Daniel X is a 14 year old orphan with incredible powers and a heavy responsibility. He can run incredibly fast, read minds, and create objects with his mind. He even recreates his murdered family when he feels lonely. And what does an orphaned boy with superpowers do everyday? He hunts aliens that are secretly living on Earth. Daniel owns a special laptop that supplies him with a most wanted list of alien threats to Earth. When he decides to go after #6 on the list he bites off more then he bargained for and may face his first defeat. The problem is that in his line of work defeat usually means death.
For me, this book did not live up to its potential. The idea of Daniel X, a teenage alien bounty hunter, is really cool but in the hands of James Patterson it just comes out as if you are reading the Cliffs Notes version of a better book. It is frustrating that the narrative is watered down as much as it is because it made it difficult for me to really get into and enjoy the book. By the end of the book I was enjoying it a bit more, although the ending is just as rushed as the rest of the book. The concept though holds a lot of promise and I really hope that the second in the series will slow down and show us more of Daniel, his job, and powers, and not the slide show tour that made up the first book. Daniel X is appropriate for all readers, and will interest boys who are looking for a quick action book with sci-fi elements. Its narrative problems may work in its favor when introduced to reluctant readers, who may not expect to invest a lot of time in a novel.
Anime Club
Black Cat
This Thursday! (August 7th 2008)
3:30 - 5
Come join us as we watch the first disc of the anime series Black Cat. Black Cat is a trained killer trying to repent for his past mistakes. Along with his sidekicks Sven and Eve, he gets into all sorts of adventures. There will be tons of action, so you don’t want to miss it!
I am a sucker for horror novels. A young patron recently recommended the Nightside series to me. I am glad I took his advice. John Taylor is a would-be private detective who specializes in finding things. He hasn’t had a job in forever and needs money. So when a woman comes in asking for his help finding her daughter he can’t say no. The trouble begins when the woman claims that her daughter ran away to a mysterious place called the Nightside. John Taylor is familiar with the Nightside as he was born and raised there. And he doesn’t really care to go back.
The Nightside is a hidden realm at the heart of London. It has been there since the beginning of time and will continue on after London is gone. It is a place where monsters walk, and the bizarre and the insane are everyday occurrences. Horses talk in the Nightside, and faceless men with syringes for fingers roam the streets and will try to kill you. There are harpies, time travelers, and a diner perpetually stuck in the 60s. It’s a place of odds and ends, both horrifying and sublime.
Something from the Nightside is the first book in the series and at times it suffers from that introductory-ness that the first books have at times. But the uniqueness of the Nightside really captivates and I am excited to read the next one. I would recommend this book for anyone in 9th grade and up. Horror lovers will definitely like it. Those interested in the Dresden Files will find a good read alike in the Nightside series.
This is space opera at its best. This is the concluding chapter in Kevin J Anderson’s Saga of the Seven Suns. It is a doozy and it doesn’t disappoint. I read this in two day long sessions. I was that hooked.
The Saga of the Seven Suns is a 7 book cycle that deals with the ramifications of Earth’s arrogance when the Earthlings test an ancient weapon by a long dead insect-like race. This weapon takes any gas planet and turns it into a star, allowing the planet’s moons to become available for terraforming and colonization. Unfortunately for Earth, there are aliens living inside gas giants called Hydrouges. Aghast at the holocaust that the Earthlings have unwittingly perpetrated, the Hydrouges go to war.
Unfortunately the humans on Earth aren’t the only humans in the galaxy. Earth sent out generation ships long ago, and now the descendants of those ships are also being attacked by Hydrogues. One group is the planet of Green Priests, who have green skin full of chlorophyll, and who are telepathically linked to colossal sentient trees called the Verdani. Another group of humans are the Roamers. These humans no longer live on planets but live mostly in space, either in ships, asteroids, or barren moons. Roamers are wanderers and handymen, anything they put their minds on they can achieve. There is another race in the universe and they are the Ildirans who share a hive mind. They are as ancient as the Hydrogues themselves, but have grown weak over time because of the lack of any sort of ingenuity.
