Bears Discover Fire is a 1990 Hugo Award-winning short story by
Terry Bisson. It follows an ordinary man going about his life
shortly after bears discover fire. The focus of the story is
mostly on the narrator and his nephew and mother. Story provides
examples of: - Bears Are Bad News: Averted. The bears are not
nice, but they aren't mean either. They're just bears. - Cool
Old Lady: The narrator's mother. - Creepy Uncle: Entirely
averted. The narrator is arguably a better parent to his nephew
than his nephew's real parents. - Death Is Such An Odd Thing:
The narrator's mixed emotions over his mother's death at the end
of the story. - Inferred Holocaust: The events at the end of the
story suggest that the humans and bears won't get along
peacefully for long. - Most Writers Are Human: The fact that
bears have discovered fire is the central point to the story,
but the focus is still on the human characters. Otherwise
averted, as the bears of the story are given few human
characteristics. - Title Drop: Early on in