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Nature here is as red in tooth and claw as it can get, and Shaw exploits it to maximum effect, skilfully finding the savage beauty in the violence, and lightening it with compelling characters and black humour. All the while, he raises serious questions about our world – not smacking the reader round the head with overt social commentary, but leaving traces that, much like the creeping roots that instil so much fear throughout the book, will quietly surround the reader and leave them pondering the issues raised for a very long time. Huge thanks to the publishers for the copy.
For further reading I would recommend [[H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald]]. The two couldn't be further apart at first glance – with ''The Trees'' a fantastical tale, and ''H is for Hawk'' an intimate study of grief. But both deal with questions about nature and the savagery of the wild world, astounding the reader with their power, and travelling with the reader to completely unexpected destinations. {{toptentext|list=Top Ten Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels 2016}}
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