The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

I have never read any James Patterson. Call it a prejudice, but I don't read a lot of the books you can buy at the supermarket. It's not that I'm making a stand against mass market popularity, it's just that the books don't usually intrigue me. So when the wonderful ladies at Mother Talk offered me a chance to review a James Patterson novel, I jumped at the chance. Because never having read such a popular author seems like some sort of reading snobbery and I hate pop culture snobbery - people who won't admit that Christina Aguilera has some catchy songs, I'm talking about YOU.

Anyway, that's how I came to read The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, a book that's really geared for boys under the age of eighteen. It's heavy on the action surrounding a great loner hero main character. There are aliens, battles and a very cool girl. It's not exactly my kind of book. But it's not meant to be, of course. Patterson (and co-author Michael Ledwidge) wrote this book to entice non-readers, or those that don't read fiction, not people like me whose lottery fantasies include walking into Borders with a Costco cart and filling it with new books.

But perhaps the coolest thing is that I actually enjoyed the book. It was a fun read. Especially for a book that's basically science fiction, not usually one of my favorite genres. I'm reluctant to describe the book in great detail because I feel like it would ruin surprises for anyone planning to read it. I will say that that the opening is a bit reminiscent of Harry Potter's story, but the tone of the novel is quite different. The writing is clear and concise - good for a reluctant reader, as they say in education circles.

I may have to try one of Patterson's books for adults now - if for no other reason than to support him because I think it's so cool that he's trying to reach those who don't read. If you're trying to convince a fan of graphic novels, comic books or first person computer games to try novels, I would recommend this book in a heartbeat.