel, and I think many readers will be itching for more of a resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Burn, by Peter Heller, reminded me of Run by Blake Crouch, in that they both involve people who find themselves quite suddenly in the middle of very dangerous circumstances which take all of their resources to survive.

In Burn, two friends in a hunting trip into the Maine woods find carnage when they attempt to return home, and realize they have emerged into a war. The story details their efforts to escape the violence and make it back to their homes.

There is also quite a lot of looking back, as the men revisit their pasts and old conflicts are resolved. This story was an interesting blend of detailed character development and plot.

The story was intriguing, and kept me turning pages despite the descriptive violence, which I skimmed over. I think this is one I will be thinking about for days.

I love most of Peter Heller's books, with my all-time favorite being Dog Stars. This is an unusual choice for me because, on the whole, I am not drawn to dystopian or post-apocalypic novels. Like Dog Stars, Burn is dystopian, a novel that examines an unknown world and the close ties of male friendship.

Jess and Storey are long-time friends, spending weeks at a time together every year as they fish, hunt, hike, and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Jess is mourning the loss of his wife who left him shortly before the friends' latest hunting trip. Storey has a wife and children at home. They have been deer hunting in deep, remote woods. When they emerge, the world has changed into something they don't understand.

There are hardly any people around and those that are visible are being shot at or shoot at Jess and Storey. Communities have been razed and abandoned, burnt to the ground and destroyed. There is no Wi-Fi or cell phone communication and they both are at a loss as to what has transpired while they were away from civilization. As they work their way to Maine, they hypothesize that a civil war has occurred or Maine has seceded from the United States.

The novel dragged and I found it difficult to remain interested. I thought there was too much filler and my puzzlement about the friends' predicament turned quickly to boredom. I know that my take on this book is not shared by many but despite it being well-written, the narrative just didn't grab me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this pre-publication edition.

Picture the scene: You’re on an extended hunting trip, and you and your lifelong friend emerge from the Maine woods into a war zone. Neither of you have any idea what is going on, but you do know that every town you come across has been completely razed, with no signs of life.

What has happened in the weeks that you’ve been off grid?

And how will you both get home?

Is there a home to return to?


This novel is an interesting mashup of hiding, terror and reminiscence and friendship. It covers many subjects. I enjoyed most of it, but I don’t think it’s compelling enough to reread, probably because some of the reminiscing dwelt on a “relationship” that never should have happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Jess and Storey have been friends since childhood. Each year they take long, off-the-grid hunting trips. Hunting in remote Maine, and aware that there were news stories about a secessionist movement there, they gave it little thought … just legislative squawking. When they reach a small town where every building has been burned to the ground, they quickly decide they need to get home as soon as possible. Jess is a childless divorcee living in Colorado, but Storey has a wife and children in nearby Vermont.

They encounter horrific destruction and mounting challenges as they seek out a path to safety, gradually learning more and more about themselves and their friendship.

Thank you to #Knopf and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #Burn. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This book is classic Heller - New England setting, outdoor/nature activity, strong male friends and an external threat. Burn is so well done and a timely exploration of what could happen in our divided nation.

Jess and Story have been friends since childhood. On their annual hunting trip in Maine, they end up in the middle of a conflict between secessionists and the government. With no cell service and limited information, they cautiously navigate the ravaged towns, trying to find their way home while also working out their personal issues.

This is now my 2nd favorite of Heller's books (Celine being #1). He'll continue to be a "must read" author for me.

Two lifelong friends, Jess & Storey, at the end of their annual hunting trip in rural Maine, leave the woods to head home but finds a world in chaos and violence.

While they were off the grid, civil war erupted, towns are burnt to the ground, and destruction and death is everywhere. While attempting to make their way home, they are met with secessionists and military who intend to kill anyone they meet who are not one of them.

Their trek becomes even more treacherous when they find a little girl, hidden away who is frightened and crying for her parents and her dog. The scenes with the little girl are some of the most heartfelt and emotional of the book.

As they attempt to make their way home, they try to make sense of what happened. Who are the bad guys here? Secessionists or the military? Or both?

Heller never gives us the details of the political divide that led to civil war, and I was thankful he didn’t make it political, which would do nothing but divide readers.

This is a wilderness and survival story like no other. It’s a thriller but a quiet literary one. There’s an emotional depth with themes of male friendship, love, courage, and moral responsibility.

I love Heller’s portrayal of good men, men who are thoughtful and do the right thing at great risk to themselves, men who are tender and protective of children. He writes of men, through no fault of their own, who are tested to the limits. More than once I was brought to tears.

This is a beautiful story I won’t soon forget. 5+ stars

I love this author and was so excited about this after reading the book description. That being said I was a little let down. I really struggled getting through this book. I Personally just didn't enjoy it. I struggled with the way the book flowed.

“A novel about two men — friends since boyhood — who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country wracked by bewildering violence.”

