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The Tree of Life #1
The Map of the Known World
Prester John rules the Known World with an iron grip. Through his servants, the fanatical Brotherhood of Redemption, his dominion stretches into every land. Meanwhile fourteen year old Elowen Aubyn lives a miserable life in an orphanage. Bullied by the other children and by the cruel Master, she dreams of escape and adventure, little realising that her dreams are about to become terrifyingly real. When an encounter with the mysterious Tom Hickathrift leaves Elowen in possession of an ancient map, she is forced to flee and to seek the Illuminati, a forbidden sect long opposed to Prester John. Pursued by deadly enemies, Elowen soon discovers that her journey is far more dangerous than she could have possibly imagined. For the map she carries holds a secret, a secret that could change the world forever... The first part of the TREE OF LIFE trilogy, The Map of the Known World takes you into a saga of forgotten magic, adventure and treachery that will grip both young and old.
- GenresFantasy
371 pages, Paperback
First published October 26, 2007
7 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Steven Smith
20 books1 followerI am the author of the Tree of Life series of fantasy books and the This Sacred Isle, which was released in October 2016. The novels are all available to purchase in e-book and paperback formats. I publish my books through my monster field press imprint. I am currently in the planning stages of my next novel, a SF story called 'Second Sun'.
I have a degree in Law from the University of Central Lancashire, and a Higher Education Diploma in Psychology from the Open University.
Aside from writing, I enjoy reading a wide range of books, watching films, visiting museums and art galleries, and spending time with family and friends. I also support Ipswich Town Football Club - sadly not always an enjoyable experience...
I live in Suffolk, England with my wife, daughter and cat.
I have a degree in Law from the University of Central Lancashire, and a Higher Education Diploma in Psychology from the Open University.
Aside from writing, I enjoy reading a wide range of books, watching films, visiting museums and art galleries, and spending time with family and friends. I also support Ipswich Town Football Club - sadly not always an enjoyable experience...
I live in Suffolk, England with my wife, daughter and cat.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 7, 2022
Elowen is an orphan in a Dickensian style orphanage where she is bullied by the head boy and mistreated by the owner. Her only solace is reading a set of chapbooks but these are found and destroyed by the owner, and she is beaten. A wandering entertainer approaches her and gradually reveals himself as an exiled lord who is custodian of a map which must be taken to a secret refuge which is one of the last places to hold out against the tyranny of Prester John and his thugs. Soon circumstances compel Elowen to go on the run and embark on a remarkable series of adventures where she finds some unlikely friends. She is constantly pursued by the enforcers of the regime and the stakes become raised at every encounter.
The background was quite interesting with a slight hint of Viking settings e.g. a reference to Odin's 8 legged horse. In this dystopia, children are treated as untrustworthy as they have not been Nulled: had a piece of iron inserted into their heads above the eyes that makes them controllable by the nasty officials of the church. Very few adults have managed to escape this process and therefore adults cannot be trusted as, even if they are friendly-seeming, they can be turned into mindless and brutal enforcers. The church hates and fears the remnants of the faerie folk who make up the various races of the Eldar, and Prester John, ruler of the regime, is intent on wiping out any kingdoms that still hold out against the Nulling. One such kingdom is soon beset by treachery and murder at Prester John's instigation, and the younger son of the King is forced to flee.
The story was interesting, though at the beginning suffered from too much exposition. I also found the pseudo-historical inclusion of Prester John (a legendary king who, in Medieval Europe, was believed to preside over a secret Christian kingdom off in the East somewhere) a bit of an odd mixture with the rest of the setting. The prince and his father were well realised with some touching scenes between them, though, for me, the elder son didn't depart from stereotype. I liked the relationship between Eleanor and a wolf she befriended. I think much more could have been made of the Viking setting which was also hinted at in the prologue but never really came to fruition. The story also isn't billed as young adult, but with the young protagonist, her friend and the prince all being aged between 14 to 17 years, that is how it strikes me.
I found this a nice read, but I wasn't quite engaged into reading further volumes at present though I might in future, so am rating this at 3 stars.
The background was quite interesting with a slight hint of Viking settings e.g. a reference to Odin's 8 legged horse. In this dystopia, children are treated as untrustworthy as they have not been Nulled: had a piece of iron inserted into their heads above the eyes that makes them controllable by the nasty officials of the church. Very few adults have managed to escape this process and therefore adults cannot be trusted as, even if they are friendly-seeming, they can be turned into mindless and brutal enforcers. The church hates and fears the remnants of the faerie folk who make up the various races of the Eldar, and Prester John, ruler of the regime, is intent on wiping out any kingdoms that still hold out against the Nulling. One such kingdom is soon beset by treachery and murder at Prester John's instigation, and the younger son of the King is forced to flee.
