Winner of a National Indie Excellence Award for Regional Fiction: WestWinner of a 2025 IPPY Independent Publisher Book Award: West-Pacific Best Regional FictionFinalist in the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for General Fiction One forest. One family. No easy side to choose. Don Karlsson has lived on his family's Oregon homestead for most of his life. The timber on his land is his greatest asset—planted and replenished by his hand, maintained with his labor and sweat, and harvested for income at his discretion.After a new species of voles is discovered living in those trees, authorities step in to protect the creatures, and Karlsson fights back. No one can tell him what to do with his property. He enlists the help of his Billy, a local who understands his father's connection to the land; Stacy, a fierce attorney from Boston determined to represent her father's interests—even if they go against her own; and the beloved and sensitive youngest, Zeke, who organizes local environmentalists to make sure his father does not win.The impending confrontation engulfs the community and competing interests—local businesses and political groups, infiltrators seeking profit—with the Karlsson family at the center, still trying to reconcile the loss of Don's wife and their mother, Marlene. Tempers flare, desperate acts are taken, and the courtroom battle spills over into protests and riots, leading to a riveting and stunning conclusion.AEGOLIUS CREEK leaves readers contemplating our ties to place and family, how we strive for worth and meaning, and ultimately, what—if anything—we can claim as our own."e;Thorp's novel is distinctive in its layering of facts about the geography, …shifts into Don's perspective, and a deep bench of side characters brought richly to life… A surprising and moving account of a man's connection to his home."e;— Kirkus Reviews"e;A truly Oregon story with its familial land ties, timber disputes, hard living, and riots. And throughout it all – undying love. Bookended with the extremes of wildfire seasons, the reader is set for a compelling read that will ultimately break their heart."e;—Sally K Lehman, author of In The Fat and The Last Last Fight"e;Aegolius Creek is a gripping tale of family, legacy, and land rights in which a father fights for control over his Oregon homestead. As environmentalists, politicians, and profiteers clash over a fragile ecosystem, one family's struggle for identity, justice, and belonging takes center stage in this powerful novel about the limits of ownership and the cost of conviction."e;—Maryka Biaggio, Award-winning author of Parlor Games and The Model Spy"e;This book is a journey through history and landscape via one man's iron-clad bond with the land where he planted Douglas firs, raised his children, and buried his wife. Thorp brings a compassionate, discerning eye to each character's perspective and thereby creates a kaleidoscope vision of a disappearing world. A profound and richly textured story you will not soon forget."e;— Trish MacEnulty, author of The Whispering Women

Winner of a National Indie Excellence Award for Regional Fiction: WestWinner of a 2025 IPPY Independent Publisher Book Award: West-Pacific Best Regional FictionFinalist in the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for General Fiction One forest. One family. No easy side to choose. Don Karlsson has lived on his family's Oregon homestead for most of his life. The timber on his land is his greatest asset—planted and replenished by his hand, maintained with his labor and sweat, and harvested for income at his discretion.After a new species of voles is discovered living in those trees, authorities step in to protect the creatures, and Karlsson fights back. No one can tell him what to do with his property. He enlists the help of his Billy, a local who understands his father's connection to the land; Stacy, a fierce attorney from Boston determined to represent her father's interests—even if they go against her own; and the beloved and sensitive youngest, Zeke, who organizes local environmentalists to make sure his father does not win.The impending confrontation engulfs the community and competing interests—local businesses and political groups, infiltrators seeking profit—with the Karlsson family at the center, still trying to reconcile the loss of Don's wife and their mother, Marlene. Tempers flare, desperate acts are taken, and the courtroom battle spills over into protests and riots, leading to a riveting and stunning conclusion.AEGOLIUS CREEK leaves readers contemplating our ties to place and family, how we strive for worth and meaning, and ultimately, what—if anything—we can claim as our own."e;Thorp's novel is distinctive in its layering of facts about the geography, …shifts into Don's perspective, and a deep bench of side characters brought richly to life… A surprising and moving account of a man's connection to his home."e;— Kirkus Reviews"e;A truly Oregon story with its familial land ties, timber disputes, hard living, and riots. And throughout it all – undying love. Bookended with the extremes of wildfire seasons, the reader is set for a compelling read that will ultimately break their heart."e;—Sally K Lehman, author of In The Fat and The Last Last Fight"e;Aegolius Creek is a gripping tale of family, legacy, and land rights in which a father fights for control over his Oregon homestead. As environmentalists, politicians, and profiteers clash over a fragile ecosystem, one family's struggle for identity, justice, and belonging takes center stage in this powerful novel about the limits of ownership and the cost of conviction."e;—Maryka Biaggio, Award-winning author of Parlor Games and The Model Spy"e;This book is a journey through history and landscape via one man's iron-clad bond with the land where he planted Douglas firs, raised his children, and buried his wife. Thorp brings a compassionate, discerning eye to each character's perspective and thereby creates a kaleidoscope vision of a disappearing world. A profound and richly textured story you will not soon forget."e;— Trish MacEnulty, author of The Whispering Women

Winner of a National Indie Excellence Award for Regional Fiction: WestWinner of a 2025 IPPY Independent Publisher Book Award: West-Pacific Best Regional FictionFinalist in the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for General Fiction One forest. One family. No easy side to choose. Don Karlsson has lived on his family's Oregon homestead for most of his life. The timber on his land is his greatest asset—planted and replenished by his hand, maintained with his labor and sweat, and harvested for income at his discretion.After a new species of voles is discovered living in those trees, authorities step in to protect the creatures, and Karlsson fights back. No one can tell him what to do with his property. He enlists the help of his Billy, a local who understands his father's connection to the land; Stacy, a fierce attorney from Boston determined to represent her father's interests—even if they go against her own; and the beloved and sensitive youngest, Zeke, who organizes local environmentalists to make sure his father does not win.The impending confrontation engulfs the community and competing interests—local businesses and political groups, infiltrators seeking profit—with the Karlsson family at the center, still trying to reconcile the loss of Don's wife and their mother, Marlene. Tempers flare, desperate acts are taken, and the courtroom battle spills over into protests and riots, leading to a riveting and stunning conclusion.AEGOLIUS CREEK leaves readers contemplating our ties to place and family, how we strive for worth and meaning, and ultimately, what—if anything—we can claim as our own."e;Thorp's novel is distinctive in its layering of facts about the geography, …shifts into Don's perspective, and a deep bench of side characters brought richly to life… A surprising and moving account of a man's connection to his home."e;— Kirkus Reviews"e;A truly Oregon story with its familial land ties, timber disputes, hard living, and riots. And throughout it all – undying love. Bookended with the extremes of wildfire seasons, the reader is set for a compelling read that will ultimately break their heart."e;—Sally K Lehman, author of In The Fat and The Last Last Fight"e;Aegolius Creek is a gripping tale of family, legacy, and land rights in which a father fights for control over his Oregon homestead. As environmentalists, politicians, and profiteers clash over a fragile ecosystem, one family's struggle for identity, justice, and belonging takes center stage in this powerful novel about the limits of ownership and the cost of conviction."e;—Maryka Biaggio, Award-winning author of Parlor Games and The Model Spy"e;This book is a journey through history and landscape via one man's iron-clad bond with the land where he planted Douglas firs, raised his children, and buried his wife. Thorp brings a compassionate, discerning eye to each character's perspective and thereby creates a kaleidoscope vision of a disappearing world. A profound and richly textured story you will not soon forget."e;— Trish MacEnulty, author of The Whispering Women