The Crooked Man - Kevin Ranson

The Crooked Man - Kevin Ranson

About the book:

The story follows a child on his death bed visited by a mysterious "crooked man" who returns him to the land of the living. Upon returning, the young boy realizes that his mother was taken in his place and that he must endure his new life as a "dead" boy.

The Dead Little Boy Who Continued to Grow Up.

"When he turned seven, the tumor in his chest finally overtook his heart... on the other side, he met a crooked man with a crooked stick who pointed at the dead little boy with a crooked finger. The dead little boy opened his eyes only to find those of his mother closed. Somehow he knew that his mother had taken his place and that the crooked man had caused it; what he didn't know was why. His parents named him Spencer. His friends called him Spooky."

4/5

This is the first in a series of short stories by Kevin Ranson. In this story we get to meet Spencer "Spooky". This story starts off in a different way to mast as it is almost told as a fairy-tale then continuing onto a standard way of reading. I did not find this a problem as the story still flowed well. This story deals with Spooky dying and coming back to life, while his mother takes his place. This as you can imagine comes with the inherent problems that befall someone who swaps places in death. Spooky carries on along his path meeting new people and finding out powers that he didn't know he had, and how to use them. He is followed by problems caused by the crooked man and his cronies, who intend to cause problems. How will he solve them ?

I found this short story a good well written quick read. I found the characters likable, and the interaction believable. The story line flows really well and is easily followed. In all i will be going to look at the next book in the series to find out what else is going to happen to spooky, and what other powers he may have.