What Might Have Been

The Book:

Fire on the Mountain

The Author:

Terry Bisson

Publication Info:

Originally Published by Arbor House in 1988

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up Fire on the Mountain. I came across it while reading something else. I’d never read an alternate history novel before that wasn’t fan fiction. Well, let me tell you — I was not disappointed. By the time I was done with the book, I wanted more. I didn’t want it to end.

Fire on the Mountain takes place in 1959 Virginia. But this isn’t just any old regular Virginia. It’s socialist Virginia. In the FOTM universe, the former Deep South separated from the United States and formed a new nation called Nova Africa. Basically, FOTM presents a history that could have unfolded if John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry had been successful. I think everyone, at some point, has sat back and ruminated on how life could have unfolded if different decisions had been made. How would things have been different? It’s fascinating to see what changes occurred in FOTM and how things in this altered universe differ from reality.

The plot revolves around a scientist and her daughter. It’s not a bad story, but I thought the story of the scientist’s ancestors was more interesting. The family stories of the ancestors was a vehicle for Bisson to tell the history of Nova Africa and the U.S. Bisson does this in a way that isn’t overwhelming or tedious. You get a good idea of where this FOTM universe diverges from our own without having to endure a play-by-play account of every little thing that changed.

If you like history, and you like the idea of playing around with history, you’ll probably like FOTM or the idea of it, at least. Pick it up.