Captured (The Prometheus Project)

The Prometheus Project - Book 2: Captured is a great follow up to the first novel in the series. The readers start off by catching up with the Resnick kids, Ryan and Regan, and how their research with the underground city has been going over the course of a few months. (The first chapter or so gives you a pretty good background into the first story, but I would definitely still recommend reading them in order.) Richards again mixes a very creative story with a line of science and reasoning that keep the reader very interested in the story. He is very careful in explaining all the discoveries/plans/objects that the characters use as plausible in real life, instead of just futuristic sci-fi or magic. I particularly enjoy when he explains things that are already in existence that a child might find cool, but has never heard about. The story flows well, and I never seem to be able to guess what the solutions will be before the kids find them. Several times in the story I was thinking to myself that the author would be great writing an adult movie screenplay, since so many of them these days need some good creative twists and logical thinking! Still, my only complaint with the story is the characters lack depth. They don't ever seem to be wrong about anything and I can only describe them as perfect angels who don't even let a negative thought float into their heads. There is nothing wrong with putting a few negative aspects in a character - it makes them more real. All in all, I think that kids will like Richards books because of the fact that he doesn't dumb them down just because they are kids. Yes, the concepts are broken down to simple terms, but I don't know if I could have even understood them written in a more sophisticated manner. And even with a high tension, alien invasion going on there is an extremely low level of violence in the book. I think this is a great set of books for science lovers, or even just science fiction lovers, to read as a family.

Book Review: The Prometheus Project - Book 2 : Captured by Douglas E Richards Reviewed by J Bryden Lloyd Writing Style - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) As with the opening part of this series, the writing style is consistent and strong, ideal for kids and adults alike. The dialogue flows well and this actually feels far smoother than the original, with a seemingly more considered plot which is both more complex and better than the first. Character Development - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good) Again, I felt that most of the adult characters were left behind a little in the development side of things, but the baddie of the piece is cleverly drawn and nicely built throughout the book. The reprised hero-siblings manage to evolve a few more steps, becoming more rounded and more identifiable than in the introductory piece, which makes for a good balance in the cast. Descriptive - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) Again Mr Richards provides superb visuals and careful world-building to give the reader the fullest experience of Prometheus. The new characters are given equal status with the descriptive brush, which makes this a nicer work. Language & Grammar - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) This is a more comfortable read, mainly due to better word selection and slightly less emphasis on the introductory side of the writing. With many characters now established, the author wastes no time in getting to grips with the intricacies of the plot and getting things moving. Plot - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) - MINOR SPOILERS Again this was an excellent storyline, and although not as simple in structure as the first book, this was thoroughly enjoyed by my three youngest and myself. The first proper alien makes his move to capture Prometheus and then take over the world via mind control over the US President, and once again, it's those Scooby-doo-esque pesky kids who throw various sized spanners into the works and bring the plan crashing down. Again there are a few admirably placed science lessons to learn along the way and the children have to think their way out of several tight corners on the road towards ultimate victory. General - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good) A better story than its predecessor, and worthy of another solid 4 stars... If 4-and-a-half were possible, this would easily measure there. Kids will love this series. Looking forward to part 3.

This is the second volume in Douglas Richards' excellent three-part series about the exploits of the very smart kids Ryan and Regan, brother and sister. Richards again introduces us to many interesting scientific facts, a science fiction plot at its best, adventures, fascinating gadgets such as a pen that stop pain and heal wounds and infections, and the clever and logical reasoning by Ryan and his younger charming sister. It is now six months since the startling events described in "Trapped." Without revealing this exciting episode, suffice it to say that Ryan and Regan's minds have been somewhat improved and they receive a message that the underground city has been breached (how, why, and by what or whom, and the consequences, readers will discover by reading the tale). Richards adds some humor from time to time with the occasional light-hearted, warm, respectful sibling rivalry between the two youngsters. This is the fourth Richards' book that I read, three aimed at younger people, one for adults, and while this book is one of the three, I think that adults will enjoy it just like they will enjoy the other two. Although this is the second volume in the three part series, one doesn't need to have read book one to follow the story in this volume because Richards summarizes book one at the beginning. However, it seems to me that readers will enjoy book two better if they had read book one.

Good book but is a little short and my son read it in about 20 mins although he is a very fast reader. A average reader would take about and hour so not good for a long book.

See the review of Book 3. This book is slightly longer than book 1 and shorter than the third book.