Sarah Crowe left Atlanta—and the remnants of a tumultuous relationship—to live in an old house in rural Rhode Island. Within its walls she discovers an unfinished manuscript written by the house’s former tenant—an anthropologist obsessed with the ancient oak growing on a desolate corner of the property. Tied to local legends of supernatural magic, as well as documented accidents and murders, the gnarled tree takes root in Sarah’s imagination, prompting her to write her own account of its unsavory history. And as the oak continues to possess her dreams and nearly almost all her waking thoughts, Sarah risks her health and her sanity to unearth a revelation planted centuries ago…
Booklist
“Kiernan’s chiller provides a strange and vastly compelling take on a New England haunting, and captures its spirit unnervingly well.”
Locus
“[Kiernan’s] most personal, ambitious, and accomplished work yet.”
Darque Reviews
“A suspenseful tale that feeds the imagination and blurs the line of reality.”
Library Journal
“With its intelligent blend of folklore, horror, and dark fantasy, Kiernan’s latest appeals well beyond urban fantasy fans.”
indeed, Lovecraft, Poe, and other writers are explicitly referenced in the text
“Dark-fantasy specialist Kiernan delivers a creepy and engaging tale…Horror fans will recognize the familiar Lovecraftian gothic-horror elements
Romantic Times
“Kiernan’s dark tale blurs the lines between illusion and reality in this multilayered novel. The characters are complex and deeply flawed, and the beautiful and uninhibited prose easily evokes the dread they experience.”
Fantasy Literature
“Kiernan does a great job of evoking the terror of not knowing what is real and what is imagined…a layered, atmospheric tale.”
King of the Nerds
“[Kiernan] still remains the only author who manages to truly evoke [Lovecraft] sensations of dread while at the same time managing to do so in a voice entirely her own.”
Find it on
AmazonReviews
No videos available yet.
News
No news articles linked to this title yet.
- Release Date 08/04/2009
- Author Caitlin R. Kiernan
- Language English
- Company Penguin Publishing Group; Original edition
- Weight 12 ounces
- Dimensions 5.31 x 0.91 x 8 inches
The Red Tree Ratings
Overall
Overall rating of the media
Atmosphere
How immersive and tense is the atmosphere
Gore
Level and quality of gore/violence
Story
Quality of the storyline and plot
Writing
Quality of the written content
Character Development
Depth and growth of characters
Pacing
Flow and timing of the narrative