Fire on the Mountain, by Edward Abbey, University of New Mexico Press (paperback)

Fire on the Mountain is a story of both strength and simplicity, an inspiring tale about a New Mexico rancher trying to hold back the authority of the U.S. government as it lays claim to his land. Told from the point of view of a twelve-year-old grandson who has come to visit for the summer, Abbey's novel traces the actions of John Vogelin as he refuses to allow the neighboring White Sands Missile Range to annex his property.

Abbey's love of the desert and mountains comes through poignantly in his descriptions of cottonwood trees and riverbeds, grama grass and sand dunes. The tender-and-tough relationship between grandfather and grandson lends force to the story, emerging in the give-and-take of very effective dialogue.

The story's power is enhanced by the knowledge that Abbey's fiction was inspired by real events. John Prather, a New Mexico cattleman, waged a similar battle against the federal ...