Daniel X: Genesis

by James Patterson, Aaron Tracy, Michael Cimino (Narrator)

Daniel’s 16th birthday is starting out like any other day: He’s late for school, his homework’s due, his crush doesn’t know he’s alive, and his afterschool gig is a joke. There’s just one more thing: He needs to save the human race from annihilation.

James Patterson’s thrilling adventure series gets an exclusive, audio-only origin story in Daniel X: Genesis, brought to life by an all-star cast. We meet Daniel, an ordinary teen just trying to navigate his way through high school. That all changes when he discovers he has super powers and can conjure up anything, at any time, just by imagining it. Suddenly he’s meeting powerful entities who tell him he is not, in fact, a typical teenage human but an alien...and his parents died not in a car wreck but in an epic battle with an intergalactic villain.

Can Daniel find the courage to take up the fight? Can he use his powers to save the Earth? And can he finally get to shred onstage in front of thousands of screaming fans? So much to do, so little time.

Starring Michael Cimino (Love, Victor), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), and a full cast.

Genres: Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Thriller

4 pages, Audible Audio

Published August 18, 2022

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Dawn 🫶 · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

Good Lord... I just didn't enjoy this story. While everything should have lead to a great story it just was really hard to enjoy and follow. I feel like a lot of the time it was okay and when reading a story I tend to not really like something that doesn't keep me engaged.. Maybe just not my style but how many unnecessary teen tropes can you fit into one book.. Like shit

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Literally every overused teenage action trope you can imagine. The characters were completely contrived, the plot was simple and uninteresting, and nothing about this story made me want to read more of the series. Even as a free audiobook on Audible, I still felt like this was a waste of my time.

If you want to read a really well written series in this genre, I’d highly recommend the Young James Bond series as a much better alternative.

[Florence Witt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good:
It is a dramatized version so that made it very entertaining.
It is short and fast pace.

The Neutral:
The plot is pretty simplistic but still entertaining.
I am not a huge sci-fi fan -if one at all for that matter - but it was still an enjoyable read for me.

The Bad:
What does there need to be ANY curse word in a teen or YA read?? While no F-bomb was used, there was a liberal use of other ones.

[Valen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This motherfucker saved his love interest by singing…. SINGING

[Perm Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is my personal 5 star rating system because I’m too lazy to write a review for every book.

5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.

4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.

3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.

2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.

1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. It's the start of a series, and probably not one for me. Action packed- aliens, villians, and a teen hero just learning about his powers. Moves fast, just didn't move me. Lots of loud sounds in the audiobook. Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure there's an audience for this book. YA Sci-fi fantasy fans will love this introduction and be ready to dive into the series! James Patterson's association is a draw- it was for me, even though this isn't really the book for me.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun sci-fi book about aliens. Fast and enjoyable.

[Warlock Mike North · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t too bad.

[Paul Botterill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Yes it is a bit silly and far fetched but it’s a super hero vs super villain story so it’s meant to be. An easy enjoyable listen.

[Chanda Scobee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outside of Goodreads, this audiobook production is really well-accepted. I was honestly surprised to have finished the novels and seen the Goodreads reviews that really weren't positive in regards to this one. I loved it. I thought the voice acting, 'movie' elements, sci-fi plot, and adventure/survival themes were really exciting and engaging. I anticipated a little bit of cheesiness and predictability, due to the fact it was YA, but it really didn't bother me in this one because the action made up for it in my opinion. This was fun, and I really think reluctant YA readers could use this as a gateway to reading, so I think this was a success.

[Mark R · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this story because it was free to Audible members and to figure out if I would be interested in the original series.

If you are looking for a story that hits all the character stereotypes and standard plot choices, you'll find it here. This story has the teenage hero discovering unknown powers that is extremely gullible with zero impulse control and no common sense. You have the secret guardian that keeps everyone including the charge in the dark, talks in half truths and riddles, and expects complete trust from the start. Of course, that same guardian on constant vigil will be MIA at the critical moment they are needed. Finally, you have the villain who is a genius manipulator with powers of his/her own up until the point the bragging starts and everything unravels, being defeated by ego and sheer stupidity.

As for me, the decision was easy. I finished the story to give it a fair shake and because it was short. The performance was decent, but I can't get past the predicable plot and characters. I won't be spending further time or any money on Daniel X.

