A World Without Trees

by Joseph Blackhurst

Long ago, an otherworldly creature made the Earth almost uninhabitable and nearly consumed all of mankind. Now angels protect, and rule over, New Eden—Earth’s last remaining city. By angelic decree, and scripture akin to propaganda, all redheads are enslaved. Alizard is the stubborn daughter of the two most powerful families in the city. She expects to inherit a position of great leadership until the day her hair turns red.

A World Without Trees tells a story of ultimate sacrifice amidst a harsh, violent, landscape. Alizard’s journey within and without New Eden will force her to confront childhood trauma in the aftermath of a family torn apart. All the while, the return of the world-eating creature nears.

With A World Without Trees, Joseph Blackhurst continues to demonstrate his talent for stretching the boundaries of genre—this time turning his eye to post-apocalyptic science fiction. His debut novel, Down the Well, earned critical praise for its innovative storytelling and won the silver medal for horror in the 2023-2024 Reader Views reviewer’s choice awards. Joseph received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He practices law in Detroit where he specializes in technology litigation as well as the representation of minority inmates facing life sentences predicated on discrimination.

380 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2024

About the author

Joseph received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He received his undergraduate degree in screenwriting from Columbia College Chicago. His 2023 novel, Down the Well, won the silver medal for horror in the 2023-24 Reader Views Reviewers’ Choice Awards. His 2024 novel, A World Without Trees, was awarded a Kirkus star and was selected as a Kirkus indie book of the month in April 2025.

He lives in Detroit.

Reviews

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “A World Without Trees,” Joseph Blackhurst weaves a gripping post-apocalyptic narrative set in New Eden, which is believed to be the last bastion of humanity. This place has a stark, arid landscape dominated by red soil. Beings referred to as angels maintain a fragile order over a society riddled with oppression. The living conditions have been dire for over one hundred and twenty years when a “Godmonster” attacked and destroyed almost all life on the planet. The angels declared that beings with red hair had tainted blood marked by the Godmonster. These beings are enslaved and treated brutally as revenge. The angels have foretold that another attack is imminent, and the warriors must prepare to go to battle.

Alizard is the daughter of two powerful parents. She is to follow in her mother’s footsteps until the day comes when her hair starts to turn red. Rather than allow her to be enslaved, her father begins training her as a warrior. Alizard’s journey to becoming a warrior is compelling as we watch her grapple with her identity in a world that views her as a pariah. She suffers greatly because of this.

Blackhurst excels in world-building as he crafts a place where progress is built on the tortured backs of the enslaved. There are no trees, or plants other than potatoes. Water is scarce, and the color red dominates everything, except some greenery in the potato stalks. I could feel the thirst of the people as I read. I drank a lot of water as a result!

The narrative is full of suspense, and tension builds as Alizard confronts the harsh realities of her existence and the impending doom with the belief that an attack is coming. She constantly strives to shut herself down and “Unfeel” as her father has taught her. It is empowering to watch her become a fierce warrior despite the cards being stacked against her. The author’s portrayal of the angels as both rulers and manipulators also adds layers of complexity. Lines between good and evil are blurred.

When the protagonist is forced out of New Eden, her quest for truth unveils a deeper understanding of her world and her own strength. Her perceptions are challenged as she discovers that not everything she has been taught is true. This drives the narrative forward and leads to some stunning discoveries.

In conclusion, “A World Without Trees,” is a thought-provoking exploration of survival, identity, and rebellion against tyranny. It is a powerful commentary on human resilience and societal decay. Fans of dystopian fiction will enjoy this suspense-filled tale. While this is an entertaining novel, I also found myself questioning the implications of a society that was violently struck down and then blindly followed authority. It was unnervingly realistic to see how it didn’t take long for those with the resources to rule over those without. This is a very interesting, thought-provoking novel and I look forward to reading other works by this talented author.

[Despina]

A World Without Trees follows our main character, a young girl called Alizard in a world following a complete annihilation of humanity and planet earth which is attributed to a world-destroying monster. In a world where angels run the world in 'New Eden', the brutality of the world expresses itself particularly harshly on Alizard when she develops an unusual characteristic - red hair. This book touches on issues of familial love, politics, cruelty and the human condition.

This novel was incredibly confusing to keep up with initially, and I struggled at times to keep up with what was happening. It is written in a highly stylised prose which I really liked, but made reading it quite difficult in many ways. This is due to the reader having to first understand the writing style, and secondly absorb the rather confusing content. The story very slowly unfolds itself, and I feel like the payoff at the end certainly explained the unexplained behaviour/terminology throughout. It is a well-written piece that is science fiction beyond the ordinary, with much biblical imagery which conjures very specific and powerful imagery.

I will admit I did not find myself connecting very much to any of the characters in New Eden, and this was plainly due to the entirely different morality and world within which they live. As such, it was incredibly difficult to relate to characters. However, I am not convinced that is a problem, as I felt myself being driven along by the atmosphere and storyline much more than the characters themselves - they are there to illustrate their surroundings and, if you read to the end, I think a much more relevant and tougher lesson about society. So if you're a bigger fan of worldbuilding and intrigue, this is the book for you. If you are big on character-driven storylines, perhaps this is not the right fit.

I should warn, this book contains numerous highly violent scenes, with graphic depictions of murder and torture in many ways. Trigger warnings include, but are not limited to: death (many times), torture (many times), whipping, flaying, burning, cutting of skin and so many more. Note: no sexual elements were present in this book.

I was provided with a complimentary ARC of this book via Reedsy in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily.