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The Tree of Life
"The Tree of Life" is a classic science fiction novelette by Catherine L. Moore (pen name C. L. Moore). This is a great story, offering a good sampling of Moore's "Weird Tales" output from the 1930's. C. L. Moore wrote alongside her husband, Harry Kuttner. The two became acquainted after Kuttner wrote her a letter, thinking (due to her pen name) that she was a man. Going by her initials was largely a practical matter; at the time Catherine Moore was writing, there was a strong prejudice that science fiction writing should be masculine, and female authors had a very difficult time getting an audience. Most notable female science fiction authors either used initials or gender-neutral pseudonyms, for a good many years after that era. It wasn't until fans dug up the obituary of James Tiptree Jr.'s mother that "he" was identified as Alice Sheldon. After all these years, "The Tree of Life" remains a great read, and excellent introduction to the works of Catherine, or C. L. Moore.
46 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
20 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
C.L. Moore
340 books219 followersExcerpted from Wikipedia:
Catherine Lucille Moore was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, as C. L. Moore. She was one of the first women to write in the genre, and paved the way for many other female writers in speculative fiction.
Moore met Henry Kuttner, also a science fiction writer, in 1936 when he wrote her a fan letter (mistakenly thinking that "C. L. Moore" was a man), and they married in 1940.
Afterwards, almost all of their stories were written in collaboration under various pseudonyms, most commonly Lewis Padgett (another pseudonym, one Moore often employed for works that involved little or no collaboration, was Lawrence O'Donnell).
Catherine Lucille Moore was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, as C. L. Moore. She was one of the first women to write in the genre, and paved the way for many other female writers in speculative fiction.
Moore met Henry Kuttner, also a science fiction writer, in 1936 when he wrote her a fan letter (mistakenly thinking that "C. L. Moore" was a man), and they married in 1940.
Afterwards, almost all of their stories were written in collaboration under various pseudonyms, most commonly Lewis Padgett (another pseudonym, one Moore often employed for works that involved little or no collaboration, was Lawrence O'Donnell).
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 23, 2016
This was a phantasmagoric tale about Mars featuring Moore's re-occurring character Northwest Smith.
The description of the tree priestess is worth the read alone.
The description of the tree priestess is worth the read alone.
May 26, 2022
This is the third of C.L. Moore's Northwest Smith stories I've read, and I'm clearly seeing a pattern. So far, all have centered around the following formula:
Northwest Smith is a fugitive traveling the solar system in search of odd jobs and bounty while encountering weird alien menaces. He does little speaking, and largely serves as the human perspective on otherworldly happenings. He is drawn in to danger by a feminine beauty. The danger is represented by some eldritch vampiric beast of unknown origin that feeds off a life force--and now wants to feed off him. Smith doesn't use his wits or intelligence to solve the problem, but sheer force of will and his ray gun.
This story is no exception. Hunted by the Patrol, Smith takes refuge in some Martian ruins where he finds a beautiful priestess who claims she is lost. He leads her back to her lair, an unreal place rooted into our dimension by a great tree with serpentine branches that feeds off the living.
Now, I am not implying the story is bad--but it is formulaic when compared to the other two I have read in this series, namely "Shambleau" and "Black Thirst." Check out my separate reviews of those entries. However, it is certainly an interesting read, with clear "roots" in Hawthorne and the weird fiction of Lovecraft. Crafted in Moore's sensuous prose that is brimming with sexual imagery, these stories must have created quite the stir back in the 30s when they originally appeared in "Weird Tales."
I am curious to see if Moore does anything different in her series, or if she develops the Northwest Smith character any further. But this third entry, while containing all the elements of awe, mystery, and sexuality of the first two stories, is a more mediocre effort. It is available for free by Project Gutenberg and multiple other online sources, and it is quite short and entertaining, so certainly worth the minimal investment to read and decide what you think for yourself.
Northwest Smith is a fugitive traveling the solar system in search of odd jobs and bounty while encountering weird alien menaces. He does little speaking, and largely serves as the human perspective on otherworldly happenings. He is drawn in to danger by a feminine beauty. The danger is represented by some eldritch vampiric beast of unknown origin that feeds off a life force--and now wants to feed off him. Smith doesn't use his wits or intelligence to solve the problem, but sheer force of will and his ray gun.
This story is no exception. Hunted by the Patrol, Smith takes refuge in some Martian ruins where he finds a beautiful priestess who claims she is lost. He leads her back to her lair, an unreal place rooted into our dimension by a great tree with serpentine branches that feeds off the living.
Now, I am not implying the story is bad--but it is formulaic when compared to the other two I have read in this series, namely "Shambleau" and "Black Thirst." Check out my separate reviews of those entries. However, it is certainly an interesting read, with clear "roots" in Hawthorne and the weird fiction of Lovecraft. Crafted in Moore's sensuous prose that is brimming with sexual imagery, these stories must have created quite the stir back in the 30s when they originally appeared in "Weird Tales."
I am curious to see if Moore does anything different in her series, or if she develops the Northwest Smith character any further. But this third entry, while containing all the elements of awe, mystery, and sexuality of the first two stories, is a more mediocre effort. It is available for free by Project Gutenberg and multiple other online sources, and it is quite short and entertaining, so certainly worth the minimal investment to read and decide what you think for yourself.
July 26, 2016
A lovely classic of a read that at its best creates intensely wonderful atmosphere. In this classic tale, CL Moore has Northwest Smith searching for cover in Martian Ruins, where he comes across a terrible something that ends up being The Tree of Life... which wasn't a tree, but That... The rule is simple, fear Thag, stay away from Thag, Thag is terrible and indestructible. Along the way, Smith meets a mysterious species and a gorgeous priestess. They are mortally afraid of Thag while the priestess is in awe of Thag, purely and delightedly invested in serving the almighty, all terrible Thag.
The mood created is wonderful but the end result is so ho-hum that it takes it down a full star for me. It's a tale that when it ends, it... might... have... ended? That's the type of feeling you get from the read as it concludes. Still, throughout the story there are some vivid descriptions that remind me of a lighter sci fi version of Lovecraft. Not as intensely haunting, but sometimes it had that flavor. So if you want to check a quick classic Sci-Fi read, you might want to check this one out.
The mood created is wonderful but the end result is so ho-hum that it takes it down a full star for me. It's a tale that when it ends, it... might... have... ended? That's the type of feeling you get from the read as it concludes. Still, throughout the story there are some vivid descriptions that remind me of a lighter sci fi version of Lovecraft. Not as intensely haunting, but sometimes it had that flavor. So if you want to check a quick classic Sci-Fi read, you might want to check this one out.
April 8, 2025
Νιώθω κάποιες φορές μια υπερφυσική σύνδεση με την C.L. Moore, κι ίσως γι' αυτό να φταίνε οι ιστορίες της, που μιλούν με ψιθύρους κι όχι με ουρλιαχτά. Ο Νορθγούεστ Σμιθ είναι από τους αγαπημένους μου ήρωες κ αυτή η ιστορία του, με την αρχαία πόλη στον Άρη και τον ξεχασμένο θεό της από τις πιο μαγευτικές.
November 19, 2017
I read this because I found a Marion Zimmer Bradley book with a dedication written to Catherine L Moore. Bradley was honoring her as a trail blazer in the field. I dug around and found this book. It was a lovely nostalgic ride to read. I didn't remember her name, but I think I was gobbling her books up alongside the Andre Norton books which were a staple in my reading diet as a pre-teen. I will read more for fun. She was one of those writers who, although not a scientist, like Asimov she wrote broadly and successfully in many genres. On of the first women to write successfully in the Sci-fi genre.
March 25, 2017
Slow but interesting
Started off slow with a promise of adventure instead it was a strange tale of ancient people and kingdom. I found it difficult to grasp the relationship between Thag and Illar's king.
Started off slow with a promise of adventure instead it was a strange tale of ancient people and kingdom. I found it difficult to grasp the relationship between Thag and Illar's king.
January 3, 2026
Dark and creepy, with a moody sense of mystery about it.
Some wonderfully poetic prose and descriptive allusions to "things" too horrible to mention.
And a less than subtle tremor of lust and sexuality pervading its forbidding atmosphere.
And also....very Lovecraftian but a whole lot better than he could have done it. I believe it's the female touch of C.L. Moore that makes it more sensual than something by Lovecraft.
The story draws you in slowly, and keeps tempting you to read on. Despite the realization that you know only Darkness lays ahead.
The ending though is a little too abrupt and easy. Northwest Smith just blasts Thag once with his power blaster, and everything falls apart. Too bad. With a better ending, something a little more extended and deadly, this could have been a 5 star story.
Some wonderfully poetic prose and descriptive allusions to "things" too horrible to mention.
And a less than subtle tremor of lust and sexuality pervading its forbidding atmosphere.
And also....very Lovecraftian but a whole lot better than he could have done it. I believe it's the female touch of C.L. Moore that makes it more sensual than something by Lovecraft.
The story draws you in slowly, and keeps tempting you to read on. Despite the realization that you know only Darkness lays ahead.
The ending though is a little too abrupt and easy. Northwest Smith just blasts Thag once with his power blaster, and everything falls apart. Too bad. With a better ending, something a little more extended and deadly, this could have been a 5 star story.
June 12, 2020
Listened to Wil Wheaton's reading. I've read Moore's "Shambleau," and I recognized thematic similarities, but this is an equally gripping and suspenseful work of horror. I'm getting the feeling that I may, eventually, read all of Northwest Smith's stories. I would like to note that one element of this story seemed racially insensitive at best.
Available for free at gutenberg.org.
Available for free at gutenberg.org.
December 1, 2021
Fantasy listening 🔰😀
A will written fantasy space thriller adventure novella by C. L. Moore about a man 🚹who is being chased by aircraft on Mars. He meets a girl 👧who leads him to the tree 🌳of Life and the fun begins. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for more quick fantasy read. Enjoy 2021
A will written fantasy space thriller adventure novella by C. L. Moore about a man 🚹who is being chased by aircraft on Mars. He meets a girl 👧who leads him to the tree 🌳of Life and the fun begins. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for more quick fantasy read. Enjoy 2021
July 29, 2019
What caught me and left a lasting impression is the description of the priestess. The entire world on the ruins of Mars but in a different dimension raises more question than the story answers. It was engaging and loved it. Wonder the character and setting is revisited by the author again.
February 22, 2022
This book started off wonderfully. The writing was amazing and I really liked the descriptions of the setting and the promise of some epic sci-fi adventure. However, towards the end it got a little strange. It wasn't at all what I was expecting (which is generally a good thing), but this just wasn't my cup of tea. It just ended so abruptly as if the author just reached their deadline and called it a day. Nevertheless, it is a short and fun read in case you're in the mood for some sci-fi ^^
May 13, 2018
As good as it gets
C. L. Moore has never disappointed me. She is one of the best when it comes to tasty vintage scifi.
U
C. L. Moore has never disappointed me. She is one of the best when it comes to tasty vintage scifi.
U
August 23, 2018
Absolutely loved it! Sort of Lovecraftian horror but with elements of beautiful fantasy woven throughout. Quite a combination.
February 8, 2019
A fun little pulp adventure-horror. I can see why Lovecraft allowed Moore to work in the mythos. She's got a better knack for prose than him, to be sure.
June 10, 2019
This was entertaining, a bit slow at times but still enjoyable.
May 28, 2020
So in love right now, with every sentence she wrote.
December 30, 2022
Interesting visual concepts, but not much of a story with a pretty weak ending.
November 19, 2025
A DREAM, A NIGHTMARE
This isn't a book. It's barely a short story.
But it's an excellent example of the imagination that takes over with a head injury.
Creative & descriptive.
This isn't a book. It's barely a short story.
But it's an excellent example of the imagination that takes over with a head injury.
Creative & descriptive.
May 10, 2020
Listened to Wil Wheaton's free audiobook. Amazing atmosphere and phantsmagoria.
March 19, 2015
Nortwest Smith has to hide in the ancient ruins of the temple of Ilar, a powerful king from Mars's distant past, where he meets a beautiful princess who lures him into the shadow of a well which leads to a twilight world ruled by a hungry god called Thag, who had 'warped the walls of space' to preserve it.
Catherine Lucille Moore was one of the few female authors regularly published in the halcyon days of Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s and 40s (this story, which first appeared in the October 1936 edition, is very much in the Lovecraftian house-style of the publication and can now be read for free at the Gutenberg site).
Northwest Smith featured in a dozen or so stories, is a smuggler with a ray-gun and a ' steel-pale stare', a cowboy in space. He confronts Thag in the guise of the Tree of Life, a vision with 'such an awful beauty that the very sight of it made those atavistic terrors he was so sternly holding down leap in a gibbering terror.'
Yep, you know it's a piece of weird fiction when there's an uncommon amount of gibbering and quivering going on, preferably in the centre or the depths of somebody's being.
Catherine Lucille Moore was one of the few female authors regularly published in the halcyon days of Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s and 40s (this story, which first appeared in the October 1936 edition, is very much in the Lovecraftian house-style of the publication and can now be read for free at the Gutenberg site).
Northwest Smith featured in a dozen or so stories, is a smuggler with a ray-gun and a ' steel-pale stare', a cowboy in space. He confronts Thag in the guise of the Tree of Life, a vision with 'such an awful beauty that the very sight of it made those atavistic terrors he was so sternly holding down leap in a gibbering terror.'
Yep, you know it's a piece of weird fiction when there's an uncommon amount of gibbering and quivering going on, preferably in the centre or the depths of somebody's being.
August 1, 2013
SF writer tries to emulate HP Lovecraft in her work. It works ok but never quite gets to true Lovecraft-level horror. Worth a read if you like classic SF and pulp horror as well. Others may find it quaint but disappointing.
May 4, 2016
Had its moments of great prose.
January 4, 2017
Imaginitive tale within the worlds of space and adventure that protagonist Northwest Smith travels.
July 29, 2020
What a great little story! I am definitely going to check out more of Moore’s writing. And once again a shout-out to Wil Wheaton for another hidden gem and awesome narration!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews