The Tree People [Mass Market Paperback]

Naomi M. Stokes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

"In the haunting prologue, an Indian sachem vanquishes a sorcerer's evil spirit by ritualistically planting a cedar sapling over the grave where he was buried alive. Centuries later, the tree falls to man's hungry saws, and the Caliban is out of the bag. Stokes's voice takes on a hypnotic hush for the Indian legends".--The New York Times Book Review.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twisting like the roots of the great trees it describes, this atmospheric first novel, a mystery filled with Native American history, traces past and present events in Oregon's coastal timber region, once home to the numerous Northwest Coast Salish tribes, of which few members now survive. According to Quinault legend, when the evil shaman Xulk was buried alive in 1490, a young cedar was planted above him. Modern-day logger Mike McTavish, granted cutting rights on The Tree People's reservation, marks the Old Cedar for preservation. However, Aminte, a descendent of Xulk's lover, moves the marker and the tree is cut, freeing Xulk's spirit. Soon, police chief Paul Prefontaine's wife apparently falls to her death; a tour director goes missing; McTavish is believed to have died in a logging accident; a high-school boy disappears. Chief Prefontaine and his sister, acting tribal sheriff Jordan Tidewater, must decide if modern criminal investigation or ancient ceremonies will stop the rampant evil. The narrative is burdened by lengthy, didactic passages on Quinault lore, logging practices and environmental politics. Although the material seems authentic (Stokes is part Cherokee and she owned a logging company), the action scenes are shortchanged by exposition, and the potentially interesting investigation scanted. Yet Stokes (The Castrated Woman) can write poetically and effectively about this vanished heritage.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When a sacred cedar tree is cut down on the Quinault reservation, the evil spirit of an ancient shaman, Xulk, is released. Thus begins a sequence of macabre events orchestrated by Aminte, a red-haired witch. Losing her husband in a mysterious accident, Hannah McTavish struggles to maintain the logging business while dealing with the environmental issues that threaten her livelihood. Jordan Tidewater, reservation sheriff, assumes her inherited role as shaman and undergoes Native American rituals that allow her passage into the spirit world. In her fiction debut, Stokes (The Castrated Woman: What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Hysterectomy, LJ 7/86) artfully blends contemporary conservation concerns of the Pacific Northwest with ancient Native American folklore. A good choice for libraries with demand for Native epics such as Michael and Kathleen Gear's People of the Lakes (Forge, 1994) and Linda Lay Shuler's Voice of the Eagle (Dutton, 1993).
--Mary Ellen Elsbernd, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812535103
• ISBN-13: 978-0812535105
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,365,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tree People are fascinating, May 31, 2000

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tree People (Mass Market Paperback)

When brutal murders plague the placid Olympic Peninsula rainforest after a sacred cedar is cut down, Tribal Sheriff Tidewater must pit her own shamanic training against a mysterious killer. At about the time Columbus' ships were being built in the Old World, along the Pacific coast, lived an already ancient society, with perceptions, emotions & rituals so complex European languages could only hint. In this society, however, the same struggles between evil & good, shadow & light, revenge & courage raged on with the added dimensions of shape-shifting & time walking. An impressive first novel, fascinating, scary & delightful. A must read! Living by a rainforest I thoroughly enjoyed this author's skill at describing the land & the energy here.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insight into the people of the Northwest, October 7, 1999

By 

Victoria J. McCurley (Tri-Cities, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tree People (Mass Market Paperback)

I was totally intrigued by this book and couldn't wait to find her others. The story carries you through the cultures and traditions of the people of the Olympic Peninsula and teaches a reverence for our natural rescources. I loved the relationships within the family. I would love to have a reader's guide for discussion with my book club.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorifingly real, brings you right to the vioce of her words, July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tree People (Mass Market Paperback)

She sends you into a real world with which characters actually seem to be living in the Pacific NorthWest as you read. The reader will grow an amazing hold on nature and Native American ritual never known to them before.