Rooted consists of 5 stories. Each story is short -- no more than a few pages, but the writing is so concise it has all the elements of a good spine tingling read: suspense, fantasy, horror, science fiction. Hall's writing has a distinct Stephen King flavor to it: creepy and very vivid.
Once I started reading the stories I was unable to stop. The suspense builds in a creepy way: like seeing a car accident on the side of the road and not being able to look away, even though you know it's going to be awful, and stay with you for a long time.
But unlike bad car accidents, Rooted's stories do not have predictable, gory outcomes. Each plotline is very original and kept me guessing to the end.
My favorite of the bunch has to be John Adams Two, which features the legend of the doppelgänger, and is mild enough to read to my tweens on our next camping trip to the deep dark woods. Or maybe it's Rooted, which just so happens to feature haunted woods. Then again, there's my fear of fish being piqued in A Friend in the Depths. . . BUT even better might be Vivian's Videos, and the "concealed store--down a tunnel of black trees and far from any main road" . . .
I highly recommend Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories by Shane Hall. Note: some stories contain language and violence that may be not be appropriate for younger children.
**I received this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review, which I have just provided.**
My rating: 5 stars!
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