Book Review: "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories"!

Lately I've been on a supernatural and human psychology kick. I'm watching documentaries, reading books, and just generally immersing myself into this genre. When I saw the opportunity to review a free copy of "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories" by Shane Hall, I jumped at the opportunity and was ecstatic to see that I was approved for the promotion! The cover of the book intrigued me, as a film photographer. It looks like a double exposure of an angel statue's face with an eerie, leafless forest. The cover definitely drew me in. It's especially well done considering that Shane Hall is a first time author!

The book was a very quick read, which I didn't quite expect. I love for these stories to be drawn out and extremely detailed. There was plenty of detail there...but my only complaint is that the writing is SO good that I wish the stories were much longer. I finished the book in about an hour of on-and-off reading, with plenty of distractions. However, the story caught my attention and held it until real life beckoned. :) There are five stories within the book: "Vivian's Videos", "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", "John Adams Two", "A Friend in the Depths", and "Rooted". Some are shorter than others, but they all convey plenty of information. I think my favorites are "How to Satisfy the Keymaker" and "A Friend in the Depths".

In "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", the story reads as a how-to (obviously). It's very instructional and you get the eerie feeling that the author is directly talking to you. Without spoiling, it makes you think about what you would do - and who you would sacrifice for yourself in the given situation.

"A Friend in the Depths" is the story that left me wanting the most. The suspense is insane, and your curiosity is peaked. Along with that, the conversation with the two characters allows you to begin to get attached to them. Right at the most dramatic moment of the story, though....it's over. And that hurts my heart, SHANE HALL! (Yes...I'm yelling at you!) ;)

Really, though...this is an explosive start for a new author. The book is very well written with no grammatical or spelling errors, provides plenty of entertainment, and hooks your interest like a fish-human-creature that wants to eat you.  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add onto "A Friend in the Depths" and PLEASE write a 1000 page book. I cannot wait to see where these stories go and where Shane Hall is in the coming years! Congratulations on your debut and very best wishes!

Mr. Sandman - WHOA. WHAT Just Happened??

Recently, I accepted the offer to review an e-book. After downloading my free copy, I set to reading. Now normally, I'm very quick to read and review something (my other blog is called Krypto Dies). ESPECIALLY when it holds my interest.

Now, I'm really into comics of all kinds, so obviously I've been exposed to every plot line under the sun that deals with the sci-fi genre (I would say that Mr. Sandman fits most into this one) so I didn't know what to expect. Typically, I get bored and can say "called it" at the end and go on to write a review about a plot I've reviewed a hundred times. HOWEVER, Mr. Sandman was great in that it was unexpected (the twist and turn of events had me wondering what would happen next and how the story would resolve).

I really don't want to give away too much, but I do particularly love how, throughout the story, different points of view are used. One example that you will find right away is the story of the scientists dealing with a newborn baby (who is genetically altered, we come to find out) while also viewing the story of two employees who are working on a separate level (cleaning). What begins as a military experiment gone wrong turns into one Mr. Lance Cutter being presumed dead TWICE and going head-to-head with a serial killer who has unique...ways. Lance finds himself in a situation where his past is catching up with him.

And that's where I HAVE to stop. You guys have no idea how hard it was not to reveal the plot or key aspects of it.

I will say the following, however.

Technically:

The characters are well developed. They are believable. They grow. They develop. You become attached to them. I LOVE that in a book.

The words connect well and flow into sentences that are easy to read and understand. Reading this book doesn't feel like a chore, but the content is intelligent.

It's easy to stay interested in the plot and the sequence of events. GEEZ. THIS part REALLY makes me want to say more...GAH! I'll just leave it by saying: there's never a dull moment.

I really enjoyed this read! If you're interested in a sci-fi mystery, definitely check it out!