In the early months of 2020, the world’s attention was riveted on Australia, where the nation’s iconic wildlife fought forsurvival in the face of unprecedented wildfires. Images of koalas drinking from firefighters’ water bottles went viral andbecame the global face of a catastrophe that would kill as many as three billion animals. Known as the Black Summer, thefire season was responsible for more wildlife deaths and near-extinctions than any other single event in Australianhistory. Flames of Extinction, written by a journalist at the heart of this news coverage, is the first book to tell the stories ofAustralia’s record-setting fires, focusing on the wild animals and plants that will be forever changed. As news of the fires spread around the world, journalist John Pickrell was inundated with requests for articles about thedanger to Australia’s wildlife. The picture seemed grim, from charred koalas to flames that burned so hot not even animalskeletons remained. But Pickrell’s reporting exposed a larger picture of hope. Flames of Extinction tells the story of thescientists, wildlife rehabilitators, and community members who came together to save wildlife and protect them in thefuture. As climate change intensifies and devastating wildfires become more commonplace, Australia’s Black Summer offers apoignant warning to the rest of the world. Through evocative and urgent storytelling, Flames of Extinction puts readers onthe ground to witness the aftermath of one of Australia’s greatest tragedies and inside the inspiring effort to save lives.