The story was interesting, though at the beginning suffered from too much exposition. I also found the pseudo-historical inclusion of Prester John (a legendary king who, in Medieval Europe, was believed to preside over a secret Christian kingdom off in the East somewhere) a bit of an odd mixture with the rest of the setting. The prince and his father were well realised with some touching scenes between them, though, for me, the elder son didn't depart from stereotype. I liked the relationship between Eleanor and a wolf she befriended. I think much more could have been made of the Viking setting which was also hinted at in the prologue but never really came to fruition. The story also isn't billed as young adult, but with the young protagonist, her friend and the prince all being aged between 14 to 17 years, that is how it strikes me.
I found this a nice read, but I wasn't quite engaged into reading further volumes at present though I might in future, so am rating this at 3 stars.
July 29, 2015
Originally posted at Butterfly-o-Meter Books on Jul 5 2011:
The first, first, first thing I’ll tell you is, go grab your free copy of The Map of the Known World!! You can download it from Lulu, free of any charge. As my rating subtly suggests, you will not regret it one bit!!
This story is spectacular; and I mean, spectacular! Yes, I am fangirling about it like crazy!
I mean, it’s right up there with The Golden Compass and possibly even Harry Potter. *gets killed by angry mob* HP does inspire some serious fangirling, I know, I know. But I stand by my statement. If you don’t trust me, just download it and see for yourself. If you’re not irreparably hooked by page 5 then…we just have different tastes, I guess? lol
But you will be hooked by page 1, I mean I was.
The main character, the lovely Elowen Aubyn, will prove to be completely irresistible. She has to deal with a lot, she goes through a lot, and you won’t be able to help loving her. Her brave, generous, pure heart will make her your fairytale hero. All her struggling will deeply touch you, all her emotions will become your own; you’ll want to jump in the story and help her, or join her on her brave quests.
The world itself is simply gorgeous; magical creatures of all sorts, fairy-folk, unicorns, merpeople, elementals, pirates…I mean, what isn’t there in this rich, luxurious world Steven Smith has created? A world of unparalleled beauty, filled with mystery, thrills, suspense, and magic, lots and lots of magic – all beautifully put together, beautifully described.
And this brings me to another super-extra-strong point of the story: the writing itself. Flowing, charming, quite mesmerizing I would say, Steven Smith‘s art of storytelling will surely prove enthralling. Original, fresh, natural, and so, so beautiful, his talent of storytelling is right up there with big names of fantasy.
As you can see, I loved the first book of the saga more then the second; perhaps I was influenced by the characters, aside the charming Elowen and her travel companions, I felt a stronger connection to the characters in the first book. But it’s an entirely personal subjective view of it; I loved the world of the first book more, I will confess.
The environment constantly changes around Elowen, she is constantly meeting new, puzzling, mysterious and at times traitorous creatures, her quests and adventures keeping you on the edge of your seat pretty much from one end to another.
I cannot recommend these books strongly enough; I’m personally looking forward to reading the next book in the series, as I can’t wait to see how Elowen will deal with the rest of her quest, how she’ll deal with Lord Lucien and the tyrannical forces of Prester John.
Sadly, these beautiful books are only available on Lulu, so no easy peasy Amazon widget for you guys. Go get your free copy of The Map of the Known World now, and we’ll talk about it at length!
The first, first, first thing I’ll tell you is, go grab your free copy of The Map of the Known World!! You can download it from Lulu, free of any charge. As my rating subtly suggests, you will not regret it one bit!!
This story is spectacular; and I mean, spectacular! Yes, I am fangirling about it like crazy!
I mean, it’s right up there with The Golden Compass and possibly even Harry Potter. *gets killed by angry mob* HP does inspire some serious fangirling, I know, I know. But I stand by my statement. If you don’t trust me, just download it and see for yourself. If you’re not irreparably hooked by page 5 then…we just have different tastes, I guess? lol
But you will be hooked by page 1, I mean I was.
The main character, the lovely Elowen Aubyn, will prove to be completely irresistible. She has to deal with a lot, she goes through a lot, and you won’t be able to help loving her. Her brave, generous, pure heart will make her your fairytale hero. All her struggling will deeply touch you, all her emotions will become your own; you’ll want to jump in the story and help her, or join her on her brave quests.
The world itself is simply gorgeous; magical creatures of all sorts, fairy-folk, unicorns, merpeople, elementals, pirates…I mean, what isn’t there in this rich, luxurious world Steven Smith has created? A world of unparalleled beauty, filled with mystery, thrills, suspense, and magic, lots and lots of magic – all beautifully put together, beautifully described.
And this brings me to another super-extra-strong point of the story: the writing itself. Flowing, charming, quite mesmerizing I would say, Steven Smith‘s art of storytelling will surely prove enthralling. Original, fresh, natural, and so, so beautiful, his talent of storytelling is right up there with big names of fantasy.
As you can see, I loved the first book of the saga more then the second; perhaps I was influenced by the characters, aside the charming Elowen and her travel companions, I felt a stronger connection to the characters in the first book. But it’s an entirely personal subjective view of it; I loved the world of the first book more, I will confess.
The environment constantly changes around Elowen, she is constantly meeting new, puzzling, mysterious and at times traitorous creatures, her quests and adventures keeping you on the edge of your seat pretty much from one end to another.
