The Dangerous Days of Daniel X
by James Patterson
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Book Reviews of The Dangerous Days of Daniel X
Book Review: X stands for unknown. and I wish I could unknow this book!
Summary: 1 Stars
The cover says that the greatest power isn't to be part man and part spider or to cast magical spells but to create. That has never been more true than in this book cause the power to create a good story was desperately needed here. With J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series over Paterson and a lot of other authors are trying to create the next big thing for kids and mainly those Harry Potter Dollars in the hands of millions of fans coming off of that reader high of a good series and looking for the next big fix.
Patterson tries to use a formula to create our hero. Step one: Kill off the parents. Yeah this wasn't new when J.K. did it or even back in the 1930's when Batman saw his parents die.
The problem here is its so abrupt and tossed in it feels lacking. The parents are killed off so easily and instead of fighting back they yell out "we love you son!" with their last breath.
The killer wants a list of Alien outlaws. Why? We are never told. It makes no sense to want this list let alone kill for it. At the age of 3 Daniel is on his own in life. We jump forward to 12 year old Daniel. No explanation as to who raised him.
Daniel has taken on the job of Alien Hunter. With his power I thought he would create people to help him do this job. Tough guys decked out in leather and trenchcoats. Buxom amazon girl complete with martial art skills.
No we get his make believe friends. Each of which are Breakfast Club sterotype. We have the sensitive one animal loving girl, Jock/best bud complete with "dude" phase and fist thumps,the motorhead the princess/girlfriend who Daniel blushes to see. Which is just plain silly cause falling for your creations is weird. Not to mention what a normal kid would do with this power. That alone could have been interesting as Daniel fought urges to make slaves of his creations. However that's not the case. Daniel uses these friends to keep from being lonely. And that's great! Instant friends. But deep down you know your still alone.
Each one has a simple skill set. From hot wiring a car to calming a dog to giving him someone to talk to. but if these are created from Daniels mind shouldn't they only have skills Daniel himself has?
Daniel also has the habit of recreating his dead parents and sister. I recently lose my father I don't know if I would feel good recreating him. Sure it would be great to see him again. But I know its not him. And getting advice from him wouldn't be the same. It would be more like talking to myself. Family life is like a scene from Ozzie and Harriet. Complete with annoying little sister demanding to stay up late.
The villain is like a school bully. He trashes Daniels house. Sends henchmen to get him. And yet none of Daniels adventures affect the high school he decided to attend. Nor are they particularly exciting. Even the climatic battle with Daniel and his foe are a let down and over too easily and simple.
James Patterson is a good writer. Yet like many he saw J.K. Rowling's mega leap to billionaire and is jealous. Years of writing has given him 1 tv series and two movies and several great novels. I guess he feels it pales to 5 +100 million dollar box office gold! films, assorted merchandise, video games and world recognition. So why not try to create a teen hero. Harry Potter was a good story but it wasn't Shakespeare. There's always room for improvement. Yet it won't come if you slap it together. the chapters were written like they were meant for a kid with ADD. The big font type is to make this story story look like a novel. James go back to Alex Cross stories. Or write a story about Alex as a kid if you want a teen hero.
Book Review: Patterson and Ledwidge grab onto the reader's attention and don't let go for a second, propelling one along at Warp Factor Six
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the past few years, James Patterson has done yeoman's work on a number of fronts to encourage young adults to read, namely with his Maximum Ride novels. He and co-author Michael Ledwidge have just published a new series, one that will appeal to fans of science fiction and that has just enough action --- and charm --- to appeal to teens and those who still wish they were. The lead-off book is THE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X, and it's a good one.
It kicks off, appropriately enough, with Daniel X's backstory, or at least some of it. Daniel is a 15-year-old alien from outer space whose purpose-driven life is dedicated to eradicating monstrous beings from other planets, called Hunters, who see Earth as a candy dish ripe for the plucking. Daniel's parents were murdered, apparently by The Prayer, first among equals of a group of alien outlaws whose goal is to eliminate all life on earth.
Comic book fans of all ages are familiar with the themes of parental loss --- Superman, Batman and Spiderman are but three fiction icons who lost one or both parents to evil --- and science-fiction aficionados will recall the good-and-bad-alien-in-our-midst themes from any number of sources ("Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" from the original "Twilight Zone" series comes most immediately to mind). Before their apparent demise, Daniel's parents left their son a list of the aliens he needs to eliminate if he and his adopted planet are to be safe. And how is he supposed to do this? Daniel has powers, chief among them is the ability to manipulate molecules. There is some sort of vague limitation to it, however, and Daniel himself is still testing that out, so it is interesting to see what will work, how and against whom.
In this inaugural volume, Daniel is both the pursued and pursuer of an alien baddie named Ergent Seth, who is Number Six on The List. Daniel moves from Portland, Oregon, to Glendale, California, where he enrolls in high school, acquires a girlfriend who gives new meaning to the term "girl trouble" and makes an involuntary interstellar trip across space where the biggest surprise of all awaits him, even as he moves toward an ultimate confrontation with Ergent Seth and takes another step toward his destiny.
