The Night Field - by Donna Glee Williams (Paperback)

About the Book

"Pyn-Poi's mother Marak wants her to grow up to be the matriarch of the tribe, learning how to cook, to make medicines, how to care for everyone, but Pyn-Poi would rather be out among the trees like her father Sook-Sook, learning how to persuade tree roots into bridges, to feel when shoots are too crowded, when drooping leaves need attention. Then something starts going wrong in The Real: when the rains come, instead of nourishment, they bring a stinking brown fog that's poisoning people and plants alike. Pyn-Poi is the treewoman now: it's her job. Their only chance is for her to climb to the land beyond the Wall, where the Ancestors live, to plead for their intercession. Pyn-Poi never expected to find a whole new world up there, with people who are very different from her own family and friends - a land where they are killing nature, and that's killing The Real"--

Book Synopsis

The incredible novel of one woman's quest to save her people - and her world. Now updated with all-new material and a reading-group discussion guide.

It comes without warning, without explanation - the sudden deadly Stink that shreds the life of the People, poisoning the land, sickening the trees, killing babies in the womb. It comes from above, from the Plains of the Ancestors, but what has caused this murderous curse?

It falls to Pyn-Poi to find out. The young tree-woman must climb the unclimbable cliff, to face the Ancestors on their own ground and demand an accounting for the Stink.

But the end of the climb is just the beginning of Pyn-Poi's journey. What she finds in the world above is an abomination beyond the most fearsome fire-stories of the People - and she must defeat it, or face the extinction of everything she has ever loved.

Praise for The Night Field
'Simple, beautiful prose' Scott T. Barnes, editor of NewMyths.com magazine
'Masterful storytelling' Karin Lacey, The Uncommon Octopus
'Beautifully written, poetic' Susan Sachs, climate education mentor

Review Quotes

"The Night Field moves with a fable-like quality; lyrical and sombre and at times even harrowing, as it unfolds its tale of a tribe in harmony with nature, and their struggles against man-made ecological disaster. The heroine is brave and visionary and her journey heart-rending, the writing is engrossing and the story is a well-judged blend of magical-realism, gritty survival and the courage of the oppressed."--David Hair, author of Mage's Blood

'A beautifully written, poetic book that showcases resilience on many levels. . . Donna Glee Williams weaves a story that mirrors our own society's capacity to take brutal advantage of the natural world that supports us, but also gives us hope that it doesn't have to be this way - through the efforts and energies of young people'

--SUSAN SACHS, climate education mentor, including Earth-to-Sky (NASA, NPS & USFWS)

'A beguiling, ecologically holistic dreamscape - Donna Glee Williams's gracefully drawn cast present an uncomfortably real and distinctive reflection on the tragedies that blight the modern age'

--Mark Charan Newton, author of The Reef

'A great piece of magical fantasy'

--SF Book Reviews

'A moving ecological fable, written with Williams' signature grace and compassion. The Night Field weaves wonder, loss and renewal into a narrative that resonates with the past at the same time that it suggests fertile ground for a new future. Highly recommended!'

--Elaine Isaak, author of The Singer's Legacy

'A parable of change and balance, Glee's people feel real, especially her children who are authentic and compelling, with a sturdy protagonist who hooks you instantly'

--Maureen McHugh

'Donna Glee Williams' simple, beautiful prose transports us to a Sylvain wonderland with woven bridges, mysterious currents, magical flora and more familial love and conflict than most mainstream novels. When the child Pyn-Poi led me into in Williams' word-forest, I did not want to leave'

--Scott T. Barnes, Writers of the Future winner and editor of NewMyths magazine

'One of those novels which just sings in your ears. A joyous and harrowing read, it carried me through the night, page after beautiful page.'

--Helen Marshall, author of The Migration

'With lyrical prose, Williams delivers her finest performance yet. Her masterful storytelling unearths depth and color in subtle nuance. The characters are real and believable, and their journey will stick with you for many years to come'

--Karen Lacey, The Uncommon Octopus

"In her latest novel, The Night Field, Donna Glee Williams gives body and weight to a dark magical dream of a narrative, a novel that is as engaging as it is heartbreaking, that is at times nightmarish yet for all its pain and suffering is woven together with the tensile strength of hope."
--Tommy Hays, smliv.com

About the Author

Donna Glee Williams is a poet and writer of literary fantasy and science fiction. She was born in Mexico, the daughter of a Kentucky farm-girl and a Texas Aggie large-animal veterinarian. She's been a lot of places; now she makes her home in the mountains of western North Carolina, but the place she lived the longest and still calls home is New Orleans. These days, she earns her daily bread by writing and helping other writers bring their creative visions to light, but in the past she's done the dance as turnabout crew (aka, "maid") on a schooner, as a librarian, as an environmental activist, as a registered nurse, as a teacher and seminar leader, and for a long stint as a professional student. The craft societies of both The Braided Path and Dreamers owe a lot to the time she's spent hanging out in villages in Mexico, Spain, Italy, Israel, Turkey, India, and Pakistan. As a finalist in the 2015 Roswell Awards for Short Science Fiction, her short story "Saving Seeds" was performed in Hollywood by Jasika Nicole. Her graceful speculative fiction has been recognized by Honorable Mentions from both the Writers of the Future competition and Gardner Dozois's Best of the Year collection.