Of all the books I’ve read, I certainly never expected to see a sequel to Sleator’s classic Interstellar Pig, which came out nearly a decade ago. For those not in the know, Interstellar Pig was the story of sixteen-year-old Barney. While vacationing at the beach, he became involved in an odd new board game called Interstellar Pig, in which four players, each controlling a different alien character, jockey for possession of the Piggy, a mysterious artifact of immense power. What Barney didn’t realize at first was that the game was real, and the Piggy was worth killing for. He escaped with his life that time, though the beach house was trashed. Which brings us to Parasite Pig. Barney’s working in the Widener Library at Harvard to pay off the damages to the beach house, and every so often, he gets together with some new friends to play a familiar game. That’s right, when his former alien opponents left Earth, they forgot to take their board game with them. Now Barney’s introducing some nice, normal humans to Interstellar Pig. The only problem is, it’s still not “just a game.”

Now Barney has an intelligent parasite in his brain affecting his actions, and he and his friend Katie have been kidnaped by new players in the real game, and taken to the planet J’koot, where they’ll either be killed as pawns, or eaten by the crablike inhabitants. It’s just not his day at all. The Piggy is still out there, as are some decidedly homicidal aliens who’ll stop at nothing to possess it. Can Barney outwit them all and make it home before he’s grounded for life?

Sleator’s always been known for his wildly imaginative, bizarre stories, and it’s hard to top Interstellar Pig. Thankfully, he doesn’t try. Parasite Pig, while drawing on the same characters and themes of the first, expands on the ideas introduced and brings in some all-new twists. By far, the best addition is Katie, as another human to act as Barney’s confidante and foil. While he may be the voice of experience, she’s the voice of common sense that he lacks. The new aliens are presented in the same over-the-top manner as the old ones, which suits the story perfectly. By turns humorous and suspenseful, Parasite Pig is great fun, and it’s good to see some leftover questions answered at last.