The Dangerous Days of Daniel X
James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
272 pp. Little, Brown. $19.99
Reviewed by Lindsay Stotts
Being a big fan of James Patterson’s other young adult series, “Maximum Ride”, I was thrilled to discover his newest teen series, “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X”. Co-written with Michael Ledwidge, “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X” is an incredibly exciting and entertaining romp sure to please young teens. Chocked full of cool things like aliens, alien hunting and a fifteen year old super-powered protagonist, the novel should have no problem engaging the younger demographic. And it’s fast-paced enough that avid readers can enjoy it in a single afternoon.
Daniel X is not a typical fifteen year old boy. He’s been living on his own, struggling to survive, since the death of his parents when he was younger. As daunting as Daniel’s situation is, it’s not even close to being the whole story. It seems that Daniel’s parents were killed by an evil alien (I hate those pesky evil aliens!) called The Prayer. Of all the aliens that now call earth their home, The Prayer is considered the worst amongst them. It stands alone at the top of the List, which is essentially a “to do” list for alien hunters.
Like his parents, Daniel X is an Alien Hunter too (yes, this is very much reminiscent of the film “Independence Day”). So after the death of his parents, he takes over the family alien hunting business (the family that slays together, stays together) and starts knocking off alien nuisances from the List. Luckily, Daniel has some nifty special abilities, which have not only helped him survive previously, but also make his alien hunting gig a little easier.
Soon, Daniel decides its time to tackle #6 on the List: Ergent Seth. Little does he know, he may have just bit off more than he can chew even for a precocious alien hunting 15 year old who has quite the knack for knocking off evil extraterrestrials. Daniel’s decision to go after Ergent Seth quickly plunges him into a heart-pounding adventure filled with cool friends and weird up-close encounters of the alien kind.
“The Dangerous Days of Daniel X” is definitely geared towards the 12 to 15 year old age group. The novel is an incredibly smooth read thanks mainly to the use of the first person narrative, which makes it easier for readers to identify with Daniel. Patterson and Ledwidge have done an admirable job with the plot, packing it full of action. Not once is the reader lulled to sleep with too much exposition or wasted babbling.
Parents should know that the book promotes good moral values like the importance of friends and family, and not forgetting who your friends are. There is violent content in the story though, and Daniel’s parents being killed may be too traumatic for younger readers, but the violence is not glorified or condoned.
The only disappointment for me was how quickly the climax was resolved (not that the whole book takes very long to read). The entire conclusion felt somewhat rushed to me, and I would have loved to see Patterson and Ledwidge elaborate upon it some more. Make no mistake though, the finale is great, it just feels like it came and went in the blink of an eye, and it left me wanting much more.
Last Word:
“The Dangerous Days of Daniel X” is a fantastic young adult book that will have teens begging Patterson and Ledwidge for more stories featuring Daniel. The good news is that there seems to be at least two more Daniel X novels in the works. Even with its slightly disappointing and abbreviated ending, a really solid foundation was there, making the novel ultimately captivating. It’s uncomplicated, understandable, and undeniably entertaining! This series will feel right at home on the shelves next to Patterson’s other young adult series “Maximum Ride”.
Final Score: 84 out of 100
1 comments:
I loved this book and just wnat to say your review was great.
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