In the most general terms, Alpha Gene is about a renowned scientist who begins to discover an odd pattern in the small town where he now teaches: children with unusual abilities ranging from invisibility to massive strength, from healing to telekinesis. Under his study, the kids learn to control their powers, all while still navigating the difficult world of high school. Of course, there's also those mysterious black cars that seem to be following everyone...but that's getting ahead of ourselves. Alpha Gene is, in general terms, a pretty fun book. Huerta does a nice job marrying the kids' powers and fears to their high school world, and the result is a sort of low-key X-men vibe, one that finds the kids using their powers both to better the world but also themselves. Indeed, the more low-key aspects of the story end up being more satisfying and successful than the bigger threats that emerge, as some mysterious figures begin to take an interest in the kids and things start getting dangerous. While the threats are credible enough, they're never quite all that gripping, and their motivation and appearance definitely feel a little shoehorned in. Worse, though, it's never as fun or as enjoyable as the school sections, which end up dealing with far more universal themes and are generally just a lot more fun. Luckily, though, that's most of the focus of the book, and it ends up making for an enjoyable, if slight, read. I can't go without mentioning, however, the book's grammatical and editing issues. Characters change ages sometimes across the span of a paragraph; words are often substituted for the wrong homonym; the narration often feels a little awkward and clunky, as though it needed a few more passes. It's never a dealbreaker, but it definitely detracts from the book at times, and makes the whole book feel a little sloppier than it probably should. That being said, I quite enjoyed Alpha Gene on the whole; it's a fun read, and as YA goes, it was nice reading something that was as interested in the characters as it was any big plot points or dramatic conflicts.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
