Max and the Hidden Visitor

by D.P. Bowkett

If you love science-fiction, like Doctor Who and Star Trek, but also enjoy coming-of-age tales like Heartstopper, this book is for you.

Max Janus has made many mistakes since first coming to Earth during the peak of the Roman Empire to chase down alien criminals called Deceptors. Things take an unexpected twist when an accident whilst chasing a female Deceptor in 21st Century London results in him waking up inside the body of a 17-year-old boy. Despite Max transmuting inside a new host every 30 years or so, he has become set in his ways. He has relied on generations of the same family of doctors to be his next host as they reach thirty years of age, so finding himself having to deal with the emotional rollercoaster of a teenager struggling with exams, driving lessons, and his sexuality is sure to cause mayhem.

When Bobby Morris sees an old man knocked over in Piccadilly Circus, he couldn’t have imagined how much his life was about to be disrupted. Suddenly finding he will be spending the next six months hosting a centuries-old alien until it can build a new human body shell is bad enough, but finding out that this alien’s past has put the lives of his friends and family at risk leaves him with little choice but to join in the battle.

Sci-fi action and adventure trade places as Bobby’s alien body lodger is revealed to his friends, who agree to support him on the quest to uncover who that Deceptor is and why the police seem to be helping the Deceptor.

Max and the Hidden Visitor appeals to anyone who loves science-fiction and coming-of-age stories in an action-packed, page-turning adventure for ages 12 to 99.

357 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2023

Reviews

[Kendra Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and the hidden visitor a non stop sci-fi/thriller/coming of age story. Max is not from earth and must occupy a host before he can materialize and live independently again. Due to some events he finds himself sharing a body with a 17 year old boy and now has to navigate saving our world while dealing with the trials of a teenager. I enjoyed this book so much, I legit devoured in in two and a half days. And that half day was only because I had to stop and be a responsible parent. If you are a fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, and the like, this is your opportunity to start reading the beginning of a fantastic series. Can’t wait for the next book!!!

[Pauline Lovett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and the hidden visitor is an extraordinary, intergalactic tale of an alien who needs to share a human body to genetically duplicate a ‘shell’ for its energy soul to inhabit. Max just happens to accidentally end up in the body of a teenage boy.
It’s fast paced and action packed with themes of teenage self discovery. My favourite character is Danny, a teenage boy who uses a wheelchair, but he is a tech genius.

[D.P. Bowkett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m biased as I wrote it, but I really enjoyed the entire experience and I’m proud of the book. It's part of a series but it can also be read as a standalone story.

[Spooky Book Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is absolutely amazing I really enjoyed every minute of it!!!

[T. E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my... I have much to say about this one.

I'll start with the good. I think this author has a lot of potential. I can feel they're passionate about the story and characters, and they have some really good ideas. The book has an interesting premise. There were a lot of cool elements to it, including several action sequences that were fun to read. I enjoyed some of the characters, particularly Danny, who I thought was by far the most likeable and interesting out of all of them.

All that said, there were a LOT of issues. I'm going to point out a few specifics, but overall, most of it comes down to this book desperately needing better editing. I don't mind a typo or two in an otherwise good story, but this was well beyond that.

Some of the following issues are objective problems with editing and others are just my personal opinions. I'll hide it in case of possible spoilers.

Show vs Tell. There was a lot of "telling" in this book. As mentioned earlier, it had some exciting parts (sneaking into the hospital, going into the spa place to rescue Michael, the car chase) where I wanted the author to slow down and immerse me in the moment, showing the feelings, sights, sounds...building suspense... Instead, a lot of times it felt like I was just quickly told what happened.

Head hopping. This is often an issue in stories told in omniscient POV, which is, in my opinion, the worst POV, and I will never understand why authors choose it. However, it was particularly bad in this book. The author jumps not only from character to character, but also to entirely separate groups of characters who are in different locations with no scene breaks at all. This made keeping track of who was where/with whom/doing what incredibly difficult to follow in some of the more complex action sequences. What's weird is at times, scene breaks WERE used properly, so I don't understand why this was done in certain parts. Which leads me to...

