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 the way, coming from someone who read and enjoyed A Clockwork Orange.)

The other characters have interesting details but don't ever feel fully fleshed-out, and the instant romantic connection between Banyan and his lady love never really makes sense. Which may have something to do with the fact that they don't ever have an actual conversation beyond, "Hey, I want to kiss you," or "Sucks that both our parents were taken," or "How 'bout you kill those people?"

So overall, though I can appreciate Rootless' uniqueness and prose, I didn't really enjoy the experience of reading the book all that much. And while I'd kind of like to know what happens next, the thought of reading the next book leaves me cold. ( )

Rootless is an YA adventure story set in a dystopian future. Seventeen-year-old Banyan lives alone in a world without trees or animals. He travels the desolate remains of the country, selling his skills as a tree sculptor (using scrap metal, wires, glass and lighting) to the wealthy. The world-building is great, including a little Rastafarianism. The language and imagery are vivid, the characters are colorful and larger than life, there is lots of action, and even, a love story. The author's creativity extends to social and environmental issues too, such as the evil corporation, GenTech, which controls the food supply (genetically-engineered corn, immune to the marauding locusts) and kills anyone who tries to steal from them. Banyan sets off to find his father, gets derailed by pirates, and eventually finds allies to try to regenerate real trees to save the world. I am mystified as to why the recently-published sequel is not in local libraries. ( )

In this post-apocalyptic, dystopian book we follow Banyan who is a tree builder. In the now desolate landscape trees do not grow, locusts eat everything in sight (including people), and GenTech genetically engineers the only edible food. Banyan uses recycled scrap metal and parts to create shrubs and trees that move and glow so the wealthy people can remember the world that once existed. While on a job Banyan comes in contact with a photo of his missing father sitting among “real” trees. Now, Banyan is on a search for his father and the Promised Land. On his way he will come into contact with friends and enemies, including poachers, pirates, and GenTech agents.

I liked Banyan’s character and the world building in this book, which was brought to life by trees that Banyan so lovingly created. The book went in a more science fiction direction then I expected, which didn’t detract from the book, but made it a little hard to follow as we got deeper into the GenTech world and the genetic engineering. I loved Alpha’s character; she was a pirate that reminded me of Tank Girl with her Mohawk and no-nonsense attitude surviving in a deserted wasteland. I wanted more Alpha and her relationship with Banyan. I flew through this book and will probably read the sequel. This was a good addition to the flooded dystopian market. ( )

In this post-apocalyptic, dystopian book we follow Banyan who is a tree builder. In the now desolate landscape trees do not grow, locusts eat everything in sight (including people), and GenTech genetically engineers the only edible food. Banyan uses recycled scrap metal and parts to create shrubs and trees that move and glow so the wealthy people can remember the world that once existed. While on a job Banyan comes in contact with a photo of his missing father sitting among “real” trees. Now, Banyan is on a search for his father and the Promised Land. On his way he will come into contact with friends and enemies, including poachers, pirates, and GenTech agents.

I liked Banyan’s character and the world building in this book, which was brought to life by trees that Banyan so lovingly created. The book went in a more science fiction direction then I expected, which didn’t detract from the book, but made it a little hard to follow as we got deeper into the GenTech world and the genetic engineering. I loved Alpha’s character; she was a pirate that reminded me of Tank Girl with her Mohawk and no-nonsense attitude surviving in a deserted wasteland. I wanted more Alpha and her relationship with Banyan. I flew through this book and will probably read the sequel. This was a good addition to the flooded dystopian market. ( )

In this dystopian novel every single tree has been cut down, leaving a world filled with dust storms, no wildlife, and no source of food other than popcorn. GenTech, a rich corporation, controls the growing, buying and selling of corn killing anyone who dares grow or steal their corn.

Read the rest of my review at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/rootless-chris-howard/ ( )