Treeland

Book excerpt: Treeland is an imaginary land in an imaginary era. It is populated by a jolly people that love two things above everything else: laughter and trees, hence, Treeland: The Land of Laughter. Between peals of laughter Treelanders tend their trees and forests with loving care. They never cut down trees, or act in any way that would destroy their natural environment. As Treeland’s warrior King Majabe nears 100 years and despite his smiling and laughing face, he is worried for not having a male heir. He has a willful, assertive, charming and very beautiful daughter, Princess Zuri, but in Treeland, daughters are not expected to reign. Zuri must marry so her husband could become the heir to her father’s throne. But she has no intention of marrying any suitor chosen for her. A struggle of wills and wits ensues between Zuri and her father and the age old patriarchal traditions that he represents. In the midst of this struggle, Treeland is attacked by a tree-cutting people with no veneration for either tree or human life. Will Old King Majabe manage to save his Kingdom? Will Zuri survive the coming ordeals imposed by war and an arcane tradition and ascend Treeland’s throne? This tale is at once traditional and current, conventional and unconventional, modern and post-modern, existential but optimistic. Treeland: The Land of Laughter is a novel intended for young people, but readers of all ages will also enjoy it.