“One can’t accuse Johnson of skimping on his research. Every detail… reads just right. And as a stylist, Johnson has few equals. He has a lyricism that’s precise but not precious. He packs dark humour into sentences that gleam with turns of phrases and similes both startling and stunningly apt. …Dedicated fans of Johnson's work will relish Tree of Smoke.”

“Often in his work, confusion slides into absurdity, and when Johnson’s on his game, this is translated with acute insight and wicked humour into insanely perfect similes and dialogue that’s both natural and inventive. He can also be a tremendously compassionate writer, adept at communicating not only what his characters think, but how and why they do, rejecting cynicism’s easy out. …If Tree of Smoke is your first Denis Johnson book… then read more, since Johnson is one of the best American writers now working.”

“Denis Johnson’s apocalyptic, doom-and-grace-ridden Vietnam novel has a lot of fire in its belly… [and] if Johnson has a signature theme throughout his work, it’s a kind of quasi-mystical redemption on the other side of the abyss; his gorgeous prose and willingness to go deep have led the way through the scarily lightless corridors of his fiction. …Everything in Tree of Smoke is there for a reason, even when it feels desultory and too passionately involved with its own meanderings. …But there are also moments of riveting intrigue, particularly a scene involving an exquisitely depicted German assassin.”

"A hallucinogenic journey into the heart of darkness, this Vietnam War epic by German-American novelist Denis Johnson is creating quite a stir. Highly original--and potent,"

“…a powerful and original take on the American experience in Vietnam.”