The Fatal Tree

September 8, 2014
In the final installment of Lawhead’s Bright Empires series, people and time periods are displaced in history: suburban husband Howard Smith goes to sleep and awakes in pre-Columbian Mexico only to find himself regarded as a sky god by
Aztec farmers. These displacements are forebodings of the “End of Everything,”
a collapse that would end all existence. Characters attempt to reunite as time is rearranged in order to prevent the yew tree from blocking access to the Spirit Well, where an earlier event has set the destruction of the universe into motion. Burleigh, the antagonist of the previous books, steals the spotlight; his emotionally powerful story finally reveals his deep anger, regret, and fear about his place in the world and the difficulty of transcending his situation. Lawhead exhibits great intelligence and historical awareness, but the novel needs more cohesive storytelling. Its religious aspects are heavy-handed, which detracts from the moral concerns of the story, particularly in passages regarding Burleigh’s fate and the yew tree’s naming. Despite flaws, this is still a pleasant read and a fitting conclusion to the series. Agent: Matt Bialer, Greenburger Associates.

November 15, 2014

In Lawhead's concluding volume to his epic series (following The Shadow Lamp), the apocalypse known as "The End of Everything" is approaching, threatening all of Creation. The universe is shifting, with time rifts and wormholes cropping up everywhere. Questers Kit and Cass have been left in the Stone Age trying to reach the Spirit Well, only to find that a huge tree has grown over it, cutting off their return to their own time. Tony and Gianni are monitoring the cataclysmic reversal of the universe's growth and have no idea how to stop it. Burleigh is trapped in an underground dungeon with the man he tried to kill, and Mina is stuck on a sheet of ice with an angry lion named Baby. VERDICT In the sweeping style of George R.R. Martin and J.R. Tolkien, Lawhead has created a diverse universe and rich cast of characters. Multiple story lines weave to form a satisfying ending to this mythological speculative series. Aficionados of R.A. Salvatore, Connie Willis, and Eric Flint may appreciate these books.

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