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Out of the Thicket
A mysterious plague called The Seizing has cursed Yana for over a decade. On the same night each year every twelve-year-old boy vanishes with no explanation. A self-appointed grief counselor named Hannah leads the village through a strange ritual in which parents clutch their children until they disappear in their arms.
One mother, Ramia, refuses to participate in the ritual, which infuriates Hannah, revealing that her motives have more to do with issues surrounding her own son’s untimely death. When Ramia’s son, Hazaq, and his best friend, Bear, try to escape The Seizing by running away, Yana is thrown into a maelstrom of intrigue and doubt.
Featuring a cast of fiercely independent female leads, heartwarming childhood friendships, complex villains, sage prophets, and dubious religious leaders who are caught in an entertaining plot full of twists, Out of the Thicket is a story about the sacrificial nature of love.
One mother, Ramia, refuses to participate in the ritual, which infuriates Hannah, revealing that her motives have more to do with issues surrounding her own son’s untimely death. When Ramia’s son, Hazaq, and his best friend, Bear, try to escape The Seizing by running away, Yana is thrown into a maelstrom of intrigue and doubt.
Featuring a cast of fiercely independent female leads, heartwarming childhood friendships, complex villains, sage prophets, and dubious religious leaders who are caught in an entertaining plot full of twists, Out of the Thicket is a story about the sacrificial nature of love.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2025
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3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 16, 2025
If you’re looking for a book with some mystery, rituals and religion, this is the book for you! Drew really brings the characters to life and keeps you guessing. Highly recommend!!
October 18, 2025
Loved this story. Like Lewis or Tolkien, Kizer creates an ancient world that operates on it's own supernatural rules but embodies values, virtues and worldviews born from biblical principles. Though not a morality tale, Out of the Thicket definitely provides readers a path from confusion and hopelessness to redemption and peace. And there are parables along the way that are instructive and enjoyable, for those who have ears to hear.
The characters are where Kizer shines, in my opinion. His efforts to create multidimensional personalities weave a community you could easily imagine inhabiting. It's not a story about one protagonist, and he creates children, prophets, widows, pagans, and fisherman with fascinating clarity.
My favorite character was the old prophet, who feels like he walked right out of the Jordan wilderness at the heart of the divided kingdom in 2 Chronicles, complete with personality quirks and absurd stories that keep most people at a distance but provide life altering truths for those who dare approach and listen.
The plot of the tale keeps you engaged, and you genuinely can't know the direction each turn will take or how the conflicts will resolve (do they?) by the final page. It leads to contemplation of bigger themes on life, guilt, consequences, and superstition.
In my opinion, Recommended as a read aloud with any children over 10 leading to great conversation. Great reading for young adult genre. Adults will appreciate the deeper themes and narrative style.
The characters are where Kizer shines, in my opinion. His efforts to create multidimensional personalities weave a community you could easily imagine inhabiting. It's not a story about one protagonist, and he creates children, prophets, widows, pagans, and fisherman with fascinating clarity.
My favorite character was the old prophet, who feels like he walked right out of the Jordan wilderness at the heart of the divided kingdom in 2 Chronicles, complete with personality quirks and absurd stories that keep most people at a distance but provide life altering truths for those who dare approach and listen.
The plot of the tale keeps you engaged, and you genuinely can't know the direction each turn will take or how the conflicts will resolve (do they?) by the final page. It leads to contemplation of bigger themes on life, guilt, consequences, and superstition.
In my opinion, Recommended as a read aloud with any children over 10 leading to great conversation. Great reading for young adult genre. Adults will appreciate the deeper themes and narrative style.
October 16, 2025
Out of the Thicket is a masterfully woven story of legend, bravery, conspiracy, redemption, and deliverance. Written in the vein of Burdens, Kizer’s fantastic collection of short stories, Out of the Thicket is not Christian Fiction or Fantasy. In contrast to Burdens, these characters often speak of their faith in The Light, their source of faith in the supernatural.
The story centers on the daring exploits of Hazaq and Bear, two twelve-year-old boys seeking escape from what the townspeople called the Seizing, a mysterious annual disappearance of all twelve-year-old boys on a particular day of the year. At times, Hazaq and Bear reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn–running away from home, trouble on a river, and other like events.
As one reads, he will be lost in the vivid descriptions that permeate the book. I found myself often stopping to contemplate the scenes and the people described throughout. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think, this book would make a great movie!
From this perspective, though not overtly, Out of the Thicket shows the danger when faith in the supernatural is tainted by superstition. But it also shows how God-fearing humanity often struggles with the unknown. At its conclusion, one sees the freedom that comes when faith is made manifest in forgiveness.
Out of the Thicket is a great book for young and old alike. I give it my unqualified recommendation.
The story centers on the daring exploits of Hazaq and Bear, two twelve-year-old boys seeking escape from what the townspeople called the Seizing, a mysterious annual disappearance of all twelve-year-old boys on a particular day of the year. At times, Hazaq and Bear reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn–running away from home, trouble on a river, and other like events.
As one reads, he will be lost in the vivid descriptions that permeate the book. I found myself often stopping to contemplate the scenes and the people described throughout. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think, this book would make a great movie!
From this perspective, though not overtly, Out of the Thicket shows the danger when faith in the supernatural is tainted by superstition. But it also shows how God-fearing humanity often struggles with the unknown. At its conclusion, one sees the freedom that comes when faith is made manifest in forgiveness.
Out of the Thicket is a great book for young and old alike. I give it my unqualified recommendation.
October 21, 2025
One of the hallmarks of “Out of the Thicket” is Drew Kizer’s ability to paint word pictures. His in-depth descriptions of people and places are not hastily thrown at the reader. Instead, each is developed in layers throughout the book. By the time you finish reading, you will feel as though you have personally visited the city of Yana and gotten to know its citizens. I enjoyed reading this book. I believe you will like it too.
October 28, 2025
Wonderful! A great book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews