Colin Thompson (1) (1942–)

This is just as bad as the first one, and again really not advised for children. Again, the plot is extremely loose and the book serves no more value than the minimum of "get your kid to read something, anything". It clearly needs more books to resolve anything, and the author has lost interest at this point. It should stay that way.

Content you might get the joy of exploring with your kids from this book includes:
- An anti-religion undercurrent. For example, the planet that worships (yes, worships, full religion) recent earth culture. Or the immortality cult that was really just a ploy by the leader to harvest their body parts. Or how "all the different theories of creation [are] true, each one for a different parallel universe".
- There's also a lot of fortune telling, knowledge at a distance, telepathy, and general psychic powers going on in here. Nostradamus: Crazy or brilliant? The fetus who can explore everyone's mind from across the universe. The crystal planet with "three-hundred and sixty five different schools of soothsaying", some of which turn out to be useful.
- Non-standard sexual kinks, with suitable detail for your kid to go google it successfully
- Recreational dangerous drug use mixed with Russian roulette, just because we're bored being in space too long. "But why would anyone even want to [possibly inject themselves with] something like dysentery for five minutes," said Kay. "It breaks the monotony," said Loudpyss.… (more)