GAME OVER is the fourth installment in James Patterson and Ned Rust’s Daniel X series, and is perhaps the most imaginative of these books to date. That is really saying something, considering that Patterson has given free rein to his character in the previous three volumes.

"GAME OVER is the fourth installment in James Patterson and Ned Rust’s Daniel X series, and is perhaps the most imaginative of these books to date."

For those who have yet to dip into this series, Daniel X is a high school student who is actually an extraterrestrial. Daniel lived quietly with his parents until they were decimated by a group of baddies designated as Alien Outlaws. At that point Daniel took up his folks’ cause, which was hunting down and getting every one of the Alien Outlaws to keep the galaxies safe. And that, in a nutshell, is exactly what Daniel has been doing for the duration of the series. He even has a list that he inherited from his parents --- a numbered list, no less --- and has been whittling it down, hoping to get to the top, to Number 1, the outlaw who murdered his parents.

Daniel still has a ways to go to get to Number 1; so it is that in GAME OVER he encounters Numbers 7 and 8, an Alien Outlaw couple who are married to each other and are therefore twice the danger to Daniel. Numbers 7 and 8 have quite a plan for taking over the world. They run a huge enterprise that is about to release a game that is not only addictive but also is designed to take over a player’s brain. Additionally, they love to hunt down and consume endangered extraterrestrial species, of which Daniel, of course, is one.

Daniel is not alone in this fight; he has a number of powers, including the ability to conjure up a group of imaginary, yet very real, friends who assist him in his alien outlaw hunting ventures. He is also guided by the spirit of his father, who assists him in mastering the powers he has and in combat training as well. Thus assisted, Daniel travels to Japan, where Numbers 7 and 8 are about to unveil their deadliest game yet, even as they participate in a hunt for one of the galaxy’s rarest creatures. Daniel must accordingly foil their plot and keep an endangered species safe. The assistance of his father and friends notwithstanding, Daniel would appear to be outnumbered and outclassed. He acquires a very unexpected ally, though, one who is all too well-versed in the weaknesses of his adversaries. But will this knowledge be enough? Or will it be GAME OVER for Daniel X?

One of the more interesting elements of DANIEL X: GAME OVER is the manner in which Patterson and Rust use the city of Tokyo in general and its shopping and entertainment districts in particular as a backdrop for the majority of the story, which is truly globe-spanning in its scope. Daniel demonstrates the same characteristics as a human being of his age and station, including the variable emotions that he has towards Dana, one of his dream friends. The only differences, of course, are that Daniel comes from far, far away, and saves our world in ways we are hardly aware of. Other than that, he’s just like you and me. Well, almost. But you’ll love reading about him anyway.