The Graveyard and the Tree of Sorrows
The Hammertown Chronicles: Book 1
A group of supernatural and human friends work to stop a troubling plan in the exciting fantasy novel The Graveyard and the Tree of Sorrows.
In Noel Schmidt’s adventure-filled fantasy novel The Graveyard and the Tree of Sorrows, a twelve-year-old paperboy and his motley crew of supernatural friends chase a power-hungry shapeshifter.
Roscoe is one of the few humans in Hammertown, a community that sprung up in the aftermath of a war that ravaged the world. Vampires, zombies, and pixies coexist with humans here; most of their kind were wiped out. When Roscoe witnesses a shadowy figure torturing and murdering a leprechaun, he turns to his friends for help. They include Avalon, a gothic enchantress; Mugs, an elf; Vladimir, a vampire; Ellery, a zombie; and Henry, a leprechaun. In addition to investigating the murder, they are tasked with retrieving a mythical relic. And then they learn that their mayor, in pursuit of immortality, plans to breach a portal to unleash hell on Earth.
An intriguing blend of fantasy and magical realism, the story covers centuries of war and recovery. In addition to the great war, smaller conflicts are referenced, as with clashes between witches and wizards and human warlords facing insurmountable odds. Such background is introduced in a natural manner, as with lectures in school, over which the bored children whisper plans to each other.
In the course of the story, Roscoe evolves from a wide-eyed paperboy into a capable and battle-tested leader. His courage is tempered by doubt: “I don’t know why I drove into Sleepy Hollow Cemetery … but I did.” And beyond their supernatural abilities, his friends are defined in terms of their familiar struggles: Avalon values both strength and emotional vulnerability; Henry is torn between his loyalties to his leprechaun clan and his friends. Each of their arcs intertwine with the larger narrative well, resulting in a rich ensemble tale.
After its harrowing depiction of the leprechaun’s torture, the story careens between whimsical scenes and perilous challenges with rapidity. Still, Roscoe and his friends never waver. They confront magical assassins, concoct a last-minute heist, and travel across a desolate landscape in a beaten-up car. Quiet moments are undercut in service of the book’s pace, though, including a scene in which Roscoe loses a battle in a cemetery. The all-out race to forestall the mayor’s cataclysm generates excitement, including through cliffhanger chapter endings, but the climax is rushed through, with important elements of the battle glossed over.
A group of friends stand against a twisted plot in The Graveyard and the Tree of Sorrows, a gripping, character-driven fantasy novel in which courage springs from humble sources.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
