Johnny is the kid no one notices, his parents are breaking up and there’s nothing on TV but news of a distant war in some place called Iraq, oh, and the space aliens in his computer game have just started talking to him. Apparently they are tired of being shot at and want Johnny to save them. Frequently hilarious, and when has Pratchett been otherwise, and often thought provoking, it's probably going to convince kids about the desensitizing effects of video games much more effectively than there parents ever could, and may even, heaven forbid, encourage them to think.