This book was slow to start - and by that I mean the first 2-3 chapters were slow. After that, though the pacing of the plot was still meandering on for some reason the story moved forward at a fast clip. We began to get more and more back story on Storey and Jesse, as well as some idea of what the hell is going on around them. The best part of this book by far was the writing, and along with that, the characterization. The whole story revolved around these two and a little girl and those three characters were written so realistically and with such care that I felt like I knew them. Of course, I was rooting for them to win in the end and I love being that invested in characters.

This normally is not something I would pick up, a little dystopian and political, but it really ended up working for me and once I got into it I simply couldn’t put it down - I was that invested.

I would say the plot line was Stephen King-esque while the writing was much like John Steinbeck - specifically in his novel, Travels with Charley which I found Burn constantly reminding me of. I was a little bit disappointed by the ending… it all seemed to end abruptly and with not enough explanation in my opinion but. Seeing how the rest of the book went I can’t say I was surprised? I’m really undecided to be honest.

Even if you don’t think the content matter of this book is up your alley, it might be worth a short for the writing alone.

Burn is another great novel by Peter Heller. Lifelong best friends Jess and Storey take their annual hunting trip to the woods of Maine. When they emerge from the woods, it is abundantly clear that the world has changed. The entire town is burned to the ground, and a few charred bodies are all that remain. Jess and Storey were aware of the talks of secession from fringe groups in Maine but they figured it would all get sorted out. Instead, it appears a full blown civil war has started. Jess and Storey don't know where to go or how to find answers. They rely on each other and their survival skills as they navigate the upheaval. Beautifully written with the common themes of friendship, love, morality, and mortality that are central to Heller's writing style. I would have liked a fuller and more detailed ending, instead of being left wondering what happened next. Maybe there will be a sequel? If so, I'm in!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

Burn is my third novel by Peter Heller, and while the type of book he writes isn’t generally one of my favorites, I still enjoy reading his books, which blend nature and people with a love of the outdoors with a mystery. In this story it’s an unlikely mystery and also a very timely one. Jess, the narrator, and his friend Storey are moose hunting in Maine when they come across a community that’s been torched and its inhabitants gone. They quickly discover that it isn’t an isolated event, and find themselves hiding and on the run, but from whom they’re not quite sure. Along the way they find a young girl and add trying to find her parents to their own quest to stay alive and escape a literal torched earth anarchy they’ve found themselves in the middle of. It’s fascinating, and the prose is spare and the descriptions a tribute to nature. I kind of wish it didn’t spend as much time reflecting back on the men’s childhood, and the ending has a conclusion to it, but still feels very open-ended. It makes me hopeful that there’s a sequel that provides more to the story that is covered in this particular novel. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A grim look at what a Civil War in the United States in present day could look like. Protagonist Jess, and his best friend, Storey, while on a yearly hunting trip in Maine, get thrust into the middle of an apocalyptic landscape and become the rescuers of a lost five-year-old girl.

This story is a slow journey enveloped in bleak but beautiful depictions of the world around the hunters. It is mixed with flashbacks to Jess’s younger days with Storey’s family, and his broken marriage-all leading to him questioning who he is and why he chooses the life he has lead. He is a lost and meandering figure who still hasn’t found his place in the world, and chooses to follow his friend’s lead. But as he grapples with what is going on around him, he is forced to acknowledge his mistakes and how they have played a roll in his life.

As the story unfolds, terror is all around them, laid out at the masterful hand of the author. He slow build suspense, which hammers the reader with real and deadly scenarios of rebellion and violence. The overall storyline keeps you engaged and hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel.

This dark novel does not have a happy ending or a clear resolution, but Heller does leave room for a small glimmer of hope that war does not have to have the last word.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Boyhood friends, Jess and Storey, head to rural Maine to camp and hunt. When they emerge from the woods, they are greeted by a nightmare. Bridges have been destroyed, homes have been reduced to ashes, cars on the road have been torched. Without communication, they have no idea what has occurred. Once their vehicle runs out of gas, they travel on foot, trying to make their way home.

The book didn’t work on a few different levels. First, the book is about two guys who find themselves in a dystopian setting, yet the majority of the book is about their friendship and their past. One obsesses over “losing” his wife. Turns out he didn’t “lose” her, she left and for good reason. Second, the complexity of why Maine has become a war zone is oversimplified and never really examined. Third, the writing lacks continuity. The guys find an abandoned sugarhouse where they might take refuge, but that abruptly becomes 20 pages of when they were in a sugarhouse 30 years ago. After such a slog to read, the ending was a disappointment.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

I'm a really big Heller fan. I've read and loved every one of his books. I love his writing. I love his quiet novels. I love his characters. I love the atmosphere of his books.

And Burn has so much of Heller in it.

It's about two men who come out of the woods, returning from a hunting trip to find that the world has completely changed while they were in the woods. The town is completely burned to the ground and everyone is dead.

