Outernet (novel series) facts for kids

Outernet is a funny series of science fiction books for kids. It was written by two authors known as Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore. The books are all about adventure, cool alien tech, and a big fight between good and evil across the galaxy!

The Story So Far

The Outernet series follows a group of friends who stumble upon an amazing secret. They find out that a regular-looking laptop is actually a super-powerful alien computer called The Server. This Server is super important because it holds the key to a huge network of information called the Outernet. But there's a problem: a bad guy called The Tyrant wants to control all information in the galaxy. He leads the FOEs (Forces of Evil) and wants to get his hands on The Server. It's up to Jack and his friends, along with some special alien allies, to stop him!

Book One: Friend or Foe?

The adventure begins when Jack Armstrong gets a laptop for his birthday. His friends, Lothar Gelt (nicknamed Loaf) and Merle Stone, help him explore it. They soon discover it's not just any laptop; it's alien technology! When they turn it on, they can talk to a stray dog named Bitz, who is actually an alien spy called Sirius. Merle's cat, Googie, is also an alien spy named Vega.

Sirius and Vega are part of the "Friends," a group fighting against The Tyrant and his FOEs. They explain that The Tyrant has captured almost all the galaxy's servers, except for the one disguised as Jack's laptop. This Server has a "Help" program that's a bit grumpy but sometimes useful. Jack even gets "t-mailed" (teleported) to another planet to meet Janus, another Friend.

Loaf, being a bit reckless, uses the teleportation to zoom around the galaxy. This gets some Earth resistance fighters captured by the FOEs. Janus saves them, but a rhino-like alien called a Bug follows them back to Earth. Merle and Loaf try to fight off a computer virus sent by Tracer, The Tyrant's right-hand alien. But Bitz accidentally lets the Bug arrive on Earth. Janus fights the Bug, and they both fall into N-Space, seemingly gone. The friends then get a message: they can either stay safe or look for the mysterious Weaver, who started the Outernet.

Book Two: Control

Loaf, always looking for a quick buck, tricks Jack into giving him The Server. He tries to make money from it, which means borrowing from some very scary aliens. His greed accidentally breaks a special shield protecting Earth from the FOEs. So, The Tyrant sends another Bug to get The Server back.

Jack and his friends end up stranded on Deadrock, a dangerous planet full of FOEs. Meanwhile, Loaf has to deal with the angry alien loan sharks. Back on Earth, the Bug pretends to be a government agent and takes control of Merle's dad, Colonel Stone. Jack and Merle find new friends on Deadrock, who are fighting for freedom with simple weapons and the grumpy Help program. As a revolution breaks out on Deadrock, Jack and his friends race back to Earth to save Colonel Stone and protect The Server from the FOEs. They manage to destroy a FOE server on Deadrock, bringing back free speech to its people. At the end, Janus contacts them from N-space and tells them to go to a planet called Helios to meet Tiresias, a wise, blind person.

Book Three: Odyssey

Following Janus's directions, Jack, Merle, Loaf, Bitz, and Googie try to teleport to Helios. But they get caught on a planet full of spiders! Every time they try to leave, they end up back where they started, with no memory of how they got there. Eventually, the Help program breaks this strange loop.

This leads them to Googie's home planet, Kippo VI. Googie is arrested, but the humans discover they can shapeshift because of tiny creatures on the planet. They fight off FOE attacks, even getting help from Loaf, who is being controlled by a chip Tracer put in him.

Unable to teleport, they find a cheap spaceship ride with a hippie named Zodiac Hobo and his complaining ship, which Merle names Trigger. They arrive on Helios and meet the "Collectors," who are like monks. They are led to the "Sightless One," who promises to give them the Weaver's location if he gets The Server. But it turns out to be Tracer in disguise!

Soon, the Friends find the real Tiresias, a huge creature connected to a computer that collects knowledge but can't use it. After meeting Janus in N-space (who frees Loaf from Tracer's control), they become Tiresias's "eyes," letting him see the universe before he dies peacefully.

Odyssey Connections

The third book, Odyssey, gets its name from an ancient Greek story called The Odyssey by Homer. Just like in the old myth, Jack and his friends face many challenges. For example, when Jack sees one-eyed alien guards, it reminds him of the Cyclops from the myth. They even hide under creatures, just like Odysseus and his crew hid under sheep to escape.

They also encounter other dangers that are similar to the Greek story. They hear a message from a "Siren" who tries to trick them, and they face creatures that trap spaceships, like the mythological Scylla. They even fall into a black hole, which is like the dangerous whirlpool Charybdis from the myth. In the first chapter, they are stuck in a loop on a spider planet, which is similar to the Lotophagi who made people forget their homes. And, of course, they eventually meet Tiresias, just like in the original Odyssey.

Book Four: Time Out

Jack, Merle, Loaf, Googie, and Bitz travel back in time to Vered II. This is the home planet of Selenity Dreeb, a super smart computer genius and a member of the Weavers. Merle tries to go back to her own time but ends up in a different universe where the Outernet was never created. In this world, Tracer is invading Earth, and Merle is a rebel fighting against him. An alternate version of Loaf, named Lothar, tells her that her alternate self was killed. Merle brings this alternate Lothar back to Selenity's time. Jack then gives Selenity the information she needs to create the Outernet.

A jealous Loaf leaves the alternate Lothar behind when they try to return to Earth. In that timeline, Janus and Sirius (Bitz) were captured by FOEs on Vered. So, they go to a more recent version of Vered and have to create three copies of themselves to help Janus and Sirius escape. They learn that the Help program used to be very helpful, but months of being carried around by Bitz messed up its memory. When they finally return to Earth, their time-traveling ability stops working.

Book Five: The Hunt

The Tyrant is fed up with his Bugs failing, so he hires ruthless Bounty Hunters from all over the universe to find The Server and Jack's friends. Hunters like Mad Moxie, the Thing With No Name, and Tingkat Bumbag are super dangerous. But things get even crazier when Tracer (The Tyrant's former communications chief) and Zodiac Hobo (the space adventurer with his ship Trigger) join the chase.

It's a wild ride around Earth as Jack and his friends try to stay one step ahead of the Bounty Hunters. They need to activate Earth's ancient defenses against alien invasion. They use a simple form of teleportation, traveling to famous places like Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid of Giza, Machu Picchu, Uluru, and Shangri-La. They need to complete a chain at these sites to protect Earth. However, while they are busy, The Tyrant takes advantage of their absence and captures Jack's parents.

Book Six: Weaver

Jack and his friends have stopped The Tyrant many times, but now The Tyrant has kidnapped Jack's parents. So, Merle, Loaf, Googie, and Bitz must help Jack take the fight directly to The Tyrant, deep inside his Dark Pyramid. The final battle to save The Server and the entire Outernet is about to begin!

Janus reveals a shocking secret to Help: the Bugs, who were thought to be created by The Tyrant, were actually a thriving species. The Tyrant destroyed almost all of them and cloned the last one. With this new knowledge, the Bugs willingly join Jack's side for the big showdown. It's then revealed that The Tyrant is actually Lothar, who became bitter on Vered. The Weaver turns out to be Tracer, who has also absorbed Selenity's mind. The Tyrant disappears into N-Space. Tracer/Selenity/Weaver is physically defeated but lives on as a consciousness within the Outernet. Jack takes on the title of Weaver, while Loaf and Merle move to the U.S., promising to stay in touch with Jack through the Outernet.