Roswell High
Encyclopedia
Roswell High is a young adults book series
written by Melinda Metz
and published by Pocket Books
. The 10-book series chronicles the adventures of three teen aliens and their human friends, who attend the fictional Ulysses F. Olsen High in Roswell, New Mexico
. The Roswell High books served as inspiration for the American
science fiction
television series Roswell
(1999-2002), also known as Roswell High in some countries, which in turn spawned eleven spin-off
books of its own.
. They are from the planet Antar. Upon emerging from stasis pods, they appeared to be 7-year-old orphan
ed humans. Max and Isabel are adopted by a loving pair of attorneys
, the Evanses. Michael, who was not so lucky, entered the foster care
system, bouncing from household to household with lots of families rejecting him.
The aliens have special powers, including the ability to:
Max, Isabel and Michael have successfully kept their true nature a secret for a decade. The series begins with the accidental shooting of Liz Ortecho, a human friend of Max's. He cannot bear to see her die and risks bringing attention to himself when he uses his powers to save her life. Liz is soon let in on the secret, as are her friends Maria DeLuca and Alex Manes. The six teens quickly bond and learn to trust one another, and Max and Liz fall deeply in love. Together the group fends off the suspicions of law enforcement, particularly Sheriff Valenti, alien hunters, and Liz's jealous ex-boyfriend, Kyle Valenti, while seeking clues about the aliens' origins.
created the core idea for the Roswell High series. Metz and her writing partner Laura J. Burns
created the basic story arc for the first six books, after which several writers wrote the sample scene in which Max saves Liz's life. Metz was chosen to write the books, and she and Burns worked together to further develop the series.
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
written by Melinda Metz
Melinda Metz
Melinda Metz is an American author of young adult books. Her series Roswell High, about teenage aliens, is the basis of The WB television series Roswell. Another series, Fingerprints, is about a psychic girl who reads thoughts from fingerprints...
and published by Pocket Books
Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
. The 10-book series chronicles the adventures of three teen aliens and their human friends, who attend the fictional Ulysses F. Olsen High in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
. The Roswell High books served as inspiration for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Roswell
Roswell (TV series)
Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...
(1999-2002), also known as Roswell High in some countries, which in turn spawned eleven spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
books of its own.
Premise
Max Evans, his sister Isabel and their friend Michael Guerin appear to be human, but are in reality the survivors of the 1947 UFO crash known as the Roswell UFO incidentRoswell UFO incident
The Roswell UFO Incident was the recovery of an object that crashed in the general vicinity of Roswell, New Mexico, in June or July 1947, allegedly an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and of...
. They are from the planet Antar. Upon emerging from stasis pods, they appeared to be 7-year-old orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed humans. Max and Isabel are adopted by a loving pair of attorneys
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, the Evanses. Michael, who was not so lucky, entered the foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
system, bouncing from household to household with lots of families rejecting him.
The aliens have special powers, including the ability to:
- rearrange molecules (change objects, heal injuries).
- "dreamwalk" (observe, participate in, and manipulate others' dreams).
- sense each others' emotions from afar.
- create psychic connections that allow the alien to see into another's mind.
- perceive colorful halos or auras around humans that indicate emotional state.
Max, Isabel and Michael have successfully kept their true nature a secret for a decade. The series begins with the accidental shooting of Liz Ortecho, a human friend of Max's. He cannot bear to see her die and risks bringing attention to himself when he uses his powers to save her life. Liz is soon let in on the secret, as are her friends Maria DeLuca and Alex Manes. The six teens quickly bond and learn to trust one another, and Max and Liz fall deeply in love. Together the group fends off the suspicions of law enforcement, particularly Sheriff Valenti, alien hunters, and Liz's jealous ex-boyfriend, Kyle Valenti, while seeking clues about the aliens' origins.
Aliens
- Max Evans: a senior; mysterious, tall, blonde haired and blue eyed; in love with Liz since he was just a boy; nicknamed "Mister Responsibility" by Liz.
- Isabel Evans: a junior and a cheerleader; tall, blonde, blue eyed; Max's sister.
- Michael Guerin: black and spikey hair, gray eyes.
- Nikolas Branson: fourth alien, Isabel's boyfriend, considers humans to be insects (first appears in The Wild One)
- Adam: fifth pod alien, raised in captivity of the Clean Slate compound, calls Sheriff Valenti "Daddy" (appears in The Intruder through The Dark One).