The book is basically their journey into understanding what happened. It's political in its nature but it's no in any way didactic. It's about male friendship. It's about parenting. It's about government. It's about human nature. And it's quiet and scary and meaningful like all of his novels are.

I found this one to be a little slower than usual but i am still glad I read it.

with gratitude to Knopf and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC of Burn. I love Peter Heller and enjoyed this dystopian novel. Peter Heller is a must-read for me. This novel reminded me a lot of the recent movie, Civil War. This book was much darker than some of Heller's other work. The main characters are fighting for their lives in the midst of a modern civil war where the body count keeps rising as the story develops. If you have enjoyed Heller's work up until this point, you'll like this one too. Heller does a wonderful job of writing complex characters and has a way of interviewing beautiful descriptions of the setting that make you want to get out and experience real world adventure.

So many new books coming out in the New England area of the US lately. This is another one.

The jump between childhood and current times are a little abrupt and jarring. (This could most definitely just be a me thing.) However, I am absolutely flying through this. I'm dying to know what happens next.

This was great. I want to know what happens in these characters' lives next. Not sure if this is a stand-alone or series. I would honestly love a second book, though.

But this book gives you a terrifying look into something that could possibly happen in our near future with the current political climate.

Burn (2024)
By Peter Heller
Knopf, 304 pages
★★★★★

Few authors write about people in peril through no actions of their own as well as Peter Heller. His is the sort of world in which even those in a post-apocalyptic world are veritable innocents. In his new novel Burn Heller imagines an all too conceivable future dystopia.

Heller’s protagonists are two friends so close that they could be twins, the sort whose deepest secrets are somehow known to each other. Storey and Jess grew up in Putney, Vermont, though Jess, whose point of view largely narrates the novel, now lives in Colorado. Because the two are so simpatico, each year they reunite for an outdoor adventure. This time they are camping and hunting for moose in remote reaches of Maine. The woods are quiet–too quiet. And why are there no vehicles on the roads? More disturbing things emerge: human bodies, blown bridges, incinerated towns, and Black Hawk helicopters in the sky.

Much has been made of the so-called “disuniting” of America. What if it began to happen in earnest and you didn't get the memo? Storey and Jess find themselves in the midst of a civil war and have no way of determining who's who in the struggle. Who can you possibly trust? That much is largely predetermined because there is scarcely a living person to be found. The first one they spot is rowing furiously across a lake but is blown to smithereens by an aerial assault. So much for that possible source of information.

The two young men make their way northward because they've no real idea of which direction to turn. As supplies dwindle they replenish them by raiding moored boats or pilfering whatever abandoned buildings they encounter. They compensate for dying phone batteries when they chance upon a crank-operated radio. Jess was never great in his French lessons, but he retained enough that when he finds a Montreal station he decipher just enough from a news report to infer that Maine has declared independence from the United States. He also hears of terrorist activities that have killed thousands. But he still doesn't know who's attacking whom.

Having grown up in Vermont–Storey still lives there–the two know how to survive in the wild, but which way to a safe inhabited town so they can get back home? In some ways it doesn't matter. Things are so confused and the ruination so thorough that anyone they encountered might try to shoot them upon first sight. Their journey becomes more perilous and difficult when they come upon Collie, a five-year-old girl who wants to find her parents and wonders why her beloved dog Crystal is “asleep” and won't wake up. (See what Heller did there?) There’s a war going on, but would you just leave her there?

Burn is a thriller in which a single move could be the last one. In such a scenario, Jess and Storey spend a lot of time lurking in the shadows. They reminisce, muse upon their friendship, think upon the secrets they hold, and contemplate the choices they have made since they were boys. Jess recalls how he spent most of his boyhood and teenaged years living in the barn of Storey’s parents because he had trouble relating to his own. He also thinks of how his marriage is on the rocks and wonders if he has screwed up his best chance for happy life. Will these two friends and their unlikely companion survive amidst the ashes of destruction? If any of them do, will they find their better selves? Heller is too good of a writer to giftwrap such questions.

Burn is ultimately like a wildfire that could wipe out everything in its path, change directions, or simmer to easily contained embers. Heller excels at contrasts between nature and humankind, the poetic beauty of the first and the indiscriminate destruction of the latter. He is a gifted storyteller and is equally adroit at plotting action for maximum impact. In fact, he's so good at it, you might find yourself doing as I did, burning through the pages as if the flames would scorch me if I didn't finish quickly.

Rob Weir

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Burn by Peter Heller. He is an autoread author for me, so I was excited to be approved for his new book. This one did not disappoint. I like his books because although dangerous things are happening, they are more about the characters and their relationships. It is set in a dystopian time, where the country is in political unrest and states are threatening to secede. The details are blurry as well as the reasoning and which side the characters are on. The focus is on Jess and Storey and their friendship which has been since they were teens. Along the way, they find a child and care for her as they try to unite her with her family. I like character driven books, so this was perfect for me!