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The Annual Migration of Clouds #3
The First Thousand Trees
Henryk Mandrusiak, finding nothing left for him in his community following his best friend Reid's departure, travels through the devastated land in search of a new place to call home.
"One of the most unique and engaging voices in genre fiction." -- Booklist
"In this rich and nuanced universe, Mohamed offers an emotionally fierce and human story that takes the time and space to personalize apocalypse." -- Quill & Quire, starred review
After making a grievous mistake that ended in death, Henryk Mandrusiak feels increasingly ostracized within his own community, and after the passing on of his parents and the departure of his best friend, Reid, there is little left to tie him to the place he calls home. Henryk does something he never expected: he sets out into the harsh wilds alone, in search of far-flung family. He finds his uncle's village, but making a life for himself in this unfriendly new place -- rougher and more impoverished than the campus where he grew up -- isn't easy. Henryk strives to carve out a place of his own but learns that some corners of his broken world are darker than he could have imagined.
This stunning novella concludes the story Mohamed started in The Annual Migration of Clouds and continued in We Speak Through the Mountain, bleaker than ever but still in search of a spark of hope in the climate apocalypse.
"One of the most unique and engaging voices in genre fiction." -- Booklist
"In this rich and nuanced universe, Mohamed offers an emotionally fierce and human story that takes the time and space to personalize apocalypse." -- Quill & Quire, starred review
After making a grievous mistake that ended in death, Henryk Mandrusiak feels increasingly ostracized within his own community, and after the passing on of his parents and the departure of his best friend, Reid, there is little left to tie him to the place he calls home. Henryk does something he never expected: he sets out into the harsh wilds alone, in search of far-flung family. He finds his uncle's village, but making a life for himself in this unfriendly new place -- rougher and more impoverished than the campus where he grew up -- isn't easy. Henryk strives to carve out a place of his own but learns that some corners of his broken world are darker than he could have imagined.
This stunning novella concludes the story Mohamed started in The Annual Migration of Clouds and continued in We Speak Through the Mountain, bleaker than ever but still in search of a spark of hope in the climate apocalypse.
148 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2025
About the author
Premee Mohamed
84 books860 followersPremee Mohamed is a Nebula award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She is an Assistant Editor at the short fiction audio venue Escape Pod and the author of the 'Beneath the Rising' series of novels as well as several novellas. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues and she can be found on Twitter at @premeesaurus and on her website at www.premeemohamed.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
October 6, 2025
This series is great but this final installment wasn't what I was expecting. We go back to follow Henryck, a side character from the the beginning of the first novella. After being shunned by his community he ventures to find a new place and encounters a much rougher way of life than he has experienced previously. Through the course of the novella he changes. This is a great, beautifully told dystopian sci-fi series that explores different modes of human survival and attempts to adapt to horrific circumstances. I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
September 21, 2025
I love Premee Mohamed’s body of work, and I’ve enjoyed everything of hers that I’ve read. “The Butcher of the Forest” remains one of my all-time favorite novellas.
This particular novella centers on Henryk, Reid’s best friend, and his journey to find himself in the wake of Reid leaving. He has always felt like a square peg in a round hole, and Henryk thinks that perhaps he can start over in his uncle’s town/village. I feel for Henryk…it honestly sounds like he’s on the spectrum in some way, and we just think and act differently than neurotypical people. We often wonder what we’re doing wrong but are unable to figure out how to NOT do the things that make us “weird” to others. Henryk is constantly apologizing to others and assuming that everything is his fault.
A lot of the story centers on his progress (or lack thereof—you decide) in identifying and managing his strengths and weaknesses, and I think there are some good lessons in there regarding self worth and self-sufficiency. I personally think Henryk is doing a lot better than a lot of others would in a post-apocalyptic world—and I very much am including myself in the latter group!
This trilogy of novellas is well-worth your time, and they don’t actually take much time to read. Also, and I consider this a huge bonus, you’re likely to learn at least one new word. Mohamed is very intelligent, and she threw some words in there that I’d never heard of before, which is rare for me because I read so much. I’m always down to expand my vocabulary!
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for the advance copy! I’m writing this review entirely voluntarily.
This particular novella centers on Henryk, Reid’s best friend, and his journey to find himself in the wake of Reid leaving. He has always felt like a square peg in a round hole, and Henryk thinks that perhaps he can start over in his uncle’s town/village. I feel for Henryk…it honestly sounds like he’s on the spectrum in some way, and we just think and act differently than neurotypical people. We often wonder what we’re doing wrong but are unable to figure out how to NOT do the things that make us “weird” to others. Henryk is constantly apologizing to others and assuming that everything is his fault.
A lot of the story centers on his progress (or lack thereof—you decide) in identifying and managing his strengths and weaknesses, and I think there are some good lessons in there regarding self worth and self-sufficiency. I personally think Henryk is doing a lot better than a lot of others would in a post-apocalyptic world—and I very much am including myself in the latter group!
This trilogy of novellas is well-worth your time, and they don’t actually take much time to read. Also, and I consider this a huge bonus, you’re likely to learn at least one new word. Mohamed is very intelligent, and she threw some words in there that I’d never heard of before, which is rare for me because I read so much. I’m always down to expand my vocabulary!
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for the advance copy! I’m writing this review entirely voluntarily.
December 28, 2025
This was an interesting close to the trilogy. This was definitely a coming of age story for both Reid and Henryk, as they went their separate ways to figure out their place in the world. And it turns out, they will have to make it.
November 4, 2025
Premee Mohamed's writing is as brilliant and competent as ever. But not gonna lie, this one took me awhile to get through because it is bleak.
As relatable as I find the anxious bean that is Henryk, it's also very difficult to be in his head for long periods of time as he spirals and spirals. And while the series's hope for the future is definitely still alight at the end, the journey to get there in this novella is quite long.
This novella is full of action throughout and maintains a fast pace. If there's a discussion it's normally about something monumental like life and death, as these characters are always on the move and Henryk is always reacting to a recent sequence of events.
So overall this novella feels tonally very different from its two predecessors, almost switches genres to more of a Walking Dead style apocalypse of survival and communities, and has a very different protagonist with very different thoughts to be in. I think you can probably stick to just the first two books if you'd like, but I do feel like this final installment nicely rounds out some experiences and ultimately has a lot to contribute to the characters' final conclusion.
Does the dog die?:
Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As relatable as I find the anxious bean that is Henryk, it's also very difficult to be in his head for long periods of time as he spirals and spirals. And while the series's hope for the future is definitely still alight at the end, the journey to get there in this novella is quite long.
This novella is full of action throughout and maintains a fast pace. If there's a discussion it's normally about something monumental like life and death, as these characters are always on the move and Henryk is always reacting to a recent sequence of events.
So overall this novella feels tonally very different from its two predecessors, almost switches genres to more of a Walking Dead style apocalypse of survival and communities, and has a very different protagonist with very different thoughts to be in. I think you can probably stick to just the first two books if you'd like, but I do feel like this final installment nicely rounds out some experiences and ultimately has a lot to contribute to the characters' final conclusion.
Does the dog die?:
Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
October 2, 2025
The story wasn't my favorite in the series but I did enjoy the atmospheric, dystopian forest setting. And thought the audio narration by Jamie Cavanagh & Eva Tavares was well done. Recommended for fans of books like The marrow thieves or Station Eleven. 10/10 for another fantastic cover illustration!!
June 5, 2026
If Premee Mohamed ever writes something less than five stars I'll eat my hat.
January 3, 2026
I loved the first novella in this trilogy, and was holding out for a strong finish. But the writing in the second and third books felt less poetic and original, and there are so many loose ends. I feel like we didn’t ever get anywhere, and the grand message at the end isn’t really a solution to the climate crisis. I wanted more about Cad. I wanted accountability. I wanted the science. Henryk’s story is fine, but it was a deeply unsatisfying end to a trilogy that had so much promise.
August 9, 2025
In a surprising shift, the final installment of this fungal fiction, post-apocalyptic series centers not on Reid, but on Henryk. Left behind when Reid departs for Howse University, Henryk is adrift—isolated from the community, haunted by the guilt of the pig hunt gone wrong, and desperate for connection. He does the one thing he thought he would never do, and sets out on his own with a hand drawn map to visit his uncle Dex, his last surviving relative.
But Sprucedown offers little solace. Henryk’s awkward, anxious nature only deepens his sense of alienation, and his attempts to fit in seem to push others further away. That is, until a routine “fire drill” leaves him stranded in the woods—where he encounters a group of raiders with their sights set on breaking in.
Forget Cad, the fungal parasite embedded in most survivors. Forget Reid, the friend who once shielded him from bullies and chaos. If Henryk wants to survive, he’ll have to find the fight within himself.
Mohamed conjures a world that feels both refreshingly original and steeped in familiar post-apocalyptic resonance. There are shades of Earth Abides in its quiet devastation, and yes, the Walking Dead parallels surface—mostly in the bleak terrain and isolated communities—but trust me when I say... this series stands firmly on its own.
This is a story of outcasts carving out space in a fractured world. A story of rebuilding, even when redemption feels out of reach. And it brings this series to a satisfying, unexpectedly subtle close.
But Sprucedown offers little solace. Henryk’s awkward, anxious nature only deepens his sense of alienation, and his attempts to fit in seem to push others further away. That is, until a routine “fire drill” leaves him stranded in the woods—where he encounters a group of raiders with their sights set on breaking in.
Forget Cad, the fungal parasite embedded in most survivors. Forget Reid, the friend who once shielded him from bullies and chaos. If Henryk wants to survive, he’ll have to find the fight within himself.
Mohamed conjures a world that feels both refreshingly original and steeped in familiar post-apocalyptic resonance. There are shades of Earth Abides in its quiet devastation, and yes, the Walking Dead parallels surface—mostly in the bleak terrain and isolated communities—but trust me when I say... this series stands firmly on its own.
This is a story of outcasts carving out space in a fractured world. A story of rebuilding, even when redemption feels out of reach. And it brings this series to a satisfying, unexpectedly subtle close.
December 13, 2025
The First Thousand Trees is an excellent extension of the first two books, while offering a story that is very different in many ways because of how drastically different the protagonists are. Our previous protagonist is the one we all hope we can be. In many ways, Henryk is the protagonist we fear we are. He still has surprises in him though, and he's a good person at his core, so he's easy to empathise with. The First Thousand Trees also takes the focus off the illness in many ways, and shifts it to what it really means to be in community.
I listened to the audiobook which had a solid narration.
These books are great as a trilogy, but I like that it's open for more. I enjoyed reading this, and it's a world I would willingly revist. Recommended!
I listened to the audiobook which had a solid narration.
These books are great as a trilogy, but I like that it's open for more. I enjoyed reading this, and it's a world I would willingly revist. Recommended!
January 1, 2026
This is now the best written in the trilogy. It follows not Reid, but Henryk. A character who behaves as people I absolutely despise do. I also personally feel like he would have died long ago in a crumbled world like this. However, I must give credit to her for writing such an absolutely terrible person. The anger I feel towards people of Henryks type is genuine, such a useless person to society. No I dont think that was her intent either haha but there he is. I should add I find Reid bordering on marrysue territory, so she is also irritating at times. So it makes sense Henryk would be the way he is. Good end to this short series.
November 30, 2025
Such an interesting world Mohamed has created. I would love to read more and see what the characters do next!
March 12, 2026
This installment really pulled the rest of the trilogy together and enhanced it for me. I really enjoyed the way it framed the series as a triptych of ways people cope with apocalypse.
February 7, 2026
First and foremost, I acknowledge an author's right to have a vision for their stories (and where they ultimately end). The shape and movement of a story can exist long before pen is put to page, and it is the author's duty to ensure the fidelity of the final product to their original vision.
I do no beleive that consumers of such stories own the final product at all, and I roll my eyes when they take to forums and social media to discuss how THEY think a story should have concluded. But they are allowed those opinions.
That said, I really hope this is not the true ending of this series, as it no longer feels like a cohesive whole (more on this in spoiler territory at the bottom).
3.5 stars for this current entry ★★★⯪☆
The third book in this series focuses on Henryk, who we last saw in The Annual Migration of Clouds running off after he borked up a hog hunt, which resulted in the death of a hunter. Shortly after this, Reid leaves for Hauser University (in The Annual Migration of Clouds), leaving her childhood friend to figure things out for himself.
Henryk decides to leave their town as well, as he will forever be branded as a coward, and make his way to his uncle's logging commune.
What follows is a series of vignettes displaying a man trying to find a new start in a new town, only to have his craven cowardice to resurface time and time again, with the consequences getting more and more dire. I find it very frustrating that the bulk of this series finale has devoted its screen time to this character, and it makes me question what exactly was the point of the entire trilogy.
Mohamed notes the following in the acknowledgements section:
[This is a book that came out of the gaps between trees, the branches between buds, the space between clouds, none of which I took the time to quantify, only feel. But I am overjoyed with the image that has arisen from these gathered scraps]...[I am not sad to leave the world of these books; I am leaving with love, and perhaps one day I will return.]
I really hope she finds the space to return here.
Final Trology below thoughts POTENTIAL SPOILERS
I do no beleive that consumers of such stories own the final product at all, and I roll my eyes when they take to forums and social media to discuss how THEY think a story should have concluded. But they are allowed those opinions.
That said, I really hope this is not the true ending of this series, as it no longer feels like a cohesive whole (more on this in spoiler territory at the bottom).
3.5 stars for this current entry ★★★⯪☆
The third book in this series focuses on Henryk, who we last saw in The Annual Migration of Clouds running off after he borked up a hog hunt, which resulted in the death of a hunter. Shortly after this, Reid leaves for Hauser University (in The Annual Migration of Clouds), leaving her childhood friend to figure things out for himself.
Henryk decides to leave their town as well, as he will forever be branded as a coward, and make his way to his uncle's logging commune.
What follows is a series of vignettes displaying a man trying to find a new start in a new town, only to have his craven cowardice to resurface time and time again, with the consequences getting more and more dire. I find it very frustrating that the bulk of this series finale has devoted its screen time to this character, and it makes me question what exactly was the point of the entire trilogy.
Mohamed notes the following in the acknowledgements section:
[This is a book that came out of the gaps between trees, the branches between buds, the space between clouds, none of which I took the time to quantify, only feel. But I am overjoyed with the image that has arisen from these gathered scraps]...[I am not sad to leave the world of these books; I am leaving with love, and perhaps one day I will return.]
I really hope she finds the space to return here.
Final Trology below thoughts POTENTIAL SPOILERS
October 6, 2025
Author Premee Mohamed expertly concludes her post-apocalyptic trilogy, by following Henryk, rather than Reid, in this last entry. After the disastrous boar hunt (in book one), Henryk feels very guilty, and though no one explicitly confronts him, he is quietly shunned by the people of the settlement. Already feeling alone without Reid, this only deepens his sense of isolation, and one early morning he walks away, heading to where his Uncle Dex had invited him.
Henryk arrives at Sprucedown after a long month of walking. He’s not greeted with open arms, as Sprucedown’s leader Beau, afraid he’s a raider (with which they regularly must repel), mistrusts him. But Uncle Dex vouches for the anxious Henryk, and much to Dane’s (Dex's adopted son) disgust, Henryk is taken in. But Henryk never really feels part of Sprucedown, despite pitching in to help with various jobs. Dane refuses to warm to Henryk, and even kindly, elderly Isabel tells him that everyone senses the young man has not been entirely truthful with them.
During a drill (Sprucedown does many for fear of incursions), Henryk is sent far enough off that he becomes lost and comes upon a girl by herself, seemingly on the run. Henryk, raised in a much more peaceable place, is easily duped and captured by raiders, and must, after a shocking moment, figure out how he wants to deal with the situation.
I was initially surprised that Mohamed would change narrators, but by doing this, she shows yet another response to the privation and dangers of people generations after a devastating war by moving Henryk to Sprucedown. This is a very different, more martial, but also incredibly, shockingly green and wooded place from his home.
Henryk is a gentle soul, bullied for years at home and protected by Reid. Without her, there’s no one to speak for him, and it’s incredibly sad that he was quietly, almost imperceptibly shunned for a mistake (that did result in grievous injury and death to others).
Henryk feels he might have a chance to make a new life in Sprucedown, but he’s still an anxious person eager to avoid conflict, who is not given to violence, and who is constantly blaming himself for every setback. But when things get really bad, Henryk finds he has a strength and determination he had not felt he had.
This is the concluding story in a trilogy about a world damaged irreparably by war, and with each settlement Mohamed has given us, we see people still clinging on or trying to recreate the world that is forever lost. And bleak as Mohamed's world is, there is hope, personified by the gorgeous letter Reid left for Henryk.
There is hope, there is the possibility of building new, and there is always redemption, in this future. I loved this trilogy, and though this is the close of this story, I will always be happy to read more of Mohamed's work, whether in this world or any other she creates.
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Henryk arrives at Sprucedown after a long month of walking. He’s not greeted with open arms, as Sprucedown’s leader Beau, afraid he’s a raider (with which they regularly must repel), mistrusts him. But Uncle Dex vouches for the anxious Henryk, and much to Dane’s (Dex's adopted son) disgust, Henryk is taken in. But Henryk never really feels part of Sprucedown, despite pitching in to help with various jobs. Dane refuses to warm to Henryk, and even kindly, elderly Isabel tells him that everyone senses the young man has not been entirely truthful with them.
During a drill (Sprucedown does many for fear of incursions), Henryk is sent far enough off that he becomes lost and comes upon a girl by herself, seemingly on the run. Henryk, raised in a much more peaceable place, is easily duped and captured by raiders, and must, after a shocking moment, figure out how he wants to deal with the situation.
I was initially surprised that Mohamed would change narrators, but by doing this, she shows yet another response to the privation and dangers of people generations after a devastating war by moving Henryk to Sprucedown. This is a very different, more martial, but also incredibly, shockingly green and wooded place from his home.
Henryk is a gentle soul, bullied for years at home and protected by Reid. Without her, there’s no one to speak for him, and it’s incredibly sad that he was quietly, almost imperceptibly shunned for a mistake (that did result in grievous injury and death to others).
Henryk feels he might have a chance to make a new life in Sprucedown, but he’s still an anxious person eager to avoid conflict, who is not given to violence, and who is constantly blaming himself for every setback. But when things get really bad, Henryk finds he has a strength and determination he had not felt he had.
This is the concluding story in a trilogy about a world damaged irreparably by war, and with each settlement Mohamed has given us, we see people still clinging on or trying to recreate the world that is forever lost. And bleak as Mohamed's world is, there is hope, personified by the gorgeous letter Reid left for Henryk.
There is hope, there is the possibility of building new, and there is always redemption, in this future. I loved this trilogy, and though this is the close of this story, I will always be happy to read more of Mohamed's work, whether in this world or any other she creates.
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
January 10, 2026
✧˖°.˗ˏˋ THE FIRST THOUSANDS TREE'S ˊ˗˖°.✧
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Characters: ★★★☆☆
World Building: ★★★☆☆
Plot: ★★★☆☆
Tension: ★★★☆☆
Writing style: ★★★☆☆
Entertainment: ★★☆☆☆
Overall Score: ★ 2.9/5.0 ★ 6/10 ★
Up onto the last book of this trilogy (Hopefully? Maybe?) It is a bit of a snack in between larger reads... I might have not really focused on the details in this one, as we follow another character rather than the us familiar Main Character...
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˗ˏˋ The Story ˊ˗
[ To Be Edited ]
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˗ˏˋ My Two Cents ˊ˗
[ To Be Edited ]
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- Series ☆ 2.7/5 ☆ -
[ The Annual Migration of Clouds ] ★ 4/5.0 ★ 8/10 ★
[ We Speak Through the Mountains ] ★ 3/5.0 ★ 6/10 ★
[ The First Thousand Trees ] ★ 2.9/5.0 ★ 6/10 ★
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"Not doing it seemed like a waste, you know? You look at the rest of this place - maybe the rest of the world - and we got this blessing and nobody looks at it and says, Hey, this is a blessing. All this water and suchlike"
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Characters: ★★★☆☆
World Building: ★★★☆☆
Plot: ★★★☆☆
Tension: ★★★☆☆
Writing style: ★★★☆☆
Entertainment: ★★☆☆☆
Overall Score: ★ 2.9/5.0 ★ 6/10 ★
Up onto the last book of this trilogy (Hopefully? Maybe?) It is a bit of a snack in between larger reads... I might have not really focused on the details in this one, as we follow another character rather than the us familiar Main Character...
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
˗ˏˋ The Story ˊ˗
[ To Be Edited ]
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
˗ˏˋ My Two Cents ˊ˗
[ To Be Edited ]
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
- Series ☆ 2.7/5 ☆ -
[ The Annual Migration of Clouds ] ★ 4/5.0 ★ 8/10 ★
[ We Speak Through the Mountains ] ★ 3/5.0 ★ 6/10 ★
[ The First Thousand Trees ] ★ 2.9/5.0 ★ 6/10 ★
July 16, 2025
I read this novella courtesy of NetGalley, but I loved it so much, I'll need to get it on paper.
These are absolute gems of novellas. In a post climate-disaster world, communities are rising and falling, sustaining and exploiting, and people live lives of desparation that isn't quiet, and dignity that is. They fail, and get up again.
The first novella takes a new perspective - while 1 and 2 followed Reid, a desparately brave young woman fighting to make her life better while coping with a disability that would one day brutally kill her, the third novella switches POV to her best friend, Henryk, the walking disaster. Henryk is the opposite of a fantasy of competence - he is afraid, and he doesn't trust in himself. He runs away. He's utterly relatable, and terribly smart, and for me, his perspective brought to mind nothing less than Marilynne Robinson's characters.
The voice is wonderful. The worldbuilding - well, it's simply great. The attention to detail. The loving care. I could have read another five hundred pages of this.
If this is not on all kinds of award shortlists, then I don't know what we're even doing in the sff reading world, because this is where it's at. These novellas are fresh, and literary, and gripping, and I want to force everyone to read them.
[The last sentence this time is not as perfect as in the previous volume, but in context, it comes close. It's beautiful, just not iconic.]
These are absolute gems of novellas. In a post climate-disaster world, communities are rising and falling, sustaining and exploiting, and people live lives of desparation that isn't quiet, and dignity that is. They fail, and get up again.
The first novella takes a new perspective - while 1 and 2 followed Reid, a desparately brave young woman fighting to make her life better while coping with a disability that would one day brutally kill her, the third novella switches POV to her best friend, Henryk, the walking disaster. Henryk is the opposite of a fantasy of competence - he is afraid, and he doesn't trust in himself. He runs away. He's utterly relatable, and terribly smart, and for me, his perspective brought to mind nothing less than Marilynne Robinson's characters.
The voice is wonderful. The worldbuilding - well, it's simply great. The attention to detail. The loving care. I could have read another five hundred pages of this.
If this is not on all kinds of award shortlists, then I don't know what we're even doing in the sff reading world, because this is where it's at. These novellas are fresh, and literary, and gripping, and I want to force everyone to read them.
[The last sentence this time is not as perfect as in the previous volume, but in context, it comes close. It's beautiful, just not iconic.]
October 6, 2025
Thank you to ECW Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
The Annual Migration of Clouds is a novella trilogy in a dystopian setting. The First Thousand Trees wraps up this story. But instead of focusing on Reid, we get a story focused on Henryk.
Henryk was Reid's best friend. But after his cowardice got someone killed during a boar hunt, he feels that he doesn't have a place within the community anymore. As Reid left for her school, he leaves to find his uncle. Unfortunately this village is not at all what he was expecting it to be. Neither are the people.
While I wasn't initially really that interested in his story and I don't think it is entirely nessecary, it was still a solid story to read. We get an idea of how other parts are dealing with the fall out and how they have created their communities. There are other dangers out there than boars for them.
Henryk is just trying to find his way in the world, see if there is a place for him. But he just flaunders and makes mistake after mistake. Or so others feel. I just see someone who is learning. Who doesn't always get it right but he is trying. It is more of an introspective tale.
It is worth a read for sure.
The Annual Migration of Clouds is a novella trilogy in a dystopian setting. The First Thousand Trees wraps up this story. But instead of focusing on Reid, we get a story focused on Henryk.
Henryk was Reid's best friend. But after his cowardice got someone killed during a boar hunt, he feels that he doesn't have a place within the community anymore. As Reid left for her school, he leaves to find his uncle. Unfortunately this village is not at all what he was expecting it to be. Neither are the people.
While I wasn't initially really that interested in his story and I don't think it is entirely nessecary, it was still a solid story to read. We get an idea of how other parts are dealing with the fall out and how they have created their communities. There are other dangers out there than boars for them.
Henryk is just trying to find his way in the world, see if there is a place for him. But he just flaunders and makes mistake after mistake. Or so others feel. I just see someone who is learning. Who doesn't always get it right but he is trying. It is more of an introspective tale.
It is worth a read for sure.
May 4, 2026
3.25* audiobook
The third novella in this series, follows Henryk, a side character from the previous novella. Not feeling good current community he ventures out through the wilderness to find his uncle's town. They are a hard working bunch that Henryk tries to adapt to, through much struggle.
But in this dystopian climate disaster world things go wrong and Henryk doesn't feel at home here either.
I wish I really l had read this closer to the other two novellas or even all three in a row. I found myself forgetting what the other novellas were about. But Premee Mohammed is a excellent writer and can build a world that her characters can inhabit, even if I didn't remember the larger picture.
The third novella in this series, follows Henryk, a side character from the previous novella. Not feeling good current community he ventures out through the wilderness to find his uncle's town. They are a hard working bunch that Henryk tries to adapt to, through much struggle.
But in this dystopian climate disaster world things go wrong and Henryk doesn't feel at home here either.
I wish I really l had read this closer to the other two novellas or even all three in a row. I found myself forgetting what the other novellas were about. But Premee Mohammed is a excellent writer and can build a world that her characters can inhabit, even if I didn't remember the larger picture.
July 1, 2025
It's great to see how Mohamed decided to wrap these characters' stories, while also exploring all the various ways that communities can go wrong, what regime change actually looks like (not great, but frankly, it's all you've got sometimes), and being able to bring a wrap to Reid's individual story. I ended up tearing through this, but that was mainly because Mohamed has become an author I will ready anything I can find from, and there are some absolutely stunning passages here around the feeling of the world falling apart around you. Absolutely pick this up this fall.
October 1, 2025
I would like to thank NetGalley and ECW Press for the eARC. I greatly appreciate it!
I’m so sad this is the last novella to this wonderful series. THE FIRST THOUSAND TREES is not a story about finding one’s home. It’s about learning that home isn’t a place—home is the people who love us, who fight for us, who are there for us. Through Henryk’s POV, we get an intimate portrayal of one’s battles with anxiety and self worth being overlooked in a world ravaged and wearied by a single disease. It was profoundly accurate.
I’m so sad this is the last novella to this wonderful series. THE FIRST THOUSAND TREES is not a story about finding one’s home. It’s about learning that home isn’t a place—home is the people who love us, who fight for us, who are there for us. Through Henryk’s POV, we get an intimate portrayal of one’s battles with anxiety and self worth being overlooked in a world ravaged and wearied by a single disease. It was profoundly accurate.
January 25, 2026
Henryk's point of view was brutal, but also horribly relatable. Although, while I did miss Reid at times, being in Henryk's head definitely introduced a necessary perspective and experience in this dystopian future. This novel felt somewhat more bleak than the previous two, but did offer moments of hopefulness and levity. As always, I was deeply interested in the themes and conversations Mohamed explored in this trilogy and I thought this conclusion was exactly what needed to happen to clarify those themes!
Highly recommend this whole trilogy for those interested in realistic dystopian.
Highly recommend this whole trilogy for those interested in realistic dystopian.
July 10, 2026
Why did we change the perspective for the entire book and then end with almost no closure? Nothing about the school, so Reid is going to stay living without technology and eventually die from the disease? For what reason? She could have stayed at the school, learned from them and done her best to implement something to help her people. Why did Henryk leave rather than help rebuild the town that he was partially responsible for destroying?
I was really hoping for a solid resolution
I was really hoping for a solid resolution
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2025
not gonna lie, I was disappointed to find out this book follows a different character than the first 2 did, and I think Reid is a much more interesting character than Henryk
this was a fine ending to the trilogy, but I think I wanted more from all 3 and the world of these books
this was a fine ending to the trilogy, but I think I wanted more from all 3 and the world of these books
July 16, 2026
69/100
January 3, 2026
This was so sad, not make you cry sad, but just tragic the way people are, with the tiniest bit of hope at the end.
February 28, 2026
Solid, quick action novella. A bit of a wheel spinner compared to the first two in the series, and ultimately probably not a super necessary instalment. The audiobook is well performed, though, and the story sets up future episodes.
June 29, 2026
This three-novella series really is stunning—both the writing and the overall book design. The last handful of pages left me in tears.
I'm so glad a dear friend introduced me to these earlier this year [thanks, Kellie!].
[Five stars for characters and a world I won't soon forget.]
I'm so glad a dear friend introduced me to these earlier this year [thanks, Kellie!].
[Five stars for characters and a world I won't soon forget.]
October 1, 2025
4.25 stars.
Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The final book in this post-apocalyptic novella trilogy, I was surprised that the book shifted focus from Reid to Hendryk instead. Once I had adjusted, this ended up being my favourite entry in the series.
We follow Hendryk, who is wracked by guilt, leaving his community and heading off to join another.
This short book was surprisingly action packed, and I really enjoyed the author's writing.
A worthy conclusion to the trilogy that wrapped up all the stories in a satisfying way.
Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The final book in this post-apocalyptic novella trilogy, I was surprised that the book shifted focus from Reid to Hendryk instead. Once I had adjusted, this ended up being my favourite entry in the series.
We follow Hendryk, who is wracked by guilt, leaving his community and heading off to join another.
This short book was surprisingly action packed, and I really enjoyed the author's writing.
A worthy conclusion to the trilogy that wrapped up all the stories in a satisfying way.
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