Feeding Frenzy

Killer Species #2

by Michael P. Spradlin

A brand-new action-packed series from Michael P. Spradlin. Each book covers a genetically engineered super-predator wreaking havoc on the environment.

Time has passed since anyone's heard from Dr. Catalyst. Emmet and Calvin have even begun to think that the crazed scientist might be gone for good.

But then, on a trip to snorkel off the Florida coast, one of their friends is nearly drowned by an underwater monster, with endless rows of razor-sharp teeth. No one is quite sure what they saw. Was it a moray eel? A giant barracuda?

There's only one thing Emmet knows for certain. Dr. Catalyst is back. And this time, he's out for revenge.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Horror, Childrens, Young Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2013

About the author

Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children.

Reviews

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in a favorite local thrift shop when I spotted the fabulous cover of this book. Being a huge fan of scary books about creatures from the deep, I quickly snatched it.

Emmet finally gets over his fear of the water and goes snorkeling with his friends. They are quickly attacked by some monstrous creatures and barely make it back to shore alive.

Emmet is convinced that Dr. Catalyst, a crazy invasive species activist, is still alive and back in business. He better prove it soon, as more and more attacks occur.

It was nonstop action in this one. Genetically altered sea creatures released to eat the invasive lion fish. Only problem is they quickly turn to other food, including humans.. What could be scarier. Imagine crossing a barracuda, a shark, and an eel. The better to eat you up.

The characters are engaging and easy to like, or not, depending on whether they’re good guys or bad guys. The action is quick. And even though this is the second book in the series, the author quickly filled me in on past events using only a sentence here and a sentence there. Nothing to slow down my reading.

I scoured the library shelves when I was young, looking for stories just like this. It does get a bit creepy, but there’s no gore, so it’s appropriate for young readers. I’m sure they will eat it up.

Upon finishing this book I had to go see the other ones in the series. I noticed they all had fabulous covers too and all but this one featured Emmet’s courageous dog, Apollo. I guess he hasn’t learned how to scuba dive yet. LOL

This was such a fun book. Kept me on the edge and I’d recommend to anyone of any age that enjoys adventure and using their imagination.

I own a copy of this book. My review is voluntarily given.

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

To tart this of this is the second book of the series. Emmet is a young boy who is forced to move from Maine to Florida for his dads work. In the first book Dr. catalyst made a creature name the terragator to get rid of the unwanted anacondas and pythons. In this book he makes a new batch of saltwater creatures to clear out the invasive lionfish. At the beginning of the book Dr. Catalyst acts like a commercial fisherman off the coast where Emmet and some of his friends are swimming. He lets six go at a time from his little commercial boat. Later in the story Dr. Catalyst takes Emmett's dog and hangs him over the tank where he keeps his Murricudas. Murricudas are a mixture between a moral eel and a barracuda. Emmet and his best friend Calvin sneak into where they think Dr. Catalyst is and nail it. when they get to the gate they find out that it is locked. When they figure out it is locked, Calvin pulls out a pair of bolt cutters and cuts through the gate no problem. When they see Emmett's dog hanging above the tank they go to the control room and get him down and they call the cops to arrest Dr. Catalyst.

[Jayme Fink]

Dr.Catalyst is very brave after having his hand bitten by a Pterogator he went on to go on another adventure which took bravery after what happened

[Vidal Ovando · Rating 3 out of 5]

NICE BOOK.CRAZY THAT DR.CATALYST IS STILL ALIVE AFTER THE PTEROGATOR BITE!!AND,HE MADE ANOTHER NEW HYBRID CALLED MURAECUDAS TO EAT THE NONNATIVE,LIONFISH.FUNNY HOW EMMET AND CALVIN FIND DR.CATALYST'S LAIR,AGAIN.WHAT SUCK IS THAT HE ESCAPED AGAIN SO HE MIGHT UNLEASH A NEW HYBRID. REALLY LIKE HOW THE SERICE IS GOING SO I WILL KEEP READING IT.GOOD JOB,MICHAEL SPRADLIN FOR MAKING THIS BOOK.READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE FICTION BOOKS!!!

[Daniel Alcantara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, I really loved it, left me exited to read the next, an amazing series. This does deserve 5 stars, has a lot of suspense, a bit of humor, and cliffhangers if you don’t like them. The first book needs to read first in order to fully understand it. I recommend this book to people who are looking for a good fictional book. I say it was one of the best book I’ve ever read so far.

[Emmanuel Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book was scary and wad action.I will recommend this book to my friends.And i will read it again.And the creature was so scary.

[Chris Velazquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently got the rest of this series as a Christmas gift, and having enjoyed the first book, I looked forward to this one, especially as sea predators are so frightening to me on a personal level.

Unfortunately, this second book in the series fell short, literally. After an exciting opening sequence which sees main characters Emmet and Calvin as well as their school friends being attacked by Dr. Catalyst's new creations, called Muraecudas, the book quickly grinded to a halt. Though it's shorter than the first book, it actually feels too long, because not much of anything happens here. The Muraecudas feel very underused, there's too much talking and nowhere near enough exciting thrills, and Dr. Catalyst is less effective in this book, as evidenced by how he gets thwarted by an unexpected someone (not gonna spoil) in a sequence that is straight out of a cartoon, just too childishly silly.

There are still the same problems with the dialogue as in the first book, what with sometimes the children sounding like adults, and sometimes characters will go into long-winded speeches of several sentences one after another that sound awkward and stilted; less sentences or a comma here and there wouldn't hurt. Emmet is also rather more annoying in this book and his attempts at humor fall flat. On the other hand and a positive note, Calvin really gets to shine in this book's second half, so at least the book had that going for it, as well as a good ending that really sets up for the next book quite nicely.

