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Shadow Project #2
The Doomsday Box
When the CIA created a program to research time travel in the 1940s, they never imagined it could lead to a global pandemic decades later. But after an undercover agent, code name Cobra, exploits the time-travel operation to send the black plague into the twenty-first century, the supernatural teen spies of the Shadow Project are recruited to go back in time to Cold War-era Russia and prevent this devastating chain of events from occurring.
There's just one problem: How do four teenagers deter a seasoned CIA agent from his life-or-death mission? Michael, Danny, Opal, and Fuchsia, a new agent with mysterious abilities, will have to use their powers of astral projection—and persuasion—to convince Cobra that what's at stake could hit closer to home than he can imagine. That is, if they can even manage to survive in Moscow in the early 1960s, where the KGB wants them dead. . . .
There's just one problem: How do four teenagers deter a seasoned CIA agent from his life-or-death mission? Michael, Danny, Opal, and Fuchsia, a new agent with mysterious abilities, will have to use their powers of astral projection—and persuasion—to convince Cobra that what's at stake could hit closer to home than he can imagine. That is, if they can even manage to survive in Moscow in the early 1960s, where the KGB wants them dead. . . .
336 pages, Hardcover
First published December 28, 2010
21 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Herbie Brennan
161 books402 followersWhat you should know
Name: Herbie Brennan
Occupation: Author
Favourite book: The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber.
Favourite subjects: Esoteric matters, psychical research, anomalies, Mac computers, other people and cats.
Favourite journals: Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
Favourite holiday spot: Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland.
Number of books published: 116.
Total copies sold worldwide: 10 million +.
Herbie Brennan recently (written 2019) celebrated publication of his 116th book, Nectanebo. Traveller From An Antique Land.
Name: Herbie Brennan
Occupation: Author
Favourite book: The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber.
Favourite subjects: Esoteric matters, psychical research, anomalies, Mac computers, other people and cats.
Favourite journals: Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
Favourite holiday spot: Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland.
Number of books published: 116.
Total copies sold worldwide: 10 million +.
Herbie Brennan recently (written 2019) celebrated publication of his 116th book, Nectanebo. Traveller From An Antique Land.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 27, 2020
i recommend any to read this
January 5, 2011
I received this book as an ARC and was very pleased with the story and characters. This is the second book in the Shadow Project series and I have to admit that I have not read the first book, but I did find it easy to pick up with the second book and not feel that I had missed something.
This book follows 4 teens in their attempt to stop a major catastrophe from happening when the Black Plague is released into our modern time. The only way to stop this from occurring is to go back in time and talk Agent Cobra out of sending the box back through the time portal.
This book covers many topics that I loved seeing in a YA fiction. It touches on the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It also touches on the science of time travel and the Black Plague. Not only is the storyline exciting but it also encourages kids to learn more about history through mentioning just enough in the book to make them interested. This is something that I love to see in YA books.
I did find at times that I was a bit confused with so much going on such as KGB - CIA, whose the bad guy and who is not, overlapping character confusion. But I did not feel that any of this took away from the story and often times it helped elevate the pace of the story. All and all a very good book for Junior High and up.
This book follows 4 teens in their attempt to stop a major catastrophe from happening when the Black Plague is released into our modern time. The only way to stop this from occurring is to go back in time and talk Agent Cobra out of sending the box back through the time portal.
This book covers many topics that I loved seeing in a YA fiction. It touches on the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It also touches on the science of time travel and the Black Plague. Not only is the storyline exciting but it also encourages kids to learn more about history through mentioning just enough in the book to make them interested. This is something that I love to see in YA books.
I did find at times that I was a bit confused with so much going on such as KGB - CIA, whose the bad guy and who is not, overlapping character confusion. But I did not feel that any of this took away from the story and often times it helped elevate the pace of the story. All and all a very good book for Junior High and up.
April 7, 2012
Jennica Munden
Adventure
Critical analysis: This is a story about a theory of time travel wherein one can change the future, teenage astral projection, and the classical mess the CIA always seems to end up in when exploiting new means and strange things.
Opinions: Despite the attempt at seriousness, this is an unrealistic and mundane story with a few odd twists, and some kids thrown in. It turns a professional undercover agency into a teen hook-up program.
Summary: In the 1940s, the CIA created a program to research time travel. But, as one can guess, things go wrong when an undercover agent, code name Cobra, exploits the time-travel operation to send the black plague into the twenty-first century. The supernatural teen spies of the Shadow Project are recruited to go back in time to Cold War-era Russia and prevent this devastating chain of events from occurring.
Adventure
Critical analysis: This is a story about a theory of time travel wherein one can change the future, teenage astral projection, and the classical mess the CIA always seems to end up in when exploiting new means and strange things.
Opinions: Despite the attempt at seriousness, this is an unrealistic and mundane story with a few odd twists, and some kids thrown in. It turns a professional undercover agency into a teen hook-up program.
Summary: In the 1940s, the CIA created a program to research time travel. But, as one can guess, things go wrong when an undercover agent, code name Cobra, exploits the time-travel operation to send the black plague into the twenty-first century. The supernatural teen spies of the Shadow Project are recruited to go back in time to Cold War-era Russia and prevent this devastating chain of events from occurring.
November 12, 2021
Despite the story being somewhat good, this has nothing in relation to its prequel aside from its setting.
Mild spoilers:
In the first book, it was a slow descent from this psychic, scientific power of remote viewing to a literal fight between good and bad with demons and all. However, even though this good-bad setting was involved heavily in the first book, the second forgets about it completely. Does no one remember there being a secret organisation?! Personally, I wish this good-bad setting would have been used in some way or had been at least acknowledged and its storyline ended. The ending of the sequel was rushed; a few lines saying how everything went down then off to the next chapter where they're back home.
As for characters, Danny in the second becomes an idiot forgetting that his consciousness could slip out of his body to go spy on important events until another character reminded him about it. The others are fine albeit useless.
End of spoilers.
Tldr; you don't have to read the prequel or if you've read the prequel, you don't need to read this as these two books could be considered as standalones(however the sequel readers would have a bit of a hard time without knowing the setting).
Mild spoilers:
In the first book, it was a slow descent from this psychic, scientific power of remote viewing to a literal fight between good and bad with demons and all. However, even though this good-bad setting was involved heavily in the first book, the second forgets about it completely. Does no one remember there being a secret organisation?! Personally, I wish this good-bad setting would have been used in some way or had been at least acknowledged and its storyline ended. The ending of the sequel was rushed; a few lines saying how everything went down then off to the next chapter where they're back home.
As for characters, Danny in the second becomes an idiot forgetting that his consciousness could slip out of his body to go spy on important events until another character reminded him about it. The others are fine albeit useless.
End of spoilers.
Tldr; you don't have to read the prequel or if you've read the prequel, you don't need to read this as these two books could be considered as standalones(however the sequel readers would have a bit of a hard time without knowing the setting).
February 29, 2024
This was a very enjoyable read, but there just seemed to be some holes. Such as, Cobra is Carradine's father, but Carradine didn't know his name? And who is Mr. Stratford? It's hinted that he is not who he seems. Is he supposedly a time traveler, too, or has he experienced time travelers before? He knew that Johnson(who wasn't even president yet) would sign the Civil Rights Bill in a few years, and he seems awfully comfortable just accepting these teenagers are time travelers. Otherwise, great story. I wish this series would have continued.
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December 25, 2020BTSYA / Teen Reader (13): There were many things that I enjoyed about this book. First, the time travel. The author used it very creatively. I also liked that it includes the Cuban Missle Crisis , an actual historical event. Get the full review here.
April 5, 2018
It didn't feel like there was much of a plot to this book, and I had expected more since I liked the first book. Although, I did read the first book when I was a lot younger, so who knows?
February 24, 2013
Time travel books are just so much fun. I'm fascinated by the concept, and the questions that go along with it. The time paradox (if you go back in time and kill your grandmother, do you still exist?). Things like that.
And in that regard, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was tight and full of suspense. I kept turning pages because I genuinely wanted to know how it would end. It was quick, with twists and turns.
But despite my enjoyment of the plot, the characters did absolutely nothing for me. The only things I really knew about them were a few tidbits of backstory information. What kind of personalities did they have? I have no idea. I got the vague impression that Fuchsia is a bit quirky. Other than that, everyone was flat. The POV chapters gave me no distinction between the characters' voices.
Along with that, this book missed some good opportunities for moral conflict.Agent Coulson Mr. Carradine wants Danny to kill Cobra, if necessary. Okay. Danny talks this over with the team, and they're all "No, that's stupid. Dump the poison down the drain." Even though Danny kind of agrees with Carradine, he doesn't argue at all and they dump the cyanide and that's that. So...we aren't going to argue about this? We're not going to take along the only thing that can absolutely guarantee the success of our mission? And Carradine doesn't even care that if Cobra dies, he won't exist? Or would he still exist? Why doesn't anybody even ask that question?
Also, I fail to understand why the CIA would want to use teenagers for this kind of mission. The book's reason is that "they have open minds". But apparently because they're the CIA they don't have to worry about getting into trouble for endangering the lives of teenagers. And let's not brief them at all about how to behave in the 1960s, because of course they don't need that, even if it does make total sense. And apparently Michael (who is black) has absolutely no reaction to experiencing segregation. He's very "yeah, whatever" about the whole thing.
Overall, the plot was compelling, but the characters were completely flat and there were a few things that made no sense. Three stars. If I'm going to be honest here, the most fascinating part of this entire book was the author's note at the end.
Similar Books: It deals with time travel like Found and TimeRiders. It has the action-novel feel of Michael Vey.
And in that regard, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was tight and full of suspense. I kept turning pages because I genuinely wanted to know how it would end. It was quick, with twists and turns.
But despite my enjoyment of the plot, the characters did absolutely nothing for me. The only things I really knew about them were a few tidbits of backstory information. What kind of personalities did they have? I have no idea. I got the vague impression that Fuchsia is a bit quirky. Other than that, everyone was flat. The POV chapters gave me no distinction between the characters' voices.
Along with that, this book missed some good opportunities for moral conflict.
Also, I fail to understand why the CIA would want to use teenagers for this kind of mission. The book's reason is that "they have open minds". But apparently because they're the CIA they don't have to worry about getting into trouble for endangering the lives of teenagers. And let's not brief them at all about how to behave in the 1960s, because of course they don't need that, even if it does make total sense. And apparently Michael (who is black) has absolutely no reaction to experiencing segregation. He's very "yeah, whatever" about the whole thing.
Overall, the plot was compelling, but the characters were completely flat and there were a few things that made no sense. Three stars. If I'm going to be honest here, the most fascinating part of this entire book was the author's note at the end.
Similar Books: It deals with time travel like Found and TimeRiders. It has the action-novel feel of Michael Vey.
June 2, 2011
I read this book first, before it's predecessor, The Shadow Project. It's the first time a book sent me on a mission to finds it's prequel. Turns out this is even better thant he first book, all the suspence and pace with none of the confusion.
The three teens from the first book are joined by a new member, Fuchsia, with a new power, one she is still developing. The four British teens working for MI6 find their way from Britain to New York where they are to investigate a long-forgotten CIA experiment in time travel, one that never really died. Seems you can rip a hole in the space-time continuum, but you can't put it back together again even when you shut off the power.
Just as the teen Shadow Project crew determine there is no danger at the site of the rip, danger appears, in the form of a box a military man opens to unleash a virulent plague, one that kills in less than a day and leaves billions at risk unless the kids, who have been vaccinated, go through the rip into 1962 to stop the man who will eventually unleash that plague on the 21st century. The catch - that man is a CIA agent who doesn't know what he will do in the future. The other catch - if they can't persuade him they have to kill him.
The kids end up back in the height of the cold war, travel to Russia, and end up captured and interrogated by the KGB and a pair of torturing twins you never want to meet in a dark alley. Young readers will see the height of the Cold War for the first time, older readers will revisit the dark days before the Cuban Missile Crisis, and see an alternate scenario that would have plunged the world into nuclear war before those dark days in October. One member of the Shadow Project team is an African prince, and he gets to see a touch of 1962 racism as well. Fuchsia’s developing power reveals that the 21st century plague they were sent to stop has to take second place to a nuclear holocaust due to begin in weeks and plunge the world into an alternate future in which they and billions more are dead.
It’s a high-stakes story, a true cross-over book, one that middle grade, young adult and adult readers will all enjoy.
The three teens from the first book are joined by a new member, Fuchsia, with a new power, one she is still developing. The four British teens working for MI6 find their way from Britain to New York where they are to investigate a long-forgotten CIA experiment in time travel, one that never really died. Seems you can rip a hole in the space-time continuum, but you can't put it back together again even when you shut off the power.
Just as the teen Shadow Project crew determine there is no danger at the site of the rip, danger appears, in the form of a box a military man opens to unleash a virulent plague, one that kills in less than a day and leaves billions at risk unless the kids, who have been vaccinated, go through the rip into 1962 to stop the man who will eventually unleash that plague on the 21st century. The catch - that man is a CIA agent who doesn't know what he will do in the future. The other catch - if they can't persuade him they have to kill him.
The kids end up back in the height of the cold war, travel to Russia, and end up captured and interrogated by the KGB and a pair of torturing twins you never want to meet in a dark alley. Young readers will see the height of the Cold War for the first time, older readers will revisit the dark days before the Cuban Missile Crisis, and see an alternate scenario that would have plunged the world into nuclear war before those dark days in October. One member of the Shadow Project team is an African prince, and he gets to see a touch of 1962 racism as well. Fuchsia’s developing power reveals that the 21st century plague they were sent to stop has to take second place to a nuclear holocaust due to begin in weeks and plunge the world into an alternate future in which they and billions more are dead.
It’s a high-stakes story, a true cross-over book, one that middle grade, young adult and adult readers will all enjoy.
December 7, 2013
I grabbed this book from the teen section of my local library because I was tired of seedy adult stuff. To be honest, this book wasn't that great. Note, I have not read the first one... nor will I (EDIT: okay, due to certain criticisms I received through this review, I have since read book one, The Shadow Project. Nevertheless, I still agree with everything I have said in this, my review of The Doomsday Box one hundred percent).
I'm still trying to understand why any government would want to hire teenagers for a top-secret crime-fighting organization. According to the book, "only teenagers could be Shadow Project operatives because they had minds that were open enough for the sort of espionage the Shadow Project did,..." An open mind? Seriously? If that's all it takes why wasn't I drafted when I was a teen?
Also, from what I recall, you don't necessarily need special abilities to join the Shadow Project because they use a special machine to help your spirit-self leave your physical body and walk through walls to solve mysteries and stuff. True, one can eventually learn to do this without the machine. Ultimately, however, there are no job requirements involved other than 1, you must be a teenager and 2, you must have an open mind. Ridiculous.
To be fair, the character, Fuscia, had a special ability of precognition. Unfortunately, she was absolutely the most annoying character I've ever encountered in a book. Michael was almost just as bad. I mean, Michael didn't do a thing through this entire book. I think he got tortured once but that was really his only contribution. Also, what is up with the name, Opal? I mean, is she a 90 year-old shut-in or a spunky teenager with an open mind?
I give this book two stars, however, because I liked the whole time travel thing and the references to old conspiracy theories and the adventure in trying to stop a fierce plague from sweeping the earth. And though I felt like the story started to fizzle as soon as they got to Russia, it picked up again once they found Cobra.
