''Fires of Eden'' is a novel by American writer

Dan Simmons Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes ...

, published in 1994. It centres on the history and

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, the moral and ethical issues of the United States occupation of Hawaii, and various other issues.

Overview

''Fires of Eden'' takes place around the adventures of two different generations, a woman and her niece. The aunt's story is told as a series of journal entries, said journal being in her niece's possession. The book also uses as a main character

Samuel Clemens Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fa ...

, better known as

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. Additionally, this novel features two characters from Simmons' '' Summer of Night'' (1991), Cordie Cook and Mike O'Rourke; the latter has only a "bit part" near the end.

References

1990 American novels Novels by Dan Simmons Novels set in Hawaii Locus Award–winning works {{1990s-novel-stub