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Arboregal #1
Arboregal, The Lorn Tree
An experiment in a weird book causes four young Americans, Nathan, Perry, Melissa, and Michelle to appear in an incredibly strange and desolate world. Trees as large as mountains, scattered across the land like oases, support all life, safe from the monsters that patrol the night fog on the ground. Races of people living in medieval societies populate the giant trees. Known as the Lorns in this particular tree, they welcome the four kids into their world—until Hellferata, the evil spirit descendent of Medusa, intrudes upon their beloved tree. Full of vivid imagery and unbridled creativity, D. G. Sandru’s debut is as a mystical journey of enchantment, courage and the power of friendship. As the kids search for a way home, Hellferata searches for the prophesized mortal superhero she must battle to the death. Suspecting Michelle for this golden-haired superhero, Hellferata sends her son, Dracu Mort, into the Lorn Tree to kill her. Fearful of the evil spirit the Lorns move to expel the four Americans from their tree. Thinking quickly, the kids devise a plan to avoid the monsters roaming the land and travel to the next tree, where it is rumored there may be a path back home. Will their ingenuity, cunning, and courage help them make it to the Cascade Tree and find a way home, or will Hellferata and Dracu Mort mete out their wrath before they can escape?A dramatic and heroic escape into a world full of excitement and danger, Sandru brings to life a beautiful landscape dramatically different than our own yet living from the same heartbeat. Imparting the inspiring message that fear is but a passing foil and love is the true answer, The Lorn Tree is a spiritual quest of hope and friendship that exposes the inherent power we all share.
476 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2011
8 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
D.G. Sandru
1 bookDG Sandru was born in the greater area of Transylvania in the last millennium; make that last century since he's not a vampire. Yet. When he was six years old, a soldier shot him at point blank range with a Kalashnikov. He survived. He outsmarted his German teacher, and survived a tornado in the middle of a wheat field. Not concurrently. When he was 18 years old, he escaped from a country resembling a concentration camp, luckily without being killed. He outran mean border patrol dogs in a foreign country, in the darkness of night, while jumping over six-foot tall stonewalls. Superman he’s not. He came to the USA in search of freedom, glory, wealth, and fame. He’s still searching for three of those. Lightning grazed him, and he caught a shark by the tail. Once. A monkey attacked him in Japan, but his daughter saved him. He avoided many rattlesnake bites, and built a house. No relation between the snakes and the house. Life eventually tamed him and he became a responsible citizen, with a wife, two daughters, dog and cat. And lately two grandsons. The taming part is questionable. He acquired an engineering and management degree and attempted to acquire other degrees in music, marketing, and IT. A certified student. He obtained many professional licenses, which he hardly used, but looked good on his wall. At 59-¾ years old he quit the corporate life and a six-figure salary. Rumor has it that he was given the golden handshake. He was finally free to pursue his dreams of writing, painting and music.
During his professional life he painted hundreds of canvases, and composed dozens of tunes, while since his golden handshake he wrote 11 books. And that was in just the first half of his life.
Disclaimer: Everything written here is true, and the bullets were blanks.
I am DG Sandru and I approve this unabashed bio.
Want to see and read more about the second half of his life?
Webpage: http://sandru.com
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1kVzh6Z
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1OiYOCn
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1TgVbNa
During his professional life he painted hundreds of canvases, and composed dozens of tunes, while since his golden handshake he wrote 11 books. And that was in just the first half of his life.
Disclaimer: Everything written here is true, and the bullets were blanks.
I am DG Sandru and I approve this unabashed bio.
Want to see and read more about the second half of his life?
Webpage: http://sandru.com
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1kVzh6Z
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1OiYOCn
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1TgVbNa
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 6, 2020
Nathan, Peter, Melissa and Michelle are high school students. Nathan is always competing with Melissa for the top prize in science experiments. Nathan finds an experiment that he is certain will win him the top prize. It calls for two brothers and two sisters. Nathan figures that he and Peter can pair up with Melissa and Michelle to do the experiment.
Unfortunately, the experiment goes wrong and the four kids end up on a different world. The world is called Arboregal, which means Planet of Giant Trees and the inhabitants are called Lorns. The Lorns live in trees, rather than on the ground. The first tree that they see is the Lorn Tree and the Lorns take the kids in to their homes to protect them from the monsters on the ground.
Their big question is how are they going to be able to get back home? Will the Lorns be able to help the kids understand how they got there? Will the Lorns be able to help them get back home?
Mit Sandru did a wonderful job of creating an entire civilization. The fantasy is wonderfully told and the adventure is something that everybody can easily imagine.
