QUEST FOR FIRE [Mass Market Paperback]

The reputation of "Quest for Fire" in the U.S. surely comes from the movie rather than the book, as the film is regarded as a cult classic, yet there have been only two paperback publications here, to my knowledge. That said, be warned that the book is a very straightforward, bare-bones story... but it's also entertaining, in a simple way. The story deals with the adventures of a trio of neanderthals searching for a source of fire for their tribe after theirs is extinguished. The story gives fairly simplistic descriptions of their encounters with a wide variety of strange individuals and creatures. It almost reads like Hemmingway. You won't get in-depth portrayals of action, emotion, or grandeur, just a basic story, I guess much like Naoh or the others would tell it in their own language. It's a quick read (assuming you can find it used), so afterwards, be sure to rent the movie. You'll see how the story was modified and expanded on the screen, bringing much more significance to the finale.

I remember reading this book as a child several times and loving it. It had a raw sense of action, as the prehistoric story that tells of a tribe who had its fire extinguished in an enemy raid (a major tragedy in those times) and of three friends who set off on a quest to recover the fire from elsewhere. What follows is like a prehistoric Odyssey, as they encounter a whole range of threats both human, animal and natural - and put their physical characteristics as well as their pre-modern thinking to the ultimate test. Looking back, it's not such a profound book, and is probably best enjoyed by children as I did. In this case, it is a wonderful read about the dawn of what we know as humanity. The sequel Le Felin Geant (the Giant Cat in English) about the next generation would also fall in this category. However, as an adult reader, I think there are more thought-provoking examples of prehistoric fiction (namely Before Adam by Jack London).

I love the movie "Quest for Fire", and I always wanted to read the novel it's adapted from. Problem was, I could never find it. A friend actually owned a beat-up copy, and she let me borrow it...but not keep it. I loved the book. After nine years, I finally found it from a used-seller here on this site. Used or not, I received it in great shape. The novel is not very long at 135 pages. It differs a bit from the movie, but the central theme remains the same.

There is no Wagabui tribe; instead they're a gigantic (in height) tribe called the Blue-Skinned men. It's the cannibalistic Kzam tribe that attacks the Oulhamr tribe in the beginning and vexes them throughout the story. The novel starts after the attack with the Oulhamrs already running for cover and to regroup. The novel's dialogue is in English, unlike the primitive language created by Anthony Burgess for the film. However, the prose is presented in a different (primitive?) manner. There is no Ika character (played by Rae Dawn Chong) in the novel, and the Ivaka tribe in the movie are called the Thin Men or the Wahs in the novel. Like the movie, they hold the secret to the sacred Fire.

The novel has the three Oulhamr warriors, Naoh the son of the Leopard, Gaw & Nam set out on the quest like the movie. Unlike the movie, the love interest is not Ika (as mentioned) or a girl from another tribe. If Naoh retrieves sacred Fire he gets the "ownership" of the Oulhamr's chief's daughter, Gammla, without giving any ransom in exchange and also be heir to the chief. In the novel, the Oulhamrs, based on their description, seem to resemble Neanderthals more than they do in the movie.

The novel is presented in three parts; the first part is about the attack aftermath, the death of the sacred Fire, the beginning of the quest, killing the huge gray bear & eluding the giant lion and the tigress. Part two concerns itself with the feud between the Oulhamrs & the Kzams, Naoh gaining the trust of the Mammoths and Gaw getting separated after a fight with the Kzams. Part three was about the battle with the red-skinned Little Men, befriending the Wahs, learning the secret of fire, a run-in with the giant Blue-Skinned tribe, an encounter with the giant bear in the gorge, and a final battle (as in the movie) with three renegade Oulhamr warriors called the Hairy Ones led by Aghoo son of the Aurochs.

Tremendous book, great descriptions without being too wordy. A real enjoyable & quick read with unusual and interesting characters, as well as exciting encounters and battles. Also, short chapters for readers with short attention spans. I felt the wait was worth it, and the search paid off. It also increased the enjoyment of the movie for me. Go figure?

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