The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge

From the Publisher

The greatest superpower of all isn't to be part spider, part man, or to cast magic spells — the greatest power is the power to create.

Daniel has that power.

Daniel's secret abilities — like being able to manipulate objects and animals with his mind or to recreate himself in any shape he chooses — have helped him survive. But Daniel doesn't have a normal life. He is the protector of the earth, the Alien Hunter, with a mission beyond what anyone could imagine.

From the day that his parents were brutally murdered in front of his very eyes, Daniel has used his unique gifts to hunt down their assassin. Finally, with the help of The List bequeathed to him in his parents' dying breath, he has located the killer.

Now, on his own, he vows to take on his father's mission—and to have vengeance in the process.

Publishers Weekly

Patterson jumps on the superheroes bandwagon with contributor Ledwidge and delivers the adventures of Daniel X, a superpowered alien whose mission is to defend Earth from more malignant, threatening aliens. In his first adventure, listeners hear the typical origin story (parents killed by the most vile alien on Earth), his early adventures (growing up on his own with amazing powers) and his first real step into manhood (facing off against another alien). The story throws in a few interesting twists, but isn't particularly dynamic as superhero narratives go. The production is sparsely sprinkled with sound effects, which work quite well and add to the story, but there is a lack of consistency to their execution. However, Milo Ventimiglia makes it worth the listen. His timing and inflection match perfectly with Daniel, the first-person protagonist. He sounds youthful enough to be believable as Daniel and easily transitions to other character voices within the story. A Little, Brown hardcover. (July)

VOYA

When Daniel was only three years old, his parents were brutally murdered by a six-and-a-half-foot-tall praying mantis named The Prayer who had come for The List, a roll of all the current alien outlaws. Daniel himself is an extraterrestrial who makes it his mission to eliminate all those on The List. As he turns fifteen, he enters high school to avoid truancy charges from the local police, who seem to think it strange that a teenager is living alone in a house he created and who travels at odd hours. There he meets Phoebe Cook who tells him her sister Allison has been abducted. He falls for her and tries to help her find her sister. Phoebe is in actuality Ergent Seth, alien number 6 on The List. The alien captures Daniel and takes him and a group of kidnapped children he uses to sell drugs for him off in a space ship to a distant planet. Ergent Seth shoots Daniel in the stomach, and while he endures "teeth-clenching throbs of agony," Daniel still manages to escape, meet a woman who knew his father and turns out to be his grandmother, make friends with a herd of elephants who can communicate with him, and rescue the children. The whole story does not track well and is way over the top for even the most devout SF fans. Daniel has a dry sense of humor that is entertaining for a while, and there is a lot of gore and gruesome murders that will appeal to some readers. Unfortunately it is the first of a planned series. James Patterson's fans should stick with his excellent Maximum Ride books. Reviewer: Kathie Fitch

Details from Seller

• ISBN: 0316002925
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Pub. Date: July 2008
• Condition:

Comments from the Seller: Dust Cover Missing. Only lightly used. Book has minimal wear to cover and binding. A few pages may have small creases and minimal underlining. Book selection as BIG as Texas.