The Quest for Fire

For other uses, see Quest for Fire (disambiguation).

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]

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

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

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:

1. the Ulams (Neandertal-like hunters-gatherers who worship the fire and are able to ally themselves with beasts);
2. the Wahs (people without shoulders from marshes);
3. the Blue-Haired Men (huge four-handed simians with a bluish fur);
4. the Men-Eaters (bestial cannibals); and
5. the Red Dwarfs (extremely warmongering and xenophobic pygmies).