The Call of the Tree: The legacy from the Tree of Life as passed down through generations to the unknown...

Darryl S. Markowitz
BookSurge (2007)
ISBN 9781419669989
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/07)


“Call of the Tree” is the first book in the “Faith Walker” series.  It begins 100 years after a huge civil war caused by the old religions.  Once again the north and south are separated.  The south is believed to have fallen prey to those who rely on religion.  The north is totally controlled by the government.  The government is involved in every aspect of a person’s life.  They even dictate what you are allowed to believe.  Government officials are no longer voted into office, they are selectively placed to uphold the bureaucracy. 

On top of all of this, there are some beings that feed on the negative energy put out by the human race.  Within themselves, these beings compete for dominance and the Alpha role.  They use their power to reach out to manipulate humans to create more negativity.  Stephanie is a teenager that on an energetic level can see what these beings are doing.  She doesn’t understand it, but she knows it is bad.  Her boyfriend Vaughn can see blackness that takes over certain people.  Both of them have the gift of being “Faith Walkers.”  This makes them dangerous to the system.  They cannot let people know too much about what they are experiencing because the government will step in to regain control.

When the story begins Stephanie is leading a sinful, promiscuous life.  She has an abusive, controlling boyfriend whom she also has to fear because of his family’s government connections.  She has just decided to give up using drugs.  Vaughn rescues her from a situation that would have totally allowed her soul to be destroyed.  Vaughn also finds a way into her soul to help heal her from her negative beliefs about herself.  They teach each other about love.  In addition to dealing with the negative forces, they have to deal with fear of government reprisals and animosity from their peers.  They have some really rough issues to overcome. They do not have support from anybody else, not even their parents.  The romance that develops between Vaughn and Stephanie is really beautiful.  He teaches her to respect herself.  They plan a future together, but have much to overcome.  
 
“The Call of the Tree” is a great thought-provoking novel.  It is a story about teenagers, yet their lifestyles have them living like adults.  I suspect many teens are experiencing this today.  The story encourages abstinence and not using drugs.  Because of the adult nature of the teen’s behaviors, I would recommend it for older teens and adults.  There were some errors in the writing that could be improved with the editing being fine-tuned.  I would recommend this for future editions.  I really look forward to reading future books in this series. 

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