Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Fires in the Night:
Let’s save the Earth by lighting stuff on fire! Makes sense to me.
Quick synopsis:
The story of a cell within the Earth Liberation Front (ELF).
Fact for Non-History People:
It is estimated the group performed hundreds of criminal acts in the late 1990s and 2000s.
Fact for History Nerds:
The group has no real hierarchy and operates in autonomous cells.
My Take on Fires in the Night:
Setting fires that no one asked for is not nice. If you do them a certain way, they can even become terrorism. For the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), setting fires was kind of their thing for a while. (Side note: I am sorry, but ELF is not a great name if you are trying to scare people.) Author Matthew Wolfe looks at a specific cell of ELF from the end of the 1990s that was quite successful in the fire-setting, but not much else.
My initial hesitation before reading this book was going to be bias. The environment is somehow very controversial nowadays, and I didn’t know if Wolfe would use this story to rail against the government, environmentalists, or corporations. I have great news, everyone. Wolfe basically calls it down the middle. Yes, I’d say he probably gives the weakest defense to corporations and one particular government official, but otherwise, the ELF, FBI, and other assorted governments acronyms are treated equally. Each of them has a point but the counterpoints are also laid out for the reader. I personally felt that Wolfe was fair throughout the story.
And what a story it is. ELF operates almost independently from itself. People come together, do some sabotage, and then return to their own lives. The cell in the book is based out of the Pacific Northwest and the characters are extremely interesting. Please note that “interesting” does not mean likable. Wolfe lets these people be people, and it means the entire plot is that much more interesting. There is not a single wasted chapter even though Wolfe has to balance more than a dozen main characters. The missions are covered with some detail, and the ending is satisfying with a tinge of sadness. This is Wolfe’s first book, and he nails it.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and Viking Books.)
Verdict:
A fantastic book that is more than just trye crime. Buy it here!
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