Rootless

Nov 21, 2012 Phoebe added it

Shelves: science-fiction, intergalactic-academy-reviews

Full review at The Intergalactic Academy.

It took me a bit of time to decide how I felt about Rootless, Chris Howard’s debut YA post-apocalyptic novel. On the one hand, it’s an expertly crafted story, cohesive and fully formed in the way that many YA novels aren’t. On the other, the novel is at times formulaic–and this includes the novel’s central anti-GMO argument.

Like Jessica Khoury’s recent debut Origin, Rootless is essentially science-fiction-as-a-cautionary tale. This anti-science theme is m...more Full review at The Intergalactic Academy.

It took me a bit of time to decide how I felt about Rootless, Chris Howard’s debut YA post-apocalyptic novel. On the one hand, it’s an expertly crafted story, cohesive and fully formed in the way that many YA novels aren’t. On the other, the novel is at times formulaic–and this includes the novel’s central anti-GMO argument.

Like Jessica Khoury’s recent debut Origin, Rootless is essentially science-fiction-as-a-cautionary tale. This anti-science theme is more narrow than that found in Origin, specifically one which argues that scientific tinkering with foodcrops could potentially lead to Horrible Things (if it hasn’t already), but the through line is pretty much the same: nature good, mankind and his nature-bending ways, bad bad bad.

And it’s not as if there isn’t something to Howard’s argument. Genetic engineering of foodstuffs, the resultant lack of biodiversity, the race between herbivores and companies which aim to protect our crops from them–all of these are admittedly problematic. And Howard handles them with a fair deal of deftness in the novel’s core premise: in the future, superlocusts develop in response to genetically modified, pest-resistant corn. These locusts quickly blanket the world, even consuming animal flesh after all plant life but this corn are gone. The nature and impact of this apocalypse are well-explored. It’s a creepy, atmospheric world, and an interesting premise. Regardless of your feelings toward GMOs, Howard’s setting is fascinating and complex.

And nicely explored through Banyan, our teenaged, everyman hero. His tale is essentially a picaresque as he seeks to find the world’s last trees–and his long-lost father–and, on the way, accrues a motley band of associates. My favorite was easily Alpha, mohawked love interest and spitfire of a girl. I was a little less enamored of Howard’s slightly stereotypical Rastafarian characters, but the diversity (and presence of religion at all) was still refreshing.

Howard hits the beats of Banyan’s story perfectly–perhaps a little too perfectly. This is storytelling right out of the Blake Snyder school, and everything happens exactly when and how it should. This leads to a nice sense of cohesion, but also one of predictability. Howard is clearly a capable storyteller, and it would have been nice had he subverted the narrative structure now and then.

And in a way, this was my problem with the story’s ultimate conclusion. The horrors escalate, and are appropriately horrific, but at the same time somewhat predictably so–and they surpassed the bounds of credulity for me. Rootless quickly becomes a (slightly absurd) mad scientist story, with all the nuance you might expect. By the end of the story, Howard is making countless appeals to nature, including one passage where he extols the virtues of malus sieversii, a wild apple which is the ancestor of our domestic apples:

“The apple tree was a rare kind even before the Darkness. It grew in mountains in far off places. Malus sieversii. A type of wild apple that had grown for a long time unaltered, before people knew how to mess with such things."

This is a slightly problematic argument; though malus sieversii (and other wild apples) are sometimes edible, any apples we eat are created via grafting due to the lack of genetic predictability of apples from generation to generation. You can plant apple seeds, but there’s no guarantee that the tree that grows will produce edible fruit. Therefore, almost all apples that we eat are the way they are due to human intervention.

I suspect Howard would argue that this is a bad thing–his post on the science of Rootless suggests a sort of weariness about all human intervention in the natural order of things. But I found it to be an argument without nuance–nuance that teen readers are certain capable of handling. This argument will find supporters, of course, but also detractors. I asked a plant biologist colleague about the argument here and she replied in exasperation:

“This is an insanely complicated issue, and it’s something that’s going to be exceedingly important to the future of humanity, particularly with changing climates and increasing populations: food is going to become a bigger and bigger problem. And it’s infuriating the way that the current ag-bio industrial complex is set up because no one seems to think that it’s important enough to put enough money towards basic research. Plant labs are under-funded as it is, so a lot of researchers wind up going to Dow or Bayer or Monsanto with their hats in their hands so they can keep doing this research. And this fear-mongering isn’t helping to get anything done. No one talks about golden rice (which is a GMO), because all everyone wants to talk about is Bt corn."

