With its mix of high school, space aliens, and conspiracy theories, Lewis' first book in the C.H.A.O.S. series is the I Am Number Four (2010) for the slightly younger set. A preface introduces 16-year-old Colt at a training camp for potential soldiers in a secret military unit that has been battling aliens for decades. Fascinating, but it drains tension from what follows: Colt has his memory wiped and begins afresh as he goes to live with his grandfather in Arizona. As threatening events begin to transpire, Colt is constantly reassured by his new friend Oz (who was also at the training camp) that there is an entire Men in Black style struggle happening behind the scenes. Despite larger logic issues, the details are fantastic and feed straight to the brain of the target audience: comic books, video games, and action figures are all revealed to be not time wasters but valuable training tools for the budding alien hunter. Mechanical spiders, jet packs, Nazi/alien alliances, and characters with names like Borog and Zandarr will render certain readers putty in Lewis' capable hands.

Comic Book Characters Come to Life! Really: Events told in comic books are found to have been based on real events and people in this game but improbable series opener. Colt has recently moved in with his World War IIhero grandfather in Arizona following his parents' sudden death in a suspicious car accident. This neatly lays the groundwork for a light romance with country-music aficionado Lily, but it just so happens that this is also the home of evil Trident Industries! And aliens are trying to take over the earth! Teen heroes Colt, Oz and Dani research the comics for clues on how to proceed against the alien threat rather than ask Colt's Grandpa, who is the stories' inspiration and should know. But really, given what narrator Colt is reporting on, logic is not required. Brisk pace, aliens and jet-packs and other cool-but-unlikely gizmos provide appeal if not coherence. Lewis is a veteran of the comic-book industry, and his plot is a domestic read-alike of Alex Rider. Fine for breakneck-adventure addicts but not so wonderful if readers expect real characters and emotion. (Thriller. 10-15)