Rating: 
Summary: Junger, the investigative reporter
Review: Junger has a nack for the bizarre. The thing about it is that in FIRE he takes the reader with him to the front lines so to speak. Junger is the essence of an investigative reporter, brave and detailed in his pursuit of the extraordinary adventure. The whole book is like A Perfect Storm of which he too is the author. In times like this, it's great to have a guide (Junger) who offers an inside peak behind the scenes of global events. Another author who is talented in this regard and who too is an investigative reporter and takes the reader to the front lines so to speak is Alec Donzi, and his thriller about the reality of global nuclear terrorism, THE CONSULTANT by Alec Donzi, is a chilling account of what the future may hold for mankind.
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Summary: No Perfect Storm - Not Compelling or Well Written
Review: Just finished Fire by Sebastian Junger. Thumbsdown. I was hoping it would be as compelling as a Perfect Storm, but the book is deceptively titled. It should be:Fire and Other Short Essays by Sebastian Junger as there's only 2 stories in the whole book about fire, the rest are about badly war torn countries. So there's no real cohesive story in the book like a Perfect Storm, and very few of the stories are a good read. The worst part of the book is how Junger puts the former head of the Afghan Northern Alliance on a pedistool, in several spots he makes reference to the fact that he was widely accused of atrocities, but then dismisses it casually. It's a clear case of a reporter liking his subject too much to be objective. All in all a major disappointment!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: Let me say at once: if you were under the impression, due to the author's appearences on talk shows over the last few weeks, that this book mmight shed light on Muslim fundamentalists or the Taliban, forget it. Only the last twenty-odd pages have anything to do with Afghanistan and the Northern Alliance and don't tell us anything worthwhile about even that. This is a series of disconnected essays (unless you're willing to acept the author's repeated determination to put himself in harm's way as a unifying there). It begins with a too-long tribute to those who fight forest fires and degenerates into stark and terrible portraits of what happened in Kosovo and the savage brutality of the Serbs; the awful, sadistic, meaningless mess in Sierra Leone, driven it seems by the diamonds (how could it be oitherwise?); and a reprise of what went wrong in Cyprus, how it is there now and why, and how brutal and cruel the Greeks and Turks are (again, not much of a revelation). There's nothing else to it. A grim and thin (in more ways than one) little book, it certainly doesn't measure up to the Perfect Storm.
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Summary: More fascination with danger from Sebastian Junger
Review: Let's face facts, there was no way Sebastian Junger could follow up "The Perfect Storm" with a book length tale as compelling as "Storm" was. Nontheless, "Fire" is often compelling, sometims educational, and rarely boring. The book is essentially a collection of magazine articles written by Junger, but they demonstrate several things: Junger is truly fascinated by dangerous occupations and dangerous lives, he has a wonderful way with words, and he has a knack for finding interesting stories to tell. My favorite section in the book was on Cypress. I felt like an uneducated idiot because I have been completely oblivious to what is happening there and never realized that Cypress was such a potential flashpoint for war between Turkey and Greece. I also enjoyed his story on Afghanistan's "Lion of the Panjshir": Ahmad Shah Massoud. Probably the least interesting story was the one on whale hunting, not because I was offended that anyone would still hunt whales (Greenpeace probably hates Junger for this story), but because I really felt no sympathy for the way of life that was dying out. I almost get the feeling Junger had mixed emotions about how to portray thw whale hunter and his protege. Close behind the whale hunter story as being the least interesting are, oddly, the two stories on fire fighting. This may seem strange given the title of the book, but these also were written earlier in his career and you can really observe his growth as a writer by reading the book from beginning to end. Still even what one might consider to be his worst work is leagues ahead of so many other writiers. Its kind of a disservice to point out that any parts fo the book are weaker than the others simply because it all is so well written. While not nearly as detailed and enthralling as "The Perfect Storm," this book demonstrates the wealth of writing talent possessed by Junger. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Great essays - Yes A book -No!!!