Unfortunately, Howard just doesn’t treat the issue with complexity. And while the story is in so many ways strong–interesting, with a rich setting and vivid voice–the way it hinges on the issue will make it a hard nut (apple?) to swallow for some readers, including this one.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Brandi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

4.5 Stars

(view spoiler)

SUMMARY

Seventeen-year-old Banyan has been on his own since his father disappeared mysteriously one night. In a treeless, ravaged world, his only future lies in...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Kaila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, apocalypse, young-adult

As seen on Stumptown Books.

I don't usually reiterate the summary but the plot is pretty complicated. In the words of Inigo Montoya: Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

*******

The world has changed.

Rootless introduces us to a post-apocalyptic melting pot. The only food that grows is corn, the only living things are humans and locusts, and even the bounty of the ocean (if it is still bountiful) is out of reach because the moon is closer to Earth, and the tides are all crazy messed...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Shauna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, books-read-in-2012, sci-fi

So imaginative, and thrilling, wow!!! Can't wait to see what happens next! Review forthcoming...

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Feb 12, 2013 K rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Bayan is a seventeen year old teenager who survives and makes a living by building trees. He sculpts trees out of scrap metal, LEDs, and other metallic and electrical devices. Yet when one of the rich people in a small community commissions the teen to build a tree, Bayan isn't thrilled, but willing to do it to make a living. Or, what's left of a living in this world with vicious man eating locusts and without living, breathing trees.
Yet when the daughter of the man who Bayan is working for pro

...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Asheley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Second audiobook re-read completed!
Audiobook + Kindle, 3.15.13 - 3.17.13.

This was such a fun book to share with my guy while on a road trip - audiobook on the speakers while I followed along on my Kindle. Both the dude and I loved it!

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Initially read 10.22.12-10.23.12 and reviewed on the blog here: http://www.intothehallofbooks.com/201...

I could go on and on talking about Rootless by Chris Howard. I loved every detail. And all of the details...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Lisseth (Read-a-holicZ) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ll-die-for

**Originally on Read-A-holicZ,HERE!**

"This book was OMG CRAZY! It was filled with pirates,crazy man eating locusts, a sweet romance and filled with very intense & emotional scenes. LOVED it!"

The synopsis to this book was extensive but was pretty AWESOME sounding. The cover is pretty intriguing & gives you a sense of the book. It was a pretty fast & invigorating read. I was addicted to the story & characters instantly. PLUS i also liked that the author didn't shy away from cursing...more

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Jul 23, 2012 P.J. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Even if Chris Howard weren't my agent-brother, I would have been psyched to read this book!

ROOTLESS by Chris Howard (Scholastic, November 1, 2012)

[Image]

Five things about ROOTLESS:

The whole concept of building trees is AWESOME! Yes, even if there were still trees in the world, I would still want one built for me. With glowing lights. I kind of want one now in my hot, Texas backyard to provide some shade-I-desperately-need. When my Bradford Pear out front finally dies, I am searching out Banyan....more

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Apr 02, 2013 Brandi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: won-t-re-read

I was so excited about this book when I found it, and it should have been completely perfect for me, but instead I find myself forcing to finish it. I really mean forcing too; I checked the weather at least five times and circled my favorite sites at least 10 before finishing what turned out to be two minutes worth of reading. I'll try to break down where Rootless and I went wrong.

"In this dazzling debut, Howard presents a disturbing world with uncanny similarities to our own. Like the forests B...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Mickey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Imagine a world without plants. Well, that sucks. Oh, and no animals either. Yep, Really sucks. Oh, and you only get to eat popcorn because genetically modified corn is the only thing that the flesh-eating locusts can't devour. Oh, and there are flesh-eating locusts. You've got the setting for Rootless by Chris Howard, now you need a story and, let's face it, it had better be pretty darn good 'cuz that future is sounding pretty bleak. NEVER FEAR!!! Enter Banyan, our fearless hero...well, our fea...more

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Nov 27, 2012 the golden witch. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, post-end-of-the-world, teenage-shennanigans, own-print-arc, signed, best-of-12, biopunk, cyberpunk, reviewed, religion-what, for-review, dystopia

4.5/5 stars!