This sounds like a lot --- and it is --- but Patterson and Ledwidge grab onto the reader's attention and don't let go for a second, propelling one along at Warp Factor Six. Much of the book is graphically violent, but no more so than what you'd find in your average video game, and Daniel gives fair warning at the beginning that things will get a bit rough before the ride is over. And as a bonus, THE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X features three chapters from the next installment in the series. All that, and the authors even include a plug for THE ILIAD by Homer, arguably the first military thriller. Does it get any better than that? We'll have to wait to find out.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Book Review: Thankfully, it is a fast read
Summary: 2 Stars
After completing the current books in Patterson's Maximum Ride series, I was told that I should read the latest "teen" novel by James Patterson (and Michael Ledwidge), The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Like Maximum Ride, Daniel X will be a series of at least three books. But Patterson and Ledwidge will have to release the next two without me.
Daniel X is a fifteen year old orphan with some supernatural powers. These powers; shape shifting, telekinesis, and the ability to create animate objects out of nothing, are needed as he is an Alien Hunter on Planet Earth. For eons, Earth has been inhabited by aliens, and a good portion of them are evil. Daniel, orphaned when his parents were killed by an alien called The Prayer, uses a "hit list" (called The List) left to him by his parents, to track down and kill the bad aliens. Naturally, as such lists are numbered, the closer you get to #1, the aliens get more difficult to dispatch.Skipping ahead on The List, Daniel determines he is ready for #6. But that particular alien is well aware of his approach and his weaknesses. And he is waiting for Daniel.
I realize that this book is targeted to the 7-17 reader, but I had a very difficult time relating to or caring about Daniel. I think that it was mostly due to knowing that somewhere along the line, Patterson will get heavy-handed on some ecological topic. While that did not appear in this novel, you know that it is coming. He is addressing global warming in Maximum Ride, and I *think* that they will be addressing global population in this series, based on some throw away comments late in this book (they did address child labor in this novel). But my other issues with this book are probably very silly; where does Daniel get the money to live and eat? Why isn't he taking some time to improve his powers with the lower numbered aliens, while moving up The List? A weapon that kills his parents seems to only give him a "flesh wound" *? For the most part, I think that this book may hold the interest of most 7-17 year olds. But it certainly holds no interest to me
* - my thow away "Monty Python" reference :-)
Book Review: Patterson Tackles the Junior Fiction Market
Summary: 2 Stars
With Patterson having books in all the other markets, adult thrillers, adult romance, adult sci-fi, young adult (maximum ride series) and children's picture book (although he failed terribly here with Santa Kid) it was inevitable he would try his hand at the pre teen junior fiction market. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X is first in a planned series (the second book of which will be a comic book) and although it may be enjoyed by a few little kids who are into aliens, if they are at the reading level to read a book this long (still short by adult novel standards) they are probably going to reading stuff from the young adult section anyway so won't pick up this book.
Good junior fiction can be enjoyed by older kids and adult readers as well, I work in a library and a lot of people who borrow Junior paperbacks aren't kids. They're just people after a quick simpler less getting into emotional type read, that most junior fiction is. I found this book an effort to push through, it just isn't a book that gives anything to older readers. So those adults looking for an enjoyable junior fiction read between adult fiction novels won't find a satisfying read here.
This really is a junior fiction book that will appeal to a very small percentage of children who are not past the Saturday morning cartoon level of entertainment. Like any Patterson novel though, you're going to check it out anyway, no matter what the reviews are saying, but I encourage you to get it from your library first before forking over hard earned money for it.
The basic plot is a three year old boy witnesses his parents being killed by a giant praying mantis as he transforms and hides from the mantis by becoming a tick. Daniel is no ordinary boy, his parents were alien hunters and Daniel is determined to follow in their footsteps. Daniel has weird powers that allow him to invent friends, bring back his parents and other things many a child probably wishes for. This story is a narration of his adventures as he battles with aliens on earth working his way up to the confrontation with his parents' killer.
Book Review: Daniel X is the superhero of the future
Summary: 2 Stars
Reviewed by Wendy Cleveland for Reader Views (6/08)
"The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" revolves around teenager Daniel, who, at the age of three, loses his parents to aliens. Come to find out, he is a descendent of the Alien Hunters from the planet Alpar Nok -- Daniel, son of Graff, son of Terfdron. Before his parents die, they tell him that he must find "The List of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma," which is Earth. He finds the list and the number one alien is called "The Prayer," who is the one who killed his family. Come to find out, Daniel is also a shape shifter who can turn into anything he wants including ticks and elephants. He also has the ability to make things from his memory appear like his parents when the cops came to his house wondering why he wasn't in school.
Throughout the novel, Daniel is trying to live a normal life while trying to kill off all of the aliens on this list. One of the most dangerous aliens was number six, Ergent Seth, who is known for kidnapping children to sell to other aliens for use as slaves. Little does Daniel know, but Ergent Seth is a hard alien to catch. When he finally confronts Daniel, things don't go as planned. Daniel ends up captured and loses some of his powers. Instead of killing Daniel, Ergent Seth, brings him back to the planet Alpar Nok which is completely destroyed. Daniel hopes to escape and try to find his parent's family leading to devastating circumstances. This book is the first in more to come in the series of Daniel X.
I found myself saying "Huh" a lot during my reading of "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X." It is definitely not your typical James Patterson novel probably because he now resorts to using co-authors which is a shame. I found this read more for a younger audience with references to SpongeBob, Transformers, and "elevator thingy." With the whole shape shifter, alien hunter theme, it reminded me of the Cartoon Network series "Ben Ten" which my eight-year-old son watches. I would definitely recommend this book to those under the age of 16, but it is not for us older folks.