Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
What came first the ghosts or the black tree atop the hill? Marisol is the first to see the tree on the hill, but that's only to be expected. She is the witch of Jack Boyd's ranch and her job is to notice threats, even amid a disastrous calving season. Neither Jack nor his ranch hand Luis seems to remember the tree was not there yesterday, but to be fair, they are more concerned with three mutant calves born during the season's first storm. The forest begins to spread, and it soon becomes clear Jack Boyd and Luis are not immune to the tree's influence. Marisol and Lena's ghost must work together to stop the trees from taking over their ranch, California, and the entirety of the country. But, all magic requires sacrifice, and Marisol is not certain she is prepared to accept the consequences of what she must do to stop the trees' advance.
Synopsis
What came first, the ghosts or The Black Tree Atop the Hill? That is the question of this gothic western.Marisol is the first to see the tree on the hill, but that's only to be expected. She is the witch of Jack Boyd's ranch and her job is to notice threats, even amid a disastrous calving season. No one seems to remember the tree was not there yesterday. The forest begins to spread, and it is up to Marisol and the ranch's ghost to work together to stop the trees from taking over their ranch, California, and the entirety of the country. But, all magic requires sacrifice, and Marisol is not certain she is prepared to accept the consequences of what she must do to stop the trees' advance.
The Black Tree Atop the Hill is set in an alternate American old-west that is hauntingly familiar yet strangely off-putting. This is a story about believing in intuition against the rain, about the violence of nature and of those who inflict it. Gothic gardeners explore the question of nature's home in a progressing world, leaving readers with conflicting resolutions and twisty insides.
Synopsis
What came first in this Gothic Western, the ghosts or The Black Tree Atop the Hill? The Black Tree Atop the Hill is set in an alternate American old-west that is hauntingly familiar yet strangely off-putting. This is a story about believing in intuition against the rain, about the violence of nature and of those who inflict it. Gothic gardeners explore the question of nature's home in a progressing world, leaving readers with conflicting resolutions and twisty insides.
Marisol is the first to see the tree on the hill, but that's only to be expected. She is the witch of Jack Boyd's ranch and her job is to notice threats, even amid a disastrous calving season. No one seems to remember the tree was not there yesterday. The forest begins to spread, and it is up to Marisol and the ranch's ghost to work together to stop the trees from taking over their ranch, California, and the entirety of the country. But, all magic requires sacrifice, and Marisol is not certain she is prepared to accept the consequences of what she must do to stop the trees' advance.
Synopsis
What came first in this Gothic Western, the ghosts or The Black Tree Atop the Hill?Set in an alternate American old-west that is hauntingly familiar yet strangely off-putting, Marisol is the first to see the tree on the hill, but that's only to be expected. As the witch of Jack Boyd's ranch, her job is to notice threats, even amid a most disastrous calving season.
It is up to Marisol and the ranch's ghost to work together to stop mysteriously spreading trees from taking over their ranch, California, and the entirety of the country. But real magic requires sacrifice, and Marisol is not certain she is prepared to accept the consequences of what she must do to stop the trees' advance.
This is a story about believing in intuition against the rain, about the violence of nature and of those who inflict it. Gothic gardeners explore the question of nature's home in a progressing world.
Oozing with conflicting resolutions and twisty insides, this is a stunning debut by Portland artist Karla Yvette.