Book Review: ‘Adopted Son’ by Dominic Peloso

Rumors of aliens abound in most nations around the world. Is it possible for another race to exist among the stars, and if so have they really made themselves known to a select few? With the advanced technology needed to keep them hidden and allow them space travel, have they really crashed on the surface, only to be hidden away from the civilian life?

In Adopted Son, we are taken into a new future that is both concerning and disconcerting. When birth anomalies begin cropping up in the form of mutated babies, there is initially not too much concern outside the families. The children are normal in most ways, yet their heads are larger, and their eyes are somewhat eerie, large and black located on the sides of their facial structure. Their bodies, too, are just a bit different, tall and thin, almost unable to hold the head that seems unnaturally large.

In the beginning the parents of these mutated babies are concerned, but as with all families, they accept the hand they have been dealt. They grow to love them, and hold the hope of a bright future. Yet as the mutations continue, and considerably more deformed babies are born, churches are finding themselves the recipient of many orphans. As the problem grows, alienation is only a step away.

Can aliens from space be the cause of all this turmoil? These children and now adults are very similar to the pictures shared from Area 51 and Roswell sightings. The mutations are now more normal than not, and most families are no longer planning children. As war comes ever closer, a message from outer space comes over loud and clear. The planet seems to be invaded from the inside.

Can this new group of Americans, which many feel a part of, prove they are part of this planet, or will the rogue aliens that demand war find a way to annihilate the human way of life?

If you enjoy science fiction you will find this very interesting. I am not sure how I felt; the story was certainly unique, yet all together very creepy. However, through it all, a thread of hope and peace levels the threat. This is a new take on nurture vs. nature, with the alternative being the very destruction of the human gene.

This would be an interesting work for a reading group. The pros and cons of learning to trust a potential alien race would keep the conversation quite lively.