- Trevor: Michael's brother; came to Earth to assist Elsevan DuPris' resistance against the ruling powers of Antar, initially betraying Michael but later saving him and his friends from DuPris (appears in The Rebel through The Salvation).
- Elsevan DuPris: green hair, oily attitude; once thought of as the editor of The Astral Projector, he is actually an evil alien.
- Ray Iburg: manager of the UFO Museum, secretly alien (appears in The Wild One through The Watcher).
Humans
- Liz Ortecho: a senior and Max's biology class lab partner; of Spanish descent; long, dark hair. Romantically connected to Max and Adam
- Maria DeLuca: Liz's best friend since childhood, curly blond hair. Romantically connected to Michael.
- Alex Manes: Liz and Maria's best friend, red hair. Romantically connected to Isabel.
- Kyle Valenti: the sheriff's son whom Liz went out with on one date.
- Sheriff Valenti: alien hunter for the top secret Project Clean Slate.
- Cameron Whinger: runaway redhead hired by Valenti to obtain information from Michael (appears in The Intruder and The Stowaway). Romantically connected with Michael.
Aura colors
- Max – Emerald green
- Isabel – Royal purple
- Michael – Brick red
- Liz – Amber
- Maria – Ocean blue
- Alex – Bright orange
- Nikolas – Gold
- Adam – Sunny yellow
- Cameron – Olive green
- Ray – Creamy white
- Trevor – Magenta
Development
Pocket BooksPocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
created the core idea for the Roswell High series. Metz and her writing partner Laura J. Burns
Laura J. Burns
Laura J. Burns is a Californian author originally from Long Island, New York. Starting in publishing, she now specializes in novels based on television shows or movies. She often collaborates with fellow author Melinda Metz, with whom she writes the book series based on the Everwood TV show, and...
created the basic story arc for the first six books, after which several writers wrote the sample scene in which Max saves Liz's life. Metz was chosen to write the books, and she and Burns worked together to further develop the series.
The Outsider (1998)
When Liz Ortecho is shot in a freak accident at the Crashdown Cafe owned by her family, her friend Max Evans leaps in to heal her without regard for the secret that he keeps about his sister Isabel, friend Michael Guerin and himself. He loves Liz and can't let her die. Though Liz withdraws from Max when she finds out that they are aliens, she slowly realizes that Max loves her and poses no danger to her. Liz keeps his secret from Sheriff Valenti and Elsevan DuPris, the publisher of the local tabloid, despite their suspicions. But she tells her best friend Maria DeLuca, who in turn tells their friend Alex Manes. The six of them figure out a way to put aside their fears and trust each other. The groups comes up with a plan to throw Sheriff Valenti off their trail - they stage a chase and dump a truck into a lake, making it look like the aliens perished in the crash. At the end, Liz realizes that she returns Max's love. But he pushes her away because he believes that he is endangering her by being in her life.The Salvation (2000)
The Salvation opens with Adam's funeral. Max is completely lost to the consciousness in a comatose state. Michael has two of the three Stones of Midnight. Alex, Isabel and Liz keep trying to reach out to Max, while trying to hide the true aim of the group from the consciousness. Michael, Trevor and Maria attempt to find a way to shatter the consciousness without hurting Max. Michael and Trevor begin to bond as brothers. Isabel and Trevor discover an attraction for each other. Michael realized he loves Maria - but he keeps denying it to himself. And Liz keeps trying to find a way to get through to Max. The group finally figure out a way to shatter the consciousness. They use the Stones of Midnight in their possession to open a wormhole to the alien planet. The consciousness has the third Stone of Midnight in its possession. Using a device that they get from Kyle Valenti (who is now in a mental asylum for saying that aliens killed his father), they neutralize that Stone. This disperses all the auras, including those of Michael's parents and Ray Gilburt. Max is dispersed into his molecules too - but Liz finds a way to connect with him and bring him back. Trevor returns to his home planet through the wormhole to rebuild a new world order. Isabel decides not to go with him because her family is on Earth. Michael also, finds that he can't leave Maria behind and confesses his love to her. The group is reunited happily at the end.External links
- Roswell High Books Gallery
- Roswell High at AngelFire.com
- Aura - Roswell High