[Alonso Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read this, but "read" is the only option I have here. I liked the audio production! I love love love love when the books have all the actual swoosh, bambs, kapaos of comic books but in the stories! Those effects are always amazing to get me involved even more. Michael Cimino is amazing at narrating the story!

The story per se was kind of unoriginal. The villian, the twist, the savior all that is the same as always. Just that he can do what he can do was new. This is part of a biggest series, so maybe those are better

[Brian Ferris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot recommend the story, at the end the character may have inadvertently wiped out millions of people across the globe, but the biggest concern is having to go back to school the next day? The audacity that zero thought or consideration, was given to the damage he caused to the earth itself not to mention the people was mine boggling.

[Wilma Becker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stoopid!

[Steve Jennings · Rating 1 out of 5]

Far too simple a story and characters

[Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was hot garbage the only saving grace was the narrators performance .

[Andy Klein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely awful. I’m obviously way older than the target audience but I’m generally a fan of good YA fiction. But this wasn’t just not good, it was downright terrible. Could barely get through it.

[Derek Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This bizarre super hero romp is good fun, though egregiously cheesy dialogue and some campy performances hold it back from being as good as it could have been.

CONTENT
Ultimately, I don't think that this is the type of production that tries to take itself too seriously. The story follows Daniel, who's a sarcastic and quippy teenage boy that also happens to have some rather interesting super powers. Discovering what his powers are exactly and why he has them is half the fun of this, so I won't get into details, but I actually thought that the narrative direction was quite strong when it came to Daniel's abilities as well as those of a couple other super powered characters that he meets. Where the story falters a bit is in the quirky high school slice of life side of things. Daniel's story has it all: the bully, the sultry love interest, the snarky best friend, and even multiple mentor characters. While none of the characters are bad in any way (in fact some are quite good), the dialogue between them is just absurd. I also couldn't shake the feeling that Patterson wasn't really sure if he wanted to write this for Millennials or Gen Z'ers so he just decided to chuck in jokes and references from both generations (with perhaps a much heavier leaning into the Millennial side). It definitely reeks of someone who has no idea of what teenagers are actually like trying to make their teenage characters as relatable as possible and failing hilariously in the process. Fortunately, because this is such a ridiculous story, the cheesier elements of the characterization actually fit in okay here. There's also enough cool super hero things going on between the cringeworthy high school moments to offer some good variety and pacing. There are also some great twists and turns throughout the adventure that I genuinely enjoyed.

AUDIOBOOK QUALITY
Michael Cimino gives us probably the best possible performance that anyone could have as Daniel. As the main protagonist, he has to vacillate between annoyingly sarcastic, endearingly earnest, stereotypically awkward, and even sometimes profoundly sad. The range that Cimino manages to deliver while staying true to the character is quite impressive. The moments where I felt less fond of Daniel were definitely due to the writing and not the performance. Abigail Breslin's character is not only performed to perfection, but also gets some of the best dialogue and acts as an amazing foil to Daniel. There are other recognizable names in the voice cast as well, though I felt that some of them (particularly the voice actor for Jake) really overdid it on their vocal performances which cheapened the experience somewhat. The rest of the sound design from the special effects, to the ambient noises, and even a rather impressive pop rock song performed by some of the characters were all of an exceptionally high quality. I am sure that a great deal of effort went into this sound design and I was very impressed by it all.

CONCLUSION
Running in at just about two and a half hours, DANIEL X: GENESIS is well worth a listen for whenever you are in the mood for something a bit more silly and action packed. It's cringeworthy depiction of teenagers and the mixed quality of the voice acting will likely hold this back for many, but if you go in with the right expectations, I think this can pretty entertaining.

(+) Full cast of voice actors
(+) High production value with the sound effects and background music as well
(+) An epic story that's brimming with all sorts of fun super powered drama
(-) Some of the voice performances are overdone
(-) A truly laughable depiction of teenagers that did not appear to be intentionally funny

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow! What a stinker.

I probably would have liked it better if I had first read Book 1 of the series, "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X". As it was, this dramatization seemed to assume that I understood the baseline story well enough to follow along and I didn't. The storyline just seemed amazingly dumb. The main character seemed like an idiot and the jokes were lame.

FYI, I have now read book 1. I think I might have rated this 2 stars had I read book 1 first, but it was still a stinker.

I doubt I will revisit this audiobook again.

[Hunter Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

-10 stars. This is so bad. Spoilers ahead. The plot holes are so enormous they really are embarrassing. Aliens can space travel across the galaxy but not dig a hole? The alien cop lady pretended to be a social worker and only gets him towards the end instead of taking him earlier and works by herself with a dangerous alien? Totally makes sense. The formerly homeless lady who really is an alien looking after the kid tells him not to hurt himself when if he does nothing the world ends? OMG this is so bad. Who the heck is paying Patterson to spit out these stories with no editing? STOP!!! Avoid this.

[Jane Bond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with dramatized audiobooks. The first time I tried to listen to The Sandman I hated it. A year or so later I gave it another shot and I really enjoyed it. Daniel X: Genesis wasn’t very long, thank goodness. And it was included with my Audible subscription so it didn’t cost me money. But it cost me time and patience. And no matter how low I turned the volume, it was still too loud. Does that mean I’m an old fogey now? I stuck it out to the end because I was trying to decide if I wanted to continue the series. I probably won’t listen to it any time soon.

[Scented Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fun listen. I was never really a big James Patterson girlie until I recently got into my thriller era. Imagine my surprise to see the cute YA novels he has written. I saw these books in the library and looked over them. Big mistake! This book introduced me to Daniel and his super power of being able to create anything he puts his mind to. It’s almost metaphysical🤗. I ordered the first book in the Daniel series. I know it won’t sound like this one, but I am still looking forward to the listen. Go Daniel!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice premise. A fairly transparent twist, at least for those aware of deceptive people, leads to a crisis. Unfortunately, the same deception that caused the crisis is not revisited when different people are approaching the main character. Some oddities, like the main character has no friends, but lives by himself have to be overlooked to better enjoy the story. (The reader learns that in the beginning of the first chapter).

[Sarah Cupitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look, I tried my 11th genre for this year. The plot was everywhere; I thought I was delusional by the mayhem chapter. I lost it when the protagonist sailed into a storm, rode a dolphin, and saved the world. And later realise his friend was imaginary, so all in all, a typical novel about a 'normal' teenager who's completely unaware that he's an alien who's also in a band. Spoiler: his parents didn't die in a car wreck.

[Ryan Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, full-cast YA audiodrama packed full of action and a handful of twists.

Though it is themed as sci-fi, fans of hard sci-fi will be disappointed by the fantastical treatment of the subject matter. I personally did not feel that this detracted from the story.

The sound design was occasionally obtuse but these moments were always short-lived.

There were a few moments of light cussing which reminded me that this is YA and not intended for the elementary school crowd.

[Sylvie Rochon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun full audible original from James Patterson! Daniel is a teenager who lives, alone following the death of his parents, but he is surrounded by lots of people watching over him, a teacher, Helen a homeless lady he talks to everyday, even DP his equivalent to Alexa. Daniel realizes that something weird is going on when he starts conguring up things just by thinking about them. There happens to be a reason! Very cool story, excellent audio experience.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short "read." Daniel turns 16 and discovers he has powers to create items with his mind. How? He's an alien whose parents left him on this planet before they died. Department of Children and Families worker Mrs. Wexler is after him to turn him over to a foster program. He is having fun with his powers but is easily manipulated by an adult he just met but trusted.
It's a fun story with otherworldly beings with the powers to go along with it. Enjoyable despite its brevity.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible Review

Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining listen.
This was an entertaining story, although I wish there had been just a little more to it. It was fast paced, with a bit of a twist, although I kind of had a feeling from the start all was not as it seemed.
I'm not usually a fan of full cast audiobooks, but with a story like this it works. It was more of a performance, which I enjoyed- it brought the story to life.

[Kate Slinchenkova · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5: Feels like cheating marking this as a “book read” because it was like listening to a movie. Very entertaining and absolutely worth a listen BUT there were multiple parts where it wasn’t clear what was actually happening? I feel like other dramatizations I’ve listened to had more words thrown in the middle of the special effect parts to clear things up. Otherwise- angsty teenager saving the world is always a good trope in my book

[IAmNotACentipede · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audio book was fun and light and I had a pretty decent time with it.

Is it the masterpiece of literature genius? No, but it's small little nods to humor and adventure are similar to what you would find from a Percy Jackson book.

Yes the plot goes by quickly and sometimes nonsense of it not adding up, but overall this was something I needed to mindlessly listen to and get a laugh every once in a while.