Overall, this second installment in this book series was disappointing, so here's hoping the next one picks things up.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Catalyst is back from the first book after Emmet Doyle thought he got rid of him for good. One day when Emmet and some of his friends went snorkeling when one of them got attacked by a monster in the water. They later discovered that this was another genetically modified animal and Emmet knew that it had to be Dr. Catalyst back again. This time Dr. Catalyst mixed a barracuda, shark, and an eel to create this monster. His original plan was to kill the lionfish that were ruining the coral reefs in the water but they started to attack humans and other fish. Dr. Catalyst still kept his plan going and was not going to let Emmet in the way again. This book is a great sequel to the first Killer Species book and did a great job at reminding me of what happened in the first book. Like the first book, it is filled with action and suspense. It makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens next to Emmet.

[Hailey McLain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good sequel to the first Killer Species, and, even though it is a short read, about 230 pages, I thought it was a good amount and kept me invested for a long amount of time, and kept me wondering what was gonna happen next.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice science fiction book for young readers.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Rohan Seeto · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Was Kinda Brutal But An Amazing Book! In General

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! The mystery keeps getting better. I am so going to read the rest of the series in the future.

[ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first book

This book definitely had adventure in it and was a nice light read for a weekday night. Cant wait to read the next book in the series.

[Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. It is full of great action and I love how Dr Catalyst creates the new creatures.

[Kailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t love this one as much as #1 and #3, but still a great addition to this series!

[Qais Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very very good and I enjoyed it a lot. I recommend this book to people who love poems

[C Pinedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Catalyst has created another new species in his quest to rid Florida of invasive species, this time lionfish. He doesn't seem to realize that his new species are also invasive.

[Star Shining Forever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this series all out of order, so I'm not really sure of the specifics of who Dr. Catalyst is and what he has done. Suffice it to say that he's a Greenpeace-type environmental freak who creates vicious hybrid animals to help control/fix the nonnative animal population in Florida, considering any and all collateral damage to humans acceptable and even useful to for publicity for his cause.

The killer species the bad guy has cooked up in this story is a cross between the moray eel and the barracuda with a mouthful of teeth. The group of friends and their scientist and cop parents either get involved through their professions, or through incidents at their school, or because Dr. Catalyst has it in for some of them.

It's a good series for kids who like action and adventure, with barely any romance besides a comment or two. Each installment works like one of those B-movies with the made-up hyperscary animals, but the mystery and drama of fighting the bad guy's plans is plausible. A worthwhile read if you're into that type of thing.

[Amiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Catalyst is a scientist that is experimenting on underwater animals. As he tries to create his own species, the underwater creatures danger coming towards their way.
I think the book is interesting because it keeps me entertained throughout the story. I like that the story has at least more than 2 characters in it and it has different settings. Some things I would've changed would be how short the book is and I would've changed it from a third person limited to just a third person.
"He studied the shoreline again and saw that the five young people were putting on fins and masks. They were on their way into the water for snorkeling. Dr. Catalyst smiled. They were about to have a very bad day" (page 5). I included this quote because it foreshadows that the people may get attacked by his new species.

[Aiden Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

He is back and worse then ever. After emit and Calvin foil his plans ones he decided to try something that is a little more watery. So one day Calvin emit raeburn stuke and Riley go scuba diving and in counter his latest creation the murecudas. This book had a lot of stress action adventure and friendship and just like the last when you combine those elements you are pulled into the next chapter. This book has no shortage of characters almost every chapter there is a new character.

[Mari Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this second book in the new Killer Species series, I found this one to be thin in character development and plot. It had a rushed feel to it and there wasn't nearly as much action as the first. Overall I felt a bit cheated as the first one was so masterfully done. Still would recommend this series, especially to boys in grades 3-6.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the Killer Species series. Dr. Catalyst is about to be heard from again. He is releasing a new killer species of fish into the ocean supposedly to destroy lionfish, but they are also attacking people. Emmet and Calvin must again step forward to find Dr. Catalyst and stop him. Boys will enjoy this book as much or more as they did the first one.

[Sharie · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick, easy read, great content for target audience
not too dependent upon first book of series - able to pick up mid-series OK
includes tidbits of reality re: today's environmental concerns

themes:
power of kids
protecting one's family
overcoming fear
friendship
environmental protection vs. cost of clean-up and/or changing habits
sci-fi

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book, "Feeding Frenzy" Dr. Catalyst wants to get revenge on Emmet, for ruining his plans from his crocodile species. He create barracuda's with very sharp teeth, and attack like sharks. When Emmet and his friends go swimming, a tragedy happens. Emmet, and this time with the help of the police, try to stop Dr. Catalyst once and for all.

[Jessica Kinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book will have you jumping out of your seat ever time you finish a chapter! Dr. catalast has returned and this time he's out for revenge! read this book to find out if emmet can save his dog from dropping into a pond full of ficious ccreatures and much more!!!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for middle schoolers. It remained me of a book I read in middle school called Reef Of Death. It keeps u reading wanting to know what happens next. I would love to read the others in the series.

[ChristianC_8Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. The book is about Dr. Catalyst who genetically modifies animals to take out invasive species and attack humans at the same time. Will Emmett and his dad be able to stop Dr. Catalyst before it is to late? I liked this book because it kept me guessing until the end.

[Shrinath P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book as a 4 because it LOVE it sooo much. The first book was really good and I also enjoyed the plot. I realized that I enjoy science fiction very much. This book is also great because it uses real life wildlife problems in the Everglades.