Devil in the North Woods: A Novel Based on the Tragic 1908 Metz, Michigan, Wildfire

"Written with the pace of a thriller...a fascinating read, building a bonfire of dusty pages of history." -Robert Downes, Northern Express Weekly
"Will have readers frantically turning the pages!...Leaps off the written page and into the hearts of readers." -Joyce Handzo, In The Library Reviews
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What would you do if a wildfire swept through your area without warning?
In October 1908, a wildfire swept through northeast Michigan and consumed 900 homes and two million acres of farms and forest. Despite the valiant efforts of the farmers, lumbermen, and shopkeepers, only Lake Huron could quench the flames. With no fire watch towers, spotting aircraft, telephones, or organized firefighting and only limited telegraph, warnings were too few and too late.
Devil in the North Woods accurately depicts the fire's genesis, growth, and aftermath. The story's real-life protagonist, 10-year-old Henry Hardies, survived the fire but family did not. Relying on Henry's personal recollections and author Walt Shiel's faithful recreation of time and place, the book vividly brings Henry's ordeal to life.
Devil in the North Woods contrasts the terror of nature's destruction with a chronicle of family, love, sorrow, and recovery. The story leaves the reader buoyed by faith in the resilience of the human spirit and belief in love's ability to germinate amid the ashes of ruin.
Includes a map, related artwork, and many historical photos.
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"Walt Shiel takes his readers into a vivid turn-of-the century adventure through Devil in the North Woods. This is a historically accurate account of a 1908 fire that destroyed the town of Metz, Michigan. Tragically, many of the town's citizens perished whether they tried to fight the fire or escape. Through their trials, Shiel highlights how different life was in the early 1900s, with horse-drawn transportation and one-room schoolhouses the norm. His account of the fire provides a drama that is entertaining, but not for the squeamish. Therein lies the power of this book, Shiel's writing is so visceral it will cause the reader to blanch, but then turn the page for more." -Military Writers Society of America
"Shiel s compassionate writing creates a community of bright, supportive, determined people, whose characters develop and deepen as the fire grows." -Catherine Perkins, Historical Novels Review
"Though Devil in the North Woods tells the story of man vs. nature, its core is emotional and human-centered." -Midwest Book Review
"The terror of the fire and the way it impacts these families and threads, cause you to lose yourselves in the words on the pages, which flip all too fast...This is a story that you feel in your gut, and the lessons to be learned are on every page. " -Clifford Feightner, author of Views from Sandhausen
"This is more than the story of an out-of-control wildfire; it is the story of everyday heroes and the way they reclaim their lives after tragedy." -Danielle Feliciano, ReaderViews.com
"I recommend this interesting novel...as Michigan history, but also as a good story in its own right." -Andrew Grgurich, Marquette (MI) Mining Journal
"This is first rate writing that at times will leave you wondering whether it is fact or fiction but in a manner that does not deceive or talk down to the reader. Highly Recommended." -Charles M. Noble, Amazon Vine reviewer The book includes a map. This eBook also includes many historical photos and other artwork and illustrations not included in the print edition.