Daniel X: Alien Hunter by James Patterson and Leopoldo Gout

James Patterson has exploded into the YA market over the last few years. The thing I noticed, though, is that all of his YA books have secondary authors. This time it is Leopoldo Gout. This pair of writers put together a pretty good story.

The back story is this: Daniel X is a humanoid alien whose race is dedicated to hunting down and killing evil aliens. Daniel’s parents were killed by one when he was younger. One who was at the top of a list of the most dangerous aliens on Earth. Daniel escaped and later returned to find the list. Now he is dedicated to hunting down all the aliens on the list, setting as his ultimate goal, killing the alien who killed his parents.

Daniel has some cool powers. He can shape change. He can create real objects with the power of his mind. This includes people. It is kind of weird.

In this story Daniel is hunting down “Number Six.” To do so, Daniel decides to make contact with and befriend Number Six’s son. Weirdly enough, the son looks human. The father does not. The son is willing to help as he dislikes what his father is doing: setting up alien hunts here on Earth, with not a care for the collateral damage this causes.

The story is action packed, but not to the point of mindlessness. It is not simplistic. There are a good many twists and turns. One thing I really enjoy in a story is for it to surprise me. This one managed to do that several times.

It is billed as a Young Adult series. I think that is more than fair. As an adult there are still some plot holes that I fall through that would not have bothered me as a younger reader.

If you like YA, science fiction that borders at times on fantasy, and graphic novels (especially when all three are wrapped into one package) give this a try. It is a good way to introduce yourself to Daniel X.

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble by Frank Cammuso

This was a cute little graphic novel. I read it because my daughter had it and I wanted to see what she was reading for fun. Frankly, for me, it was very reminiscent of Sabrina, the Teen-Aged Witch, but with a younger title character.

Salem is not too popular at school. She wants to show what she can do. When she hears of a spelling contest, she immediately wants to participate. It is only after signing up that she realizes that is for spelling words, not casting magic spells.

Highjinks ensue as misspelled words cause teachers to transform. With Salem trying her best to reverse the curse.

Not recommended for adults or older teens. A toss-up for kids and younger teens. I found it a bit predictible.

Jumper by Steven Gould

While the movie Jumper was based on this book, it is nothing like it. Well, almost nothing like it. The main character being a teleporter, having an abusive father, and jumping to a library are in both, but handled very differently.

While being abused by h is father, teenager David first "jumps," his term for teleporting, to the library in his home town. He is, understandably enough, freaked out by that. He decides to run away. After making it almost 900 miles away, he is about to be gang-raped by some truckers when he teleports again. Back to the library. He wonders if that is the only place he can go, and discovers it is not.

There are many subplots that mix together throughout the story. The small-town boy learning to survive in New York City. A love story between him and Millie, that is anything but smooth. The search for his mother. Running from the government. And, improbably (but somehow believably), fighting terrorism.

Gould does a good job with the way David slowly begins to discover the limits and extent of his ability. He wisely keeps it a secret only he knows, afraid what might happen should the government find out. This book is very much a character study. The first person narration of events makes it immediate and brings the reader into David's world and his dilemmas on an emotional level as well as an intellectual one. Gould's ability to make David, and his other characters, come alive is what makes this book work.

If you want a novelization of the movie, this book is not for you. If you haven't seen the movie, or are willing to take a departure from it, this is a good book to read.

JLA/Avengers by Kurt Busiek

Since I was a kid, I have always loved reading comic books. And I still remember the pure joy I felt when DC and Marvel got together and wrote a joint Superman/Spider-Man adventure. I still remember Spidey trying to punch out Supes. Since then I have kept my eye out any DC/Marvel crossovers. They are few and far between.

JLA/Avengers was a series that pitted these two iconic super teams against each other. This graphic novel contains that series. It starts off with some different DC/Marvel universes being destroyed. The destroyer turns out to be Kronos, an Oan (these are the little blue dudes who started the Green Lantern Corps) exiled due to his obsession with finding out what happened before the Big Bang. His initial inquiries were a disaster and were punished by introducing evil into the DC universes. Kronos is still looking for his answer.

