“You can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Why? Because the heart and mind of the forest do not wave in the wind but dwell underground, within the complex woven soil of fungal threads and plant rhizomes. This mycorrhizal network functions as the core switchboard of the forest, shuttling nutrients, messages, and memories among all the linked entities of the ecosystem. Philosophers call this kind of system a “rhizome.” It is open and connected, both within itself and the greater world without. Contemporary forest ecology sustains these notions, comparing the mycorrhizal forest to the neuronal network of the human brain, a “wood wide web” (term coined by ecologist Suzanne Simard for her 1997 paper in the scientific journal Nature).In Wright’s engaging science fiction novel, a forest mind in a parallel universe has penetrated the membrane into our world. Seeking to expand its mutualistic network, it joins with a diversity of beings in symbiosis. Yet despite its vast resources, the forest mind has vulnerabilities. When it is forced to grapple with an extinction crisis caused by humans, it seeks an unlikely alliance—with a damaged young man who has given up on his kind, someone willing to risk everything in an attempt to consciously shape evolution itself.
CHARIS EMANON, author of 51 Ways To End Your World, wrote the following:
WHAT OTHER READERS SAY: "Love this book ... one of the better books I have read...." "...timely, idyllic, humorous, tragic, frightening and fantastic...." "...a compelling story ... intelligent handling of complicated ideas...." "palpable and real ... can't put it down...." "Your work got under my skin, haunted me ... it inhabited my soul, my spirit, my dream life."
From PETE PERU, author of The Reeking Hegs (Montag Press 2020): "You know how the current sociopolitical scene often influences/shapes the work that a writer produces? James M. Wright's "Rhizome" is a gem of an example. Using fiction/fantasy as a vehicle, Mr.Wright presents us with a series of ideas which are gaining ground fast in the mainstream of earth/bio sciences, combining them neatly with a contrasting story of love and tragedy in a polarized world as opposed to love and harmony in a parallel world. This absorbing tale is beautifully written, a fact which only serves to emphasize its underlying message - we are all connected to everything. You better believe it! Thoroughly recommended."