Climb the Tree

by Michael Bertrand

DON’T read the single word at the top of the glossy sheet. A picture of a painted face stared at him from beneath the words. The man’s face was orange, with yellow circles around bloodshot eyes. GO was printed under the face. “Go where?” he wondered. “With who?” He took the sheet and went to find an adult. Mrs. Durkitt stood at the door, preparing to leave. “What is it, Charles?” she asked as he approached. “Oh,” she said, when she saw... ...WELCOME to the Meadows, where yesterday is today, tomorrow is next week, and the Orange Man says DON'T GO. WITNESS Charles and others struggle against forces greater than themselves. And QUESTION everything- God, humanity, and reality itself.

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2020

About the author

I live and work in Madison, WI. My wife Lydia and I have been married for over 15 years and we have four children together. I am the case manager for a 30 day alcohol and other drugs (AoDA) rehab.

Here's how I rate:
5= Excellent. Totally engaging. Everyone should read.
4= Very Good. Worth reading, but maybe not everyone.
3= Average. Many will like it, many won't.
2= Poor. Not worth reading. Some people will probably like it, but I don't.
1.= Awful. Don't read. There's something wrong with this book like racism, exploitative sexual violence, or something equally awful.

I decided on this system in March of 2023. My older one-star reviews meant that I strongly disliked a book.

Reviews

[Michael Scharen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Climb the Tree is filled with very descriptive imagery and believable characters. The author truly brings the reader to another place where one can absorb the thoughts of each of the players, the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions of the various settings. For me, the atmosphere and suspense is reminiscent of the works of Rod Serling as compared to both The Twilight Zone and more akin to Night Gallery (a favorite of mine as a kid).

This being said, I personally found the work to be somewhat difficult to follow. This may due to my limited experience in this genre. Perhaps the mystery of each character and what they were ultimately up to gives the story more force and more punch at the end. I sincerely hope that this author continues writing and am curious to see how his approach develops in the future.

This reviewer was given a complimentary copy of the work by the author.

[Bernadette Bienvenu · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I began this book, it grabbed me and held me in-nearly half the book in one sitting. (Odd for me these days, especially from a new author). This story is intriguing, it pulls you in and captivates you with an old school thriller feel. It’s creepy in all the right ways. If you enjoy mysterious abandoned buildings where something devastating obviously happened, and unseen forces seem to remain, then this book is for you. I sincerely hope that the author writes another installment of this story-I’d like to see a follow up book that delves deeper into the happenings in the compound that serves as the layout of the story. A map of this compound would have been a lovely addition to this book and could’ve proven helpful in following the mystery.

[Deborah Woolsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thought provoking page turner is full of the fantastic and somber that combine to make a thrilling story. It’s not often you come across such original and creative storytelling, engaging characters, and a tantalizing mystery that pulls you into itself. The characters in this book will take you on a mysterious journey that will expose some if the darkest parts of humanity and still find forgiveness in its midst.

[Dalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. Good characters and the author does a great job of describing details in a scene to draw you in. Now, this is far outside my normal genre and my feeble mind was lost most of the time. Therefore, I’m concluding this will be a huge success . . . Or, if not this book, the next book by this author. Keep it up, Mr. Bertrand! We want another.

[Paul Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent building suspense novel, Very detailed character description and scene depiction. A very entertaining read!

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good! It's creepy and suspenseful. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Definitely one of my best reads of 2019!