The recent passing of Terry Bisson invites reflection on his speculative fiction, particularly his unique storytelling of futuristic histories and his engagement with social and political themes. In Fire on the Mountain (1988), Bisson imagines an American utopia where the radical abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry succeeds. In this retelling, Brown's rebellion becomes the catalyst for establishing a Black utopia in the South, averts the Civil War, and culminates in a Second Revolutionary War in the 1940s that transforms the U.S. into a socialist “U.S.S.A.” This alternative history erases 20th-century nightmares, offering a society defined by egalitarianism, technological progress, and creativity.

Bisson’s utopian offering aligns with what attracts French philosopher Gilles Deleuze to science fiction. Deleuze conceptualizes a “futural” philosophy where philosophical meaning may be derived from potential futures and thus bridges fictional futures with present political realities. Considering this, I argue that Fire on the Mountain is instructive. Bisson produces a deeply hopeful and believable vision of historical progress, where radical futures can take shape through the actions of individuals in moments of transformation. Thus, by enlisting Deleuze to study Bisson’s futural work, I contend that the novel offers readers a profound meditation on a revolutionary historical possibility.

Keywords: Science Fiction Literature, Alternative History, Terry Bisson, Deleuze, Futural Philosophy