Review: Never judge a book by its cover rings true here. As I raced to read Junger's latest work, I was quite taken with what I thought would be a well documented tale about firefighting. I got that for about 20 pages. Then the rehashed materials started. I would have been much better just getting copies of the previously published work. And the piece on Cyprus was half written by someone else! Caveat emptor. But someone should not be promoting this as his latest work. Too bad - the original pieces on firefighting and especially on Moussaud were compelling. They are just not tied to anything. Other gifted writers who publish works like this are more forthright in telling potential readers what they are.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: Ok so maybe the title was a bit misleading, but hey there were some really cool chapters in this book. Sebastian Junger is an excellent author and provides beautiful insight into places that some people may never see. I am not what you would call an avid reader. If it doesnt have pictures I probably won't pick it up. But Sebastian Junger's informative yet wildly fascinating anecdotes capture my imagination. When reading this book, I barely noticed the fact that I was learning and reading at the same time. I roared through this book at a speed-addict pace, and that is saying alot considering it takes me months to get through most books. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, and even though you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, the flames are quite eye catching.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: Ok so maybe the title was a bit misleading, but hey there were some really cool chapters in this book. Sebastian Junger is an excellent author and provides beautiful insight into places that some people may never see. I am not what you would call an avid reader. If it doesnt have pictures I probably won't pick it up. But Sebastian Junger's informative yet wildly fascinating anecdotes capture my imagination. When reading this book, I barely noticed the fact that I was learning and reading at the same time. I roared through this book at a speed-addict pace, and that is saying alot considering it takes me months to get through most books. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, and even though you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, the flames are quite eye catching.
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Summary: Behind the headlines...
Review: Over the last ten years, we can all remember the really "big" stories. Usually they are about a large natural or human disaster (war). Forest fires in the early 90s, whale hunting, Kosovo, Serbia, in the middle, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan more recently. What you probably remember are the headlines. Maybe some number of dead. Or a few of the big names of people or places. Maybe if you are really lucky you will remember what they were actually fighting about. And it is not just the memories that are sound-bites. The reporting you read or heard at the time was probably just snippets as well. Stuck in between stock quotes and weather stories. What I always miss from the traditional media is what it is actually like to be there in the middle of these big stories. What is it like to cover them? If I were to go there, what would I see? What would it be like? Would I be shot at? Would my life be in danger? You get all that and more from this book. Sebastian Junger has been in the middle of all major conflicts and disasters over the last decade. In Fire you will be by his side at many of them. You will know more than just the facts. You will figure out what they were fighting and why by hearing of the daily struggles of people you meet by the side of the road. Not from press releases or spin ministers. This is a very satisfying book. I wish the daily media were as satisfying.
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Summary: Surface reporting - at best
Review: Sebastian Jungar really sold me on a Perfect Storm due to his in-depth and remarkably interesting reporting, therefore I eagerly read Fire. His previously demonstrated ability to move out of the way and let the stories tell themselves is completely lacking in fire. For such a talented writer this book left me very disapointed, but more it left me feeling used and abused by a misleading title (the content is much more than "Fire") and worse by the way the chapters flow together like short, disjointed articles, rather than building towards a central theme. The books seems distressingly like an atempt to showcase Mr Jungar rather than a writer interacting with the reader on subjects of real interest. Proof that the most interesting subjects can be ruined.
Rating:
Summary: Cutting Edge
Review: Sebastian Junger (author of "The Perfect Storm") has assembled a fine set of previously published essays with the common theme of supreme peril, the "amoral awe" we experience when we are present and part of an overwhelming experience that is shot through with paralyzing danger. The title "Fire" is misleading (or it was to me.) He does include two essays out of ten on fighting wildfires in National Parks, but the other eight take up war zones and, what I would call, extreme hazardous journalistic duty. Mr. Junger has a compelling voice and a you-are-there style that places you firmly in Sierra Leone, Kosovo and Kashmir. The strongest and most compelling essay was the last, "Lion in Winter" a sketch of Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, who was assassinated two days before the World Trade Center tragedy, probably by the same group of terrorists. The essay was written early in 2001, and is worth preserving. The author was clearly impressed with this great non-political general. Massoud was directly responsible for the misery caused the Soviets in their futile ten-year attempt to subdue Afghanistan. Mr. Junger catches Massoud at ease, but still issuing orders even as he gave his interview. It is a disaster that this strong, brilliant leader is no longer present to take part if and when Afghanistan recovers. This is an excellent book that captures the moment, mood, time and countries as indelibly as a photo. Recommended.
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