Unfortunately, the experiment goes wrong and the four kids end up on a different world. The world is called Arboregal, which means Planet of Giant Trees and the inhabitants are called Lorns. The Lorns live in trees, rather than on the ground. The first tree that they see is the Lorn Tree and the Lorns take the kids in to their homes to protect them from the monsters on the ground.
Their big question is how are they going to be able to get back home? Will the Lorns be able to help the kids understand how they got there? Will the Lorns be able to help them get back home?
Mit Sandru did a wonderful job of creating an entire civilization. The fantasy is wonderfully told and the adventure is something that everybody can easily imagine.
August 31, 2024
Inspired by "Arboregal: the Lorn Tree," I wrote two songs:
"In the Lorn Tree Arboregal" by Mit Sandru
"I am Lonesome, Arboregal" by Mit Sandru
Whoever reads my book will recognize the theme of the songs in the story of the book.
The two songs have lyrics and instrumental versions. They are available on all music outlets, such as Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes, and YouTube.
"In the Lorn Tree Arboregal" by Mit Sandru
"I am Lonesome, Arboregal" by Mit Sandru
Whoever reads my book will recognize the theme of the songs in the story of the book.
The two songs have lyrics and instrumental versions. They are available on all music outlets, such as Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes, and YouTube.
June 24, 2017
Looking forward to the next book
We liked this book. It is long which made it more difficult to get into the story as much as we like. But, overall we enjoyed the storyline and characters. It is all interesting and we look forward to the continued story in the next book.
We liked this book. It is long which made it more difficult to get into the story as much as we like. But, overall we enjoyed the storyline and characters. It is all interesting and we look forward to the continued story in the next book.
March 20, 2017
This book caught my eye because of the cover.
Four kids, Melissa, Michelle, Nathan and Perry do an experiment which goes awry. They find themselves in a strange land where people live in trees and monsters rule the ground at night. Some of the Lorns (the tree people) don't want the kids there and others welcome them.
The kids find out that there is a dark sinister being, Hellferata, that wants them dead, especially Michelle. With the help of the Lorns, the kids plan on trying to get back home. Will they?
Four kids, Melissa, Michelle, Nathan and Perry do an experiment which goes awry. They find themselves in a strange land where people live in trees and monsters rule the ground at night. Some of the Lorns (the tree people) don't want the kids there and others welcome them.
The kids find out that there is a dark sinister being, Hellferata, that wants them dead, especially Michelle. With the help of the Lorns, the kids plan on trying to get back home. Will they?
September 3, 2022
Hellferata - Medusa's bodyless soul still lives
Dracu Mort - Hellferatu's son to a goat.
The Lorns - people who live in a tree because "monsters" roam the ground on foggy nights
Michele - "The girl with the golden hair' - prophecy says she will destroy Hellferatu
Melissa, Nathan, and Perry - Michele's sister and friends. They were all transported to another universe.
Concept is interesting and all the elements are there for a good story (if you like mythology and alternate universe stories like I do). But something is missing for me. It drags a little and needs more excitement. Hopefully book 2 in the series steps it up and grabs my attention more.
This is a good read for preteens.
Dracu Mort - Hellferatu's son to a goat.
The Lorns - people who live in a tree because "monsters" roam the ground on foggy nights
Michele - "The girl with the golden hair' - prophecy says she will destroy Hellferatu
Melissa, Nathan, and Perry - Michele's sister and friends. They were all transported to another universe.
Concept is interesting and all the elements are there for a good story (if you like mythology and alternate universe stories like I do). But something is missing for me. It drags a little and needs more excitement. Hopefully book 2 in the series steps it up and grabs my attention more.
This is a good read for preteens.
February 9, 2012
I thought this book was okay. The aspect that interested me most was the new world. The description was very good, I could visualize everything about the tree and the way the Lorns dressed. I also liked the attempts on Michelle's life. They made the book exciting and carried the plot along with each attempt. I thought the butterflies were an inspired idea and cute.
However, I feel there were more parts that bothered me than made me like the book. I thought the story moved really, really, really, really slow. It seems like lots of it isn't used to further the main point of the story, A.K.A. trying to get back home, and felt that when you are many, many pages through the chapter do you realize the point of the chapter. I feel that the book was mostly about what the kids did in the tree, and not their attempts to get home. Also, there were many details covered that I didn't think needed to be referenced at all. Mostly, it's the talk of disease that bothered me. I mean, it's important to think about but it doesn't further the plot. And since the kids decided the diseases won't spread then it isn't even worth mentioning. Another point is that, even though this was a different "Earth," the Lorns had the same name for things as we did. Just because we have malls, pancakes, and fireworks doesn't mean that they have to use the same words. This was really irksome because the Lorns' names were so different than names here. How can they have such different names but everything else is the same? My last comment is about landmark names. The majority of the Lorns do not leave the tree, so why are landmarks (hills, valleys, etc.) named? They don't even travel between trees, and had no intention to before the kids arrived, so why does it matter that there's a ravine?
