Day of the Predator by Alex Scarrow (TimeRiders series: Book 2)

This is Alex Scarrows second foray into his TimeRiders universe, and sees the newly formed team of Liam, Maddy and Sal left to their own devises, as the stranger, Foster, departed at the end of the first book.

It is not long before they are thrown headlong into their first solo assignment. Accompanied by a female regeneration of Bob, Liam is sent back in time to try and prevent the murder of an Edward Chan, the father of all time travel, by a subversive underground terrorist group, hell bent on stopping timetravel ever being invented.

Things, however, do not go to plan and Liam, companioned by his new “meat robot”, Becks, find themselves caught up in a nuclear accident at an experimental advanced energy laboratory, and are thrown backwards in time 65 million years to the late cretaceous period, a time of pteranodons, brontosaurs, and, as they soon discover, the biggest threat to them and the other local wildlife is not the legendary tyrannosaur, but something much more devious and deadly.

Since his introductory book in this series, Scarrow seems to be really getting into the flow of writing with a pacy and breathless style. No time is wasted on long, boring, drawn out side plots or overly wrong descriptions, he just ploughs on, blinkered, as if he already has the whole book written in his head word for word and he is merely dictating.

His series is written with adolescents in mind, but the writer seems to have discovered a neat little writing style that will make young and old grip the edge of their seats as he gleefully bounces backwards and forwards in time, from cliff hanger to plot twist, never losing your attention, and always leaving you with the desire to peek at the next chapter.

Aside from the final plot twist, which I saw coming from as far away as the middle of the first book, I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to, and I am now looking forward to his next adventure, tantalisingly subtitle as “Robin Hood?”.

Is Scarrow carving himself a tidy little niche here? It seems like it, and I for one can't wait to see where in the future (or past) it takes us.

9/10 Scarrow seems to be really getting into the flow of writing with a pacy and breathless style.