From Publishers Weekly
Leo is driving his friend Tim to the bus station so the latter can sneak off to New York to show his drawings to a publisher, and neither teen is prepared for what happens next. They get abducted by aliens and taken aboard a spacecraft, where samples of their bodily fluids are drawn by disgusting tiny-headed creatures at the behest of even more disgusting huge-headed creatures. The aliens decide to keep Tim, whose drawings they admire, and hapless Leo gets dumped back in the car, with no memory of what happened. Ensuing events, down to the ironic ending, are straight out of the sci-fi cliche vault; savvy readers will recognize elements from The Outer Limits TV series, The Stepford Wives and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as well as environmentalist tracts. This is not one of Sleator's (Others See Us) more inspired efforts, but for those whose idea of mind candy includes plenty of slimy creepy-crawlies, it may be just the ticket. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10?One night Leo and his artist friend Tim are abducted by aliens. The kidnapping follows the standard scenario described by those who claim to have undergone such an experience (the car engine dies, they are taken up into a hovering spacecraft, and subjected to strange medical procedures), but these aliens are different. The physical work in their society is done by tall, thin creatures with tiny heads, operating under the order of squashy bodiless heads with multiple protruding eyes. After the medical procedures, during which they speak of their enemies, the Others, they keep Tim but return Leo to Earth with his memory erased. After a tense encounter with both sets of parents, Leo has a hypnosis session with the strange Dr. Viridian, who, for purposes of his own, obscures Leo's real memory of the event and supplants it with a false one. Two days later Tim returns, appearing to have aged two years, and with vivid three-dimensional drawings he did of destroyed civilizations and alien worlds. Now a cat and mouse game ensues, as the boys question the motives of the Heads, suspect that Dr. Viridian is one of the Others, and wonder what to do with Tim's drawings. It is not until the very end of the book that the boys (and readers) find out what is going on and who is good and who is bad. Although perhaps not as original as some of Sleator's earlier work, this fast-paced science fiction romp is very entertaining and will keep readers turning the pages.?Lyle Blake Smythers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
