The Doomsday Box: A Shadow Project Adventure

By Herbie Brennan

When the CIA created a program to research time travel in the 1940s, they never imagined it could lead to a global pandemic decades later. But after an undercover agent, code name Cobra, exploits the time-travel operation to send the black plague into the twenty-first century, the supernatural teen spies of the Shadow Project are recruited to go back in time to Cold War-era Russia and prevent this devastating chain of events from occurring.

There's just one problem: How do four teenagers deter a seasoned CIA agent from his life-or-death mission? Michael, Danny, Opal, and Fuchsia, a new agent with mysterious abilities, will have to use their powers of astral projection—and persuasion—to convince Cobra that what's at stake could hit closer to home than he can imagine. That is, if they can even manage to survive in Moscow in the early 1960s, where the KGB wants them dead. . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 28, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062039644

Herbie Brennan

Herbie Brennan is the New York Times bestselling author of the Faerie Wars Chronicles and the Shadow Project Adventure series. Worldwide, his books have sold in excess of 8.5 million copies. He lives in Ireland.

Reviews for The Doomsday Box

[br14casi · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

THIS WAS THE WORST BOOK I EVER READ!!!!!! it was very slow there was nothing that ever talked about dooms day. It was mostly all dialogue no real story. I high recommend not reading this book it was a complete total waste of my time don't make the mistake i made read a different book.

[renny31_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like the YA books, but surprisingly, I couldn't get into this book. It just seemed slow and dry to me. I don't like giving bad reviews and I don't think this is a bad book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Sorry.

[shellierb69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It is different from what I would normally read but found it to be quite enjoyable. I love spies novels and this one will not disappoint even cooler that the spies are teenagers. A good read for young and old.

[bookswarm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another great one for my students. I have in mind a couple of guys who would love this adventure story. It's fast-paced in both story and in readability. I liked the concept of four teen spies who have their own abilities and talents and use those to help the future.I did have a little trouble at the beginning because I hadn't read the first book in the series but, once I got my feet under me, it was a great read.

[jackiewark · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Four teen spies, Danny, Fuchsia, Opal and Michael are part of the Shadow Project, working with their unique abilities to project themselves astrally and see into the future. When a box full of vials that contain the black plague from the Middle Ages shows up, it is up to these four resourceful teenagers to contact Agent Cobra in 1962 Russia. Traveling back in time does have its risks, yet they seem to have all the right intelligence. But, Michael and Opal are captured by the KGB, and Michael is tortured in hopes that he spills what he knows...thankfully, Agent Cobra has a few tricks up his sleeve and he gets them to safety. That's when they all need to put their heads together and avert the Cuban Missile Crisis from happening.The Doomsday Box: A Shadow Project Adventure is full of tension, adventure, and page-turning intrigue. The historical facts lend a air of credibility to the time travel phenomena. Although this is the second book in the Shadow Box adventures, the characters are well-defined and outlined. In truth, however, I would have loved to read the first one prior to this. A great read, nonetheless!Thank you to Herbie Brennan, HarperCollins Publishers, and LibraryThing for this ARC copy.

[elizabethjh_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading this book! I had a hard time putting this book down and several times found myself on the edge of my seat. Great plot, and I felt I really got a sense of the character's personalities, and at times, emotions as if I was really one of the characters..especially those of Opal and Michael. I liked finding out about each person's abilities and it was very interesting to see Fuchsia's ability develop and progress. I thought it was an awesome idea to have a character who could see a person's timeline!The conclusion wrapped the story up nicely and I literally got goosebumps at the end. I would definitely love to read any future books in this series!

[kclaire_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the The Shadow Project science fiction adventure series. The Doomsday Box has a slow, bumpy start that probably would have been better if I had read the first book. Fuschia, Opal, Danny, and Michael are four teens with astral projection psychic abilities. They have been recruited into the Shadow Project, a secret British intelligence operation. Their mission in this book is to assist the CIA in discovering why a space-time rift chamber that was sealed in concrete and abandoned by the Americans in the 1960s, has now set off an alarm. If one can get past the girls names which are like a flashlight in the eyes each time you read one, the story moves along at a fast pace. I did start to feel like it was a game of rock, paper, scissors, as each character's psychic ability came to the fore. However, it is a quick, fun read especially if time travel questions, psychic ability, and espionage are your cup of tea.

[vampireeat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a stand alone YA novel, this book is actually quite enjoyable. I guess there's other books in 'The Shadow Project' series - but you don't have to read them in order to understand the plot here. Fuscia, a new member of the team, serves as an introductory character for the book - As the other teens get to know her, in a way, you meet them all for the first time, too. She's also kind of a breath of fresh air, since the stoic Michael and the uptight Opal are... well, pretty English.The plot revolves around a group of UK teenagers who use government technology to essentially astral project (their "shadow forms") themselves into dangerous or unknown situation. They've been called to upstate New York to investigate a tear in the very fabric of reality itself. The story provides a lot of exposition, and the background is pretty well-constructed and easy to follow. I can see myself suggesting this book to a reluctant reader, especially an early-teens boy who wants a good adventure tale. Recommended.

[shelleydaugherty · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an ARC and was very pleased with the story and characters. This is the second book in the Shadow Project series and I have to admit that I have not read the first book, but I did find it easy to pick up with the second book and not feel that I had missed something. This book follows 4 teens in their attempt to stop a major catastrophe from happening when the Black Plague is released into our modern time. The only way to stop this from occurring is to go back in time and talk Agent Cobra out of sending the box back through the time portal. This book covers many topics that I loved seeing in a YA fiction. It touches on the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It also touches on the science of time travel and the Black Plague. Not only is the storyline exciting but it also encourages kids to learn more about history through mentioning just enough in the book to make them interested. This is something that I love to see in YA books. I did find at times that I was a bit confused with so much going on such as KGB - CIA, whose the bad guy and who is not, overlapping character confusion. But I did not feel that any of this took away from the story and often times it helped elevate the pace of the story. All and all a very good book for Junior High and up.