I cannot recommend these books strongly enough; I’m personally looking forward to reading the next book in the series, as I can’t wait to see how Elowen will deal with the rest of her quest, how she’ll deal with Lord Lucien and the tyrannical forces of Prester John.
Sadly, these beautiful books are only available on Lulu, so no easy peasy Amazon widget for you guys. Go get your free copy of The Map of the Known World now, and we’ll talk about it at length!
June 15, 2011
Full review can be found on my blog: http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com
Steven Smith has created an interesting and colourful world that I did enjoy reading about. The various people and sights that Elowen sees during her journey actually help to slowly reveal and expand this world and its society in an enjoyable manner. The only minor issue I did have is that I felt the story got a little bogged down a little in the middle and I just wanted to get through it and continue with the overall story.
The characters are all quite varied and some of them such as Elowen and the exiled Prince, Bo are very well developed. For example, I can truly understand Elowen's plight inside the orphanage and how it affects her self-belief at times throughout the novel. In regards to the secondary characters, they are developed enough so that you have a decent understanding of why they are acting the way they do.
To summarise, I really enjoyed reading this book and struggled to put it down. I constantly felt the desire to turn the next page and find out what Elowen was going to face next and which aspects of this interesting world I was going to have revealed to me.
Steven Smith has created an interesting and colourful world that I did enjoy reading about. The various people and sights that Elowen sees during her journey actually help to slowly reveal and expand this world and its society in an enjoyable manner. The only minor issue I did have is that I felt the story got a little bogged down a little in the middle and I just wanted to get through it and continue with the overall story.
The characters are all quite varied and some of them such as Elowen and the exiled Prince, Bo are very well developed. For example, I can truly understand Elowen's plight inside the orphanage and how it affects her self-belief at times throughout the novel. In regards to the secondary characters, they are developed enough so that you have a decent understanding of why they are acting the way they do.
To summarise, I really enjoyed reading this book and struggled to put it down. I constantly felt the desire to turn the next page and find out what Elowen was going to face next and which aspects of this interesting world I was going to have revealed to me.
September 7, 2012
I was browsing through free fantasy/scifi ebooks on Lulu.com and ran across this indie novel, which I ended up reading to completion. It’s the story of an orphaned young woman living in a world in the tight grasp of a fanatical religious cult who comes into possession of an item of great importance that could take down the church, and her journey to escape the Mother Church and safely deliver the Map of the Known World to the only people who can keep it safe and use it wisely.
A simple premise, and there are a few cliche elements to the story, but the writing well makes up for it. Vivid imagery and good word selection really drew me into the story, and the well balanced mix of description, exposition, and action kept me interested clear through to the end. The lead character, Elowen, is believably portrayed almost to a fault, but her flaws and her awkwardness manage to only make her seem more human. Her life at the orphanage in the beginning is a touch melodramatic, but the darkness of the setting and story provide a nice atmosphere. Certain aspects of the story had a morbid fairy tale quality to them and the character development unfolded well. In all, it was an enjoyable read and I’m interested in reading the next book of the trilogy, when it comes out.
A simple premise, and there are a few cliche elements to the story, but the writing well makes up for it. Vivid imagery and good word selection really drew me into the story, and the well balanced mix of description, exposition, and action kept me interested clear through to the end. The lead character, Elowen, is believably portrayed almost to a fault, but her flaws and her awkwardness manage to only make her seem more human. Her life at the orphanage in the beginning is a touch melodramatic, but the darkness of the setting and story provide a nice atmosphere. Certain aspects of the story had a morbid fairy tale quality to them and the character development unfolded well. In all, it was an enjoyable read and I’m interested in reading the next book of the trilogy, when it comes out.
December 3, 2023
Great writing
Fantastic start to what I sincerely hope is a growing series. The writing just drew me in completely and I hated putting the book down.
Fantastic start to what I sincerely hope is a growing series. The writing just drew me in completely and I hated putting the book down.
May 19, 2011
A somewhat strange but intriguing tale of a girl on a quest. Elowen is an orphan, chosen to deliver a map to the Illuminati. Her travels are somewhat (only somewhat) akin to the Lord of the Rings quest. She must evade the Redeemers, warriors of the Mother Church, and all nulled adults. It seems that the act of nulling (insertion of a barbed metal into the forehead of adults) puts them under the control of the Redeemers. She is aided in her quest by another orphan, Diggery, a pirate - Black Francis, a wolf - Ulfur, an exiled royal - Prince Asbjorn, the Eldar, Barbegs and numerous other creatures and animals. This story took a bit of getting used to but by the time I was half-way through I was completely hooked and couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
July 25, 2011
The first book, The Map of the Known World, was an adventurous and incredibly fun read. After reading The Map of the Known World, my biggest worry soon became whether the second book, The Ordeal of Fire, could take me on the same type of fantastical journey the first book lead me on.
See the full review and the review of the sequel at Sift: http://siftbookreviews.blogspot.com/2...
Review by: Kayelee of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
See the full review and the review of the sequel at Sift: http://siftbookreviews.blogspot.com/2...
Review by: Kayelee of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
July 10, 2015
best book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews