Rootless by Chris Howard Review

Title: Rootless
Author: Chris Howard (Twitter)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publish Date: November 1, 2012
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher

17-year-old Banyan is a tree builder. Using scrap metal and salvaged junk, he creates forests for rich patrons who seek a reprieve from the desolate landscape. Although Banyan's never seen a real tree—they were destroyed more than a century ago—his father used to tell him stories about the Old World. But that was before his father was taken.

Everything changes when Banyan meets a woman with a strange tattoo—a clue to the whereabouts of the last living trees on earth, and he sets off across a wasteland from which few return. Those who make it past the pirates and poachers can't escape the locusts—the locusts that now feed on human flesh. But Banyan isn't the only one looking for the trees, and he's running out of time. Unsure of whom to trust, he's forced to make an uneasy alliance with Alpha, an alluring, dangerous pirate with an agenda of her own.

Banyan lives in a world where the trees have long since withered and died. His world is one of the artificial, and he spends his days building trees to recreate the forests that once were. These trees, however, are different. They're made from scraps of materials like rubber and lights, and only the richest of patrons can afford his trees. But when Banyan meets a woman with a tattoo that shows him that the last living trees might be more reality than mythology, he knows he needs to find them...and fast. He's drawn to this last living bit of nature, and he when he sets out on a quest to find them at all costs, he's in for the journey of a lifetime. 

This genre has been so hit or miss for me as of late, but when I first read Rootless, I was really blown away by not only the concept, but the rich, vivid details that author, Chris Howard, offers his readers. This cautionary tale is cleverly disguised in a world of metal, plastic and other man-made materials. Nature is a distant memory, long since eradicated through the meticulous and destructive work of a corporation dominating the nation's food industry. With a world that's carefully-crafted, a strong and empathetic cast of characters and a soulful mission to find what's left of our world, Rootless soars.

Rootless was, in a nutshell, one heck of an epic journey. Think about the best quests you've ever read about, and then times it by ten. That's what this story offers us. We're given Banyan, a teen boy with a steady job as a tree builder, but with a chance to find a piece of our heritage and save what little might just be left of the world. His soul shines through his quest, and his courage, determination, humour and general good-natured persona has us invested from the start. Not once did I find his journey disingenuous or his motives less than honest. We're also given a host of pirates who are incredibly detailed, entertaining and truly original. These female pirates are gorgeous and powerful, dominating the swamplands of Old Orleans, and we're introduced to Alpha, a dynamic pirate with an agenda of her own. Through it all, we're presented with this barren wasteland of a world, and Rootless definitely displays the fact that it is a cautionary tale with complete sincerity. The author could easily have become preachy, but instead, by offering us a faceless corporation, GenTech, we can see distinct parallels between our worlds and the one within the pages of Rootless. It's a definitive wakeup call, and it's also a subtle call to action, or at the very least a commentary on the fact that our world needs a careful reminder of the potentially harmful repercussions of tinkering with our food and crop supply. Most of all though, the plot moves steadily forward, as does Banyan's quest, and we become fully invested in finding this long-lost forest, as well, hoping against hope that there might just be something there for Banyan - and for the rest of the world.

Honestly, I haven't seen to many reviews of Rootless, and that saddens me. It far exceeded my expectations, and it's right up there on my list of favourite dystopians now. I give it a 5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy dystopian novels with subtle social commentary.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.