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The Black Tree
In a wood in a small town, there exists an unusual tree. Its trunk is black and its leaves are gold on one side and silver on the other. The animals all gather around it during the night. For some reason, perhaps because of the tree itself, the inhabitants of the town are unable to fight fires. The tree has been there longer than anyone can remember. One day, someone braves up enough to touch it. The universe will never be the same.
Sometime in the 3000’s a young girl discovers that she is a lost princess from the planet Saturn after her school burns down. Several teens are taken from Earth and begin the journey home to help their parents win a war. Along the way they bicker, uncover secrets, and try to regain lost memories. The series details their various adventures fighting old enemies, dealing with love and lives past, and watching the walls between alternate universes crumble as they try to find a home. Will their world ever make sense? Find out in this fantastic and cuil journey.
Sometime in the 3000’s a young girl discovers that she is a lost princess from the planet Saturn after her school burns down. Several teens are taken from Earth and begin the journey home to help their parents win a war. Along the way they bicker, uncover secrets, and try to regain lost memories. The series details their various adventures fighting old enemies, dealing with love and lives past, and watching the walls between alternate universes crumble as they try to find a home. Will their world ever make sense? Find out in this fantastic and cuil journey.
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2013
1 person is currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Michón Neal
27 books28 followersI’m Black (with Irish and Cherokee sprinkled in to fuck things up further), autistic, aromantic, noetisexual, asexual (though not a celibate one, so that tends to confuse asexuals who are), organic multilinker, Radically (radical non-monogamy coined by Milton Goosby) Integrated Non-Monogamist, autodidact, relationship fluid (term created by Louisa Leontiades), disabled, single parent, in poverty, kinky switch/Dom/me, assigned female at birth, multisynesthetic (most notably visual/touch), intersex, Othergender, Army brat, survivor of several forms of abuse, left-handed, singleish, and panerotic. If anything, I’m a metanoiac alethiologist.
What Have I Experienced?
My disabilities and health conditions consist of but aren't limited to: endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, costocondritis, cPTSD, dysautonomia, fibromyalgia, EDS, plantar fasciitis, eczema, secondary anxiety and depression. I’ve lived in severe poverty for my entire life, including a recent bout of extended homelessness. I’ve had several major surgeries, survived more rapes than I can count, and narrowly escaped stalkers, domestic violence, and murderers. I’ve been writing cuil fiction, my invented intersectional queer and polya genre, for nearly two decades. I've raised my children on and off with my sister. I’m also a not-quite widow; within months of one another I lost both a former cis afab partner and a then-current cis amab partner, both disabled BlaQueer people.
What Do I Know?
I attended many schools, majoring in areas as diverse as: Drama, Instrumental Music, Choir, Dance, Aviation Maintenance, Teaching and Technology, Brain and Mind Studies (which includes an in-depth integrated approach to the different disciplines dealing with, well, the brain and the mind), Women Gender and Sexuality Studies, and even Objectivism.
Of course, that’s only my education on paper, the only kind wacademia accepts; since the age of 12 or so I’ve also been a voracious self-taught student of history, sexuality, religions, cosmology, philosophy, math, technology - anything that caught my fancy.
I spend the majority of my time presently engaging in fleshing out the many corners of the cuilverse (the fictional and explicitly intersectional world of my BlaQueer, polya, speary characters); updating my writing on Medium or otherwise educating folks online; serving as a guide for transformative courses such as Integrated Non-Monogamy (another creation of mine) and a few others of intersectional focus.
I was also a contributor to the Postmodern Woman magazine (as well as the sole editor after Louisa turned it over to me), Crossing Genres, and Polyamory on Purpose. I did time as a transcriptionist and social media associate for Everyday Feminism. Additionally, it was my honor to serve as the Digital Content Outreach Coordinator for The Body is Not an Apology and as a board member of Hypatia Software.
Currently, I am a well-rounded Public Speaker at the revamped Metanoiac Space - offering a number of courses of varying topics with which I have personal and educational experience. I am also a Community Health Champion for Harbor Health. In my nonexistent spare time, I am the Sensitivity Editor and Founder for Cuil Press.
What you'll get from supporting me
I create integrated and intersectional content. I have unique expertise in a wide array of seemingly disparate areas, yet I manage to integrate it in some pretty fascinating ways.
I'm one hell of a bird, silly as anything, and love to synchronize all the facets of life.
What Have I Experienced?
My disabilities and health conditions consist of but aren't limited to: endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, costocondritis, cPTSD, dysautonomia, fibromyalgia, EDS, plantar fasciitis, eczema, secondary anxiety and depression. I’ve lived in severe poverty for my entire life, including a recent bout of extended homelessness. I’ve had several major surgeries, survived more rapes than I can count, and narrowly escaped stalkers, domestic violence, and murderers. I’ve been writing cuil fiction, my invented intersectional queer and polya genre, for nearly two decades. I've raised my children on and off with my sister. I’m also a not-quite widow; within months of one another I lost both a former cis afab partner and a then-current cis amab partner, both disabled BlaQueer people.
What Do I Know?
I attended many schools, majoring in areas as diverse as: Drama, Instrumental Music, Choir, Dance, Aviation Maintenance, Teaching and Technology, Brain and Mind Studies (which includes an in-depth integrated approach to the different disciplines dealing with, well, the brain and the mind), Women Gender and Sexuality Studies, and even Objectivism.
Of course, that’s only my education on paper, the only kind wacademia accepts; since the age of 12 or so I’ve also been a voracious self-taught student of history, sexuality, religions, cosmology, philosophy, math, technology - anything that caught my fancy.
I spend the majority of my time presently engaging in fleshing out the many corners of the cuilverse (the fictional and explicitly intersectional world of my BlaQueer, polya, speary characters); updating my writing on Medium or otherwise educating folks online; serving as a guide for transformative courses such as Integrated Non-Monogamy (another creation of mine) and a few others of intersectional focus.
I was also a contributor to the Postmodern Woman magazine (as well as the sole editor after Louisa turned it over to me), Crossing Genres, and Polyamory on Purpose. I did time as a transcriptionist and social media associate for Everyday Feminism. Additionally, it was my honor to serve as the Digital Content Outreach Coordinator for The Body is Not an Apology and as a board member of Hypatia Software.
Currently, I am a well-rounded Public Speaker at the revamped Metanoiac Space - offering a number of courses of varying topics with which I have personal and educational experience. I am also a Community Health Champion for Harbor Health. In my nonexistent spare time, I am the Sensitivity Editor and Founder for Cuil Press.
What you'll get from supporting me
I create integrated and intersectional content. I have unique expertise in a wide array of seemingly disparate areas, yet I manage to integrate it in some pretty fascinating ways.
I'm one hell of a bird, silly as anything, and love to synchronize all the facets of life.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 10, 2016
Having already read another book by this author I was prepared and excited for their unconventional writing style. I further fell in love when I found that they change point of view while telling the story in 1st person. Again, the author's attention to detail, often shown in created "Saturean terms," was wonderful. Having character with multiple names made for high enjoyment for me. I love the time the author took to write about the missing second book in the series.
The one drawback- although not quite enough for me to take away a star- is how heteronormative this book feels to me. All the stuff about boy/girl pairings bored and irritated me. However as this was the 1st through 3rd books (with the missing 2nd summarized), I expect there will be more diverse sexual identities/behaviors as I get further into the series. I love this author's writing so much that I don't mind waiting too much- for more diversity.
The one drawback- although not quite enough for me to take away a star- is how heteronormative this book feels to me. All the stuff about boy/girl pairings bored and irritated me. However as this was the 1st through 3rd books (with the missing 2nd summarized), I expect there will be more diverse sexual identities/behaviors as I get further into the series. I love this author's writing so much that I don't mind waiting too much- for more diversity.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews