The Ghost Tree by Brandon Faircloth is a four part sci-fi and horror book about the intertwining stories of Rachel, Thomas, Wally, and Justin. In the story, each character is introduced as a part of their own world, with their own past, daily life, and plans for their future. These characters and their relationships display themes of love, loss, condemnation, and redemption all shown within the incredibly structured atmosphere ranging in horror, suspense, and surrealism. Each character shows their story from their point of view.
My first introduction to this story was through a youtube narrator, The Dark Somnium, and I believe his work is the best way to really take in the story. He adds dozens of layers with voice acting, sound design, custom music, and smooth editing taking Brandon’s work and breathing a new life into it. As each part of the story unfolds you’re not only able to imagine the characters but feel every moment as you delve into the plot. Overall this book and the audio adaptation come out to a 9.8/10. If you’re interested in sci-fi horror, and characters with depth, then this is one of the greatest stories I can recommend.
Rachel introduces readers to the Ghost Tree as a weird mystery within her basement. The introduction is subtle and shown through a series of journal entries which is a pattern unique to the first part, a wonderful demonstration of Faircloth’s versatility. He also uses the journal as a subtle way to introduce her antagonist who although first shown with minimal significance is further presented as an incredibly pressing character. A character who’s importance to the story is touched upon in the discoveries Rachel makes within the basement, but these discoveries came at the expense of certain freedoms which are touched upon as the story progresses.
Thomas is shown as a simple man looking for work, it’s through his job search he finds himself in a precarious position. His job is simple, he must watch a woman trapped in a room and choose between two buttons to report activity. A suspicious yet simple job that he’s able to work for a while. That is until he finds himself building a connection with the woman he was assigned to watch, a connection that gets him in trouble with his employers who are much more complex than he first thought. Throughout his section, Thomas experiences constant horrors and faces opponents he was never prepared to handle. Within these challenges we are also shown a story of love, love that extends the very universe he resides in, and a love that will carry on to the epilogue. This is the first section I was exposed to and by far my favorite. A wonderful plot able to mix the complexities of fear, existential power, and romance with an in depth and rather intimidating antagonist who remains a constant for the rest of the story.
Wally starts as a victim of what seems to be an online scam. He was told he has a package set to be delivered. One which would end up changing the course of his life. After the package’s delivery Wally is accused of crimes he didn’t commit without a single point to support his story. He’s trapped. And the price of his freedom is a task assigned by a man from another world. The very man who had given Thomas his job, and the man whose actions will set up the final stands of some characters.
Justin is arguably one of the most complex and compelling characters in this series. The earliest discoverer of the Ghost Tree and a life story that extends generations. Justin is shown in the beginning of the story as the boy who was trapped in a cell, yet his actions extend throughout the entire plot with numerous “easter eggs” foreshadowing his tale. Explaining his character is probably the hardest to do without spoilers as his significance extends to every part of this book including his fantastic role in the epilogue. Justin plays many sides within the book and his actions no matter how drastic they may be always have a motivation that is undeniably natural whether it was his yearning for freedom or taking on revenge, he is someone who can be somewhat explained throughout all of his extremes. His final choices are what bring his character together, leaving the reader tons of questions, which are all answered in a satisfying conclusion.
This story is one I discovered a while ago and since then, it has not been topped. Brandon Faircloth or Verastahl as he goes by online, has an incredible talent for building worlds from the ground up. This is especially impressive when you consider that this combination of four stories is only a fraction of the realm it lies in, of which he has made 7. The connection that Faircloth makes possible with each character makes the fast paced epilogue a rapid wave of drama and emotion as some characters are brought together and others pinned in a battle for their own futures. Not one of these individuals and their separate side characters seem like just a filler or pointless antagonist as everyone is given reasons based in their own realities to commit the actions we see beautifully described in the story.
