Go Mutants! by Larry Doyle

Go Mutants! follows a stereotypical, young adult novel storyline. An adolescent male must pursue his dream girl and deal with bullies while trying to fit in to the world of High School. However, Larry Doyle provides an original frame for this awkward state with an alternate timeline. Earth is made publicly aware of alien visitors during the 1950s. The main character is J!m Anderson, a High School junior with a bulging brain, blue skin, potential powers, and unseen genitalia. Approximately one-tenth of his High School peers can be classified as humanoid or other, and this minority status takes teenage discomfort to a heightened level.

Doyle achieves a satisfying mix of quaint, old timey references (Drive-in theaters and classic rock lyrics) and bewildering, futuristic technologies (gyroscopic school buses and a nationwide multimedia system with unlimited energy). Several chapters contain screenplay-like introductions that flirt with and reverse Hollywood monster stereotypes before guiding them in Doyle’s chosen direction. Stereotypes are Doyle’s stomping ground since he uses society’s extreme prejudice against “mutants”, certifiably non-human beings originating from alien planets or government laboratories, to follow patterns of McCarthyism, race riots, and religious persecution along his revised timeline.

In a world whose technology is several centuries ahead of our own, children and adults can still be relied upon to act out of fear and distrust. J!m’s last stages of puberty escalate this widespread paranoia and encourage martial law. During this electric journey, Doyle tests many limits while presenting our prejudices in an alien light. Thus, I found it frustrating that the book ventured halfheartedly into the topic of death. Sure, a few faceless characters ultimately die, but there are at least five instances where a major character seemingly dies but then miraculously comes back to life. This eventual predictability did not help the ending, which felt hastily constructed and too convenient. Despite this slight disappointment, Doyle expertly maintains an omniscient narrative, adding depth to an original storyline built on stereotypes.