Rating: 
Summary: Hairy-Chested Machismo
Review: The "Perfect Storm" was such a powerful, compelling read that Sebastian Junger's fans are probably a little disappointed with his next effort, "Fire" a compilation of previously published essays written throughout the nineties. But that disappointment aside, there are some real gems here. Junger puts himself in harm 's way to tell a good story. Whether joining a fire fighting crew in the Rockies, being dropped in Kosovo's Valley of Death, dodging drug-crazed and armed teenagers in Sierra Leone, or interviewing a rebel leader in pre-September 11 Afghanistan, Junger searches out the off-beat, but important story. And yet my favorite of the essays is the quietest: an examination of how the Greeks and Turks in divided Cyprus have, unwittingly and unwillingly, reached a sort of peace that may last. For all his chest-thumping, Junger is a thoughtful and talented writer. Though I, too, await a hoped-for longer treatment of some theme or event, these essays are a very satisfying interlude.
Rating:
Summary: Great compilation of adventure tales
Review: The latest book by Junger is a compilation of his `adventure' writing. He details life at the extremes from smoke jumping to Kosovo to the `last whaler'. A wonderful book he tells not only of his own personal accounts in Kosovo, Cyprus and fighting Fire in Idaho. He also tells the tale of the Storm King Mountain fire where many firefighters perished. One chapter details the life of a `mountain man' and another details the life of a French colonial native who is the `last whaler' to hunt in a small boat with a harpoon. By far the most memorable and life changing chapter is the one that details the story of foreign hikers kidnapped in Kashmir by Islamic militants. This chapter tells the story of a Mr. Childs who, although the weakest of the hikers, manages a daring escape. This story is a moral for humanity and the book would be complete if it only included this wonderful tale of the choice of survival showing that man should never resign himself to fate but should always strive to resist. This is a wonderful book, very accessible and each chapter is almost totally self contained which makes it easy to skip back and forth searching for what suits your fancy.
Rating: 
Summary: Great stories, but no common thread
Review: This book is a collection of Junger's essays written as a journalist. While the cover art and the title might suggest that this book is about firefighting, only the first two stories are about forest fires. Junger writes clearly, and his stories are informative and easy to read. Each of these stories provides a wealth of relevant background and history that adds a great deal of depth to the issue. With the exception of the forest fire stories and one other, the remaining stories describe the conditions and background of a number of remote conflicts from around the war. These stories try to explain some of the causes and effects of these brutal wars, and generally succeed in shedding some small light on these situations.
However, while the individual stories are each well written and and stand well on their own, the book itself isn't as well put-together. I kept looking for the common thread or theme that tied all these stories together, and in the end, I don't feel that these stories add up to any kind of coherent whole. The only commonality seems to be that they were written by Junger and that they reflect his travels and experiences as a journalist. Perhaps some additional introductory or bridging material elaborating on the impact these experiences had on the author would tie this material together better. Or perhaps not. In any case, while the individual stories each had something meaningful to offer, the book, as a whole, really doesn't offer anything above and beyond them.
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