The Quest for Fire
 First US edition | |
| Author | J.-H. Rosny |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Guerre du feu |
| Translator | H Talbott |
| Illustrator | J. O. Bercher |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Historical, Prehistoric fiction, Adventure novel, Fantasy |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books (US) |
Publication date | 1911 |
| Publication place | Belgium |
Published in English | 1967 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-14-006434-6 (UK Eng. trans.) & ISBN 0-345-30067-X (US Eng. trans.) |
| OCLC | 10813236 |
The Quest for Fire (French: La Guerre du feu, literally The War of Fire) is a 1911 Belgian fantasy novel by J.-H. Rosny, the pseudonym of two brothers; the author was actually the elder of the two, Joseph Henri Honoré Boex (1856–1940).[1] It was first published in English in an abridged edition in 1967.[2]
It was adapted into the critically acclaimed 1981 film Quest for Fire starring Ron Perlman. The film is not a faithful adaptation of the book.
Setting
[edit]The Quest for Fire takes place in 100,000 BC in Europe. The fauna of this period is omnipresent, including mammoths, cave lions, aurochs, cave bears, saber-toothed cats, giant elks and saiga antelopes. Several humanoid species live alongside animals: the Ulams (Neandertal-like hunters-gatherers who worship the fire and are able to ally themselves with beasts), the Wahs (people without shoulders from marshes), the Blue-Haired Men (huge four-handed simians with a bluish fur), the Men-Eaters (bestial cannibals) and the Red Dwarfs (extremely warmongering and xenophobic pygmies).
References
[edit]- ^ According to the dust jacket of a 1967 edition [1] it was the older brother of the Rosny brothers who was author.
- ^ "The Quest for Fire: A Novel of Prehistoric Times (review)". Kirkus Reviews. April 1, 1967. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
External links
[edit]
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- 1911 fantasy novels
- Historical novels
- Belgian speculative fiction novels
- Novels set in the Pleistocene
- Prehistoric people in popular culture
- Works published under a pseudonym
- Pantheon Books books
- Historical fantasy novels
- Belgian novels adapted into films
- Works by J.-H. Rosny aîné
- 1910s novel stubs
- Speculative fiction novel stubs