Okay, so, can I just say how much I love the amount of futuristic semi-apocalyptic westerns that are coming out of YA right now? However, here's one that hasn't been done before, at least not without using space opera as an additional sub-genre - a techno-western. Yep. That's right. And you know what? I totally got sucked in. Put on your seatbelt, folks. Not only do we have a techno-western, but it's a current social commentary-based one. Love it when authors can pull that off withou...more 4.5/5 stars!

Okay, so, can I just say how much I love the amount of futuristic semi-apocalyptic westerns that are coming out of YA right now? However, here's one that hasn't been done before, at least not without using space opera as an additional sub-genre - a techno-western. Yep. That's right. And you know what? I totally got sucked in. Put on your seatbelt, folks. Not only do we have a techno-western, but it's a current social commentary-based one. Love it when authors can pull that off without sounding preachy, and Howard does it here fantastically. This is one 2012 debut you don't want to miss.

Where to start? The world. The world was so well-built, and believable, yet at the same time, it's very sparsely written. It's rich and detailed but written in a very compact way, not sprawling or overly flowery, and it all just works. It's not under-furnished with information, nor is it totally over the top like it could have been. It's just there. And it works. The only area I was a bit fuzzy on was the time (we're given a benchmark - a century after the Darkness, when the last of paper/wood/etc kinda disappeared from the planet), but in terms of how far that is from now, we're not given an answer. But since this book looks to be the first in what's at least a duology, I feel like I can allow this when it usually drive me mad. The rest of the world is so complete that the sense of time just isn't a factor bothering me this time, which is always an awesome thing.

I think another reason why the time thing isn't bothering me - this book is equally plot-driven and character-driven. Which is insanely hard to do, because it's so easy to fall into the trap of a plot-driven story (far moreso, I'd say, than a character-driven story), where the characters and their transformational journeys (and the arcs that come with them) get utterly neglected all in order to advance the story. Howard surprised me with his ability to keep it balanced, with all of the main cast changing in some fashion by the end of this first book. Of course, as the protagonist, we see Banyan change the most, but all of the characters, including the antagonists (and the seemingly faceless menace that is GenTech, who actually gets a face - or more than one, but I won't spoil you guys any further) do change to some degree.

While I was excited to keep the pages flipping, I also found myself caring very deeply for these characters and this world that seemed so fragile yet like Banyan and his metal trees, very strong. All of the characters, even antagonists, are surprisingly sympathetic. We also get a lot of racial/ethnic/cultural diversity, which was so amazingly nice to see (it feels like we don't have a lot of that in YA right now aside from the contemporary, but even there, it's still a bit on the thin side). We get Zee and her mother, Banyan, the Rasta Soljahs, and so forth. It was a nice little rainbow of diversity all around, and I love how all of these cultures clashed in this slowly-dying world. We get the rich and the poor (but mostly the very poor), the evil Big Pharma/Con-Agra business, pirates and poachers and slavers, and everyone who falls in between in a huge spectrum. There is no (moral) black and white in this world, as we learn by the end of the book, though it is very tempting to throw the antagonist and the protagonists on either side of the black/white set of scales. There's a lot of murky gray, and that's where I feel like Howard gives us one of the biggest messages of the book in terms of Banyan's solo character development/journey arc - about growing up. When you grow up (or are forced to), there's a lot more gray than everyone tells you about. And making choices suddenly gets harder in that gray haze because rarely are answers that easy or quick.

But some of my favorite bits of this book all have one thing in common - Howard's fantastic use of sensory imagery and language. The Banyan-built trees, the real trees, the tattoo on Hina, the shanty towns around futuristic Vegas (called Vega all these years later) - all of that felt real. The sound of the man-eating locusts was pretty terrifying and yeah, I actually did jump a bit whenever they were in action. The waterfalls of the Soljah camps at Niagara Falls. Banyan's wagon and all the things within it. All of it made for some pretty unforgettable images. There's a lot of cyberpunk and biopunk at work in this book, so you still retain that techno-western feeling (think "Cowboy Bebop" without the bounty hunting or space ships, but with a kid and his dad doing various jobs much like Spike and the Bebop crew in order to keep their bellies full) without sacrificing too much else to these other sub-genres.

And the last: the social commentary bit of the book. Howard doesn't get preachy, but the warning is pretty dire (and considering where we are in our current culture where we actually had to call out Walmart and Monsanto on putting GMO'd fruits and veggies in their markets, we could use that warning) - under the tyrant foot of not just governments, but companies, do we have severe poverty and all the ugliness that comes with it. There is no government in this book but that of GenTech - you live and die by their will. It's pretty sinister, and it's definitely a wake up call - especially when it's revealed that GenTech hasn't just dabbled in splicing for making corn. I won't say another word on that because it'd be a huge spoiler, but for the older readers, two words: soylent green. If we were to have a future without a government and instead a tyrant company, well, I sure as hell would not want to live in it. So I guess Howard's message is more like "uh, guys, we should probably start watching these Big Pharma/Con-Agra-types when they're messing with our food supply". Or something to that effect. And we're not bludgeoned over the head with it.

Final verdict? If you're into cyberpunk, dystopia, biopunk or just plain ol' sci-fi, this is the book for you. And if you're just dipping your toes into the sub-genre pools, this is a great starter book. Just read it, okay? "Rootless" is out now through Scholastic in North America, and its place on my best of 2012 list is well-deserved. Be sure to check it out when you get the chance!

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Ally rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was like nothing I've read---It's so imaginative, from start to finish, and I had no idea where the story was going to go next. Every chapter is full of action and mystery. And I LOVED the characters so much, I didn't want to leave them behind. Banyan is flawed but AWESOME, and Alpha is the perfect match for him. So bad-ass, and she and Banyan have a hot romance, even though it's quite fast. I also loved Crow! The book's beautiful at times, and terrifying sometimes, and it made me thin...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Hasan Bhura rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
I really like dystopian novels.

Let me reiterate that again. I REALLY like dystopian novels. Broken worlds, corrupt governments, underdogs breaking the system; they have it all. There’s great characterization and a ton of worldbuilding and great storytelling and my cravings for such are usually very satisfied. With Rootless, however? Eh... not so much.

Chris Howard starts us off with a very simple setup. The Earth has been destroyed by an unspecified apocalypse, and all forms of nature (save cor...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, science-fiction, young-adult

I'm a little torn on how to rate this. On the one hand, the story is original, and the prose is fluid, visceral, and perfectly tailored to the voice of Rootless' narrator. Both of which I find admirable.

But that same narrator can't seem to think his way out of a paper bag, and yet somehow---simply by virtue of his potent emotions, as far as I can tell---he always manages to come out on top. Usually at the very last moment...and accompanied by a maximum of gratuitous violence and gore. (This, by...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, young-adult

I really loved the concept behind the book. A world without trees where the rich pay the poor to build trees out of metal and other scraps was just awesome. Unfortunately it just wasn't executed the way I was expected and wasn't particularly satisfying/a good payoff for a concept I found so intriguing.

The beginning went pretty fast. I really wanted to see more of Banyan in his world building those trees I was curious about. The middle was fine, and as stomach turning and as much fear those locu...more I really loved the concept behind the book. A world without trees where the rich pay the poor to build trees out of metal and other scraps was just awesome. Unfortunately it just wasn't executed the way I was expected and wasn't particularly satisfying/a good payoff for a concept I found so intriguing.

The beginning went pretty fast. I really wanted to see more of Banyan in his world building those trees I was curious about. The middle was fine, and as stomach turning and as much fear those locust were they seemed a little like they were added solely for the drama and not really needed or a bit of an afterthought. Then, I was a little annoyed at the end, for many reasons I'll get into later but also because this book is apparently the start of a trilogy. I'm sure a large part of this frustration is due to the fact that every YA book ever has suddenly felt the need to be a trilogy and I would just like a story that actually ends within the book. The other reason this frustrated me was frankly, it didn't need to be a trilogy. It could have been a little longer to fix the pacing problems with the beginning of the story before they left on the journey and the end once they got to the island, but frankly the story finished. The conflict was solved, the bad guy defeated, the people they wanted to save saved, this was a story that was finished and ended on a somewhat hopeful note and I was glad to find a story that was told in one sitting only to turn the page to see a sequel coming that I see no purpose for. It was just frustrating.

There were parts I enjoyed about the book. I loved the pirates. That was just an awesome addition of a group of people who might come into being in this world and I was loved the bit of world building in their home and honestly would have enjoyed reading more about them. Alpha was also great and kicked butt, which is always fun to see (though the description said Banyan was worried about being allies with her, which never actually happened in the book. There was maybe one sentence of should I trust her and than he decided she was a-okay, and was more worried about Crow) I also loved Sal, the poor kid who just wanted people to care about him. He was a great little character and so tried to help and be bigger and braver. His relationship with "not his mom" was also adorable and I loved her character as well. (view spoiler)(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, guy-reads, science-fiction, ya

Rootless is a thought provoking, unusual dystopian story about a future world where some cataclysmic event has caused most living things, with the exception of humans and some really scary locusts, to die. These locusts are so desperate, they have morphed into scary bugs with razor sharp teeth that will eat an entire human being. Very scary. Oh, and a big tech company has control over the one food source available, corn, which is genetically modified to be incredibly nutritious. And because of t...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Stephanie Bibb rated it 4 of 5 stars

A little while ago I got my hands on advance copy of the book, Rootless, by Chris Howard. Seeing as how it was the first book I’ve gotten to see in this stage, I was thrilled. What first caught my eye was the cover. I still enjoy looking at it, and it's one of those covers where each of the details is explained throughout the book. Definitely a plus. (And also interesting to see the advanced copy cover versus the finalized imagery, considering my personal interest in cover art).

Overall, I’d give...more

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Apr 19, 2013 William rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rootless, William Yip

Rootless is a novel by Chris Howard and its a novel full of adventure, fantasy, but with a touch of romance, horror, and betrayal. Personally, I enjoy reading novels with an explicit plot but also with mysterious events lingering here and there. To be honest I found rootless to be an AMAZINNNG book because first of all, it really allows the reader to connect its understanding with the issues in the novel, however also allowing them to relate with their personal issues. Rootl...more Rootless, William Yip

Rootless is a novel by Chris Howard and its a novel full of adventure, fantasy, but with a touch of romance, horror, and betrayal. Personally, I enjoy reading novels with an explicit plot but also with mysterious events lingering here and there. To be honest I found rootless to be an AMAZINNNG book because first of all, it really allows the reader to connect its understanding with the issues in the novel, however also allowing them to relate with their personal issues. Rootless is a expertly weaved novel, combining fundamental science-fiction into a instructive fairytale. Rootless also clearly indicates that the experimental and modifying foods or etc, can potentially lead to atrocious things.
The beginning of the novel gave off a strong message regarding the plot of the whole novel and basically giving a short synopsis as regards of the past world, before all signs of live disappeared practically except the human flash eating Locust. The book really emphasizes on the past world to illustrate a clear image in our mind of the old world, where nature was unharmed, and before all natural resources became abused. Yet stating, but foreseeing the post apocalyptic future of what our earth will develop into.
Gentech is a company that produces corn, not just any corm but genetically modified corn that would withstand the Locust, you can also interpret that Gentech would do produce such thing hence “gen” and “genetic” get it? Comparably to the genetic engineers in our society, striving to maintain balance in biodiversity, and which endeavour to protect our crop and resources could potentially lead to problematic conflicts ascending from this good cause.
Regardless from the complex idea of GMOs Howard provides a fascinating setting along with the exploration of genetically modified products, and its results. Aside from the scientific information, moral and values such as family and relationship are present. Banyan experiences the lost of family members constantly through out the novel, and his ability to trust other is very vague. Even after meeting the love of his life Alpha, he’s afraid of losing her. Since all the people he’s grown connections with have been vanishing one by one. I can totally relate to the scheme of this theme, since I’m pretty sure, everyone has the fear of losing close ones, or being afraid of trusting others. I’ve always Imagined If I had amnesia, how I would take in the fact of losing all the memories, experience, and problems I have encountered. Would I strive to determine my past, or continue life living a missing identity? Exactly like Banyan he pursuits for the search for his father and the trees, regardless of all consequences, and circumstances.
(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Nicholas Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Enter the world of Banyan, full of dust, scorching heat, merciless locusts and void of colors we are accustomed to. There are no trees, no blooming flowers or plants and the only food is genetically engineered corn. Sound familiar? Probably not, unless you live in Africa.
This is a book unlike any I have read before and I have read/written a lot of science fiction. It is remarkably creative and I enjoyed the imagery.
The one thing I couldn’t get past was the authors constant use of the word “but...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Valerie Dieter rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 8-12 Dystopian Fans

Recommended to Valerie by: Netgalley.com

Shelves: dystopian, ya-books, series

What a ride! Unpredictable and engaging; I love a book that keeps me guessing, and boy is this one that does.

In a post-apocalyptic world, Banyan builds fake trees out of scrap for those who can afford the luxury, a job he did with his father until his dad went missing one night. Now he stumbles upon clues to his father's whereabouts, which could be the last place on earth where real trees grow.

The world is dominated by Gen-Tech, a company that was able to create a GMO corn that can withstand th...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Valia Lind rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review at: http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.co...

The book starts out with Banyan getting hired to build a forest for a wealthy man. The world has been torn apart by Darkness, and trees are something of the past. The landscape is destroyed, the locusts eat humans, and the constant dust storms make it hard to breathe. That is the world that Banyan lives in. His father was taken a year ago, and now Banyan is on his own. He’s a skilled builder, able to survive on the hard work he does. This seeme...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Susie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really debated between four and five stars. On one hand, this story is like nothing I have ever read. "Rootless" only touches on the surface of this world created by Chris Howard, and given the great deal of information that each page holds for the reader, I can only assume that the books to follow will continue to unravel the mystery of this post-apocalyptic America. Every chapter was a rush of adrenaline, as the main character and his supporting rag-tag-team travel through the country to fin...more I really debated between four and five stars. On one hand, this story is like nothing I have ever read. "Rootless" only touches on the surface of this world created by Chris Howard, and given the great deal of information that each page holds for the reader, I can only assume that the books to follow will continue to unravel the mystery of this post-apocalyptic America. Every chapter was a rush of adrenaline, as the main character and his supporting rag-tag-team travel through the country to find the truth behind the locusts, the corn, the trees, and the corporation that oversees it all - GenTech. Howard never loses focus, not even for a second, on the driving plot points. There are no tangents that are not, in some important way, directly related to Banyan's goal of finding his father and the only trees left on earth (or so we are to assume).

That being said, this has to be one of the most depressing stories I have read. The only moments of triumph are always followed by disaster. It makes reading difficult when you develop strong emotional attachments to characters that are immediately ripped from the scene by death, or worse. Even when Zee reappears towards the end of the story, the reader is not given any time to rejoice, before something of greater importance occurs. I don't want it to sound as though every book should be happy or have some sweet moments that lend to joyful emotions; however, it's difficult to read this, knowing the age group it is geared towards, without wishing that something positive is foreseeable for the main character and his "friends". I just don't know how a happy ending, in any sense of the word, is possible.

Because this is a YA book, from the perspective of a 17 year-old, it is written honestly. Banyan doesn't know more than he should. His revelations come through the information fed to him by all of the other characters. He has trouble piecing information together to get a larger sense of this world. He doesn't question why there was Darkness or how GenTech is involved in the destruction and subsequent creation of everything. He accepts all of it as "this is the way it always has been". I appreciated this, as too often in these types of YA novels, the protagonist has way too much insight than is befitting their status and age.

