LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
"Devilishly funny and endlessly inventive." —Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins
"This story is darkly funny, deliciously devious and hugely inventive, a magical twist on the allure of the American West and who goes there to seek their fortune." —Good Housekeeping, "The 30 Best and Most Anticipated Books of 2022 (So Far)"
The propulsive story of three scheming opportunists—a banker, a conman, and a woman with an extraordinary gift—whose lives collide in the wake of a devastating fire in the American West
For the citizens of Spokane Falls, the fire of 1889 that destroyed their frontier boomtown was no disaster; it was an opportunity. Barton Heydale, manager of the only bank in Spokane Falls, is on the verge of ending his short, unpopular life. But when his city goes up in flames, he sees an ember of hope shimmering on the horizon, headed right for him. As citizens flock to the bank to cash out insurance policies and take out loans, he realizes he can command the power he craves—and it’s not by following the rules. Here is his reason to live.
When Quake Auchenbaucher, a career con man hired to investigate the cause of the fire, arrives in Spokane Falls, he employs his usual shady tactics. But this time, with Washington Territory vying for statehood, the sudden attention to due process jeopardizes Quake’s methods of manipulation.
And then there’s Roslyn Beck, whose uncanny ability to see the future has long driven her to drink, and with whom both Barton and Quake have fallen madly and dangerously in love. She is known as a “certain kind of woman,” in possession of unique talents and influence, if only she can find the right ways to wield them. As their paths collide, diverge, and collide again, Barton, Quake, and Roslyn come to terms with their own needs for power, greed, and control, leading one to total ruin, one to heartbreak, and one, ultimately, to redemption.
With masterful precision, devious originality, and dark whimsy, Fire Season freshly imagines the greed and misogyny of the American West to tell a rollicking, bewitching story about finding purpose in the face of injustice.
Genre: Literary Fiction
"Devilishly funny and endlessly inventive." —Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins
"This story is darkly funny, deliciously devious and hugely inventive, a magical twist on the allure of the American West and who goes there to seek their fortune." —Good Housekeeping, "The 30 Best and Most Anticipated Books of 2022 (So Far)"
The propulsive story of three scheming opportunists—a banker, a conman, and a woman with an extraordinary gift—whose lives collide in the wake of a devastating fire in the American West
For the citizens of Spokane Falls, the fire of 1889 that destroyed their frontier boomtown was no disaster; it was an opportunity. Barton Heydale, manager of the only bank in Spokane Falls, is on the verge of ending his short, unpopular life. But when his city goes up in flames, he sees an ember of hope shimmering on the horizon, headed right for him. As citizens flock to the bank to cash out insurance policies and take out loans, he realizes he can command the power he craves—and it’s not by following the rules. Here is his reason to live.
When Quake Auchenbaucher, a career con man hired to investigate the cause of the fire, arrives in Spokane Falls, he employs his usual shady tactics. But this time, with Washington Territory vying for statehood, the sudden attention to due process jeopardizes Quake’s methods of manipulation.
And then there’s Roslyn Beck, whose uncanny ability to see the future has long driven her to drink, and with whom both Barton and Quake have fallen madly and dangerously in love. She is known as a “certain kind of woman,” in possession of unique talents and influence, if only she can find the right ways to wield them. As their paths collide, diverge, and collide again, Barton, Quake, and Roslyn come to terms with their own needs for power, greed, and control, leading one to total ruin, one to heartbreak, and one, ultimately, to redemption.
