Aftershock

Mindwarp #6

by Chris Archer, Jeffrey Archer

On her 13th birthday, Toni Douglas discovers she has a super human ability to control anything that runs on electricity. But the biggest shock is when she realizes she's not the only seventh grader with amazing powers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Time Travel

Library Binding

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Joe Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent and propulsive installment of this 90s middle-grade alien conspiracy series. We've got time travel now! The latest protagonist to turn thirteen and unlock special powers from her extraterrestrial heritage is one of the popular kids in school -- not quite a mean girl, but someone of that social strata, which is different from the nerds and outcasts we've previously been following. (If you're looking for Animorphs parallels, this newcomer is very much the Rachel of the team.) She learns that she can absorb electricity from the machines around her and then discharge it back into the atmosphere, which she uses both as a weapon and to punch a hole in spacetime and temporarily visit the past.

That leads to some fun sequences of culture shock -- 80s fashions! -- and Back to the Future-esque moments of her dodging her earlier self, interacting with her now-dead mom, and the like. It all builds to a climactic showdown at the local mall, and an ending that rockets the storyline even further ahead. I don't remember much of what comes after this, but it feels like we're finally out of the episodic formula that's driven these books so far, which is pretty exciting. At this point, our teen heroes are all assembled and their enemies are intent on actually destroying them, rather than just sending one-off shapeshifter assassins on their birthdays with no particular follow-through. Let's see where the resistance effort goes from here.

[Content warning for racism and implied threat of sexual assault.]

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[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mind has been pleasantly warped once more. Remaining consistent throughout every book so far, Chris Archer’s writing is great; it flows super well, has good prose, and he provides good characterization and humor. Our new hero, Toni (who I think is the last newbie of the series), is a solid addition to the cast with some riveting monologues. There’s some easy highlight moments in here, like the scene between Toni and her mother, with the biggest standout being… holy shit… that ending. It’s not a new kids’ horror twist (Spooksville pulled it, actually) but a wonderful execution of such that definitely intrigues me for where this series will go, especially with the prompted questions of when, how, who, and why (we know where). Overall, 10/10. Nothing else to say. I’m waiting for that quality dip though, but as it stands, this is peak middle-grade fiction that I would voluntarily share with my children if I were a parent.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toni’s the best narrator so far. I like her a lot.

[Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the series after reading 1-9 as a kid! Toni is bomb. Would love to see a “adult” version of the series!!

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toni Douglas is having the worst thirteenth birthday ever. Her shopping trip has turned into an absolute disaster, and then to top it off a gang of boys decides to harass her. She can't believe she has power, but even more unbelievable is the alien assassins that come after her next.

Toni is nothing if not over the top. Her temper tantrums and spoiled attitude could easily ruin the book, but most of the time it comes off as amusing instead. Behind the shopping mania lies a girl who still misses her mom, won't back down from a fight, and finds creative ways to get even.

The bulk of the story is nothing new: with the thirteenth birthday, powers appear along with aliens, but the end of the story takes the series in a completely new direction. Again, the four who are left don't really get a lot of time to talk to each other, beyond the initial warning. Hopefully future books will develop each of them more.

Overall this keeps hitting hard and fast, and I love the twist at the end. It signals a definite change and it will be interesting to see how everyone keeps going from here. I rate this book Recommended.