The King of Trees by William D. Burt - REVIEWED

About the Book (from Winepress Publishing)
 What do an old wooden box, a jeweled pendant and some mysterious, green-garbed strangers share in common?  

When Rolin son of Gannon sets out to solve this riddle, his adventures take him worlds beyond the walls of his little log cabin.  With the help of some grumpy griffins and a long-lost prophecy, Rolin and his friends battle a sorcerer and his underworld army; deadly snake-trees; dragons and other mythical creatures.  On their perilous quest for the fabled Isle of Luralin, they must trust the King with their very lives.  In the end, they learn that "The greatest help oft comes in harm's disguise to those with trusting hearts and open eyes."  The King of the Trees will enchant readers of all ages, especially those who love trees and the Tree-Maker.

My Thoughts:

“The greatest help oft comes in harm’s disguise to those with trusting heart and open eyes.”  (Bembor to Rolin on his re-entrance to Thalmos)

William Burt has created a host of memorable characters in The King of the Trees! Rolin appears as the son of the Beekeeper, and then, in the midst of accompanying his father to market, he is introduced to a new world, a new sense of wonder and amazement, and the realization that his life has just taken on a whole new dimension.

Through a series of discoveries, confrontations and trials Rolin learns much about Lucambra and its inhabitants.  He learns about the link between Earth (or Thalmos) and Lucambra and the hidden passages that are known only to a few and guarded for the safety of all who live beyond the opening.  He learns that his past holds great significance to the Lucambrians and he must be convinced that the son of a beekeeper can hold such a place in either world.  Shortly after all of this is revealed to Rolin, (time is kind of irrelevant in the grand scheme of things in this story) he and his new acquaintances are engaged in the beginning of a fierce battle, and the outcome….well, remember the saying… “The greatest help oft comes in harm’s disguise to those with trusting heart and open eyes.”  The outcome is something every reader will thrill to discover!

It is hard for me to read fantasy and truly enjoy it most of the time, because I get lost in the descriptions and histories of the different life forms.  However, William Burt has created such vivid word pictures that the reader (and I was so amazed at this!) is easily drawn from Earth’s realm into the Lucambrian realm with ease! The story unfolds with effortless charm and the characters, regardless of their race or resident world, are believable and very likable.

I am so glad to learn that The King of the Trees is the first in a series of books! I am genuinely excited to recommend this book to you!

About the Author:

 A Welsh-American whose forefathers mined copper in Cardiganshire, William Burt spent nearly 30 years in the field of deafness as a nationally-certified American Sign Language interpreter, interpreter educator, grant-writer and program coordinator before writing The King of the Trees and its sequels. His ancestral language appears in the King of the Trees series as Llwcymraeg, the language of the fantasy world of Llwcymru (Lucambra). The author has also served in Slavic ministries, both at home and abroad. Currently, he lives in Hubbard, Oregon with his wife, Johnnie, and two children, Rebecca and Evan.


To learn all about this wonderful series, visit the Author's Website today!!