Eventually the war draws out other ancient races, such as the Wentals and the Fareos. Along with the Hydrogues and the Verdani, the Wental and Faeros are elemental races, and they represent Air, Earth, Water, and Fire respectively. These forces have warred with each other off and on for all of time. And this latest war may mean the end for all of humanity.
I would recommend these books for anyone in 9th grade and up. People who really enjoy Star Wars, Star Trek, the Dune series, and space operas will love these books. They are quick and easy reads. They also have short chapters that give the books a movie-like quality because the story keeps jumping from character to character. This continues the suspense, but also makes it easy to take breaks, so these may work for reluctant readers, or readers who are moving up in their reading level.
If one more person’s head gets squashed like a grape this book would be even that much better. I really cannot explain how much I enjoyed this Playing With Fire. I like this one a lot better than the first one. It has more of everything, more action, more villains, more magic, more gore, and more humor. In this case more is definitely the merrier.
Skulduggery and Valkyrie find themselves facing off against Baron Vengeous, an acolyte of the Faceless Ones, and is all set to let loose the Grotesquery on the world. The Grotesquery is a Frankenstein’s monster-like creation, except it is made up of many different magical creatures, all of which are extremely lethal. And if the Grotesquery is resurrected then it will call out to the Faceless Ones who will then return and destroy the world.
Like I mentioned before the adrenaline is jacked up a few notches for this sequel. Fans of magic and horror will love this book. It is a pretty intense book, with a high body count and a good amount of gore. I really can’t wait for the third book. This is now my favorite series by far. This book is appropriate for anyone in sixth grade and up, if they don’t mind the blood and guts.
Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Like, it’s-my-new-favorite-thing enjoyed this book. If you liked the action in Harry Potter but wanted more of it with more wit, then this is the book for you.
The novel follows a young woman named Stephanie. Her uncle, a famous horror writer, just died and the family gathers to listen to his will. There she meets Skulduggery Pleasant for the first time. He is a mysterious man, most likely because he is hidden from head to toe behind a long coat, gloves, scarf, sunglasses, wig, and a hat. Stephanie is immediately drawn to him because she is not like the rest of her family. They are only interested in what they will get from her Uncle’s will. No one really cares about his death, or how he died. They just really want his stuff. To Stephanie’s surprise she is the one who receives the majority of his estate. She even gets her Uncle’s house, which Stephanie and her mother soon set out to explore. Once they get there their car breaks down. After some pleading with her mom, Stephanie is left alone at the house while her mother rides with the tow truck to the mechanic. Stephanie putters around the house, reading her Uncle’s unfinished novel, until she starts getting harassing phone calls. The voice on the line wants a key. Stephanie hangs up. And that is about when the man on the phone bursts through the window and attacks her. And then the door explodes, revealing Skulduggery Pleasant. In the melee Skulduggery’s attire comes loose and Stephanie realizes that Skulduggery is actually a living, walking skeleton. Afraid for her life, stuck between a skeleton and an attacker, Stephanie sets out on an adventure to find out why her uncle died… That is if she survives.
Did I mention I loved this book? It has tons of action and is actually really funny. Skulduggery has that dry James Bond understated humor down pat. The novel also combines fantasy and horror extremely well. It also references the monsters and the tone of H.P. Lovecraft. Between the magic, the humor, and the creeps, it is a perfect combination. Highly recommended. It’s appropriate for 6th grade on up, although it is a bit more intense then Harry Potter.
I’d like to note that I read the book by listening to the audiobook. It is a wonderful adaptation that rivals the quality of the Harry Potter audiobooks. It is an excellent read and an excellent listen. Enjoy!
This book keeps you on your toes. It’s a action/slight drama. Molly lives in a orphanage and life there is horrible. When she finds a hypnotism book and learns it, her life changes. She hypnotizes her way to the top of NY. All the while, a crook has been looking for the book, so he can hypnotize banks into giving him their jewels. He also knows Molly’s secret and blackmails her into doing something she doesn’t want to…
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
