The Family Tree

A female cop confronts near-future visitors in this “beautifully realized” feminist sci-fi novel “full of delightful surprises and sparkling wit” (Kirkus Reviews).

Police officer Dora Henry is investigating the bizarre murders of three geneticists. Meanwhile, strange things are happening everywhere she turns. Weeds are becoming trees; trees are becoming forests. Overnight, a city is being transformed into a wild and verdant place.

And, strangest of all, Dora can somehow communicate with the rampaging flora.

A potential civilization-ending catastrophe is in the making. The nearer Dora gets to a murderer—and to the truth—the more seemingly disparate events begin to entwine. And the answers she seeks today to the salvation of humankind may lie in a far distant future. . .one which is suddenly much closer than anyone imagines.

An exhilarating and enchanting novel that deftly combines fantastic invention with insight and a social conscience, from one of the most lyrical and important voices in contemporary speculative fiction

“This out-and-out charmer is unquestionably Tepper’s best work so far.” —Kirkus Reviews