Ask the Fire is a complex novel that is set in the summer of 2001 leading up to the terrorist attacks on September 11. Jared Osborne, who came of age in the 1960s countercultural scene in Austin, Texas, is a CIA agent who has spent his career seducing secrets from the Arabs. Nowliving in the DuPont Circle area of Washington, D.C., Jared is targeted for assassination, and a bodyguard, Moss Lake, is assigned to protect him. Jared is kidnapped by an Arab faction, but is later released. Using his experience and both past and recently acquired knowledge, Jared allows himself to be captured by another Arab group that appears to be readying itself for something big.
A Starbucks located on DuPont Circle serves as a meeting place for the novel‘s many characters. The most interesting and complex is Sabine Horvath, a rich Texas Jew who is a longtime friend of Jared‘s and has just moved to D.C. for social reasons related to the incoming Bush administration. Sabine possesses an art collection that may or may not have been looted by the Nazis from Jews during World War II. She also has connections with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.
Other interesting characters include Moss Lake, Moss’s boyfriends Robert Lambert, Faron Turpin, and Selim Savify, CIA agents Webb Burns and Bronson Talbot, and Sabine‘s British art curator Sir Quentin Upward.
Throughout the novel are references to Freemasonry and its influence on the layout of the streets and waterworks of D.C. Long passages are dedicated to musings concerning the influence of Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, Hermes Trismegistus, tarot, reincarnation, and other esoteric subjects on gay men throughout history.
While interesting as an explanation of Jared’s worldview, they sometimes interrupt the smooth flow of the narrative. Paddie also offers very detailed descriptions of clothing, meals, furniture, and the layouts of homes, such as Sabine’s mansion. These also sometimes interrupt the narrative.
Ask the Fire is at its heart a gay espionage novel. However, it is very detailed and sometimes convoluted. Esoteric knowledge bordering on fantasy is an important part of the work. I found it a hard read, but ultimately a fulfilling one. Ask the Fire is recommended for large public libraries and those serving gay populations, as well as academic libraries.
Ask the Fire is also available in a Kindle edition.
Reviewed by, Paul Hubbard
Retired Public Reference Librarian
