Fire on Headless Mountain

Fire on Headless Mountain is the most recent adventure story from popular children’s and young adults’ author, Iain Lawrence. Lawrence is a versatile writer who, in 2007, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Gemini Summer. (www.cmreviews.ca/cm/vol13/no8/geminisummer.html) In Fire on Headless Mountain, Lawrence returns to the wilderness survival themes he explored in The Skeleton Tree (www.cmreviews.ca/cm/vol22/no18/theskeletontree.html) in 2016. As with those books, he has again written an action-packed, highly engaging, and thought-provoking story. Virgil Pepper is the almost 12-year-old protagonist. Along with his older siblings, Joshua, 19, and Kaitlyn, 15, he is on the difficult journey to scatter their mother’s ashes at Little Lost Lake, a favourite family camping spot set amongst the forests of Headless Mountain. Their father has chosen not to accompany his children because he views the task as too painful. While they are heading to their solemn destination in the family camper van, affectionately called Rusty, a series of challenging events ensues. Rusty breaks down, they realize they have inadequate supplies, and a lightning storm strikes, igniting a forest fire that spreads quickly and engulfs the mountain. As the fire rages, the children are separated, leaving Virgil to navigate the inferno equipped only with his courage and the wisdom gained through lessons learned from his deceased mother.

Lawrence’s writing style is gripping. The fast-paced plot, rapid escalation of tension, and short chapters make for an exhilarating read. Young readers will delight in, and be horrified by, the onslaught of challenges Virgil faces—screams in the night, a run-away van with failed brakes, the raging wildfire—and they will celebrate as Virgil successfully confronts each one.

At the same time, Lawrence’s use of flashbacks gives the reader brief, but necessary, reprieves from the intensity of the situation. This technique, indicated through the use of italics, allows the author to construct not only a thrilling adventure tale, but also a story about the power of memory and the importance of guides. In these flashbacks, the reader sees Virgil’s mother sharing valuable knowledge that ultimately shapes how he feels about, thinks about, and responds to the extraordinary challenges he faces. In one memory, Virgil recalls a time when his mother taught him how to find his way if he was ever lost. She asks him, Now what’s the most important thing you learned?” After Virgil answers incorrectly, she wisely says, “No… It’s to keep your wits. People panic when they get lost. They stop thinking and start running, and if you let that happen you’ll never get home. It’s fear that will kill you.” In this passage, and others like it, the author shows that, though Virgil has lost his mother, her lessons continue to instruct him. Her guidance helps Virgil recognize the importance of human reason, of scientific knowledge, and of remaining calm and keeping one’s head in a crisis. These lessons prove invaluable as Virgil battles nature’s fiery fury on Headless Mountain.

Teachers and librarians will recognize the rich role of allusion in the Fire on Headless Mountain. Most significantly, those familiar with Dante’s Inferno will appreciate the connections to this classic text. Just as Dante was guided through the inferno by the spirit of Virgil, in Fire on Headless Mountain, young Virgil is guided by the spirit of his mother. In both works, the guide serves as a voice of reason and encourages the use of knowledge to confront challenges. Though familiarity with Inferno and Lawrence’s other allusions enhances the reading, it is certainly not necessary. Middle school readers will intuitively feel—if yet unable to identify or articulate—the depth beneath Virgil’s harrowing adventure.

Though Virgil is the protagonist of the book, Lawrence also renders believable sibling relationships complete with equal parts concern and criticism. Joshua and Kaitlyn are well drawn supporting characters who serve as foils for Virgil. Joshua is creative, and Kaitlyn is athletic. Further, the dialogue between the children is lively and rings of authenticity. Like Virgil, each of the siblings faces hardship and must make life or death decisions. Despite the heavy subject and situation, Lawrence manages to add a layer of levity to the telling. Moments of intensity are infused with the absurd and the ridiculous, making Fire on Headless Mountain not only exciting and thought-provoking but also a fun and occasionally funny read.

Lawrence is a well-respected author. With Fire on Headless Mountain, he further enhances his reputation as one of Canada’s leading writers for middle school students. With over 50 chapters in a book less than 250 pages in length, readers are able to race from chapter to chapter. At times, the pace will leave the reader breathless. This is an exciting, thrilling book that will be enthusiastically read.