A WORLD WITHOUT TREES

In Blackhurst’s novel set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an exiled girl attempts to prove herself as a warrior—only to discover that nothing about her world is what it seems.

The Named live a meager existence in a regimented world. Men and women live in separate villages, only having direct contact on the designated Breed Day. Angels, who occasionally visit and introduce wondrous inventions, such as glass, perpetrate legends of a Godmonster who destroyed the Earth; the angels are said to have saved 300 babies, who went on to build New Eden. Alizard—the daughter of Thenewt the Warleader, and Arat, the society’s religious leader, known as the Candle—is destined to follow in her mother’s footsteps. However, when her hair turns red, it marks her as one of the Stained, and she’s immediately cast out. She chooses to train as a warrior and soon becomes one of the very best. Meanwhile, the Reddening sweeps through the land—a horrific disease that kills by “pop[ping]” its victims: “Alizard watched as the flesh of his arms melted and then his bones. She closed her eyes. His howls ceased. She opened her eyes and his head was now gone.” When the Thorns, a small rebel group of runaway Stained, kidnap the Candle, Alizard embarks on a quest to save her. Joining her is Theox, a young Thorn who claims that the abductors have taken Alizard’s mother to a place called “the bubble”; he also happens to be the perceived source of the Reddening. The pair encounter people and places that force Alizard to question everything she’s been told about the world—and the angels who protect it.

Blackhurst has crafted an intricate fantasy that’s full of violence and features breathtaking twists. Some readers may find Alizard a challenging protagonist to like, in part due to her society’s mantra to “unfeel” when faced with complex emotions. However, as she and Theox uncover more of their world (including a shocking revelation, alongside an equally unexpected death), Alizard becomes a hero of mythic proportions. Mysteries within mysteries unravel, such as the ultimate purpose of the Glass Tree that the Named build under the direction of the angels, including the Archangel Gabriel. However, this unraveling happens organically, without jarring exposition. Taut dialogue and rich descriptions (“She looked down at the red sand….The torchlight reflected off the occasional grain like a glass bead. Pure Godmonster blood, the dark red of angelic rubies.”) propel the novel toward a satisfying conclusion that does justice to the saga that comes before it. Blackhurst’s attention to detail truly brings the world to life, with small asides that make New Eden, and the laws that govern it, feel plausible and real: “Gabriel came down from heaven four times a year to track the progress of the Glass Tree. Among his metrics, he tracked the quantity of Stained burned in the furnace since his last visit.” Themes of power, ignorance, and sacrifice dominate the narrative, which offers a vividly rendered warning against forgetting the past.

Distinctive worldbuilding and unforgettable characters make this bloody tale a must-read for fantasy fans.