Maximum Ride (series)
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| Maximum Ride Series | |
 Covers of the first four books released in the Maximum Ride series. |
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| Author | James Patterson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | MK Advertising |
| Cover artist | Greg Weiner |
| Country |  USA UK Australia Canada |
| Language | English |
| Series | Maximum Ride |
| Subject(s) | Avian Hybrid Children (Avian-American) |
| Genre(s) | Action-Adventure/Fantasy |
| Publisher | Headline[1] Doubleday[2] Little, Brown and Company[3] |
| Publication date | April 11, 2005 - present |
| Media type | print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | About 300 per book |
Maximum Ride is a young adult science fiction/fantasy series written by the award-winning American author, James Patterson. The series debuted on April 11, 2005, and the most recent installment was published on April 9, 2009. There are currently five titles in the series, which have combined spent over 95 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. The sixth book (Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel) has been announced with a publication date of March 15, 2010.
- The Angel Experiment
- School's Out - Forever
- Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
- The Final Warning
- MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel
- Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel
Contents |
[edit] Premise
The series follows six human/avian fugitives. Bred in a science lab called "The School", the Flock endured scientific experiments that rendered them 98% human and 2% avian. The Angel Experiment picks up the story as the Flock reengages with their struggle against scientists and evil hybrids after having been freed from the School by Jeb Batchelder years before.
Through the first three books of the Maximum Ride series, the Flock spends much of their time running from human-lupine hybrids created by the School called Erasers. Book four is mainly about the flock rising against global warming, while Book 5 is about saving Dr. Martinez from an Asian man named Mr. Chu, while battling environmental pollution. The reason for the change in style of the books is reportedly because the series is to be made up of two trilogies (so far), The Fugitives (books 1-3) and The Protectors (books 4-6).
[edit] Characters
The Flock is a group of children genetically altered with bird DNA. The Flock consists of Max, Fang, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Angel, and at the end of The Angel Experiment, Angel's dog Total.
The next group is Itex, a group of scientists undercover as a business group. It is alleged that they created the Flock through a subdivision known as The School. In book three, their overarching scheme is revealed, showing that they have planned to perfect the world by means known as the "By-Half Plan" or the "Re-Evolution". Max and the Flock's actions in this book lead to the downfall of Itex and many of their companies.
There are also the human-lupine hybrids known as Erasers, humans mixed with wolf DNA, used to handle security at the school and control the other experiments. In the third book, the Erasers were "retired" and mechanical alternatives were built, called Flyboys. These more efficient models were similar to the Erasers,and had the ability to fly. A later version came with a gun grafted to their arm. They are dubbed M-geeks by Max.
CSM, or The Coalition to Stop the Madness are a group that emerge in book 5, and are led by Max's mother, Dr. Valencia Martinez. Dr. Brigid Dwyer, a character in the fourth book, and Dr. John Abate are also members of this group. CSM organise a series of Airshows by the Flock in many polluted countries in an effort to urge action on climate change.
[edit] Max
The leader of the Flock who runs the group with her friend, and "right-wing man", Fang. In the earlier installments, she repeatedly shows extreme discomfort with expressing and coming to terms with her feelings towards him. She often flees in response to Fang's advances, but finally overcomes her fear of love's vulnerability in the fifth book, MAX. She does go on a date with another classmate, Sam, during the flock's brief stay in Virginia, but aside from Fang's jealousy, nothing ever comes of it. Sam has not made an appearance in any of the later books.
Max's special abilities include super speed, a power she developed in the second book. She estimates she can fly up to 200 miles per hour. In MAX, she develops gills, thus giving her the power to breathe underwater. An ever-present "Voice" in her head gives her instructions throughout her adventures and annoys Max more often than not.
[edit] Fang
Fang is the 14 year-old second-in-command of the flock. He typically wears black clothing and has black wings, black hair, and dark eyes, but claims neither to be goth, nor emo. In the books he is described as a strong and silent person. Fang's special abilities include the power to blend into any background, if he remains still. Like Max, he develops gills in book 5.
He seems to have a way with girls, especially Brigid Dwyer in the 4th and 5th book, and Lissa, "The Red Haired Wonder," in 2nd book. Both girls inspire jealousy in Max, and she is not particularly fond of either one. He has obvious feelings for Max, and is the one who initiates the majority of their kisses in the early books and is said to have loved Max ever since they fled the School with Jeb.
Fang also keeps a blog, which he uses to rally the young people of the world behind a variety of causes, from global warming to raids on Itex and the School. The blog mentioned in the books actually exists on the internet, and is entitled "Fly On". The was moved to a new site in November 2008, and it now appears alongside Daniel X's blog and the blogs of other characters from Maximum Ride. The internet blog is more of a fun way of keeping up with characters and getting book/movie news than a tool to save the world, as is portrayed in the series.
[edit] Iggy
Iggy is 14 years old. He says he is blind due to the whitecoats trying to improve his night vision and failing. Though the fact that he can feel the color by touch, can see when he is surrounded by white (powers he gets is the 4th book), is the cook for the flock (better than Max could ever hope to be), doesn't require the assistance of a seeing eye dog or cane has led some readers to believe that he is actually not blind at all. He enjoys making bombs and other explosives with Gazzy. Iggy has strawberry blonde hair, pale skin and light blue eyes. He finds his parents in the 2nd book, but they turn out to want to make money off of the fact that he is a mutant. Iggy ends up coming back to the flock. Iggy tends to be a "sexist pig", but is actually a great kid.
[edit] Nudge
Nudge is 11 years old. She is constantly speaking of matters of pop culture and fashion. She has also been known to use chatspeak in spoken conversation. In the first book, she mentions that she does not eat meat, because she watched hawks eat animals with Fang. She once talked of leaving the flock to be a normal girl without wings (which Max strongly advised against). Max always relies on Nudge to use her talking skills to make things seem better. Nudge has several abilities: she can hack computers, draw metal to herself and can also feel memories of people through touch, an ability known as psychometry. Nudge is an African American with dark brown hair and brown eyes. It is occasionaly mentioned in the books that Nudge's hair is extremely frizzy and uncontrolable.
[edit] The Gasman (Gazzy)
The Gasman is 8 years old, and he earned his name by being born with a funky digestion system. Gazzy is just as mischievous as Iggy is, and is a pyromaniac as well. Gazzy's helps Iggy by being his "eyes" because Iggy is blind. Gasser loves to blow-up things and is otherwise a typical 8 year old boy (with wings). Gazzy has noxious farts including his mushroom fart a yellowish green fart, and he can mimic voices perfectly, much to the dismay of the Flock at times. He loves his sister Angel and in book 1, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, actually went looking for her on a dangerous mission to grab her back before the whitecoats do very bad things to her. Gazzy has blonde hair and blue eyes.
[edit] Angel
Angel is Gazzy's six year old blood sibling (Angel also argues that she is seven, not six, halfway through book 5). Angel is one of the most mysterious character in the flock, not only does she obtain seemingly random powers at random times, but she knows the avian-human hybrid anatomy well enough to predict that Max and Fang would have gills, even though they have no fish DNA. Angel can read minds, put thoughts into people's minds, communicate with fish and other animals, control minds, can change her shape to a bird of paradise and has gills. Max thinks she has hit the "jackpot" in learning new skills. Max also sees herself as the mother-figure of Angel. Angel has very thin, curly blonde hair, and blue eyes like her brother.
[edit] Total
Total is the talking dog in the flock. Found in the Institute Of the Higher Living by Angel in book 1. Angel was able to convince Fang to let her keep Total by using "Bambi eyes". He always wants to eat, just like the rest of the flock. In book 4, he suddenly develops wings, which is why his species is questioned. He can also jump 30 feet in the air, unlike normal dogs. Total shares characteristics of a Scottish terrier although in the first book he is described as looking like Toto(The Wizard of Oz) therefore would be a Cairn terrier. He also has romantic feelings toward Akila, a white malamute that the flock encounters in book 4. Akila has no powers.
[edit] Jeb Batchelder
Jeb Batchelder is a brilliant scientist, and the father of Ari and Max. Jeb had taken a large part in the upbringing of the flock, but Itex had taken Jeb from the flock when Max was 12. In the first book, Jeb reappeared as a member of Itex, but claimed he was really trying to make sure Itex would never kill the flock. He was also trying to keep Ari safe, for he was unaware what Itex had done with his child, and was working hard to make sure that Ari was still of importance to Itex. When Ari died, he was completely devastated, and could hardly think straight. Now, Jeb works hard to protect the Flock from whatever dangers they may face. The Flock does not trust him completely, and looks to Max for guidance; Max is willing to trust Jeb only because of her mother's trust for him.
[edit] Roland ter Borcht
He is a brilliant geneticist associated with Itex's creation of human-animal hybrids. Although he had been permanently committed to a mental institution due to his 'insane' and illegal genetic experiments on humans, he was presumably freed by Itex in order to seek his help regarding Maximum Ride and her Flock. Max finds him amusing to taunt, and when they meet him the Flock deliberately frustrate him and make fun of his Austrian accent.
[edit] Ari
The, now deceased, 7 year-old son of Jeb Batchelder, and Max's half-brother. Ari was turned into an Eraser aged 3, shortly after his father left the school (and his son) to save Max and the flock. Throughout "The Angel Experiment", Ari had appeared determined to kill the flock, but as sections of "Schools Out" and "Extreme Sports" told from his perspective show, his true goal was to capture Max so the two would be alone together and she would grow to love him and play with him. After Max killed him the first time, Jeb fused a bone in Ari's upper vertebre to heal his neck and bring him back to life, also providing him with "stitched on" wings and causing him to be a different form of Eraser: one who never looked human, never looked Eraser and just looked like a "mistake". Ari again died in book 3, because of his expiration date and after proving himself to be a worthy member of the flock and saving their lives several times. It was thought that his second death would be his last, but an Ari duplicate had been made in the beginning of book 5, but died immediately afterwards.
[edit] Anne
A character in the second book, Anne Walker is an FBI agent who takes the flock in while Fang recovers from a nearly fatal injury. She is the first adult since Jeb Batchelder who has acted like a surrogate parent to the children, excluding Dr. Valencia Martinez's interlude with Max in The Angel Experiment. Blonde, single Anne houses the group for weeks and, along with dealing with the enormous food bill, enrolls them in school, where for the first time they socialize with kids their own age and deal with regular children's issues. At a Thanksgiving dinner, Anne tells the flock that she has grown to love them like her own children and wants to adopt them.
But soon after Thanksgiving, Erasers show up at the flock's new school. When they escape back to Anne's, leader Max finds out that Anne has been working for their enemies all the time and is in fact their former foster parent Jeb's superior. Taking only their backpacks, Angel's dog Total, and one of Anne's credit cards, the flock resumes their life on the run. Anne appears again in the third book. At this time, she attempts to convince the flock that they were in virtual reality for five months and never left The School. They do not believe her and eventually escape.
[edit] Books
[edit] Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
The first book in James Patterson's best-selling Maximum Ride series focuses around the rescue of Angel, the youngest (and strangest) member of the flock. The flock is safe in the mountains until the day a pack of Erasers, cruel and bloodthrirsty, half-wolf men, appear out of nowhere and kidnap Angel. Now, the flock must return to the dreaded School that holds horrifying memories of their past to rescue her. Max is deeply confused when she finds out that Jeb Batchelder, the kind hearted, parental figure who looked after them and rescued them from the school, has reappeared, and on the bad side, and that Ari, Jeb Batchelder's son, has become an Eraser. While Max is thrown into struggles of looking after all of her flock, saving Angel from the evil clutches of the white-coats, and realising how complicated love can be, she is trying to figure out why she has a mysterious voice inside her head that no one else can hear that is telling her that her mission is to save the world...
[edit] Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever
After being reunited with Angel and adding a Scottish Terrier named Total to their group, the Flock heads off to look for their parents through papers they found in an underground lab called the Institute. Max is still reeling from Jeb's enigmatic scream over his dying son that Ari was her brother - does this mean Jeb may be her father? or is it just another "test" designed to confuse her even more? On the way they run into flying Erasers, which one turns out the be back-from-the-dead Ari, who leaves Fang fighting for his life. What they didn't expect was to get enrolled into a real school with teachers, students, and classes. And to find a mother figure after all these years. Along with Total developing into a talking dog, which, of course, just adds to all the strange things happening to them. But all the people surrounding the Flock may not be who they claim.
[edit] Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
In the third installment, Max is faced with the task of saving the world from the Itex corporation and the evil Director - the company behind the School - who want to terminate all recombinant species and cut the population of earth by half. The Erasers were some of the first to be destroyed and have been replaced with new threat of Flyboys (robotic-like Erasers that can fly). Further issues arise when Max invites Ari - the single remaining Eraser -to join the group, leaving Fang and half of the Flock to split off in protest, with Max the leader of one group, and Fang the leader of the second. And, with all the other crazy things happening, Max finally finds out who her parents are, which turns out to be a good thing and a bad thing.
[edit] Maximum Ride: The Final Warning
With the help of Max's newly found mom and dad, the Flock is taken to Antarctica, where a scientific team requires their assistance. But danger finds the Flock in the remote location, and they must fight when they find an international organization attempting to use them for evil.
[edit] MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel
The Flock have barely recovered from their Antarctica adventure before they are pulled into another one. Millions of fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii and something—or someone—is destroying hundreds of ships. The government enlists their help to find out the cause after being unable to themselves. While the Flock is undertaking the task, a criminal mastermind is tracking their every move. Then, Max's mother is kidnapped and is being held in an underground submarine. They must try to save the ocean, Max's mother, and protect themselves from the criminal mastermind's own ideas for them. During the struggles, Fang and Max's relationship makes progress. the story was originally supposed to be titled, "Maximum Ride: Waterwings."
[edit] Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel
The latest in the Maximum ride series. Currently unreleased. Was originally supposed to be titled, "Maximum Ride: The Sky is Falling", or "Space Wings". The flock is supposed to meet a new character who will help them save the world. Angel prophesies that Fang will be the first to die. Current fan theories suggest that the Flock may head into outer space. Roland ter Borcht may also be making a return, along with his (and Jeb's) daughter Ella.
[edit] Media
[edit] Manga
Illustrated by Na Rae Lee and licensed by Yen Press, the first chapter came out in July 2008 in the magazine Yen Plus. A free 22-page preview was released on Free Comic Book Day (May 3, 2008).[4] The first volume of the manga was released on January 27, 2009 and another volume is scheduled for release in October 2009, with more volumes being released every six months through October 2013.[5]
[edit] Film adaptation(s)
In January 2007, it was announced that a film would be created based on the Maximum Ride series. James Patterson will be the executive producer.[6] Avi Arad, one of the producers of Spider-Man, X-Men and other Marvel movies, will also produce alongside Steven Paul.[7][8] In an interview with James Patterson, it was revealed that Arad has already planned out the first two movies.[9] On August 7, 2008, it was announced that Columbia Pictures bought the screen rights to the franchise.[10] Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) will direct the first movie, with Don Payne (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) writing the script.[11] The movie is scheduled for a 2010 release.[12] It was posted on the author's site under Max's Blog that Kristen Stewart (Female lead in Twilight) is likely to audition for Maximum, since director Catherine Hardwicke stated in an interview that she would be soliciting Stewart to audition for a role (though this does not mean she will definitely get the role).
[edit] Website and Community
A social networking community for young adults ages 13 and up (unless supervised by an adult) has over 20,000 members at the series' official site.
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack was used as a promotional tool, before the release of School's Out Forever on August 14, 2006[13] and included (singer/songwriter) Holly Brook, (pop singer) Marcos Hernandez and (pop punk band) The Summer Obsession to name but a few.
| Track No. | Track Name | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Death Said | The Summer Obsession |
| 02 | What I Wouldn't Give | Holly Brook |
| 03 | Shaky | Cipes and the People |
| 04 | Underneath My Skin | Brian Steen |
| 05 | Disappear | The Summer Obsession |
| 06 | Wanted | Holly Brook |
| 07 | The Way I Do | Marcos Hernandez |
| 08 | Where Do We Go From Here | Cooper |
| 09 | Golden Days | Kelly Dalton |
| 10 | Take It From Me | The Weepies |
| 11 | Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever: Special Excerpt | |
| 12 | Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever: Special Excerpt |
[edit] References
- ^ The Angel Experiment | actors = Elle Fanning, Jimmy Pinchak, Posey McKenna Parker, Jeremy Sumpter, Nicholas Braun, Lauren Brandner at Amazon.co.uk
- ^ The Final Warning at Amazon.co.uk
- ^ Amazon.com: The Final Warning (Maximum Ride, Book 4): James Patterson: Books
- ^ In addition, a 7 page preview was released in the first paperback edition of The Final Warning.First Look: James Patterson's Maximum Ride Manga
- ^ Yen Press » MAXIMUM RIDE story by James Patterson, art by Na Rae Lee
- ^ http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=53768
- ^ http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=53768
- ^ http://www.maximumride.co.uk/film.php Maximum Ride - The Film
- ^ Books: Maximum Ride | The Official James Patterson Web Site
- ^ Columbia takes 'Maximum Ride' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety
- ^ http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=53768
- ^ Performance-capture films slated - Entertainment News, Los Angeles, Media - Variety
- ^ School's Out Forever at Amazon.co.uk
[edit] External links
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