Book Review: Silence of the Song Trees by Branwen O’Shea
Genre(s): Science Fiction / Science Fantasy
Book Synopsis:
When everyone he loves dies, he becomes the Ghost to save his planet.
Young Cerulean’s carefree life as a Firth is shattered when a planet-wide disaster wipes out all of his kind except him. The song trees that once harmonized to maintain the ecological balance of their shared planet Lenglood are silenced by the tragedy. Grief-stricken, Cerulean struggles to survive and awaken the dormant trees. But when human colonists show up, he has more to lose–the planet of Lenglood itself.
Review:
This was a bittersweet tale, and a reminder of how thoughtless humanity can be when it comes to altering our environment. But it also provides hope that humans can change and learn to do better.
The main character is Cerulean. He’s Firth, and at the beginning of this story, he’s very young. The Firth are an interesting species. They’re attuned to various elements, but also can shift to an alternate dimension within their world that allows them to see and maintain the planet’s stability. Cerulean is attuned to water, and spends a good deal of his time in a loch, while his friend Clay is attuned to earth/soil. Firth are named based on their coloration and/or elemental attributes. It’s a neat system, somewhere between science fiction and fantasy. The Firth are also very long-lived, and while this is a novella, Cerulean goes from a child to an aged adult during the course of the tale.
I wasn’t expecting this story to hit the emotions as hard as it did. While the beginning held some strife for Cerulean, the ending was so poignant—both sorrowful and beautiful—that it hurt (in the best possible way.)
And I love the overall message: That humans can change for the better and learn to live in harmony with our environment. I like stories that give me hope, as this one did. And I think it’s a suitable read for just about any age.
Author website: branwenoshea.com
Amazon link: Silence of the Song Trees
If you enjoy reading my book reviews, I post them often (as often as I finish books!) Why not subscribe to my blog, so you never miss out? Click here to subscribe.