Hungry Brain

Parasite Pig - William Sleator
Parasite Pig is Sleator's sequel to Interstellar Pig, picking up pretty much where the last one left off (even though the last book was written more than a decade ago). Again, Barney is caught up in the game of Interstellar Pig, not surprisingly because he advertised for players—after all, now that the aliens are gone, the board game is entirely harmless, right? Duh. Barney makes a lot of stupid decisions again; however, this time Sleator actually gives a reason for his stupidity. I won't give it away, but it's fairly amusing.
Another little tidbit is that Barney lives in Boston, and works in Widener Library, so we get a little bit of Harvard scenery thrown in. But, of course, it's entirely inaccurate, making you wonder if Sleator got his information on Harvard by watching "With Honors." It starts out: "Ten floors of stacks at Widener Library at Harvard were underground. To save money they kept them unlit ..." To save money? As if that's a concern.
Anyhow, there are several new and entertaining aliens (a few of which, appropriately, are parasites of sorts) and it's a little less about the game this time and a little more sci-fi adventure, plus this time there's a girl involved. If you read and enjoyed the first, this one's worth a quick read.

Fed to jhliu's brain | July 11, 2003