Saturday, February 11, 2023

Review: CHURN THE SOIL by Steve Stred

Release Feb. 17
Somewhere deep within the Canadian North Woods is a small, generally peaceful, community of off-gridders and others wishing to remain apart from the world. Functioning quite like an Indigenous tribe, The Border is mostly cohesive, directed when essential by a group of five, called by their numbers (Number One, etc.) The sole essential stricture relates to a clearing: during the Spring and Summer, it must be tended, cleared of weeds; but with the first snowfall, it becomes Verboten, for this is the contract made generations ago by the first people in the area, with the constantly devouring "Forest Guards." But suddenly and inexplicably the contract has been annihilated. Now no protection, no peace remains.