In a bid to save the universes, the Grandmaster, a godlike being from the Marvel Universes, proposes a bet with Kronos. Each will get a team of superheroes and they have to find 12 objects of power. The team that collects the most wins. The losing team will have their universe destroyed.

That sets the stage for some pretty awesome battles. But what I liked even better was the way Busiek pointed out the contrasts between how super-powered beings are treated in each universe. And I totally love the ending. A time and universe bending battle.

George Perez, the artist, did an outstanding job. He captured the feel of each universe and the splash scenes for the battle were out of this world (sometimes literally).

I probably do not need to say it by now, but I give this book a very high recommendation. Definitely worth the time to read.

Dr. Psycho's Circus of Crime by Paul Kupperberg

I didn't care for this book, I'll be honest. Strange, as it is a Wonder Woman story. The problem for me is that it is written for children. The characters are all static and flat. Cliches abound.

A series of crimes is being committed. The perpetrators are able to do unusual things--not super powered, just unusual.

After an amazing coincidence, Wonder Woman tracks the criminals down and is met by Dr. Psycho, an old nemesis.

No surprises for me. Took about 10-15 minutes to read. I read it more so I can see what is available for my "lower-level" readers.

Not a book for adults, nor for those who look for some depth.

Camelot 3000 by Mike W. Barr

Full disclosure: I love the variations of the King Arthur stories. I have seen them done well, and not so well. I am also a fan of graphic novels and of mixing science fiction and fantasy. This genre-blending graphic novel by Mike W. Barr suited me to a T.

The legends of Arthur call him "The Once and Future King." It is said that in England's darkest hour he will return to lead the fight against evil. Barr takes this idea and runs with it.

It starts off in England in the year 3000 (hence the title). Earth is being invaded and the aliens seem intent upon killing all the humans. Young Tom, driven off the road by an attack, flees into an archeological dig in which he works. Getting lost in the tunnels, he finds the tomb of King Arthur.

Arthur searches for Merlin. Merlin reveals that the reincarnated souls of some of his court are currently alive. And so the search goes out for Guenivere, Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, Percival, Kay, and Tristan. Merlin’s magic released their memories of Camelot and Arthur. The souls of Arthur’s court now inhabit the bodies of a very diverse group of people. It is not just a bunch of (formerly) dead white dudes. Tristan’s reincarnation as a woman is probably the most interesting—especially when the reincarnated Isolde is given her memory.

I found this to be full of some interesting twists and turns as Arthur and his knights work to save the Earth from the alien invaders. Intrigue abounds as post-modern life and chivalrous morals collide. And the old enemies that are behind it are less surprising than fitting.

I recommend this book whole-heartedly. It’s a lot of fun.

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor

I am not a videogame player. Not my thing. So I was unsure how I would like Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1. It is based on a popular videogame. I shouldn't have worried. I didn't need to be familiar with the game to be able to get into this story.

It is an alternate universe story. I really enjoy those quite a lot. The premise here is what if the world's superheroes, led by Superman, decide to take over for our own good? Broken by the cruelty of the Joker, Superman decides that he can no longer let evil and/or warfare exist while it is in his power to stop it. Wonder Woman has been waiting for him to decide this and enthusiastically joins his cause, as do most of the other super-powered heroes.

Batman, however, does not agree. He has not lost sight of the need for people to have free will and decide for themselves how they want to live, even with the inevitable disasters that entails. This sets up the basic conflict. Which vision of the world will win? And what lengths are the heroes willing to go to in order to make their visions that winning reality.

This graphic novel has strong writing. The morality of what is happening is questioned throughout the story, but not at the expense of action. The graphics themselves are sharp. They bring the story to life with often grisly detail.

I am looking forward to continuing the story in Volume 2.