Guru Donald Jacobi has founded a business based on the supposed healing power of Smallville's glowing green meteorites. He aims to collect as many of the rocks as possible, intending to sell them on the Internet. Seeing as these meteorites are made from Kryptonite this does not bode well for Clark.

When Jacobi arrives in Smallville and starts to give a series of lectures citing the power of the meteorites he is concerned when a genuinely sick boy approaches the stage and demands that Jacobi heals him. A freak accident involving a large meteorite and a laser beam seems to result in a miraculous cure for the boy and Jacobi's influence increases.

Clarke and his friends aim to prove that Jacobi is a fraud before the people of Smallville are completely taken in by the charismatic con man.

Strange Visitors is another of the Smallville novels that is aimed at young adult readers. Again it addresses a subject that is slightly more extreme than that covered in the children's books.

Jacobi is a manipulative fraudster who will go to practically any lengths to convince people he is genuine and that they should give him money to further his "research". He is accompanied by James Wolfe, an ex-convict who helps Jacobi stage elaborate (faked) healings to add to his credibility.

The character is rather reminiscent of some of the faith-healers that you see on certain cable channels – the kind that wind the audience/congregation into a frenzy to encourage them to donate large sums of money.

One nice touch is that even the families of our main characters are not immune to the charisma of Jacobi.

One thing I did find quite curious about this novel relates to the character Pete Ross. In the Atom publications (aimed at children) Pete is just treated as "one of the gang". Just another school friend. However, in this book the author finds it necessary to make a point of the fact that Pete is black. He makes references to Clark and Pete as "Tom and Huck". To me this epitomises the difference between children and young adults. I have often said that children are refreshingly colour-blind. In an otherwise well-written story I just found this a little unnecessary.

Now I have read a number of the Smallville books I am starting to think that maybe I should have given the TV series a chance.