The danger quotient by Annabel Johnson

The danger quotient Reviews

• 
  Cheryl

  Like the Harry Potter books, this is for all ages of open-minded readers. I find that this appeals both to me now and to my inner 17 year-old. Of course it helps that I love time travel stories, esp. ones in which the hero goes back and forth trying to fix something, and naturally the point is that he has already done so, which means there's no paradox.
  
  But there's more than just that puzzle here. There's some adventure, a bit of romance and humor, social and historical commentary, and elegant writing that doesn't talk down to teen readers. It's not perfect, but it's satisfying & thought-provoking.
  
  "These windows too were open to the olive tree; the yellow scent was enough to stagger you."
  
  I need to look up the Ludlow Massacre (the book taught me some history).
  
  At one point the hero came in contact with a gang of 'tween boys, back in the 1910s when they could be on their own, camping out & cooking. The descriptions of their playful puppyish behavior mixed with the revelations of their competencies is a delight.
  
  An invented text has this passage: "War, and particularly its aftermath, is nature's impassive way of testing our viability, to see whether we can evolve into a species that can dominate our ancient killer instinct. If we emerge strong and self-controlled, we may be fit to survive."
  (I'm not sure I fully agree with that, but it sure is something to think about.)
  
  I wish I'd bought this so I can keep it. I do plan to read it once more before taking it back to the library, because it's pretty hard to find and so I can't just tell myself to read it again 'someday.' I did buy
  An Alien Music and will read it before passing it on, and I did find an enjoy the authors' "Grizzly" which is a 'boy's' adventure with no SF element. I will continue to hunt down more by the Johnsons, esp. the SF.
  
  edit - The re-read was just as enjoyable and satisfying. Gosh. I have no idea why this isn't more popular.
• 
  rivka

  Mystery solved!
  
  
  About a year ago, I tried to find a book I remembered from when I was a teen:

  Not sure, but it may have been YA. The protagonist is in his late teens or maybe early twenties, living in the relatively near future (maybe 2050), and travels back repeatedly to the same year -- maybe mid 1980s? Which is probably also about when I read it.
  
  He was genetically engineered or somehow otherwise not normally born, with, IIRC, several genetic parents. There is a girl in the past that is part of the reason he keeps going back. It is NOT The Time Traveler's Wife, although like in that book, I believe he could not bring anything (including clothes) with him when he went back in time.

  
  
  
  And last month, Nikki solved it!
  
  My memory was pretty good. YA, protagonist is 18, lives in 2127, and while he travels to 1918 and 1945 (and finally to 1986), most of his trips are to 1981. He is a wunderkind created in a test-tube -- #4 in a series of brainy kids expected to solve the problem of the ozone layer that was destroyed in 1996 during WW3. Oh, and he has one blue eye, and one green one.
  
  Trouble is, K/C-4(SCI) -- or Casey, or Four-bits, or Four-spot -- is driven to complete the research started by superkid #3 before him, which indicates he has an uncanny connection to the 1980s. And with an expected lifespan of 20, he doesn't have much time to do it in.
  
  In many ways a classic (and somewhat dated) 80s YA book, The Danger Quotient touches on the nature of war, the trouble with too much tranquility, and what it means to be human.
• 
  Goldie Crystal

  Love this book. Partly because the story is unique and intriguing, partly for nostalgia. Read it about 10 years ago, and even then it was an older book. I'm not a fan of sci-fi, but this one wasn't so heavily sci-fi. I love it still now, glad I could hunt a copy down for my personal library. Very cute ending.
• 
  K-Dee

  One of my favorite books! I read this in high school and always come back to it when I'm in the mood for Sci-Fi!