I'm still trying to understand why any government would want to hire teenagers for a top-secret crime-fighting organization. According to the book, "only teenagers could be Shadow Project operatives because they had minds that were open enough for the sort of espionage the Shadow Project did,..." An open mind? Seriously? If that's all it takes why wasn't I drafted when I was a teen?
Also, from what I recall, you don't necessarily need special abilities to join the Shadow Project because they use a special machine to help your spirit-self leave your physical body and walk through walls to solve mysteries and stuff. True, one can eventually learn to do this without the machine. Ultimately, however, there are no job requirements involved other than 1, you must be a teenager and 2, you must have an open mind. Ridiculous.
To be fair, the character, Fuscia, had a special ability of precognition. Unfortunately, she was absolutely the most annoying character I've ever encountered in a book. Michael was almost just as bad. I mean, Michael didn't do a thing through this entire book. I think he got tortured once but that was really his only contribution. Also, what is up with the name, Opal? I mean, is she a 90 year-old shut-in or a spunky teenager with an open mind?
I give this book two stars, however, because I liked the whole time travel thing and the references to old conspiracy theories and the adventure in trying to stop a fierce plague from sweeping the earth. And though I felt like the story started to fizzle as soon as they got to Russia, it picked up again once they found Cobra.
March 16, 2015
During the twenty-first century, CIA created a time machine that would be able to bring CIA agents back into the 1940’s to change the horrible histories. But there was a dirty undercover agent, code name Cobra, which found the time machine from the 1940’s and decided to bring the black plague from that time to nowadays. In order to prevent this from happening, the Shadow Project from CIA recruited 4 teenage CIA spies had to go through the time machine to travel back to the 1940’s and change this event. “You’ll be CIA special agents on a special CIA mission with me as your official controller” (Brenna 128). The 4 teenagers were ready to become CIA agents ever since they were promoted and trained. These four teenagers are named Michael, Danny, Opal, and Fuchsia. They each had different sorts of great abilities and characteristics. Later throughout the time, there was a really huge problem. The KGB (Russian state police forces) wanted those 4 teenagers dead, because they knew they came from the future from the invention of time machine. Cobra convinced KGB enough that the teenagers were the dirty ones that came from the futures. But in the end, the 4 teenagers was powerful enough to stop Cobra by their own and went back to their own times.
I like to recommend this book for anybody that is thirteen years old or above, and anyone that really loves to read sci-fi, fantasy, and action stories. I really enjoyed reading the part where the teenagers face the problems with KGB, and they managed to stop the Cobra. This author is amazing in telling the action and sci-fi stories, and he/she is most likely to capture many readers’ attentions to the story of time machine. I really loved and enjoyed reading this book.
I like to recommend this book for anybody that is thirteen years old or above, and anyone that really loves to read sci-fi, fantasy, and action stories. I really enjoyed reading the part where the teenagers face the problems with KGB, and they managed to stop the Cobra. This author is amazing in telling the action and sci-fi stories, and he/she is most likely to capture many readers’ attentions to the story of time machine. I really loved and enjoyed reading this book.
May 30, 2011
Reviewed for ALAN's Picks, May 2011, at http://www.alan-ya.org/2011/05/alans-...
"The Shadow Project recruits teenagers with psychic abilities as special agents to solve cases that no ordinary spies can handle. The appearance of a mysterious box, sent through a long dormant time portal by the shadowy agent Cobra from some time in the Middle Ages, unleashes a deadly pandemic. The CIA calls on the Shadow Project—Michael, Danny and Opal, skilled in astral projection; and new agent Fuchsia, with the ability to see the future— to locate Cobra in the past and prevent global disaster. Their mission takes them back in time to 1962 and across the globe to Moscow, where the Cold War is about to take a dramatic turn.
