When dark roots hunt by Zena Shapter

For lovers of alternative worlds with hints of our own, or worlds and communities which have degraded and fractured, this is an amazing journey! This story follows the main character Sala, whose own heritage puts her at odds with her village community. She tries desperately to live well and still get the locals to consider innovation  and new ways of existing in their lakeside community. The waterways of her alt-world are ringed by Wyann trees that are vicious and inclined to attack anything that enters the water. There are also brutal giant water-ants that hunt anything on the water surface. Neighbouring communities and trade links must overcome a host of problems to enable survival, but it is the arrival of a crashed spacecraft and its alien (but humanoid empath) that sends the known world into chaos as they each seek to steal any technology that might help their own community. Violence and partisanship rise to the fore and Sala must determine whether she aligns with her alienated and autocratic mother and her community, or her father’s democratic village and her childhood friend, or does she readjust to see her world through the eyes of her new alien friend and possible romantic interest, who always seems to understand her every concern and hope for the future.

At first I struggled to align my understanding and imagination to this alt-world, but as the book progressed I warmed to the journey, the struggles of the lead character and the possibilities offered by the alien presence and technology. Lovers of sci-fi and speculative fiction will love this story. But even those who are more attuned to adventure and conflict will be charmed. The addition of a sprinkle of potential romance will also win over a completely different audience of Young Adults. Because there is a wide potential audience, I can recommend this story, and especially to those who have enjoyed books like The Hunger Games or other dystopian fiction as there are traces of a dystopian genre mingled with the sci-fi threads. This author has created a unique new world, adventure, conflict and turmoil with unusual creatures, weapons and threats, for readers aged 14 –18.

Themes: Sci-Fi, Speculative fiction, War and conflict, Aliens, Technology, Friendship.

Carolyn Hull