Inconsistent style. The opening chapter was written in what seemed like limited third, focusing on Catherine's perspective. Then there's a scene break, and we switched to Max's perspective. It wasn't until later the book began shifting into omniscient POV and having all the head-hopping issues. There were other strange shifts as well. For example, at one point in the later part of the book, the writing suddenly changes to present tense for a page or two, which was very jarring.

Errors. There were numerous errors. Several times, the incorrect character name was used. (clear by the context of the dialogue). There were typos and incorrect word usages (example, "phase you" rather than "faze you.") as well as quite a few instances of missing commas.

Weird romances. At first, I thought the setup of Bobby having a secret crush on his friend was intriguing. However, this plot line was totally underdeveloped. As soon as it's revealed that they like each other about halfway through the story, all the tension and chemistry goes away, and there is no further development. Adam and Bobby don't have one emotionally driven conversation for the entire rest of the book, and their "love" is only shown by them occasionally kissing, sleeping in the same bed, or calling each other pet names.

The whole Avery/Max "romance" was even weirder. I wish that had been removed entirely because I didn't find it the slightest bit believable that this girl was in love with this alien spirit living inside her friend's body. They spent almost no time alone together, and once again, there were zero emotionally driven moments or conversations. Just...WHY? I don't get it. lol

This book would've been much better without any romances in my opinion, but it also could've worked had the Adam/Bobby romance been developed a lot more.

SO much dialogue. I love dialogue, don't get me wrong, but a lot of this book is the characters hanging out and bantering more than stuff actually happening. And (this relates to show vs tell) much of the story was told via dialogue rather than rich descriptions and a more fleshed-out narrative.

Anyway, like I said earlier, I feel like there's potential here. I hope this author will consider better editing in the future. It's a shame to see so many errors and issues in a book that had an overall cool story. I'd give this one a 4 based on just the concept and some of the exciting action sequences and a 2 based on the actual writing, so that evens out to a solid 3 stars.

[Nellie Thorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and the Hidden Visitor is a thoughtful, character-driven story that blends mystery, science fiction, and emotional nuance. Max is a relatable protagonist, curious, grounded, and caught in a web of secrets that unfold with subtle tension. The pacing is gentle but deliberate, and the world Bowkett builds feels lived-in and quietly eerie.

What stood out most to me was the emotional undercurrent. This isn’t just a story about strange visitors, it’s about trust, memory, and the quiet ways we process the unknown. The writing is clean and immersive, and the mystery lingers long after the final page.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy sci-fi with a personal touch and a slow-burn reveal.

[Sean McGillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Teen/ Coming of Age Science Fiction story that was a lot of fun. The story was easy to read, fast paced and quite entertaining. At some points, I thought the banter between the teens was excessive, but not enough to change my opinion of this tale. Some of it was really amusing though.
The plot was clever with some good twists that keep you guessing. A plot line I found quite interesting was Max and Bobby trying to have a relationship with other people despite Bobby hosting Max.
Really nice debut from Mr. Bowkett. Looking forward to the next segment of this series.

[M. L. White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great YA book

Loved this book! A great sci-fi action adventure starring Max and Bobby. Two completely opposite characters thrown together by accident. Max is an alien hunting his own kind that have gone rogue essentially and when his host body dies he ends up with teenage Bobby as his new host. Love the banter back and forth and the twists and turns that I won’t spoil for the next reader but it’s a great clean read. My absolute favorite character is Danny though so when you go to read it look for when he comes into the book because everything gets better when he does. :)

[Karen Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and the Hidden Visitor blends Doctor Who–style action with a heartfelt coming-of-age twist. When ancient alien Max ends up in the body of 17-year-old Bobby, the two are thrown into a fast, funny, and emotional race to stop a dangerous Deceptor.

Quick, clever, and full of charm, perfect for anyone who loves sci-fi with heart.
Highly recommended.