However, I feel there were more parts that bothered me than made me like the book. I thought the story moved really, really, really, really slow. It seems like lots of it isn't used to further the main point of the story, A.K.A. trying to get back home, and felt that when you are many, many pages through the chapter do you realize the point of the chapter. I feel that the book was mostly about what the kids did in the tree, and not their attempts to get home. Also, there were many details covered that I didn't think needed to be referenced at all. Mostly, it's the talk of disease that bothered me. I mean, it's important to think about but it doesn't further the plot. And since the kids decided the diseases won't spread then it isn't even worth mentioning. Another point is that, even though this was a different "Earth," the Lorns had the same name for things as we did. Just because we have malls, pancakes, and fireworks doesn't mean that they have to use the same words. This was really irksome because the Lorns' names were so different than names here. How can they have such different names but everything else is the same? My last comment is about landmark names. The majority of the Lorns do not leave the tree, so why are landmarks (hills, valleys, etc.) named? They don't even travel between trees, and had no intention to before the kids arrived, so why does it matter that there's a ravine?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2012
A first reads win!
Arboregal invokes images of The Chronicles of Narnia in the way it brings four children to a world not their own. Here, one (instead of all 4) is the prophesied hero. However, this book seems written far more in a modern sense. These kids may be much more recognizable to modern youth than the Pevensies. Throughout the book, it is obvious that the kids are just kids and they make stupid kid mistakes. The world they land in is interesting for sure but lacks the epic scope of others.
Overall, the story of Arboregal is interesting but not exciting. I didn't find myself cheering for the heroes or jeering at the bad guys. While the world of the tree is fleshed out slightly, it felt hollow to me. This was a book that I didn't mind putting down. Granted I did want to pick it up and finish reading but nowhere did I feel "I have to see what happens!" And the book is long for what I assume is a tween-teen targeted book. [SPOILER ALERT] Even after the book is done, I felt cheated as they just managed to get off the tree and not go home. The highlight of the book was almost the fact that they taught them how to make maple syrup.
Bonus points must be included for the art in the book. The pictures are great though not all of them are used in the book. You can see more at the authors website. The village looks so homey and you can see his vision of what the tree looks like.
I would read this again but only if I didn't have something better I wanted to read.
Arboregal invokes images of The Chronicles of Narnia in the way it brings four children to a world not their own. Here, one (instead of all 4) is the prophesied hero. However, this book seems written far more in a modern sense. These kids may be much more recognizable to modern youth than the Pevensies. Throughout the book, it is obvious that the kids are just kids and they make stupid kid mistakes. The world they land in is interesting for sure but lacks the epic scope of others.
Overall, the story of Arboregal is interesting but not exciting. I didn't find myself cheering for the heroes or jeering at the bad guys. While the world of the tree is fleshed out slightly, it felt hollow to me. This was a book that I didn't mind putting down. Granted I did want to pick it up and finish reading but nowhere did I feel "I have to see what happens!" And the book is long for what I assume is a tween-teen targeted book. [SPOILER ALERT] Even after the book is done, I felt cheated as they just managed to get off the tree and not go home. The highlight of the book was almost the fact that they taught them how to make maple syrup.
Bonus points must be included for the art in the book. The pictures are great though not all of them are used in the book. You can see more at the authors website. The village looks so homey and you can see his vision of what the tree looks like.
I would read this again but only if I didn't have something better I wanted to read.
July 14, 2016
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was an incredibly inventive book. Four friends perform an experiment that sends them to a parallel Earth where people live in mountain sized trees and monsters roam the ground in the nighttime fog. A lot of work obviously went into the creation of Arboregal. The big problem was that too much time was spent in exploring the minutae of life in the Lorn Tree so the plot was very slow going. The kids very quickly got to Argoregal, but the plot slowed down to a crawl by the time they got to the Lorn Tree. About two thirds of the way into the book the plot started to actually pick up more and progress was actually made in figuring out why the kids were brought to Arboregal and how to figure out a way home. The book ends just as the kids are starting to find their way back home, so it's very much not a stand alone beginning to a series. For the most part, the writing was decent. There were a couple of things that happened so often through the book that they annoyed me a lot. Like the fact that the two brothers called each other dude and bud every five seconds. I never need to see anyone called dude or bud ever again. The biggest annoyance, though, was the fact that wife of the man who found the kids and took them in, whose name was Tig, was just called Mrs. Tig. She had no name of her own. And she was the only woman in the tree who seemed to have no name of her own. The lack of a separate identity from her husband was just so incredibly frustrating.
