The Last Green Tree

by Jim Grimsley

Book Overview

Jim Grimsley's previous science fiction novel, "The Ordinary, " was named one of the Top Ten science fiction books of the year by "Booklist" and won the Lambda Literary Award. His novels and short stories have been favorably compared to those of Ursula K. Le Guin, Jack Vance, and Samuel R. Delany. Now Grimsley returns to the richly complex milieu of "The Ordinary" with a gripping tale of magic, science, and an epic clash between godlike forces. Three...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765305305
• ISBN13: 9780765305305
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

This book...

This book left me gripped and afterward, haunted. I loved the first book Kirith Kirin, and the world it created. I noticed that some of the names and people are throwbacks or reincarnations of Kirin characters which I think would have other readers a bit confused. It's not necessary though to know them, but it might help with why "God" or YY-mother ends up acting the way she does in the end. The blending of science and magic is amazing, and the questioning of God and all he represents is also very well done. It left me looking at my own beliefs a bit.

Powerful and beautifully written story

This novel is successful on its own but takes on tremendous power when read as part of the series starting with Kirith Kirin and The Ordinary. The science fiction aspects of the story are intricate and surprising, but what really sets it apart from other SF novels is the emotional depth of the characters. The story is one of the most memorable sagas I've ever read. The ending does have a strong air of mystery, and I agree with other reviewers who are hoping for at least one more installment in this tale.

Does not stand on its own well.

I enjoyed this book as I did Kirith Kirin. The story here is quite good but reading it you need some background from the earlier work. It also goes far beyond just suggesting a sequel. If it does not get one, the nebulous ending here will render this book much too easy to forget.

Elder Gods rule the Universe, but now the stars are going out...

Theological Engineering exam: Elder Gods rule the Universe, but now the stars are going out. What will They do now? Jim Grimsley ably takes on this Zelaznian line of inquiry in his third F/SF book, set in the same universe as Kirith Kirin (2000) and The Ordinary (2004), both also recommended. Grimsley is becoming something of an American Iain Banks: his literary novels have also been well-received. The Last Green Tree may be his best book yet: an unusually successful blend of high fantasy, careful SF worldbuilding, stargates, high-tech warfare, and mysterious godlike beings pulling the strings. The appropriately enigmatic ending suggests More to Come. I hope so. Recommended review: Paul Di Filippo's, at scifi[dot]com Happy reading-- Peter D. Tillman

this review has some spoilers

I really enjoyed this book, but was confused about what the ending meant. It's a very gripping book, just like the other Jim Grimsley book I've read. It starts out with a well-written child's point of view, that of a ward of a rich man some of whose money is being confiscated, and then switches to several adult's viewpoints for most of the rest of the book, which I eventually got used to (I like child narrators). There are a lot of words in the various languages of the characters, and it took me a while to get them straight, although there's a glossary in the back. I got them straight by about the middle of the book, when there starts being a high body count, which is kind of sad. The main characters are fleeing the destruction of a continent by that point, going towards the land of a species of sentient trees, in hopes of finding whoever's behind the trees' attack on the continent. Meanwhile, the mage Jessex-Irion has gone sideways in time to consult with God about the identity of the enemy behind the trees' attack, so that his consulting will not take any time in the outside world. And as the main characters flee further north, it looks like the little boy narrator might have talents that will save them. However, at this point God comes in and kills one of the main characters for a goodly number of pages, and I have no idea why. Then the main characters defeat the villain and the novel ends. Even though I don't understand the reasons for part of the ending it was a very enjoyable book, with a very good mixture of science and magic. Few people could mix them that well, I think. Although I can't think of many people who've tried, apart from Marion Zimmer Bradley. Diane Duane tries to have her magic get along with science in her main series, and, like Grimsley, wrote a fantasy epic about a male magic-user in a relationship with a king. Grimsley started out writing mainstream fiction, then wrote (what seemed to be) a fantasy novel, then introduced science to his world. It's an interesting progression. I wonder if he's always read fantasy, or if someone made him read it and he discovered he loved it. This book is one of three books about the Hormling people (who developed sciences and are originally from Earth) and the people of the land of Irion (who developed magic). The first book, Kirith Kirin, is out of print and selling for double original price, so I haven't read it. The chronologically second book is The Ordinary. The Last Green Tree happens after both these two books, but they're all standalone. I read The Last Green Tree first. If you read both books (in whichever order) they enrich each other, and you find out more about Grimsley's world's history.