Unfortunately, because of Banyan's rush to judgement and lack of consideration for "what it all means", I feel that the reader is only getting brief glimpses into details that are brought back later as important. We are left in the dark far more than Banyan and it becomes frustrating at times. Howard's descriptions leave something to be desired, and there were moments when I had to backtrack and reread a section, because I didn't realize Banyan had a flashlight, or had access to certain objects he was carrying around, or that we had already met someone he refers to fifty pages later.

Others have remarked on Howard's writing style, and I think it takes some getting used to, but ultimately gives the book the thing it needs to set it apart from other YA novels of this genre. The writing is amazing, the storyline intense and intricate, the world creative and beyond anything I have ever read, and I think Chris Howard will keep us on our toes as he continues his writing journey.(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Rick rated it 5 of 5 stars

At first the book seems very dry and confusing but as you keep reading along the book becomes more interesting. 17 year old, Banyan who is the protagonist, he and his dad build trees for a living until his dad had disappeared. Banyan goes for a search of his dad and the mythical tree that once existed in the old world.

Banyan meets a girl named Zee, and receives a photo of his dad chained up against trees. Banyan now knows that his dad and these trees still exist so he goes on the hunt for his...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, young-adult

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Howard in Denver at a trade show and hearing him talk about his book. I immediately knew that I had to read it for a couple of reasons. As a bookseller, I am constantly on the lookout for books that will appeal to young men, because they seem to be harder to keep interested in reading, if I may briefly overgeneralize. Also, this one sounded really awesome. I was not disappointed.

Rootless takes place in the future, when locusts have destroyed all animals but...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Amy Barr rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-books

"Rootless" is another young adult book about an ecologically broken future, however the twist on how the world is broken and possible was to survive in it are completely originally. There are no animals, there are no trees, and there are no plants other than GenTech's corn. Everyone lives off of GenTech's corn. Nothing else can survive the harsh environment. Without trees, there is nothing to block the wind, find shade from the sun, or help keep topsoil from blowing away. The only creatures othe...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Literary Princess rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: teens, science-fiction, plot-driven, literary, jargon-colloquialisms-dialects, dystopian, adrenaline

This is perhaps deserving of more than a 2-star rating, but I personally didn't enjoy it much. I think part of my problem is that I didn't expect it to be so dark, and that I feel like it's not really a teen book. I think this story would have worked better with adult characters and an even grittier set up rather than casting teens as the main characters and trying to keep it PG-13 enough to pass. I was also disappointed with how long it took to get to the point and what a lame climax it was whe...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Kim McGee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just when I thought we had run out of post apocalyptic themes in young adult literature comes a refreshing and thought provoking debut by Chris Howard. Rootless offers us the same screwed up world where all vegetation is gone. No trees, no crops, no food except the strange hybrid corn that Gentech produces. There are bands of Gentech employees who go around gathering up people who are never seen again. Most of the people out there are starving, fall prey to pirates or Gentech,or become food for...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

You're given a post-apocalyptic world, a boy looking for his lost father, and countless people struggling to survive in Rootless.

Rootless takes place in a future that could be all too real. After twenty years of darkness, which wiped out nearly all the plants and animals: save for 2 of nature's most versatile species: corn and humans. Oh, and human-eating locusts, but that is just an adaption spawned from the super-corn. With nothing but dry, dusty heat, people will pay anything for "forests", f...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, for-the-blog, young-adult

Review written and posted for the Mackin Books in Bloom blog, http://mackinbooksinbloom.com/

Rootless is one of the most imaginative and ambitious books I have read all year. It is the story of Banyan, a nomadic teen who, with his father, builds “trees” out of scrap metal and LED lights. The book is set in the distant future, and the reason for the demand for these artificial trees is that real trees no longer exist, and the people that eke out a difficult existence in this nature-less world year...more Review written and posted for the Mackin Books in Bloom blog, http://mackinbooksinbloom.com/

Rootless is one of the most imaginative and ambitious books I have read all year. It is the story of Banyan, a nomadic teen who, with his father, builds “trees” out of scrap metal and LED lights. The book is set in the distant future, and the reason for the demand for these artificial trees is that real trees no longer exist, and the people that eke out a difficult existence in this nature-less world yearn for a reminder of the beauty that a tree once provided.

