School Library Journal
Gr 6 Up Three tie-ins to the laser tag game of Photon. In Thieves of Light, Christopher Jarvis, a self-centered Photon ace, is suddenly transported from his earthly game to an alien spacecraft, where he learns that the game is just a recruiting center for the real galactic battle of light against dark, and he must train to be part of a true fighting team. In For the Glory, the team goes back to Nazi Germany to stop the Warlord of Arr from recruiting Hitler to help him conquer the universe. In High Stakes, the irresponsible behavior of a new recruit puts an entire planet at the mercy of the Dark Warlord. Both authors belabor this cliche-ridden series from its unoriginal premise to the frayed endings of each plotline. There is no believable science, and the plot elements are derivative. The omniscient point of view only serves to distance readers from the main character; they are told what he is doing or feeling, but are rarely allowed to experience it with him. Neither writer creates a convincing alien psyche, which obscures the motivations of some of the characters, and the dehumanized enemy Soldarrs, who have cartoon names, never present an aura of true menace. The members of the team are a group of stereotypes who do not keep consistent personalities or abilities from book to book. The World War II episode is rife with inaccuracy, inconsistency, and anachronism, and the third book degenerates into parody that will never rival Keith Laumer's ``Retief'' series. The first book is passably well written when compared to the others. All in all, though, it's best to avoid this brightly packaged yet insulting teen bait. Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries, Md.