The Wild Trees

A Story of Passion and Daring

By: Richard Preston

Narrated by: Richard Preston

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

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. It was exhilarating, the stakes were high, the characters were compelling, and it took me into an amazing world that is fantastic beyond all fantasy or science fiction.

What did you like best about this story?

The love story between Steve and Antoine.

What about Richard Preston’s performance did you like?

He knows how to read his own book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Wow!

I found this to be one of the most interesting audiobooks of the 100 or so i've completed. I couldn't put it down!

Fascinating trees

It's truly fascinating to read about these trees and these characters. Maybe a little too focused on the people by the end but enjoyable anyway.