Below the Root
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder · first published 1975
5mentions
3recommended by
3HN commenters
2017–2025first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Chosen to become one of a group of civil and religious leaders ruling the land of Green-Sky, thirteen-year-old Raamo's experiences make him question their teachings and lead him to uncover age-old deceptions.
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Below The Root [0], by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. A highly imaginative, original, and underrated, world setting. Also had the distinction of having a sequel in the form of a video game, with the game's story written by…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…cultures have managed to repress one of the most basic animal instincts – sex – through indoctrination. Why can't the same be done for violence and maliciousness? Check out the Green Sky Trilogy (aka Below The Root) books, which depict a world where pacifism has been more or less achieved, through teaching children to abhor violence the same way our world does for sex and stuff. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Sky_Trilogy
on “Russia requesting to review source code of Western companies’ security products” ↗I absolutely loved Below the Root when I was a kid. I definitely shared the author's sense of wonder when playing. The game world felt expansive and mysterious. It was probably the closest to an "open world game" I ever played on an Apple…
on “Below the Root: A story, a computer game and my lifelong obsession (2015)” ↗I have also been obsessed with "Below the Root" since it came out. Dale Disharoon/DeSharone had an odd insight into textures. Look at the ladders. Look at the vines, both those that can be climbed and those that can be cut with a "trencher beak".…
on “Below the Root: A story, a computer game and my lifelong obsession (2015)” ↗…avid reader now. She says she still wants me to read to her, so I do. This year was a bit sci-fi heavy, and we've decided to target more fantasy and literature in 2026. This year's books included: "Below the Root", "And All Between", and "Until the Celebration" - The "Green Sky Trilogy"[0] by Zilpha Keatly Snyder. We held off on playing the "Below the Root" video game[1] but I'm hoping that as we get into winter…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