5,000 years ago four hooded figures created a superweapon called the Doom Box. This weapon was so dangerous that the hooded figures destroyed it and scattered its pieces throughout the galaxy. Now the villain Core Hunter seeks out the pieces of the Doom Box to gain all the power he wants. It’s up to Hero Factory’s Alpha Team to stop him from obtaining the Doom Box.
Since its debut, Hero Factory has been among the best fictional worlds. Because of its waves/phases, characters, and visual design, Hero Factory might just be the best sci-fi world ever, after Star Wars. Readers are surprised at how in-depth this book's setting is. Greg Farshtey did an excellent job at letting readers experience the sci-fi world of Hero Factory by giving vivid, technical details and description. One standout detail is that Farshtey managed to make it clear that the main characters are robots, but very "human" robots.
Because Hero Factory originated from a kid’s toy line, and this is not necessarily an extremely popular franchise like Star Wars or Marvel or even Ninjago, readers do not expect much characterization and development from the characters. But many characters in The Doom Box exceed expectations by having their own arcs and themes, some of which were first hinted at multiple waves earlier. There are a handful of central characters: the members of Alpha Team and Core Hunter. Some characters stand out and are more memorable than others. Core Hunter is one of the best Hero Factory villains, maybe the best.
Intensity builds throughout the book as the heroes learn more and more about the danger of the Doom Box and if Core Hunter were to obtain it. Because of this intensity, this is one of the few books (or maybe the only book) I read most or all of in one sitting.
This book is amazing, but readers get lost at multiple points in the story because it jumps around in time. This creates confusion for certain plot points, and therefore there is a risk of losing the reader a bit.
LEGO Hero Factory: Secret Mission is an underrated book series. The fourth book is excellent and the second book is much better. But this first book in the series, taking place in one of the best fictional worlds with some compelling characters and cool action, is the best of the series. The Doom Box is easily one of the best kids books out there and the best sci-fi book I've read.
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