First Published: 1994

Rating: Great

"With a cry of horror, I grabbed my throat and began to gag."

Even at the ripe old age of 21, I still hold Bruce Coville's "Rod Allbright" series dear to my heart. Hey, don't look at me like that--I grew up with Coville's stories, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I still need a fix of one of his books every few months. And since I've already reviewed the first book in the series, Aliens Ate My Homework, it's time for I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X.

About five weeks after his last adventure, in which he helped the crew of the Ferkel capture an interstellar criminal who was posing as the school bully, Rod Allbright is gearing up for summer. Unfortunately for him, the book opens with his mom informing him that his cousin Elspeth is coming to visit, since her parents are having problems and need some time away.

That's a big problem for Rod, seeing as he can't stand the annoying Elspeth. One day, after a failed attempt to get away from her, Rod takes Elspeth out to Seldom Seen, the land behind his house--and they fall into a 20-foot wide hole that looks a lot like a footprint...

Rod and Elspeth find themselves in the clutches of a huge alien named Smorkus Flinders, who rips a hole in the sky and carries them into Dimension X. There, the monster plans to use them as bait to lure the Ferkel into a rescue attempt, so he can exact his revenge on Captain Grakker.

Once the Ferkel's crew comes to the rescue, though, Rod's problems aren't over--because not only do Smorkus Flinders' plans for revenge include Earth, but one of the ship's crew has mysteriously disappeared, and the rest of them are lost in the strange landscape of an alien planet. Somewhere in there, Rod finds the discipline to begin training in the Warrior Science, learning skills he might find himself using sooner than he planned--if he has the courage to use them.

The only problem that I have with I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X is that it feels very much like a middle--plot elements are dropped in but not dropped, with the reader knowing that the story will be continued in the next book of the series. The storyline introduced at the beginning gets resolved, but it's not really a stand-alone book because of all the twists Coville throws in. 

But that's okay--there are two more books in the series after this one. Otherwise, I love I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X. Rod is an appealing character, and I love that he's so human, particularly in contrast with the aliens. I can't really explain what it is that makes him that way--just the little things he does that make you think, "I am reading a story about a kid and a bunch of aliens, and it is completely believable."

And I really love that the Rod of this book isn't the same as the Rod from Aliens Ate My Homework. You can tell the events of the last story changed him, and he continues to grow and mature throughout this and the later books in the series.

As always, Coville introduces commentary about Earth society--a little more blatantly here, as Elspeth and Madame Pong have a brief discussion about the treatment of women on Earth and Rod begins his training in the Warrior Science. But the messages aren't too overwhelming, and they're good messages. So feelings of middle-ness aside, I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X is definitely worth a read, especially for budding readers of sci-fi.

[Buy I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X at Amazon.com ] | [Buy Bruce Coville books at BookCloseouts.com]