An extraordinary island fantasy from the author of Slights. The island is the world, and the centre of the island is the Tree. When they are 18, each person must leave their home and walk the Tree. Years later, when they return -- if they return -- they will be changed. When Lillah embarks on her own journey, however, she never expected to deviate from the sacred path! and enter the Tree.
Walking the Tree (Angry Robot)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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"Like walking from a dream into a mythical land both familiar and delightfully strange. A tale of tolerance and survival, in a fascinating and beautifully realised world." -Trudi Canavan, author of the Black Magician Trilogy "Kaaron Warren is a fresh, amazingly talented voice out of Australia. You *must* read her work." - Ellen Datlow Praise for "Slights": "With outstanding control, Warren manipulates Stevie's voice to create a portrait of horror that in no way reads like a first novel." - Publishers Weekly (Starred) Pick of the Week "Hugely and genuinely disturbing" - SciFi Now, reviewing Slights "Simply gut-wrenching" - Jon Courtenay Grimwood, SFX "Powerful stuff. So powerful, in fact, that my throat was hurting with my attempts to keep my emotions under control. I was completely drawn in, totally immersed. I felt ill much of the time." - Russell Kirkpatrick, bestselling author of "Across the Face of the World"
About the Author
Kaaron is an award-winning Australian writer of short fiction, and her stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including the British Fantasy Award-winning The Alsiso Project, and the recent Poe and Haunted Legends collections. Other short fiction awards include the Ditmar Award (twice) and the Aurealis Award.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Anthropology on another world,
This review is from: Walking the Tree (Angry Robot) (Mass Market Paperback)
The tree is so big that it covers an entire island. People live within the tree and there are also settlements every 50 miles or so. Walking the tree is a rite of passage that young women and some children make. The young women or "teachers" are in search of knowledge and possible mates. As they walk from one settlement to another they are courted by the young men of that settlement. They may decide to settle down with one of these mates, or they may walk on to the next settlement. They are choosing, not only a mate but a way of life because each settlement is different and has its own culture, its own food, its own rituals, etc. The author seems to have a background in anthropology because the different cultures are very well described. I did find the story depressing because the protagonist seemed under constant guilt and obligation. She has decided to foster a young boy, her half brother, who may be suffering from a deadly plague. If his sickness is discovered, he will surely be put to death. The societies are very poor it seems to me because they lack any domestic animals, they have very few tools, and no transportation other than walking. Because life is hard and death common, there is plenty of superstition and ritual to cope with death and illness. I constantly was tempted to give up and stop reading because the emotions I felt reading this book were not joyful and exciting. However, after I have finished reading, I find that sticking with this book and sticking with the "walk" has made me somewhat better at sticking with tasks that I find necessary but not necessarily intrinsically enjoyable. This book definitely portrays characters acting out of a sense of "duty" and conformity to cultural rules\values. I kept thinking, however, that it is strange for the females to make such a pilgrimage to choose mates. Usually it's the males who wander in societies. I am a female myself, and I don't think I would enjoy such a walk. I give the book 2 stars for pleasant emotions and 4 stars for creating a consistent and well-developed alternative world. So the average is 3.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting,
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This review is from: Walking the Tree (Angry Robot) (Kindle Edition)
Every once in a while I enjoy reading a book that is, um, a little out there. This book definately fit the bill. It was different, made my brain stretch a little, and was overall, an interesting book to read. Many books are just a copy of our current world-view with a few tweeks here and there. This author created an entirely new and different society, with different and interesting rules.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Give it a try,
This review is from: Walking the Tree (Angry Robot) (Mass Market Paperback)
I had a slightly hard time classify this book. It is an interesting post-apocalyptic/ fantasy-anthropology book... It was good and I never felt the since of wrongness the previous reviewer wrote about. Pick it up if you are itching for something a little different.
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