With masterful precision, devious originality, and dark whimsy, Fire Season freshly imagines the greed and misogyny of the American West to tell a rollicking, bewitching story about finding purpose in the face of injustice.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Leyna Krow's Fire Season is a twisty, beguiling tale that was the most fun I've had in a while. If you love the novels of Patrick deWitt; rooting for an imperfect, sometimes devilish character; 'certain kinds of women'; wildness; and the way wildness tricks us into believing it's tamed, then get ready. This book is quite the ride." - Lindsay Hunter
"In this rare and luminous novel, Krow weaves a fabulist history of the inland northwest in its rangy adolescence. Against a backdrop of catastrophe, her renegade characters stake everything on games of chance and destiny. Fire Season is a testimony to the power of transformation and influence, a reminder that true vision is not about controlling the future, but creating it." - Megan Kruse
"Fire Season sparks to life on the power of Leyna Krow's masterful subversion of criminality. While at first this novel's inferno seems confined to one minor western outpost, by the final pages, it's throwing light on the unreliable narrators who perpetuate misogyny across America. Riveting, resonant and charmingly rebellious, Fire Season will leave you wanting to read anything by Leyna Krow." - John Larison
"In this enthralling debut, Leyna Krow brings us the story of three misfits, united by fire, each living out a dream (or nightmare) of the American West. It's an arresting take on magic, science, disaster, and salvation that's eerily resonant with the fire seasons we find ourselves living through today." - Anna North
"Leyna Krow's debut novel, Fire Season, is Karen Russell meets Patrick deWitt meets Katherine Dunn--an edgy, twisty tale of fraudsters, underdogs, and an all-seeing woman who longs to rise above man's greed. Exploding with history, theft, humor, and magic, this incendiary novel is a thrilling addition to the Northwest literary canon." - Sharma Shields
"Leyna Krow is a master of literary sleight of hand. Fire Season will convince you it's a satire of the early American West, while subtly inching into different territory. It's a completely new kind of story: a genre-bender that teases out strange, wry, beautiful surprises from familiar tropes. Imagine Jane Campion taking over a Coen Brothers film for the denouement. As in her short stories, Leyna Krow is the usher sneaking you in the side door of a future cult classic." - Alexis M Smith
"Leyna Krow's Fire Season is an act of literary magic: A lively historical picaresque about an intertwined trio of schemers, threaded through with a compelling story of a woman forging her own otherworldly redemption out of the crude material of the 19th century American frontier." - Shawn Vestal
"Devilishly funny and endlessly inventive, Fire Season is a remarkable debut novel, a wry alternate history of Northwest schemers, dreamers and scorched earth. Leyna Krow is a wildly talented young writer." - Jess Walter
"Fire Season conjures up a dazzling vision of the frontier west, where cunning men can take on new identities as easily as riding into a new town and fortunes can be made or stolen in a single scheme. But what's even more thrilling is the way that Leyna Krow quietly complicates that mirage, and digs down towards deeper questions about who such a land of opportunity is really for--and how power, money, gender, and desire shape our lives even in the most lawless places. This is a rich, complex and riveting book whose magic will start working on you long before you've realized its full power, and will stay with you long after you've finished the final page." - Kea Wilson
"In this rare and luminous novel, Krow weaves a fabulist history of the inland northwest in its rangy adolescence. Against a backdrop of catastrophe, her renegade characters stake everything on games of chance and destiny. Fire Season is a testimony to the power of transformation and influence, a reminder that true vision is not about controlling the future, but creating it." - Megan Kruse
"Fire Season sparks to life on the power of Leyna Krow's masterful subversion of criminality. While at first this novel's inferno seems confined to one minor western outpost, by the final pages, it's throwing light on the unreliable narrators who perpetuate misogyny across America. Riveting, resonant and charmingly rebellious, Fire Season will leave you wanting to read anything by Leyna Krow." - John Larison
"In this enthralling debut, Leyna Krow brings us the story of three misfits, united by fire, each living out a dream (or nightmare) of the American West. It's an arresting take on magic, science, disaster, and salvation that's eerily resonant with the fire seasons we find ourselves living through today." - Anna North
"Leyna Krow's debut novel, Fire Season, is Karen Russell meets Patrick deWitt meets Katherine Dunn--an edgy, twisty tale of fraudsters, underdogs, and an all-seeing woman who longs to rise above man's greed. Exploding with history, theft, humor, and magic, this incendiary novel is a thrilling addition to the Northwest literary canon." - Sharma Shields
"Leyna Krow is a master of literary sleight of hand. Fire Season will convince you it's a satire of the early American West, while subtly inching into different territory. It's a completely new kind of story: a genre-bender that teases out strange, wry, beautiful surprises from familiar tropes. Imagine Jane Campion taking over a Coen Brothers film for the denouement. As in her short stories, Leyna Krow is the usher sneaking you in the side door of a future cult classic." - Alexis M Smith
"Leyna Krow's Fire Season is an act of literary magic: A lively historical picaresque about an intertwined trio of schemers, threaded through with a compelling story of a woman forging her own otherworldly redemption out of the crude material of the 19th century American frontier." - Shawn Vestal
"Devilishly funny and endlessly inventive, Fire Season is a remarkable debut novel, a wry alternate history of Northwest schemers, dreamers and scorched earth. Leyna Krow is a wildly talented young writer." - Jess Walter
"Fire Season conjures up a dazzling vision of the frontier west, where cunning men can take on new identities as easily as riding into a new town and fortunes can be made or stolen in a single scheme. But what's even more thrilling is the way that Leyna Krow quietly complicates that mirage, and digs down towards deeper questions about who such a land of opportunity is really for--and how power, money, gender, and desire shape our lives even in the most lawless places. This is a rich, complex and riveting book whose magic will start working on you long before you've realized its full power, and will stay with you long after you've finished the final page." - Kea Wilson
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