Alien Terror

Mindwarp #1

by Chris Archer

Discovering that he is half-alien and a master of the martial arts and weaponry, former wimp Ethan Rogers finds his happiness short-lived when he is forced to fight for his life. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Superheroes, Childrens, Mystery

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some pretty good stuff for middle-grade. It does have some of the expected hokeyness that comes with the territory, such as demonstrating the main character's nerdiness mostly through name-dropping comic books and tv shows. There's also the fact that this book is clearly the start of a bigger story, and while I applaud Archer for aiming at such a grand target I am frustrated that this book doesn't end so much as stop. The character arcs and bigger story have only just started, but I would have liked a little more closure than what we got.

Still, the book itself is quality. Ethan is a realistic and relatable character to any of the many thirteen-year-olds that feel out of place in the world, whether it be amongst their peers or their own family (and of course for Ethan this is heightened because he's adopted). His fear especially as things around him continue to become more and more dangerous is quite palpable and one of my favourite aspects of the book. The pacing is also pretty good, as it slowly builds the mystique and the mystery surrounding Ethan's powers and origins. And the disappearance of another child weeks ago that's mentioned throughout add this underlying current of dread and realistic fear that helps enhance all the other horror situations Ethan goes through. Even if most of the cast don't know what's really going on in town, they still have realistic fears of a child predator stalking the streets.

All this makes the book feel like a midway point between Goosebumps and It, and I hope the rest of the series can live up to this one. If I can track it down, that is - they're under-hyped 90s kids books. Can we guarantee they all made it to now? My copy's certainly seen better days!.

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethan Rogers is a comic-loving, just-turned-thirteen kid fascinated with superheros. His town of Metier is always reporting weird lights and UFO sightings, and Ethan would like nothing better than to see an alien. But then his life starts to take a turn for the weird. Scrawny Ethan discovers within himself an ability to fight using moves he's never learned, which makes him the target of something definitely not human...

Sometimes comics are more interesting than real life. That was Ethan's life until his thirteenth birthday, and in an attempt to make his real life more bearable, he comic-captions everything in his mind. And then sometimes real life is stranger than any comic. That's Ethan's life after his birthday, when his body starts changing in a lot of really interesting ways. Despite warnings to lay low, Ethan can't see the problem with showing off a little. But there's more to being a superhero than he imagined, and he forgot that superhero stories usually include super-villains as well.

This is a fast read, amusing, and very well set up. I could wish some of Ethan's friends got a little more page time, but the story works for what it is. Ethan and his friends all have their own little hobbies, which makes for interesting conversations like the physics of Loony Tunes. The action scenes fly fast and furious, and Ethan has to learn most of his power by the seat of his pants.

Overall I love the book. It's a good start to the series, and though it ties up the main plot, leaves a lot of room for sequels. I rate this book Recommended.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promising start to the series, but it relies a little much on referencing media in lieu of actual characterization.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another old middle-grade reread for me. As a series launcher, this title has potential, although it remains mostly setup for the future at this point. When wimpy kid Ethan turns 13, he gains super-strength and expert fighting skills during times of stress, but is cryptically warned that he should hide his newfound abilities before they bring on unwanted attention. Sure enough, a shapeshifting enemy is soon stalking him and reveals that the hero's father was an extraterrestrial, though that's all we really get for now besides a minor arc about standing up to a bully but pulling back from the urge to kill him once he's at his victim's mercy.

This book came out in 1997, and it's fun to spot both the references like Marvel comics and Mortal Kombat that are supposed to establish the protagonist's nerdiness and the clear but unmentioned plot influences of popular genre works of the era like The X-Files and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The storyline cribs from those a mistrust of authority and hints of a wider conspiracy, although that angle would have to wait for the sequels to develop any real specifics.

I dig the visual aspect of the boy's eyes turning jet-black when his powers activate, the light body horror of the other changes he's feeling inside, and the creepy implication that his adopted parents know more about his situation than they're letting on to him. As I sometimes mentioned in my Animorphs reviews, books for this age range often traffic in metaphors for puberty and feelings of teenage alienation, and that element doesn't get much more literal than this. It's a solid start for a concept that I remember going in some interesting directions later on.

Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read date is an estimation ; I also read these repeatedly as a kid. One of my favourite series - I still have them downstairs.

I remember buying these as they came out as a kid, and I think it’s on of the very few series when I was really young that I made sure I got each book - even Goosebumps didn’t inspire that kind of devotion.

[Larissa López]

Es un libro muy interesante y entretenido ademas de que te atrapa en ese universo

[Mars · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series, especially the early books, and I think it's a shame more people don't know about it. I loved all six Alpha kids. The books are fairly short, juvenile books so their personalities aren't fleshed out super well, but they are likeable and interesting. I do think the series suffers a bit from the author not knowing the ending going in; it does seem a bit phoned in. But overall a fun, quick read.

[Notcathy J · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Anvils are everywhere, and they're usually falling."

[Tian Chung]

I have not start reading and I want to

[Baman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book years ago, and for an older book from the 1990's it had a really modern feel to it and was a great example of a sci-fi/supernatural book.

[Erin(and Hannah) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science fiction series. Good aliens.