Monday, August 25, 2008

Book Review – Dangerous Days of Daniel X


I have read several books by James Patterson, so when I had an opportunity to review the first book in his new Daniel X series, I jumped at the chance. I had no idea what the book was about when I agreed to do this, and when I found out it was a Sci-Fi book, I was a little hesitant. I don’t read a lot of Sci-Fi books, so it was a little out of my comfort zone. I was pleased to find that it had a similar “voice” as other James Patterson novels I have enjoyed, even though I’m guessing there was A LOT of input from Michael Ledwidge.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X begins with Daniel’s parents being brutally murdered in front of him when he is three years old. The book flashes forward to Daniel at age 15, who is on a mission to avenge the death of his parents by going after The Prayer – the most dangerous alien in the world, and the murderer of young Daniel’s parents. Daniel has been able to survive with the help of his special skills such as shape-shifting and manipulating objects, animals and people with his mind.

It’s obvious from the start that Daniel is not a regular boy. In addition to his special skills, he is an Alien Hunter, as his father was, and has taken it upon himself to rid the Earth of those dangerous aliens intent on destroying it.

I definitely found the book interesting, but it was obviously meant for teen readers. I can see where the alien action, and the adventures of Daniel would really draw in readers in the 13-16 age range. The book definitely has some intense situations, including alien violence and the murder of Daniel’s parents, so I would fully evaluate your child’s ability to deal with these types of situations before letting him read the book.

You definitely find yourself rooting for Daniel. As a mother, I immediately felt sorry for this young boy who was so lonely that he creates his own friends in his mind. That evokes emotion in the reader, so right from the beginning you want Daniel to be happy and triumph over the demons in his life – internal and external alike.

Overall, I would recommend this book, depending on the what type of books you like to read. If you like Sci-Fi books, I would definitely suggest reading The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. If you like James Patterson, I would also suggest giving the book a shot. Even if you normally don’t read Sci-Fi, the character development make this a book worth reading. I didn’t know if I would like the book, and now I know I will be buying the next Daniel X adventure which comes out in Summer 2009.

For more information about The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, visit Amazon, where you can read more user reviews, or visit the book’s official Web site.

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