The Dangerous Days of Daniel X
James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
Little, Brown and Company
978-0-316-00293-6
Science Fiction
Andrew, 8th grade, MMS

Fifteen-Year-Old Alien Hunter

“When I tell you that I’ve seen it all and done it all, I’m not lying or boasting – though sometimes I wish I were, and that I lived a normal life in some place like Peoria, Illinois or Red Bank, New Jersey. Since the death of my mom and dad, and in my years as an Alien Hunter – up to and including the present moment of extraordinary jeopardy – I’ve been kidnapped by faceless metallic humanoids. Twice. I’ve been chased and caught by a shape-shifting protoplasm in London who wanted to make me into a jelly sandwich, without bread.”

Daniel thought he was a normal kid until one day when he was just three-years-old and his parents were murdered by an alien known as the Prayer. He later found out that his parents were Alien Hunters who were responsible for protecting Earth from dangerous aliens known as Outsiders. Through the course of Daniel’s childhood, he learns that his parents had special powers, and he, too, had powers as well. He also finds that his parents’ duty was to hunt down the Outsiders who are on The List. The List is a list of outlaw aliens who are trying to do harm to Earth. He has slowly been working his way up The List until he got ahead of himself and tried to take down Number Six. In his efforts to get in position to make a move on him, he became a target. While in hiding (being a normal teenager), he meets a girl named Phoebe. He thought she was perfect and normal, but when she tells him her sister was abducted by aliens, his whole perspective is changed.

James Patterson has truly grasped the sci-fi dream of being an Alien Hunter and has turned it into what seems could be a possible reality. He jumps right into the story with dramatic and powerful events that have huge effects on the characters, especially Daniel. The story’s realistic mood makes the reader feel as if Daniel is talking directly to him/her. However, the topic of the story may not be appealing to all people; it is directed mainly at people interested in science fiction.