Daniel X is an alien bounty hunter. He's also a kid and an alien himself. He took up his father's cause, capturing or destroying the most dangerous aliens on earth after the death of his family. Daniel's weapon? His imagination. Anything Daniel can imagine, he can do or create. He's even created four alien-fighting friends and versions of his own family.

In this installment of the series, Daniel is taking on reality TV—sort of. The alien he's tracking makes gruesome comedies that always end in the death of the cast—and he collects the cast members from a small town in the US.

Daniel is very much a comic book hero superkid. Despite his wise-cracks and alien-killing habits, Daniel is a strongly moral character who urges readers to read books and be kind to family and friends. As in his Max series, Patterson prefers his messages to be spoken flat out—less chance of the reader missing the moral of the story that way.

While reading this book, I was reminded over and over of a comic book. The plot is predictable and obvious. The characters are crafted unashamedly from stereotypical heroes and villains—and yet the book takes the reader on an enjoyable adventure anyway. The prose is sometimes startlingly clever and funny. And the pace is so fast, you're dazzled by speed throughout the book. I could see this being a great novel to lure reluctant male readers in with its fast pace, simple storyline, comic-book feel, and engaging voice. I know if another of this series tumbles into my hands, I'll read it eagerly—hey, nothing wrong with an occasional guilty pleasure.