Frankie Vane was a hand-me-down kid. After both his parents skipped out on him, he was shuffled off to one unwanting relative to the next until he ran out of relatives at age seventeen and had to spend one year in an orphanage. At age eighteen, he began to have some success until the draft and World War II interfered and cost him three years fighting the Germans. After the war, he resumed his career only to have it end when someone murders him. He comes back from the dead to find out who and why and even manages to find love, which he never had before, along the way.

The trees of Southcrop have made a striking discovery-one that could change the world for all their kind. But they are trapped in a forest fragment and face destruction from human sprawl. They cannot spread their new-found gift across the land. Then Auja, a young oak, finds little Fur amongst her branches. Fur is a legendary creature not seen for a thousand years, a single intelligent being emerged from a colony of caterpillars. Fur is small and meek and slow, but can travel through the forest and talk with trees. Auja persuades the reluctant Fur to help. Fur embarks on a desperate quest to find the source of all tree power-the mysterious Riverside Farm. Here he must gather the trees' great treasure and carry it across Oak River to the forests of Deep Sky. Fur's long trek is fraught with peril as he races to reach Riverside Farm before it is destroyed. Ghoulish enemies hunt him while machines wreak their deadly havoc. Yet Fur's journey is one of enlightenment as he learns about the ecology of his world, the threat of the human species, and finally, the secret of his existence.

Rob Hidden is not a nice guy. He's a criminal, and he likes being a criminal. He's good at it, and he finds that doing bad stuff makes him feel good. One night this heartless villain comes home to his wife, who informs him the police are on his tail. He lashes out at her, and so began a tirade that would lead to abuse, robbery, and murder. It all started when Rob decides to hide out at the home of his friend, Dave Cart. It appears Dave wasn't expecting company. Seeing the huge pile of money on his table, Rob decides to do what he does best: steal the money and shoot Dave. Seasoned police officer Morgan Sill is called to the scene, but Rob doesn't get far before he is spotted. Sill chases him down, forcing Rob to drop the murder weapon-just what the police need to charge Rob and get him to court. Nothing is simple, though. First, the court must decide if Rob is fit for trial ... or if he's too blatantly crazy to even receive a sentence. Then, there's the court-appointed slimeball lawyer, Crabtree, who will say anything to keep his client out of jail. Sill is worried that Rob is going to get off without even a slap on the wrist. Is there anything the cops can do to stop him, or will evil prevail in the streets?