Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War

These stories aren't pretty and they aren't for the faint of heart. They are realistic, haunting and shocking. And they are all unforgettable. Television reports, movies, newspapers and blogs about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have offered images of the fighting there. But this collection offers voices — powerful voices, telling the kind of truth that only fiction can offer.

What makes the collection so remarkable is that all of these stories are written by those who were there, or waited for them at home. The anthology, which features a Foreword by National Book Award winner Colum McCann, includes the best voices of the our wars generation: Brian Turner, whose poem “Hurt Locker” was the movie's inspiration; Colby Buzzell, whose book My War resonates with countless veterans; Siobhan Fallon, whose book You Know When the Men Are Gone echoes the joy and pain of the spouses left behind; Matt Gallagher, whose book Kaboom captures the hilarity and horror of the modern military experience; and nine others.

“Captures the messiness of soldiering when the mission and endgame are unclear. Though fiction, each work reads true, filled with tension, fear, and anger. Readers are transported to desert checkpoints, ride along with vehicle convoys, and return home from combat to face an uncertain future.” Booklist

“The range of stories in Fire and Forget displays a remarkable depth and breadth of the experience of the Iraq war.” The Guardian

An unprecedented collection of hard-hitting, poignant short stories written by thirteen young veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Contributors include:

Matt Gallagher — co-editor of Fire and Forget and author of Kaboom

Roy Scranton — co-editor of Fire and Forget

Colum McCann — National Book Award winner and best-selling author of Let the Great World Spin

Siobhan Fallon — author of You Know When the Men Are Gone

Colby Buzzell — author of My War

Brian Turner — author of Here, Bullet (“Hurt Locker”)

and nine others.