September 29, 1997
Set in a Wisconsin town with a history of reported UFO sightings, this far-fetched first venture in the Mindwarp series centers on Ethan, a "science geek" and comic-book junkie with a superhero alter-ego. The 13-year-old sheds the imaginary superhero role when a "creature inside" takes over his body at critical moments, imbuing him with superhuman powers. During wrestling practice, scrawny Ethan manages to flip and hurl his bullying nemesis onto the mat. His 270-degree "heat-sensing vision" allows him to match wits with a strong-as-steel karate black belt, foil a sinister, knife-wielding robber and do in a mysterious being who has assumed the physical likeness of a local TV newscaster. Action-hungry readers may be willing to suspend disbelief and cheer these hardly convincing, allegedly alien-induced surges of strength. Yet despite some snappy writing and wry asides ("I didn't have enough strength to toss one of his shoes, let alone both shoes with him attached," notes Ethan after his wrestling feat), Archer's choppy plot may not prove compelling enough to send most readers searching for the next installment, Alien Blood, due this same month. Ages 8-12.