Attack of the Intergalactic Soul Hunters by Timothy Carter © 2005 Llewellyn Worldwide ISBN 0-7387-0847-x Paperback 203 pages short stories $6.95 (U.S.)
$9.50 (Canada) Novel Younger Readers (pre-teen and teens)
Okay, I admit it, there was no logical reason for me to request this book. It isn’t Wiccan- or Pagan-themed. It is aimed at an audience which is younger that ones I usually review for, but it seemed like fun, and sometimes that is excuse enough for a book.
This is the beginning of a new series of books – a trend which I fully applaud. Over the years there have been very few series which can encourage youngsters to look forward to reading new things which were not very well rooted in the real word (The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, etc.) with the exception of sci-fi series (Tom Swift comes to mind), or which were totally disconnected from the real world at the other end of the scale (Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, etc.).
Although this is “space adventure” (or will be starting in the next installment) the major protagonists are young folks (ages 10 through teen) who come from less than ideal families.
There is an underlying theme of reincarnation, which is enjoyable enough to make this a good read. It might inspire the young reader to ask questions about karma and reincarnation.
So, this is “occult-themed” in tone which could appeal to Pagan families. It will take another couple of books to see if this series will hold up If it does, it may lead Llewellyn to bring out more “occult-themed” series – they currently have several series in productions and, I feel, the more the merrier.