This was an incredibly inventive book. Four friends perform an experiment that sends them to a parallel Earth where people live in mountain sized trees and monsters roam the ground in the nighttime fog. A lot of work obviously went into the creation of Arboregal. The big problem was that too much time was spent in exploring the minutae of life in the Lorn Tree so the plot was very slow going. The kids very quickly got to Argoregal, but the plot slowed down to a crawl by the time they got to the Lorn Tree. About two thirds of the way into the book the plot started to actually pick up more and progress was actually made in figuring out why the kids were brought to Arboregal and how to figure out a way home. The book ends just as the kids are starting to find their way back home, so it's very much not a stand alone beginning to a series. For the most part, the writing was decent. There were a couple of things that happened so often through the book that they annoyed me a lot. Like the fact that the two brothers called each other dude and bud every five seconds. I never need to see anyone called dude or bud ever again. The biggest annoyance, though, was the fact that wife of the man who found the kids and took them in, whose name was Tig, was just called Mrs. Tig. She had no name of her own. And she was the only woman in the tree who seemed to have no name of her own. The lack of a separate identity from her husband was just so incredibly frustrating.
April 5, 2012
When it comes to fantasy stories, which describe unusual worlds and customs, no explanations are given why it is so. After all, why explain how and why magic or broomstick flying are possible in Harry Potter when everyone knows that witches can do that. Arboregal story does not fall in that category. In this story, with the help of Nathan, explanations are sought in the effort of finding a solution to their predicament. For example, the explanation of the four-dimensional universe was fascinating. Could have they fallen through a fourth dimension? I will not spoil the story, you’ll have to read it yourself to appreciate the magnitude of this possibility. And talking about witches, although there is some mention of witches in Arboregal, and if there would be broomstick flying, Nathan would attempt to find an explanation for it. In conclusion I would classify this story as science-fantasy.
April 20, 2012
When it comes to fantasy stories, which describe unusual worlds and customs, no explanations are given why it is so. After all, why explain how and why magic or broomstick flying are possible in Harry Potter when everyone knows that witches can do that. Arboregal story does not fall in that category. In this story, with the help of Nathan, explanations are sought in the effort of finding a solution to their predicament. For example, the explanation of the four-dimensional universe was fascinating. Could have they fallen through a fourth dimension? I will not spoil the story, you’ll have to read it yourself to appreciate the magnitude of this possibility. And talking about witches, although there is some mention of witches in Arboregal, and if there would be broomstick flying, Nathan would attempt to find an explanation for it. In conclusion I would classify this story as science-fantasy. Good book to read.
April 17, 2012
Arboregal the Lorn Tree is a wonderful and original story. I would consider it a milieu type of story. It resembles the Chronicles of Narnia as far as modern kids ending up in another world, except for how the four heroes arrive in Arboregal, and the setting, the landscape on Arboregal, and many more unexpected creatures. A giant tree, in this case the inhabitants call it the Lorn Tree, is a fascinating place, with cottages and entire villages on its branches. I guess I found it enchanting to experience this fairytale world, of common folks dwelling in their cute cottages. The illustrations Sandru painted for this story are wonderful as well.
April 17, 2012
Arboregal the Lorn Tree is a wonderful and original story. I would consider it a milieu type of story. It resembles the Chronicles of Narnia as far as modern kids ending up in another world, except for how the four heroes arrive in Arboregal, and the setting, the landscape on Arboregal, and many more unexpected creatures. A giant tree, in this case the inhabitants call it Lorn Tree, is a fascinating place, with cottages and entire villages on its branches. I guess I found it enchanting to experience this fairytale world, of common folks dwelling in their cute cottages. The illustrations Sandru painted for this story are wonderful as well.
January 18, 2016
Haunting
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I was hooked from the very first page. Wonderful writing style and vocabulary. Spooky and engaging, if this author ever wants another review I'm their girl. I would recommend for anyone who likes this genre. So so amazing :)
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I was hooked from the very first page. Wonderful writing style and vocabulary. Spooky and engaging, if this author ever wants another review I'm their girl. I would recommend for anyone who likes this genre. So so amazing :)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews