I've read enough of Sleator to be excited to find this book, but what a disappointment. If you've not read the first & great book, Interstellar Pig, or if you read it so long ago that it's not fresh, then the new book Parasite Pig just doesn't cut it. There are many references to the first book (something I find annoying: when a new title can't stand on its own as a full story). The writing is simple--I felt like Sleator was taking shortcuts, using fairly unimaginative adjectives to quickly advance a plot rather than to thicken the atmosphere. Yeah, if you're a sci fi buff you'll enjoy his techno speak and his creative story. But it's not a book to enjoy for the language; his writing feels like a means to the end.