Merro Tree: Amazon.ca: Katie Waitman: Books

Product Description

Book Description

In the far reaches of our galaxy, the artist will face the ultimate censorship.

Mikk of Vyzania, the galaxy's greatest performance master, commanded stages on all the myriad worlds. His sublime, ethereal performances were unforgettable, drawing on the most treasured traditions of every culture, every people, throughout inhabited space. His crowning achievement, and his obsession: the Somalite song dance, an art form that transcends both song and movement to become something greater and more spectacular . . . almost divine.

When tragic events caused performance of the song dance to be proscribed, Mikk was devastated . . . until his strong sense of justice forced him to defy the ban. His trial will be the most sensational in the recent history of the galaxy; the sentence he faces is death.

Now the greatest performance master must hope to become the greatest escape artist. Somehow Mikk must break the stranglehold of censorship and change the law . . . or die trying!

From the Publisher

When Katie Waitman's agent sent me this manuscript, he told me that I had to make this book the Del Rey Discovery of the Year. He also told me that the book included a same sex love affair with a snake. Needless to say, I was a bit taken aback. But I read the manuscript, and I was taken with two things: 1) that snake affair wasn't exactly the way the agent described it!!! And 2) this was one of the absolute best-written first novels I had read in many, many years. I had to buy it. I still love it. I even like the snake!
--Shelly Shapiro, Executive Editor

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Customer Reviews

41 Reviews

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (41 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply wonderful, May 1 2001

By

Allan "a. scribe" (Boca Raton, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Merro Tree (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a fabulous book. Waitman is brilliant.

Allan Cole

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3.0 out of 5 stars A VERY mixed bag., Mar 21 2001

By

Alex (College Park, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merro Tree (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Merro Tree" can be best described as "The Lion King" meets "A Bug's Life" on the set of "Star Wars". And, indeed, this milder, more verbose variation on "Ender's Game" would feel right at home in a galaxy far, far away. There is absolutely no science involved here. The dull, unimaginative aliens include dog-men, snake-men, bee-men, emotionless, mechanical men, and blue-skinned men. Apparently, all planets in the galaxy share a Mediterranian climate and atmosphere, and any alien can survive on a diet of foreign food.

Yes, this book deals with personal freedoms, censorship, and same-sex love, but it deals with those subjects in a shallow, inadequate way. The good is a bit too good, and the evil, instead of being ambiguous, is definitely, outrageously evil. Even the book's centerpiece same-sex (but different species) romance is contrived and artificial. Ms. Waitman seems convinced that the success of such relationships lies in two things: constant mutual gratification and a knack for femininity.

"The Merro Tree" is about the blossoming talent of a young prodigy, told in parallel with our now-aged hero's struggle against a galactic ban on his unique art. An entertaining concept, certainly. But the characters are almost entirely two-dimensional and the prose tends to be flowery and melodramatic. Mikk is not entertaining in his role as the main character. As the book starts out, his personality seems shifting and impermanent. For a good deal of time, his young aspect is shy and clumsy, but that goes away within several pages with little or no explanation. Which is really a pity, since two-thirds of the way in, Ms. Waitman wakes up and takes advantage of the reader's pent-up jealousy for Mikk's apparently inborn talents. Soon, she starts pulling on other strings, and the book gains a surprisingly effective amount of drama and pathos, but nevertheless manages to end on a flat and mystifying note.

Ms. Waitman has definite talent. Unfortunately, her characters in "The Merro Tree" take a great deal of time to take shape, and most of the dialog is either stunted or predictable. In her next work, "The Divided", Ms. Waitman fixes some of her errors, but some are still there. Watch for her upcoming works.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Read this Book!!, Feb 27 2001

By

B. Gibson (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Merro Tree (Mass Market Paperback)

I love this book!

Katie Waitman shows true talent with a wide variety of interesting characters, an enthralling plot and a beautiful love story!

This book was so good that the first time I read it I turned it over and began reading it again just so I could become part of Katie's well thought out and vivid world again!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing.
I picked up this book because I thought it had an interesting cover. I didn't expect to be blown away. Read more

Published on Dec 28 2000 by Sarsar Sardee

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting book with strong characters and stories
This story is about the redeeming power of beauty and integrity. The main character, Rikk, is a misfit child, abused by his parents, who becomes a great entertainer. Read more

Published on Oct 25 2000 by T. Adshead

5.0 out of 5 stars Aliens can have tentacles and personalities, too
Some sci-fi has great characterizations but lacks the "gee whiz" factor that makes the genre so much fun. Read more

Published on Sep 27 2000 by Suzanne Tolbert

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Amazing
This book is a must-read for artists of any genre. It explores many facets of the life of an artist: the need for self-confidence, the relationship of a work to the artist... Read more

Published on Sep 18 2000 by Stephanie Zuercher

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing debut effort
Few science-fiction writers, other than Jack Vance, have dealt with the role of art in an age of interstellar travel. Read more

Published on July 11 2000 by lb136

5.0 out of 5 stars The Merro Tree
I really enjoyed Katie Waitman's book, The Merro Tree. The book was written with great detail and description, unparalled by any other recent author. Read more

Published on Jun 19 2000 by hal22

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down - Wonderful Book!
I was blown away by the style, detail, characters, and eloquent story. Katie Waitman has written a delightful story that is addresses unlining issues such as acceptance,... Read more

Published on April 22 2000 by Peggy Brownstein

5.0 out of 5 stars It gets better every time I read it. . .

I just finished reading this book for the fourth time. The Merro Treeis amazing! It's completely cohesive; the plot and the flashbacksfit together in a seamless succession... Read more

Published on Mar 29 2000 by lau�

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST BOOK EVER!
This review probably won't be very helpful, but I'd still like to recommend it. It's about a Vyzanian performance master named Mikk who, when he was little, was not expected to... Read more

Published on Mar 17 2000 by Debbie Shroder

5.0 out of 5 stars One Book
After reading the book I wished for more adventures with Mikk. Even after i finished the book,I still was thinking about it. I loved it.

Published on Dec 27 1999