Tainted Trail

June 1, 2002
The sequel to " Alien Taste" (2001) sends Ukiah Oregon off on the trail of Alicia Kraynak, the niece of his partner Max's best friend. What appears to be an ordinary disappearance quickly turns out to involve alien invaders, the Ontongard (somewhat like the Borg of " Star Trek: The Next Generation"), and one of Ukiah's earlier selves, the feral Wild Boy of the Oregon wilderness. These contingencies immediately put Ukiah on his mettle, for he is actually the only fertile offspring of a rebel faction of the Ontongard that has been struggling for centuries to save Earth from universal infection and conversion into another conquered group-mind of the "orthodox" Ontongard. The battle against evil aliens is action-packed though relatively unsurprising, but Spencer's skillful characterizations, vividly drawn settings, and comic exploitation of Ukiah's deceptively youthful, highly buff looks make the romp high light entertainment. Fortunately, this isn't likely to be Ukiah's farewell performance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)