The world that Chris Howard has constructed within this novel is amazing. He does a wonderful job of describing the grim, lonely vastness that the world has become. You can almost feel the dust in your mouth as Banyan makes his way across the desolate landscape, moving from place to place to build his trees.

The world has changed in other frightening ways as well…the only food source is provided by the sole plant life left on Earth, genetically modified corn. This food is exclusively controlled by an evil and mysterious corporation, GenTech, which will go to any length to maintain its monopoly on food, and therefore humankind. On top of all of this, one of the reasons that the corn has been genetically modified is because of locusts. These aren’t your run-of-the mill pesky locusts, though. They have evolved into flesh-eating locusts capable of swarming and devouring a person in seconds! (How cool and imaginative is that?!?)

OK, so at this point, I can imagine you are thinking, “How much bleaker can this book be?” Luckily, Banyan provides the hope in Rootless, as he believes that there is a better life for himself somewhere. His quest is sparked by the disappearance of his father, and a photograph he finds of his dad chained to a tree…a REAL tree. Banyan encounters pirates, slave-masters, corporate agents, and allies himself with various people along the way in search of his father, and of the trees that could change the world. And as if that isn’t enough, there is a nice, sweet romance that dims the bleakness a bit.

Rootless is a real page-turner. There are numerous plot twists, as Banyan has to decide who to trust, and who cannot be trusted. This is the first book in a series, and the ending is quite the cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what Chris Howard comes up with next for Banyan. Rootless comes out today, and I recommend that you get a copy and prepare yourself for a thrilling ride!
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May 23, 2013 Joshua Bellin rated it 5 of 5 stars

ROOTLESS tells the story of a future earth without trees. As a result of the Darkness, a phenomenon that plunged the world into artificial night for years on end, all plant life has died (with the exception of corn, which has been genetically engineered and monopolized by the company GenTech). In this desert world, the narrator, a young man named Banyan, builds artificial trees out of metal and wire and other scrap left over from the ruins of the old world. His mother is dead; his father, a tree...more ROOTLESS tells the story of a future earth without trees. As a result of the Darkness, a phenomenon that plunged the world into artificial night for years on end, all plant life has died (with the exception of corn, which has been genetically engineered and monopolized by the company GenTech). In this desert world, the narrator, a young man named Banyan, builds artificial trees out of metal and wire and other scrap left over from the ruins of the old world. His mother is dead; his father, a tree-builder before him, has disappeared. Banyan believes his father's gone for good too, until he discovers a photo, a recent photo, showing his father chained to a tree.

A living tree.

So begins Banyan's odyssey across a landscape controlled by corporate thugs, punk pirates, and ruthless slave traders. He's accompanied by the bodyguard of a former client, a female pirate he might be in love with, and a woman who knew his father and whose mysterious tree tattoo might be the clue to the location of his father and the world's last surviving trees. Starvation, double-crosses, and despair are ever-present threats in the hostile world Howard has created. But the bleakness is balanced by small and fragile mercies: hope, and artistry, and friendship, and the love of a son for his father.

ROOTLESS is Howard's debut, and it's stunning. The world he builds is utterly convincing, the characters fully rounded and human. Banyan's voice is fresh and original, both familiar and surprising. There aren't many new ways to say "my heart skipped a beat," but Howard finds one: "My heart thought twice about beating." And then there's this beautiful sentence: "My father stared up at the canopy and I stared at it with him, listening as the wind blew tunes through the branches, watching as the breeze shook rhythm from the leaves." There are lots of sentences like this in ROOTLESS, and that's fitting, since at some level the book is about the power of art to heal a damaged world.

A sequel to ROOTLESS is, I understand, in the works, and I can't wait to get my greedy hands on it. If you're looking for a gritty, unsparing YA dystopian with a driving plot and a breathtaking vision of the future, ROOTLESS is for you.(less)

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topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: ARC Giveaway - Rootless by Chris Howard	1	15	Oct 22, 2012 10:47pm
The Sword and Laser: ARC Giveaway - Rootless by Chris Howard	1	17	Oct 22, 2012 10:43pm
Apocalypse Whenever: ARC Giveaway - Rootless by Chris Howard	1	7	Oct 22, 2012 10:39pm

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