Fire Ready

About

In the Australian outback, a lone farmer prepares her home for the latest in a growing wave of bushfires.  In Oxfordshire, an elderly man protests the cutting down of an ancient beech tree by chaining himself to its trunk. In 22nd century Scotland, two idealistic young doctors venture into the demonised Towers, residential areas occupied by a despised, obese, VR-addicted underclass…

The stories in Jane Rogers' much-awaited second collection shine an unflinching light on the future health of the planet, and the prospects for its primary tenants, us. Her characters find themselves simultaneously battling their own demons - the ravages of age, growing social isolation, and hostilities between communities - while being forced to take a personal stand on the oncoming climate crisis. Rather than despair at the little impact a single person can do, they offer inspiration for what we can all do, collectively.

'A wise, compassionate and surprising collection which moves seamlessly through time and space, illuminating all the joys and tragedies of the current moment. Rogers reminds us of the extra-ordinary flexibility and vigour of the short form story.' – Alice Jolly

Jane Rogers’ stories are delicate studies in what makes us human. Each story creates a pellucid space in a chaotic world; her characters grapple with life and engage in the age-old struggle to be decent human beings.  Economical, bold and nuanced, this is a beautifully humane collection, and one to be savoured. – Lesley Glaister 

Press

‘There is nothing predictable about a Jane Rogers story. She has the confidence and skill to inhabit many different voices and different worlds. She takes us into offices and libraries, under the sea and into the forest, and also into the vast untrodden country of memory that we carry around inside. Her observation of our species is tender, precise, illuminating.’ – Hilary Mantel