The Wild Trees

A Story of Passion and Daring

By: Richard Preston

Narrated by: Richard Preston

Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Hidden away in foggy, uncharted rain forest valleys in Northern California are the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained: the coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens. The biggest redwoods are over 1,000 years old, rising more than 35 stories in what's left of the once-vast, ancient redwood forest. Believed to be impossible to ascend, these majestic giants have remained unexplored until recently, when a tiny group of daring botanists and amateur naturalists discovered a lost, dangerous, and hauntingly beautiful world high above California.

In The Wild Trees, Richard Preston unfolds the spellbinding story of these young voyagers, who risk everything to explore the redwood canopy, where the massive trees form flying buttresses and cathedral-like structures in the air. They find a vertical Eden of hanging gardens and rare creatures, an untouched paradise where it's possible to stretch hammocks between tree branches and make love 300 feet in the air. But as they move through the treetops suspended on ropes, far out of sight of the ground, these young adventurers know that the smallest mistake can result in a plunge to one's death.

Preston mastered the techniques of tall-tree climbing to recount the discovery of this amazing world. This is a grand adventure, by turns terrifying, moving, and fascinating, from a master of nonfiction narrative.

©2007 Richard Preston. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Preston's hands-on perspective, suspenseful chronicling of the adventures of these vividly portrayed redwood experts, and glorious descriptions of the tall trees' splendor and ecological significance make for a transfixing read." (Booklist)

Well worth the listen.

Richard Preston’s voice and the narrative style of his prose were easy listening. Even though this is an abridged version, I learned a lot.

Very interesting

I had read The Wild Trees ten or fifteen years ago. Stories that involve the wilderness have always intrigued me. Especially when it involves these massive, huge Redwood trees. A very good read in my opinion.

Fantastic book

Honestly my favorite author. Can’t believe I put off reading, or in this case listening to this one for so long . Awesome subject and fantastic narrative to make it even more interesting. Another great book by Richard Preston.

Beautiful

This is an engaging, exciting audio book about a subject I had never even considered, prior to this work. The author delves into the lives of the individuals, weaving between the science of the trees, and the humanity that surrounds them.

Excellent!

From the beginning it draws you into a magical and mysterious world and you can easily see this universe of majestic trees.

The Wild Trees

A fascinating narrative that I had read once before. I was disappointed that the audible version was abridged, as I appreciated all the details of the author’s research in the original book and missed the complete version. The author’s narration of the audible version was outstanding.

Fascinating story about Redwoods and those dedicated to exploring them.

I would strongly recommend this book if one has an interest in learning about these 2,000 year old trees that can grow over 350 feet tall. The monotone voice of the reader (also the author) took some getting used to, but
once done, the learning experience was very rewarding.

Great book!

I was very pleased with this book and couldn't stop listening to it. The actual interviews with some of the key subjects at the end were very pleasing.

Great Book

I thorougly enjoyed this book. The character development is great. Each night as I drove home from work, I felt as though I was going to the woods with them to climb tall trees.

Enjoyable and good read

Would you consider the audio edition of The Wild Trees to be better than the print version?

cant say didnt read the printed version but the audio was great.

What did you like best about this story?

good mix of scientific facts and life story.

Which scene was your favorite?

the high altitude tree sex.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no cry, no laugh, but smiles. :)

Any additional comments?

had to read this book for class. turns out i love the book. if your into plants or redwoods, than this is a must for you.