James Patterson is a writing machine! The man must have black ink running through his veins. Not only is he a machine when it comes to writing books, he is also a versatile writer at that. In his illustrious career he has written suspense novels, historical fiction, medical fiction, summer romance and young adult books. is the latest young adult novel from the non-stop pen of James Patterson. Diverse is a great word to describe the writing talents of Mr. Patterson and he proves in his second book in the Daniel X series WATCH THE SKIES
Daniel has been on his own since his parents were brutally murdered at the tender age of three. It may seem harsh to believe that a three year old could take care of himself, but it’s not so hard when you have special powers. These special powers he possesses enable him to manipulate things, create imaginary friends and family, and the power to track and hunt down renegade alien assassins. You see Daniel is not from this world, he comes from a planet called Alpar Nok and he is an alien assassin bounty hunter. Since his parents death Daniel has been hunting aliens and facing near death situations numerous times. His parents died protecting the list of aliens that were to be captured and/or destroyed. With their demise Daniel has inherited this list and it has made him a marked man (or teenager). In WATCH THE SKIES Daniel has moved to a town called Holliswood and all seems fine in this quiet quaint community… on the surface. Daniel starts to get a little suspicious as the people of Holliswood begin acting strange and soon finds out that a creepy Fish alien (number 5 on the list) is bound and determined to send this picturesque little town into an uproar. Number 5 is quite the devilish alien as he has created a new form of space television entertainment that he lovingly refers to as “endertainment”. These shows are based around humans being killed at the conclusion of the broadcast. With this new challenge ahead of him once can only wonder if Daniel will accomplish what he has set out to do or will he meet the same fate his parents met twelve years earlier? Well, my friend, you’ll have to read for yourself.
WATCH THE SKIES is fun book and yet I would hesitate to say it is as good as the first installment. It is a clever series however I felt this story in particular felt a little rushed to get to the conclusion and not as unique as the first installment. However there is enough light heartedness and humor to make this book enjoyable and funny yet there is enough suspense and tension to keep the reader wanting to read more. Overall I do feel this is a fun book and an easy read. I think it will be entertaining for people of all ages.
Reviewed by Jeff Holton
