Devil Tree

by Steve Vernon

The roots of evil run deeper than you can ever imagine.

Lucas Sawyer and his wife Tamsen find themselves marooned in the heart of a mid-nineteenth century wilderness forest. They are rescued by Jonah Duvall, a mysterious woodsman abiding in this strange valley with his wife Jezebel and thier son Cord. Brooding over all stands the Devil Tree - a huge evil jackpine that has summoned them to this valley to feed upon their collective emotions and their unnatural offspring. Part earth spirit, part elder demon - the tree is farming them.

The characters are bound in a tightening noose of of undeniable fate. As winter sets in they must face the tree's unholy fury in an utterly horrific finale.

Devil-Tree is a story that will take you further into the heart of unimaginable horror.

BLURBS

"A mesmerizing journey into unimaginable darkness, DEVIL TREE showcases Steve Vernon at the height of his power, and results in a provocative, profoundly unsettling novel you will never forget." - Greg F. Gifune, author of THE BLEEDING SEASON

" DEVIL TREE is a frightening tale of man versus nature in every meaning. Vernon has written a tale of murder, infidelity, death and depravity. Full of horror and darkness - a supernatural tale like no other." - DARK RIVER PRESS

"If you are looking for a story that will scare you, DEVIL TREE is a great read." - SIZZLING HOT BOOK REVIEWS

"A well-written story that will appeal to fans of both the grotesque and magical realism. You must have a tough stomach to be able to handle this tale - OPINIONS OF A WOLF

"With Cronenberg-esque body terror, a Wendigo-type sub plot, and a wicked tree that would give the vegetation in the original EVIL DEAD a run for its money, DEVIL TREE is a best bet for horror fans tired of not being scared by horror fiction." - THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW

"This genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." - Ed Lee

"Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar

Genres: Horror

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2011

About the author

Hi! I'm Steve Vernon and I'd love to scare you. Along the way I'll entertain you. I guarantee a giggle as well.

If I listed all of the books I've written I'd bore you - and I am allergic to boring.

Instead, let me recommend one single book of mine.

Pick up SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME for an example of true Steve Vernon storytelling. It's hockey and vampires for folks who love hockey and vampires - and for folks who don't!

For more up-to-date info please follow my blog at:
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...

And follow me at Twitter:
@StephenVernon

yours in storytelling,

Steve Vernon

Reviews

[Julianne Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently had the opportunity to read Devil Tree by Steve Vernon. Admittedly, it might not have been a book I would have picked up to read, but it would only have been due to the fact that it wasn't even on my radar. The blurb on Amazon.com reads just like this:

The roots of evil run deeper than you can ever imagine.

Lucas Sawyer and his wife Tamsen find themselves marooned in the heart of a mid-nineteenth century wilderness forest. They are rescued by Jonah Duvall, a mysterious woodsman abiding in this strange valley with his wife Jezebel and their son Cord. Brooding over all stands the Devil Tree - a huge evil jackpine that has summoned them to this valley to feed upon their collective emotions and their unnatural offspring. Part earth spirit, part elder demon - the tree is farming them.

The characters are bound in a tightening noose of undeniable fate. As winter sets in they must face the tree's unholy fury in an utterly horrific finale.

Devil Tree is a story that will take you further into the heart of unimaginable horror.

In the beginning of the book, I found the language, descriptions and characters to be a little bit tedious. I can remember looking down at my Kindle, seeing that I was only about 15% in and wondering how I was going to get through to the end... I persevered however, and was glad that I did.

As I past the point where normally I would have put down a book, Vernon's descriptions became fluid and expansive; the dark fantasy involved was fantastic - he just gives you enough to paint the picture once you close your eyes. I found the characters to be written with that edge of believability that draws them just a little bit closer into your world. With Duvall, you're not sure if you're meant to like him or loathe him. It's an odd reaction at times, he was helpful but within the vein of malevolence. Lucas was such a torn character; alternating between his inner demons and his reactions to the situation he has been thrust into. His inner turmoil was echoed in the arching turmoil of the entire story. On the other hand, Tamsen was such an enigma - her disconnect from just about everything that was going on around her was delightful in its vacancy. And yet, in the end, you came away knowing more about Tamsen than what you initially got from the words written about her. Jezebel might just have been my favourite character of all - I just loved the roughness with which Vernon chose to describe her. As a character, Cord was the epitome of innocence and of innocence being corrupted. As a cast, they covered all of the main archetypes in horror and then some. The parts are complete when you add in the evil Jack Pine itself. There's a reason why it's titled Devil Tree.