"The thrills come early and often in this second Shadow Project adventure, which provides just enough exposition to engage readers unfamiliar with the team’s earlier exploits. The novel sets up an impressive display of genre fiction juggling, deftly incorporating espionage through the use of science fiction and historical fiction conventions in a delicate balance that pays off handsomely. The author conveys the unsettlingly alien atmosphere and politics of Soviet-era Moscow effectively for contemporary readers, who may only know the Cold War through history books. Although the protagonists are not developed in great detail, the propulsive story and unique combination of speculative, spy and historical fiction elements add up to a satisfying and thought-provoking page-turner."
"The Shadow Project recruits teenagers with psychic abilities as special agents to solve cases that no ordinary spies can handle. The appearance of a mysterious box, sent through a long dormant time portal by the shadowy agent Cobra from some time in the Middle Ages, unleashes a deadly pandemic. The CIA calls on the Shadow Project—Michael, Danny and Opal, skilled in astral projection; and new agent Fuchsia, with the ability to see the future— to locate Cobra in the past and prevent global disaster. Their mission takes them back in time to 1962 and across the globe to Moscow, where the Cold War is about to take a dramatic turn.
"The thrills come early and often in this second Shadow Project adventure, which provides just enough exposition to engage readers unfamiliar with the team’s earlier exploits. The novel sets up an impressive display of genre fiction juggling, deftly incorporating espionage through the use of science fiction and historical fiction conventions in a delicate balance that pays off handsomely. The author conveys the unsettlingly alien atmosphere and politics of Soviet-era Moscow effectively for contemporary readers, who may only know the Cold War through history books. Although the protagonists are not developed in great detail, the propulsive story and unique combination of speculative, spy and historical fiction elements add up to a satisfying and thought-provoking page-turner."
January 6, 2015
The Doomsday Box
by Herbie Brennan
The Doomsday Box By Herbie Brennan is a much much more interesting novel compared to The Shadow Project. The biggest reason that it is better than The Shadow Project is because the plot mainly revolves around time travel. The plot is about four teens trying to stop the world from being engulfed by a plague brought back from the past called the 'Black Death' the black death is a highly deadly and infectious disease that killed off 25 million people. The Doomsday box is better than The Shadow Project in my opinion because it deals with time travel which interests me a lot. The Doomsday Box also talks about the Philadelphia Project which was a famous experiment that went wrong. The experiment tried to create a completely undetectable ship. The ship supposedly created a rip in space-time which caused some of the crew members to become infused with the ship's walls. In the book's timeline the Philadelphia Project was further investigated to try and make a time machine/portal. This experiment also gets shut down but years later the area is reopened and the portal activated. When it was activated a box came out which held samples for the Black Death which are released then later the children from the Shadow Project have to go back in time to stop the box from ever coming to the future. With all of this in mind the book should be read by ages 10-17 because there are almost no mature topics and The Doomsday Box contains time traveling which is a very in-depth topic.
by Herbie Brennan
The Doomsday Box By Herbie Brennan is a much much more interesting novel compared to The Shadow Project. The biggest reason that it is better than The Shadow Project is because the plot mainly revolves around time travel. The plot is about four teens trying to stop the world from being engulfed by a plague brought back from the past called the 'Black Death' the black death is a highly deadly and infectious disease that killed off 25 million people. The Doomsday box is better than The Shadow Project in my opinion because it deals with time travel which interests me a lot. The Doomsday Box also talks about the Philadelphia Project which was a famous experiment that went wrong. The experiment tried to create a completely undetectable ship. The ship supposedly created a rip in space-time which caused some of the crew members to become infused with the ship's walls. In the book's timeline the Philadelphia Project was further investigated to try and make a time machine/portal. This experiment also gets shut down but years later the area is reopened and the portal activated. When it was activated a box came out which held samples for the Black Death which are released then later the children from the Shadow Project have to go back in time to stop the box from ever coming to the future. With all of this in mind the book should be read by ages 10-17 because there are almost no mature topics and The Doomsday Box contains time traveling which is a very in-depth topic.
July 28, 2011
Opal, Michael, and Danny return in another Shadow Project adventure. This one adds time travel to their astral projection abilities and a new member is added, Fuchsia, who has her own special abilities. The crew partners with the CIA to try and prevent a modern day outbreak of the black plague. The mission sends them back in time to the Soviet Union in 1962 at the height of the Cold War, where they must outwit the KGB and a mole in the CIA to prevent nuclear war.
This will appeal to fans of teen spy adventures, like the Alex Rider or CHERUB series. The kids are sent off on their mission almost immediately and the reader is immersed into non-stop action. I was uncomfortable with the nonchalant way the group acted while in the USSR. I mean, if they are trying not to be noticed, why yell out in English in Red Square? Oh well, it probably will bother me more than other readers. I loved the Epilogue, as it's such a perfect ending. I just wish the end of the mission didn't seem so rushed. I wanted more explanation and I wasn't totally satisfied with how the case was completed. I can't really say much more without spoilers. Overall, a satisfactory read and I know that fans of the first Shadow Project book will be pleased with this one. B- rating.
This will appeal to fans of teen spy adventures, like the Alex Rider or CHERUB series. The kids are sent off on their mission almost immediately and the reader is immersed into non-stop action. I was uncomfortable with the nonchalant way the group acted while in the USSR. I mean, if they are trying not to be noticed, why yell out in English in Red Square? Oh well, it probably will bother me more than other readers. I loved the Epilogue, as it's such a perfect ending. I just wish the end of the mission didn't seem so rushed. I wanted more explanation and I wasn't totally satisfied with how the case was completed. I can't really say much more without spoilers. Overall, a satisfactory read and I know that fans of the first Shadow Project book will be pleased with this one. B- rating.
February 5, 2011
Four teen spies, Danny, Fuchsia, Opal and Michael are part of the Shadow Project, working with their unique abilities to project themselves astrally and see into the future. When a box full of vials that contain the black plague from the Middle Ages shows up, it is up to these four resourceful teenagers to contact Agent Cobra in 1962 Russia. Traveling back in time does have its risks, yet they seem to have all the right intelligence. But, Michael and Opal are captured by the KGB, and Michael is tortured in hopes that he spills what he knows...thankfully, Agent Cobra has a few tricks up his sleeve and he gets them to safety. That's when they all need to put their heads together and avert the Cuban Missile Crisis from happening.
The Doomsday Box: A Shadow Project Adventure is full of tension, adventure, and page-turning intrigue. The historical facts lend a air of credibility to the time travel phenomena. Although this is the second book in the Shadow Box adventures, the characters are well-defined and outlined. In truth, however, I would have loved to read the first one prior to this. A great read, nonetheless!
Thank you to Herbie Brennan, HarperCollins Publishers, and LibraryThing for this ARC copy.
The Doomsday Box: A Shadow Project Adventure is full of tension, adventure, and page-turning intrigue. The historical facts lend a air of credibility to the time travel phenomena. Although this is the second book in the Shadow Box adventures, the characters are well-defined and outlined. In truth, however, I would have loved to read the first one prior to this. A great read, nonetheless!
Thank you to Herbie Brennan, HarperCollins Publishers, and LibraryThing for this ARC copy.
September 12, 2010
The Shadow Project is back. Book 2 brings a new member to the team- Opal and Michael are partners and Danny is now partnered with Fuchsia, both have talents beyond the standard Project remote viewing parameters.
Herbie Brennan is fascinated with the paranormal. In this series he investigates how psychic powers might be employed to save the world.
Sort of a spoiler follows. Still, I will be careful:
In this mission the quartet go to New York state where a top secret remote viewing project from the 60's is being reopened. This bodes ill because the underground bunker had been sealed back in the day; not only was remote viewing enhanced at the location, somehow time travel was enabled. The current president has been convinced to open the site and channel the energy of ancient volcanoes to present day power grids.
All good, but in the 60's a rogue agent brought Black Death to the future. This cannot be unleashed. Our team goes back to the 60's ending out in the Soviet Union to persuade the Agent to leave the plague in the past. All manner of shenanigans ensue.
Herbie Brennan is fascinated with the paranormal. In this series he investigates how psychic powers might be employed to save the world.
Sort of a spoiler follows. Still, I will be careful:
In this mission the quartet go to New York state where a top secret remote viewing project from the 60's is being reopened. This bodes ill because the underground bunker had been sealed back in the day; not only was remote viewing enhanced at the location, somehow time travel was enabled. The current president has been convinced to open the site and channel the energy of ancient volcanoes to present day power grids.
All good, but in the 60's a rogue agent brought Black Death to the future. This cannot be unleashed. Our team goes back to the 60's ending out in the Soviet Union to persuade the Agent to leave the plague in the past. All manner of shenanigans ensue.
March 19, 2014
In the book, The Doomsday Box by Herbie Brennan a group of British special agents who just so happen to be teenagers are sent to America to oversee the reopening of a time portal at a secret government facility. They find a box at the foot of the portal and someone opens it releasing all the most horrible diseases wrapped into one on to the world. As people around them are dying the children realize they are the vaccinated. They must go out into time and try to stop the CIA agent who has done this horrible deed. I absolutely HATED this book, the development is trash, the characters are trash, everything about this book is awful. Any chance to have set up any character development has been thrown out the window. The only thing I can commend this book on is that it's short. I recommend this book to no one.
August 23, 2015
3.5 stars. Quick read about Opal, Michael, Danny and a new girl, Fuschia, going back in time to save the world. I like the way the time paradoxes and precognitive visions were handled.
With-reservations:
violence, torture, mass pandemic, horrible deaths, murder
With-reservations:
violence, torture, mass pandemic, horrible deaths, murder
November 28, 2011
Slight book about a shadow agency that deals with psychotronic research - remote viewing, and time travel in this one. Fairly nicely done with some good twists and turns and unexpected things, but the main four characters were slightly drawn - didn't get a good feel for any of them, or their motivations, and they were quick to anger and meanness, and then all gone. Of course some teens are like that. But without an understanding of the character, it just is annoying. But the basic premise, if done as an adult novel and fleshed out, could have been fun.
January 24, 2011
Very different from the first book--more time travel and less fighting embodiments of good and evil on the astral plain. If they recapped the teens' abilities better, I would say readers could start with this one, as it might appeal to a different set of them, but as it stands I think they'd just be confused. Overall, it seems like a more normal fantasy book--which is both good (the first book was kind of way out there) and bad (in that it's not as unique a plot). Still, I liked it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2011
This is a good,fun book to read. The beggining is very slow but as you read on you will get interested.If you love time travel then this book os for you. The four kids apart of the english shadow project go back in time to save the world from the black death and the cuban missile crisis.This is a sequeal to another great book.
September 10, 2013
I really liked this book. This time we have to take a look at the past. Is time travel possible and if it possible what happens then you send kids back in it. This books also introduces a new character to the gang of kids making it four. I wonder when the next book will be out. I will in line to buy it.
August 1, 2015
A great sequel because it took the idea in the first book to a new level. Instead of just a new adventure about the idea of "out of body" experiences, this book added in time travel and precognition. How these things work together and how the characters relate to each other makes the book that much more interesting.
March 3, 2018
Fast-paced, interesting sci-fi with out-of-body experiences and time travel. That's not normally my thing, but the historical aspect of it held my interest and I appreciated how the setting was set in lots of different parts of the world.
January 25, 2018
Interesting book! It's a unique reading experience binding time travel with chapters narrated by each character. It's truly to see each character's point of view, especially since they are often separated. I recommend this book.
January 19, 2011
So much better than the first book and highly enjoyable.
March 19, 2011
I don't remember much about the first one besides it was okay , I actually liked this one a lot though . & if he writes another book I'll probably read it too . (:
May 28, 2011
An AMAAAAAAAZING book filled with time travel, mysteries, and suprising twists!!!!!!!!
May 30, 2011
ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i loved it, it had time travel and space-time and torture oh it was so awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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