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Devil in the North Woods Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Walt Shiel (Author), Bryant Sullivan (Narrator), Jacobsville Books (Publisher)
4.5 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

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.

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  1. Listening Length
    10 hours and 23 minutes
  2. Author
    Walt Shiel
  3. Narrator
    Bryant Sullivan
  4. Audible release date
    October 20, 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Jacobsville Books
  7. ASIN
    B00OPD4J0K
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 10 hours and 23 minutes
Author Walt Shiel
Narrator Bryant Sullivan
Audible.com Release Date October 20, 2014
Publisher Jacobsville Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00OPD4J0K
Best Sellers Rank #643,296 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#2,444 in Historical Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals)
#30,824 in Historical Thrillers (Books)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
16 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well written. They appreciate the story quality, with one customer noting it's based on an actual account.

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3 customers mention "Story quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, with one customer noting it is based on an actual account and another describing it as great historical fiction.

"...This book gives a detailed account of what our ancestors went through, even tho' it is a novel, it is based on accounts of another person who also..." Read more

"...Very well written page turner. Very good story of an actual account, VERY emotional." Read more

"Great historical fiction. We don't seem to have the courage, determination and bravery of the pioneers...." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book.

"Well written. Exciting!..." Read more

"...Very well written page turner. Very good story of an actual account, VERY emotional." Read more

"Good read..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Virginia C. Stutesman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Early Northern Michigan wildfires
    Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Well written. Exciting!
    My mother Olive Gibbs Webber daughter of Charles Gibbs gave an exciting account of her livng through the wildfire on the Gibbs homestead about the same time the Metz Michigan wildfire occurred. This book gives a detailed account of what our ancestors went through, even tho' it is a novel, it is based on accounts of another person who also lived through the fire's events.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • MMS
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites
    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of those books that change your life in a subtle way after you read it. Very well written page turner. Very good story of an actual account, VERY emotional.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Melinda T. Witt
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Great historical fiction. We don't seem to have the courage, determination and bravery of the pioneers. Now we seem to just sit back and let others take care of us. The people in this book, while they did accept donations when they needed them, they worked very hard to get their lives back.
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  • Mary
    5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put the book down
    Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I love this book; I could not put it down. I was so swept up in it. All the characters are so real, but my favorite is little Henry. I cried, and then was uplifted on how they all seemed to gradually accept the situation, helped each other, and rebuilt their lives out of such devastation. Wow.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Grace Hopper
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Part of History Even as a Novel
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019
    Fr. Charlie spoke about hope in his sermon at mass today. His family is from Metz and his grandmother was almost put aboard that ill fated gondola train car. It’s heartbreaking reading the history of the Metz fire that wiped out so many small villages north of Alpena in the area of Presque Isle and the devastation but it makes you feel the hope and the goodness of Michigan’s citizens who rallied around the villagers who lost their houses, barns, farm animals and crops.
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  • Charles M. Nobles
    5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, What a Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2005
    As a rule I am not a fan of fiction, historical or otherwise. I suspect it may be a flaw in the genes or DNA or the like but there it is. However, every once in a while there is an exception and this book is a perfect example. I became interested due to its subject matter, Wildfires. I have been intrigued with Wildfires after once living on the western slope of Colorado and experiencing their often devastating effects first hand on numerous occasions. Thus, when this book was recommended to me it piqued my interest and it turned out to be well worth my time.

    The author skillfully blends the true story of Michigan's largest wildfire in modern history, the Metz fire of October 15, 1908, and the actual experiences of survivor Henry Hardies with a host of other characters, some fictional and some composites of real participants to tell a story that is highly readable, believable, and guaranteed to hold your interest from first page to last. The effects of the fire which killed 43, destroyed in excess of 900 homes, left 4,600 homeless, and destroyed the town of Metz is recounted in vivid detail and contains elements of love, death, sorrow, family, friendship, and rebirth that will leave the reader both a bit sad and yet hopeful.

    In a time when some 175,000 books are published each year and many good writers, such as Walt Shiel, go unnoticed due to financial limitations for promotional activities, books such as this deserve a wide spread audience. 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.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • M. Staller
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read... would even be a great movie
    Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2011
    I simply could not put this book down. I stayed up till 3AM three nights in a row, exhausted but unable to put this book down. And now that I've finished it, I'm sad that it's done, and I wish there was a movie based on this book, or this historical event.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • B Hob
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2014
    What a well written piece of Michigan history. It was hard to put down. It was a time in history when you had to work hard and life was hard. Then add a fire out of control and the historical details. It was great.
    One person found this helpful
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