Darren Greenidge

The Trees by Ali Shaw is probably one of the best books I've read in years since I discovered Tolkien and William Horwood as a kid. For me, it has everything. It's fantasy. It's gothic. It's a life journey adventure, and it's also an ecological one. It also shows what we'd be like if some form of an apocalypse did occur, and I have to agree that we'd turn on one another in some cases as people fight for survival. All the characters are well-rounded and intriguing some very vulnerable that you want to pull them out of the pages and either scream at them to snap out of it, or hug them and tell them it'll all be fine. It's quite dark in places and I'm not just talking about the forests that have sprung up all over the place. I love the psychology of the book and how the main protagonist grows enough to do what needs to be done whilst still struggling with life and people in general. Like Christopher Lee with Tolkien's work, I'm going to read The Trees once a year for as long as I live. It had that much of an effect on me. Highly recommended. I only have it in paperback and now want it in hardback and hopefully get it signed one day. I love it that much. Go buy it. You shan't be disappointed.