The hungry Forest is always growing, always moving forward, always deadly. And when young Feather is tricked and left stranded in its ever-watching depths, she must find a way to survive and stop the man who deceived her.
The hungry Forest is always growing, always moving forward, always deadly. And when young Feather is tricked and left stranded in its ever-watching depths, she must find a way to survive and stop the man who deceived her.
If there’s one thing Feather knows, it’s this: Given the chance, the Forest will devour her home, just like it’s devoured everything else in her world. After all, her small community of survivors lives in a section of what used to be a vast wall that runs through and above the trees.
The Wall was built, very long ago, to be a stalwart blockade against the ever-advancing vines, roots and branches of the Forest. But it’s now just a crumbling façade of what it once was. In fact, Feather is pretty certain that her group of survivors is the last living remnant of humans in the world.
Well, that is, she used to think that was true. But just the other day, while foraging in her assigned section of the crumbling wall outskirts, she met a wounded stranger. He said he had traveled a great distance, and he begged her to keep his existence secret from others.
And she did.
She brought the man some food. She even “borrowed” the Leader’s spyglass to aid the stranger in drawing a map for her. He said he could use it to approximate the distance to certain landmarks in the distance: a vine-covered stone tower to the east, an outcrop of rock to the west.
Feather desperately wanted to know what was out there, beyond her small section of wall. It was a yearning she could not explain. And it was her downfall: The man never drew her a map. Instead … he took the spyglass and kicked her off the wall.
Feather fell down and down, breaking branches and lacerating her arms and legs. Somehow, she survived.
Now, however, she has a decision to make. If she stays in the Forest, she will surely die. If her death doesn’t come by the snarling fangs of one of the hundreds and hundreds of creatures in the woods, the very greenery itself will coil around her and snuff out her life.
On the other hand, if she somehow scrabbles back up to her home, she will have to face the people who care about her and tell them she stole a precious item. She’d have to admit to her own youthful ignorance and foolishness. She may be plucky and fearless, but she would likely never be trusted again.
So Feather decides she must climb along the edges of the wall; she’ll find enough to eat, sip from pooled water, discover small niches to rest in, and somehow track the betrayer. She will retrieve the stolen spyglass: That’s the only way she can go home.
The stranger had said he was heading to the “sea,” and he motioned to the west. So Feather will follow in that direction. Who knows what she’ll encounter. She’ll have to face the Forest’s dangers—and likely encounter things beyond her wildest imagination.
But she will right the wrong she has done.
None.
There is something magical (though the book doesn’t call it that) about the nature of the Forest. The greenery moves on its own like a living, thinking thing. One night, for instance, the Forest vines creep into a container Feather is sleeping in and almost smother her.
Feather also travels with a scaled, ferret/weasel-like creature called Sleek that sits on her shoulder and warns her of danger. However, as Feather spends time in the Forest, the living environment whispers quiet messages to Sleek, drawing his loyalties away from Feather.
There are also a number of fantastic creatures in and around the Forest.
Feather’s mother is a loving metalworker and blacksmith, though we don’t see a lot of her in this story.
The stranger, whom Feather learns is called Merildun, lies and cheats and is willing to kill in his private pursuits. (He goes so far as to pull a threatening knife on a young boy before being stopped.)
As Feather travels down the long and broken wall—”time, frosts, and the clawing roots of the Forest had run fractures through its fabric”—the young girl discovers other small groups of people. And in each case, they report Merildun’s thefts and betrayals.
The communities of survivors that Feather is surprised to encounter all tend to blame her for Merildun’s actions, thinking she is in cahoots with the wicked man. But eventually we see that these people are all generally good and fair. Each group has its own special skills and weaknesses. Feather learns from different people, and she helps them in return.
As she travels, Feather also creates her own map of her journey. In time, that map strengthens all the groups living along the many miles of the disjointed and crumbling Wall, helping them push back against the encroaching Forest.
Later, both Feather and Merildun come into contact with some island dwellers. They invite Feather to stay with their thriving community. (They also give Merildun a chance at redemption.)
[Spoiler Warning] Feather decides to go back home, however, to help her friends benefit from her discoveries. Her mother tearfully welcomes her daughter home after her long absence. The rest of Feather’s community welcome her home with open arms as well.
Feather faces great peril in the form of deadly insects and animals. She encounters a huge venomous spider, and she gets attacked by snakes, lizards and oversized ants. Enormous birds come at her from the air and lift victims into the air. And the Forest itself wraps its tendrils around her when she sleeps. Even Sleek is coaxed into attacking Feather by the Forest’s beasty whispers.
Feather is also captured in a net and held at sword point by some adults. That said, Merildun is the most threatening and potentially deadly individual here. As mentioned, he kicks Feather off a high precipice and pulls his knife on a child, grabbing the boy in a chokehold.
None.
Have you ever imagined yourself setting off on a survival journey? What do you think that might be like? What would you be most afraid of?
Did you know that several Scripture verses focus on “surviving in the wilderness”? But those passages tend to talk about trusting God to sustain you and give you guidance through the difficult times of life.
Do you turn to God when situations are particularly tough? When God talks about giving us “sustenance,” what do you think He means? How does the Bible sustain us?
In the story, Feather also determined that she couldn’t go back home until she corrected her bad choice and brought back the spyglass. But what did she bring back that was even more important to her friends and family?
How did her discoveries help everyone who lives along the Wall?
The Forest of a Thousand Eyes is a well-written and interesting tale that takes unexpected twists and turns. But it’s also a story that could be seen as an allegory about facing challenges in life. Do we run away or push forward in times of difficulty? Do we think of just ourselves, or do we work to help others?
It should be noted, however, that some younger readers might find the Forest’s perils to be a bit disturbing. (Though most will see them as thrilling conflicts.)
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