The only criticism that I can offer is that the story took too long in the beginning to grab me. Part of that has to do with the fact that, to me, the prose felt somewhat disjointed in those first pages. While I can see the benefit of the disjointed prose in the beginning given the subject matter and scenes that were taking place, it was distracting.

In summation, Devil Tree is a dark and edgy book. While I had a hard time getting into it, by the end, I was glad that I stuck with it. At times, it was beautiful while at others it was filled with such vividly horrific moments that I wished I could turn my eyes away.

[David Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil Tree by Steve Vernon is an alternate history horror story set in the 1800's. The story begins with Lucas and his wife Tamsen as they are floating down a stream in a raft looking for a place to settle after having to leave their home in shame. The raft hits a log and the couple is thrown into the flowing current. They are rescued by a man named Duvall and brought to a strange valley which is ruled by a giant Jackpine.

Marcus and Tamsen are nursed back to health by Duvall, his wife Jezebel and their son Cord. The valley seems like it could be a good place to start a new life but the giant tree that stands above the valley has plans for them. Everyone has their secrets and the tree feeds upon their emotions.

Thats all I can say about the story in The Devil Tree because it was a little hard to follow. The characters go through quite a few changes in the story, Duvall is shown as being good, then bad then good again and Lucas also seems to change from good to bad. Tamsen stays the same throughout but we find out that she has done some very bad things in the past. The story is about the characters and because the character's personalities are constantly changing it makes for a confusing story.

Other things I didn't like about The Devil Tree was how for awhile it looked like Cord was going to be a big part of the story but then nothing was done with him. I also didn't like how Tamsen declares her love for Duvall but then acts afraid of Duvall a little later in the story and Lucas doesn't seem to care. Another thing that doesn't get explained well was the tree's power, why it was there in the first place or what it was trying to do. I wondered if maybe the tree wasn't controlling the people in the valley and they were going crazy because they were the only ones there and it was their guilt about their past that was ruining everything.

Despite my confusion with the story there was a lot I did like about The Devil Tree. I enjoyed how metaphors were used, along with how complex the characters were and I liked how everything was described in the story. The opening where the valley was discovered was beautifully done. I also liked when Lucas and Tamsen's raft capsized and you see how much they love each other as they fight to survive.

Also if you are into horror there are some gruesome scenes such as the the final battle with the tree and the description of the fight between lucas and Duvall. The way the characters are all battling their inner demons was also frightening. This book is very dark, I found myself feeling creeped out near the end when it looks like Lucas has finally lost his mind.

I realize my review here is a contradiction but despite its flaws I found myself not wanting to put this book down. It is very well written and I will want to read more from Steve Vernon. It takes a little while to get going and has some story flaws but The Devil Tree is a psychological horror story that you won't want to put down.
.

[Nicole Storey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recently, I joined a book review club on Facebook (Brutally Honest Book Club). Our first book to read and review was Steve Vernon’s The Devil Tree. I really wished we’d picked another book now that I’ve read this one. I’m not good at writing bad reviews, but I really could not connect with this story at all.

First, let me start off with some positive aspects of The Devil Tree. The author has a very good grasp of descriptive words and phrases. I loved his use of similes and metaphors. The problem is that there were too many of them. After a while, the florid diction became repetitive and lost its appeal. Not every sentence needs a comparison. Sometimes, simple and to-the-point make a better impact in reading.

My first major turn-off in this book happened within the first few pages. I don’t mind bad grammar in dialogue, but when the author uses the phrase “more badly” while describing a scene or a person in the book, I have to cringe. There is a time and place for altered grammar, and an author needs to learn when to use it.

This book was complicated to read. There were only six major characters (if you count the tree), but yet, more characters kept popping up and we never learn their story or who they really were to the major characters in the book. There wasn’t enough information about any of the characters, really, and the tree remained a mystery. What was its purpose? How did it come to be at all? Why was it evil? How did Jonah become so attached to it? We never learn why the tree needed babies and dead animals, either. If that purpose had been explained, it would have made the grisly killings of these innocent beings more understandable. As it was, I just found the murdering horrendous and unnecessary. There were too many unanswered question that left me feeling lost.

All in all, I didn’t “get” this book. It made absolutely no sense to me. There was no plot and a lot of the book seemed to just be filler-pages of flowery descriptions that led nowhere. If I hadn’t paid for this book, AND promised to review it for my book club, I would have stopped reading after the first few pages. This is the first negative review I have ever written and I hope the author (and fans of the author) do not take offense. Not every one likes the same types of books. With more information and less symbolism, this book could have been a lot better, in my opinion.

[Keith Blackmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished Devil Tree.

This book is... *evil*. Don't know what or how this body of work came into existence, but I think Steve went to some very dark places to bring it back into the light. Even then, it's a dark piece of horror fiction, extremely moody, and creepy as all hell. If this was a movie, it'd be one of those flicks where you would notice the absence of music, where the only sounds are those made by the characters, or things pulling themselves free of the earth, and where you might have anxiety attacks when the night scenes start. There isn't a lot of gore, but dread permeates this whole story like the stench of bad meat becoming worse.

I liked it. God help me I did.

[Icy-Cobwebs-In-Space · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this novel. An interesting juxtaposition of rough-edged, alternative-history-frontier horror, Supernatural venues, three-dimensional characters (some of whom, like Duvall, were two dimensions of evil and one dimension of good), twisted plot convolutions, and absolutely wonderful descriptive imagery, “Devil Tree” inspired me to pause often and savor a lyricism, but also to race forward to “see what’s next!” There’s so many layers, so much concealment, rather like looking for worms under the pine needles covering the valley floor around the title Jackpine. The reader is never quite sure in which direction to turn.

There’s quite a cast of characters here that had to be properly juggled, given the group in the present, and all those in the past, and in interjections, but I found that well-accomplished. I particularly enjoyed-if that is the right word, perhaps “appreciated” would be more apropos-the author’s delicate interweaving of Tamsen’s past with her rather bizarre and homely present, as she attempts to recover the memories she’d apparently lost early in the book (I’ll say no more, as not to spoil the plotting). This was doubly intriguing to me because I looked at the setting in the way I would at Orson Scott Card’s alternative-frontier-history “Tales of Alvin Maker” series-as a divergent probability, perhaps, an existence near to but not identical to our own American history; and because I viewed the settings in this way, the interweaving of the truly historical-cultural-societal aspects of Tamsen’s past (and also of Lucas’ sailing days, which reference much of what I’ve read about the English Navy and maritime of the 17th-18th centuries) made “Devil Tree” so much more vivid, appealing, and realistic to me.

[T.W. Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was 12, a friend of the family took me to see "The Deer Hunter". It was a fairly heavy film, but all I really remember is the scene during the main characters time in the river POW camp. Years later I watched the movie to see what I might have missed. It was still the Russian Roulette that stands out. As I read Devil Tree by Steve Vernon, I was struck by much of the same feelings.

I am fairly intelligent (I would like to think)but there were moments when the story seemed to slip away from me. I found myself flipping back (not as easy on a Kindle as with a physical copy of a book). I could tell that there were moments when the writer knew exactly what he was trying to say, unfortunately, I wasn't always sure what that was. There is also a lot of simile use. Enough that I made sure to look up the difference between simile and metaphor.

I will say that Mr. Vernon does an excellent job creating imagery. His voice is very literary. His ability to convey inner darkness is superb. There is an ambient mood throughout the book that, as a fellow writer, I found impressive. To maintain the tone throughout and never break it was a feat worthy of praise.

While I may not have gotten exactly what is was that Mr. Vernon was trying to do, Devil Tree was a unique read. As with any book, it may not be for all readers. I wanted to love the book, but in the end I just liked it a great deal.

[C.W. LaSart · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a person who likes your horror fast-paced and in your face, this is not the book for you. It moves slowly and builds on atmosphere rather than gore, something that tends to annoy the less patient horror fan reared on zombies and splatterpunk. As a fan of both types of horror, I greatly enjoyed this read. It is far more in the vein of Poe than King, but I liked the heavy atmospheric style of fear and the characters were well developed. The mystery was never fully explained, but I like to have something left to the imagination. Most truly horrific things in this world come to us with no explanation or real reason behind them. It is our nature to want that reason, that closure, but I don't think the author always owes it to us. My only complaints, which kept me from giving that fifth star, were what I felt to be an above average amount of grammar mistakes (enough to distract me from the story. A few are always forgiveable.) and the author's tendency to lean a little too heavily on description. Though the imagery was very lovely, he did seem at times to take it too far, crossing from merely being descriptive, to being "purple" in his prose.

Overall, I really liked this book and will certainly read more by Mr. Vernon.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad I didn't miss it

This book was thoroughly fulfilling. It was pleasantly descriptive and wove a haunting, dark tale that I couldn't put down. The first book of Steve Vernon's I have read, I have nothing but praise for his smooth style and detailed character portrayals. The scenic descriptions were so vivid I felt as if I were with the characters in location. I love horror and this is very unique -- a truly evil feel without lots of blood, gore or sex, just old evil that is insidious and unstoppable.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

What in the heck did I just read? This was one of the craziest books with one of the most gruesome endings... this was, well I am having a hard time putting a word to what this was. It was well written and the characters were good. Good in that you wanted to both despise them and see them triumph in a way. This is like psychological horror done in the most brutal way. At times it reminded me of the movie The VVitch, at other times it was like nothing I have ever read. Caution, when this book goes downhill, it goes downhill with a purpose like a runaway train.

[Steve Vernon]

My very first novel-length e-book. Devil Tree is a historical horror and I would definitely call it a "thinking human" kind of story. Let me tell folks a bit about Devil Tree.

DEVIL TREE is a horror novel set in mid-nineteenth century North America. The novel opens with Lucas Sawyer and his wife Tamsen being cast from their raft into the twisting waters of the Greensnake River. They are rescued by Jonah Duvall, a woodsman dwelling in a strange hidden valley with his native wife Jezebel and her son Cord. These names were given to them by Duvall, because, “once you name a thing, it is yours”.

Above all this stands the Devil Tree, or Duvall’s Tree, as he calls it. The Devil Tree is a huge and evil jack pine that has summoned them all to this valley to feed on their collective emotions and their unnatural offspring. The tree is farming them and using them to feed its unholy appetites. It is part earth spirit, part elder demon and entirely uncontrollable.

This is a deep, dark yarn that I guarantee will haunt you for some time after you read it. The final scenes are guaranteed to take you way past gut-check and deep into the heart of oh-my-lordy!

At a paltry $3.99 I hope that some of you folks will give it a try. For those who want a preview, take a look at the Kindleboard page and scroll to the bottom where you will find a peek at the first couple of chapters. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OA6M3G/?... Tree

And if you are looking for a real review, check out Horrorworld.
http://horrorworld.org/hw/2011/03/dev...

yours in storytelling,

Steve Vernon

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if you came across a tree that was evil? This tree needs blood and changes the people it comes in contact with, turning them into killers.
Lucas Sawyer and his wife, Tamsen are rescued when their raft capsizes in the river by Duvall. He brings them back to his cabin and has his wife nurse them back to health. But there is something wrong with Duvall. He is in thrall to the devil tree and must feed it blood and death in order to survive.
Devil Tree is a frightening tale of nature gone bad. This tree corrupts everyone that it comes in contact with, turning them into slaves to the tree’s needs. Devil Tree has many twist and turns that will keep you wondering what will happen next. The story reads like a horror story, scaring you with its unpredictability. No matter how much the people try to escape the Devil Tree, the only way they can break away from its evil is in death. And the Devil Tree has a lot of death.
The Devil Tree is not a romance. While the characters are married and care about each other, infidelity happens. They even plan the death of each other in order to escape from the tree’s influence and escape the valley. The idea of human sacrifices has been a part of history since the Mayan times. Devil Tree takes it to a new level. Women must have babies in order to “feed” the tree. As a parent, I could only imagine the deep pain that the women felt about losing their children. If you are looking for a story that will scare you and give you chills when you look at trees, Devil Tree is a great read for you.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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