The good news is that this book isn't in stores near you, right now. However, because it's James Patterson, and his Maximum Ride series is now at book 5, this series will also sell.I disliked this book to an enormous degree, probably out of perspective for the sheer pique I felt having wasted my time reading this book. Following on the heels of Anthony Horowitz and the Alex Rider books, Daniel X is not a spy; he's an alien hunter. In a story equal parts Men in Black meets James Bond meets Spiderman, Daniel X is just too much of everything and not enough believability.
James Patterson and partner stretch the "willing suspension of disbelief" in so many ways, with so many short, choppy chapters and numerous cliches, easy to guess plot twists, and enough puking and bodily fluid references to truly emphasize that this is a book written for late elementary school boys, that the book is virtually unenjoyable for a normal read. The last 3 of Patterson's books for 'tweens have been so "global warming"-"Earth's in Peril"-mongering that there's little plot and a whole lot of scare tactic. Even in this book, about aliens, a world JUST like Earth has been destroyed and left behind as metal, all life gone. It's just too much.
I won't be reading about Daniel X again. If you want a GOOD book, with a similarly special 'tween who's out to save the world, read Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz series. That's a world worth saving, a hero worth knowing, and a plot worth laughing about. Definitely skip Daniel X, unless you need a guilt trip and time spent with Al Gore. In fact, skip Daniel X, and just go looking for Gore on DVD. You'll have saved time and effort.
