The DNA Disaster (Tom Swift, No. 4) by Victor Appleton

Tom Swift IV #4

by Victor Appleton

Tom Swift's latest invention has set off an evolution revolution in reverse. His microradiation DNA scanner, destabilized by a rogue black hole, has created a biological time warp. Now the scanner's beam threatens to put the entire world into a prehistoric peril.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

Victor Appleton was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and its successors, most famous for being associated with the Tom Swift series of books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_...

The character of Tom Swift was conceived in 1910 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging company. Stratemeyer invented the series to capitalize on the market for children's science adventure. The Syndicate's authors created the Tom Swift books by first preparing an outline with all the plot elements, followed by drafting and editing the detailed manuscript. The books were published under the house name of Victor Appleton. Edward Stratemeyer and Howard Garis wrote most of the volumes in the original series; Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, wrote the last three volumes. The first Tom Swift series ended in 1941.
In 1954, Harriet Adams created the Tom Swift, Jr., series, which was published under the name "Victor Appleton II". Most titles were outlined and plotted by Adams. The texts were written by various writers, among them William Dougherty, John Almquist, Richard Sklar, James Duncan Lawrence, Tom Mulvey and Richard McKenna. The Tom Swift, Jr., series ended in 1971.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift

Reviews

[Tom Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in third grade, a lifetime ago, and to this day my mind will sometimes break into the singsong chant featured in the thrilling conclusion:

Goodness gracious, go back to the Cretaceous!

4 stars. There are numerous boy adventurer and junior science whiz series to choose from, but Tom Swift is truly head and shoulders above the rest.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! It was a little stupid, but still good fun. I liked the subplot, where a shapeshifting videogame monster attempts to kill Tom. I was less interested in the main plotline, where Tom's DNA scanner wreaks havoc. The DNA scanner turns something in a monster, and Tom lets it run wild for a chapter or two, before using the DNA scanner to fix it. This happens with a cat, a bird, flies and Tom's best friend, Rick. You'd think that, after the second time this happens, Tom would try to stop the monsters BEFORE they go on a rampage! But on a positive note, there's a humorous scene where Tom's robot distracts some guards by dancing.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad. Seriously, this book was horrible. It was cobbled together from bits and pieces of the previous three books, and filled with the worst puns, dialogue, and plot twists imaginable.

By way of explanation, each of the Tom Swift books was written by a different author, under the pen name Victor Appleton, and this guest author must have been twelve.

[Christopher Brehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok