Item - Forest of Fear

This book has an intriguing story with some effective plot elements, but it isn't as strong as Louise Munro Foley's last entry in the series (Danger at Anchor Mine) for one critical reason: lack of consistency. Some very important parts of the plot change depending on which choices are made, and a number of the questions posed by the book are never satisfactorily answered. As a result, the book has some wonderful paths through it, but as a whole, it isn't quite as enjoyable as it could have been. Also, a minor complaint -- the introduction to the story is quite long, and there is lots of page-turning during it. Why do these books have so much pointless page-turning? It's fine if it's because of a choice or converging plot paths or even for suspense... but there's no good reason to require the reader to wander all through the book just to read an introductory passage!

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Louise Munro Foley had nine entries in the classic Choose Your Own Adventure series, and their quality was hit or miss. I heard mixed reviews for years about Forest of Fear, and wondered how I would like it. Your mother's brother, Jason, has invited you to summer with him at the old ranger lookout station he calls home in the woods of northeastern Maine. As soon as you arrive at the lookout tower, you sense something wrong. An author by profession, Jason gets irritable when he catches you reading a partial manuscript of his, but what you read captures your attention. The story seems to be about the real people and places local to these woods, and suggests a "Spirit Tree" of great power actually exists nearby. Should you risk Jason's further anger by reading more of the story, or go see a friend of his, Henry Madokawando, to ask what he knows?

After you read more of Uncle Jason's manuscript without his knowledge, the next day he suggests two safe woodland paths you could explore while he stays at the lookout and writes. Would you rather see Wolf Ridge, or a meadow with the remains of a cabin that burned down a century ago? Jason warns you to steer clear of the covered bridge at Wolf Ridge, but a storm that hits while you're there forces you to shelter under it. Maybe Jason was exaggerating...or maybe your doom is already sealed. A visit to the meadow instead spirits you back a hundred years, where you meet Ben and Sarah, people you recognize from Jason's novel. They ask you to stay the night at their log cabin to preserve you from wolves; declining the offer puts you in danger, but not from carnivores. If you stay overnight, your questions about the Spirit Tree are met with suspicion. Ben might take you to the tree anyway, but can you withstand the encounter with this supernatural entity? If the Spirit Tree becomes your only refuge from a pack of wolves, will you locate it in time to save yourself?

"All life is a risk...One must respect the gift of life and accept what comes with it, good and bad."

—Henry, Forest of Fear, P. 29

Avoiding Uncle Jason and inquiring with Henry about the Spirit Tree may be your best bet. Inside Henry's abandoned cabin, you hide when voices approach. It's two men named Stan and Fred who plan to rob Ellison's Store. They leave without noticing you. Returning to the lookout for help from Jason results in a speedy ending, but you could run down to the store and alert Agnes Ellison herself. Her phone service is down; you could run back to the lookout and get Jason, but it's easy to get lost in the woods. If you do, you run into Henry, who offers to show you the Spirit Tree. Accompanying Henry gets you into deep spiritual waters. You might wind up competing to the death against a young Penobscot Indian, or confronted by a gang of braves ready to kill you for a crime you never committed. Maybe your better option was to wait with Agnes Ellison for Stan and Fred. If you do precisely as she directs, you discover she can be as dangerous as the robbers. Resisting her commands complicates the process of apprehending Stan and Fred, and could send you and them on a night journey to the Spirit Tree. Don't underestimate the tree's power within these woods.

Forest of Fear has too many story threads, none of which are explored well. We discover no deeper meaning to the Spirit Tree, nothing to surprise or amaze, and the characters feel flat. Internal continuity ends up in a shambles from one story branch to the next; the Spirit Tree can be in completely different places and look totally different, and some of the endings in which Agnes Ellison defeats Stan and Fred feel contrived. The overall story energy is spread so thin that no part feels compelling, and that may be the book's biggest weakness. Ron Wing adds a few superb, atmospheric illustrations, but it isn't enough. Forest of Fear is a spiritual predecessor to the author's Ghost Train, but not as good. It more closely resembles Ms. Foley's The Lost Tribe, and that isn't a compliment.

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