Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports Maximum Ride: The Final Warning MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel
Author	James Patterson
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, Thriller, Young-adult fiction, Science fiction
Publisher	Headline Doubleday Little, Brown and Company
Published	April 11, 2005 – present
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)

Maximum Ride is a series of young adult science fiction and fantasy novels by American author James Patterson. The series chronicles the lives of six fugitive kids – Max, Fang, Iggy, Gasman, Nudge, and Angel – known collectively as the Flock. Bred in a laboratory called the School, they endured scientific experiments that rendered them 98% human and 2% avian.

In the first three books of the series, the Flock spends much of their time running from human-lupine hybrids created by the School called Erasers. Book 4 is mainly about the Flock rising against global warming, Book 5 is about saving Dr. Martinez while battling environmental pollution, Book 6 is about rescuing Fang, and Book 7 is about stopping the Doomsday Group from destroying the world's population. The books are divided into two sets: The Fugitives (books 1–3) and The Protectors (books 4–7). The series shares a few similarities with two of Patterson's previous books, When the Wind Blows and The Lake House.

The series debuted on April 11, 2005, and the seventh and most recent book, Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel, was released on February 14, 2011. Patterson recently announced that the series would end with an eighth book called 'The End of Maximum Ride'.

Plot

The first book, The Angel Experiment, focuses around the rescue of Angel, the youngest member of the Flock. The group is safe in the mountains until a pack of Erasers (human-lupine hybrids) appear and kidnap Angel. The Flock must return to the School, where they had once been held and experimented on, to rescue Angel. Max is deeply confused when she finds that Jeb Batchelder, who had rescued them from the School and cared for them before disappearing two years ago, has reappeared as an evil figure, and that his son Ari has become an Eraser. As Max focuses on looking after the Flock and saving Angel, she is puzzled by a Voice in her head saying that her mission is to save the world. The Flock flees to New York City after rescuing Angel from the School, and there they find the Institute for Higher Living, a branch of the School. In the Institute, they break into a laboratory, where Max discovers a computer file that tells the group where they came from. When fleeing the Institute, they are cornered by Ari. Max fights him and accidentally breaks his neck, apparently killing him. After escaping the Erasers, the Flock set out to find their actual parents. A Scottish Terrier named Total is also added to their group.

School's Out – Forever begins with the Flock heading off to look for their parents using papers they found at the Institute for Higher Living. Max is still reeling from Jeb's enigmatic scream over his dying son Ari that she "killed her own brother". On the way, they run into flying Erasers (with patched-on wings), including a resurrected Ari, and Fang suffers injuries bad enough to need treatment at a hospital. FBI agent Anne Walker offers her home for residence while Fang recovers. The Flock agrees, and eventually they are enrolled into a real school. While at the school, Max goes out with a boy named Sam, but gets jealous when she spots Fang kissing a girl named Lissa. The principal of the school works for the Institute and almost traps the Flock at the school. Anne reveals herself as a member of the lab that created the Flock, and seeks to recapture them. Later, Max is kidnapped and replaced with a clone that has her appearance but acts differently. In the end, a fight leaves only the real Max standing. It is also revealed that Total has the ability to speak.

In Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, the Flock must save the world from the Itex Corporation (the company behind the School) and its evil Director, who want to terminate all recombinant species and cut the Earth's population in half. The Erasers have been replaced with the flying, robotic Flyboys. As this is happening, Fang tries to persuade Max to find a permanent home where they can live in peace. Max invites Ari (the last remaining Eraser and Max's brother) to join the group after escaping from the School again, causing Fang, Iggy, and the Gasman to leave the Flock in protest. In the end, Ari dies, the group reunites, and Max discovers that her parents are Jeb Batchelder and Dr. Valencia Martinez, a kindly veterinary surgeon from the first book. She also begins to realize she has feelings for Fang.

In the fourth book, The Final Warning, the Flock flies out of a government meeting set up to decide what is best for them. Later, they go with Max's parents to Antarctica, where a team of scientists needs their assistance. There they fight an international organization led by the Uber Director, who intends to auction off the Flock to corrupt leaders of foreign countries to be used as weapons and mercenaries. When Angel goes after a baby penguin in the midst of a blizzard, the group is captured and taken to Miami. They defeat the Uber Director in the midst of a hurricane and make their escape. Meanwhile, Total grows wings of his own and falls in love with Akila, an Alaskan Malamute. Max and Fang kiss a few times, and Max starts to acknowledge her feelings for him.

At the start of MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel, the Flock is attacked by bionic assassins (which Max nicknames M-Geeks) at environmental awareness shows in Los Angeles and Mexico City. Later, the government enlists their help in finding out what is destroying hundreds of ships and killing millions of fish off the coast of Hawaii. While the Flock is undertaking the task, a criminal mastermind is tracking their every move. Then, Dr. Martinez (Max's mother) is kidnapped and held hostage. The Flock takes a submarine down to the ocean depths, fends off hordes of M-Geeks and rescues Dr. Martinez from an underwater dome as it starts to flood. During their struggles, Fang and Max's relationship grows stronger, and Max feels that she loves Fang.

In Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel, the Flock travel to Africa to help the people there. They meet Dr. Hans, a former Itex worker, and Dylan, another avian hybrid designed to be Max's "perfect other half". After a prophetic statement from Angel stating that Fang will die soon, Max is traumatized and starts spending more time with him. Dylan joins the Flock, and they return to their newly rebuilt home in the mountains. Max and Fang are told to leave the Flock because they are more focused on their personal relationship than the surrounding dangers. Angel becomes the new leader of the Flock and gets rid of the rules Max set up for them. Eventually the group reunites, but Fang is captured by Dr. Hans and dies while being experimented on. The Flock rushes to save Fang, and Max stabs his heart with an adrenaline shot and revives him. Dylan also injects himself in a suicide attempt, but fails. In the epilogue, Total and Akila are married, and Fang leaves Max a note saying that the Flock is in danger with him there, and that he will meet Max again in 20 years.

In Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel, Max hasn't gotten over the fact that Fang has left her, but is slowly starting to warm up to Dylan despite her mixed feelings in the sixth book. Meanwhile Fang starts his own gang which includes Max II (Max's clone), now called Maya. The two teams join forces in Paris to stop a wild organization known as the Doomsday Group from killing themselves in order to save the planet. Angel disappears at the end of the book, believed to be killed in an explosion. She wakes up in ominous laboratory, surrounded by people telling her that they will "take care" of her.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride, or Max for short, is 14 years old (15 in Fang).Max is a girl.She is the same age as Fang and Iggy, though a bit older, and is the Flock's leader. She is tough, strong, tomboyish, and is not afraid to get dirty. However, she does have a soft spot. In Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports she starts to develop feelings for Fang. But she is so confused about her feelings that when he kisses her for the first time, she runs away. She has blondish-brown hair and brown eyes. Max found out she is the daughter of Dr. Martinez, a vet she met after getting shot in one of her wings from protecting Ella, Dr. Martinez's young daughter and Max's half sister. She was shocked to learn that Jeb, the whitecoat who helped them escape from the School and cared for them, is her father. She loves and cares for the Flock; she is like a mother to them. In MAX, she and Fang officially become a couple, which continues until his departure in Fang. Max is distraught when he leaves. In ANGEL Max and Dylan start to form a better relationship. Max is confused about her feelings for Fang and Dylan in ANGEL. Dylan and Max kiss twice in ANGEL, leaving Max even more confused.

Like the rest of the Flock, Max is a skilled fighter and has wings, hollow bones, air sacs, and stronger-than-human lungs. Max weighs under 100 pounds. Her powers include flying at over 250 mph and, like Angel, she develops gills and can swim in very deep water without ill effects from water pressure. In the first book, Max suffers from violent headaches in which she experiences blurred images, words and events. It is thought that the images from the headaches are meant to show Max what is wrong with the world and how she has to save it. After her first headache, Max begins to hear a Voice in her head. The Voice talks to Max when she least expects or wants it to, but gives helpful advice on how she should save the world, how she should deal with the Flock, and who she should and should not trust.

Fang

Fang is 14 years old (15 in Fang). He is second in command of the Flock and Max's best friend (and later her boyfriend). He is able to virtually disappear by staying very still and quiet. He also develops "gills" at the end of MAX. Fang is described as having black hair, dark eyes, olive skin, and is described as incredibly handsome. In "School's Out Forever" he found out that the School took him after he was born when his mother put him up for adoption because she was too young to have a kid and was told he had died. He is somewhat reserved – the strong, silent type or Tall, Dark, and Handsome – but cares deeply about the Flock. He is a very silent character and seems quite dark and mysterious, always hiding his feelings.

He runs a blog about the Flock's adventures that proves useful in several books. He has had one romantic relationship. In book 1, Max kisses Fang when he is injured. In School's Out Forever, he is seen kissing the "Red-Haired Wonder," Lissa. He and Max fight, and afterwards they make up. When Ari joins the flock, Fang decides to lead half of the Flock and leaves Max. He later comes back, reuniting in an epic battle at the end of book 3 when Ari dies. Fang leaves the Flock at the end of Fang because of Dylan, Max's "perfect other half", and because Angel has predicted that Fang would be the first to die. Knowing he would put the others in danger he leaves them all, leaving a note for Max explaining his decision to leave and that he will meet her in 20 years where they learned to fly like the hawks.

In Angel, Fang becomes the leader of a new flock. Ratchet, Star, Kate, Holden and Maya (Max's clone renamed) help him try to stop an evil organization called the Doomsday Group. When he realizes he cannot take them down on his own, he enlists the help of Max's Flock. Max and Fang seem to grow apart and start to like different people. Also, Fang starts having feelings for Maya because she is so much like Max. He then realizes though that Maya wants to be different than Max, and treats her differently. After the planned D-day, Fang leaves with his flock, leaving Max and her flock in the rubble of Paris, France. all the girls like him cuse he hot lolol

Iggy

Iggy is 14 (15 in Fang), but younger than Fang and Max. He is the most sarcastic member of the Flock, is almost six feet tall, has pale skin, strawberry blond hair, very light blue eyes, and a wingspan of over 14 feet. He is blind. It's revealed that his real name is James and next to Max, he's the only one who has met his parents. He considered leaving the Flock and living with them, but changed his mind once he found out his parents were going to use him as a publicity stunt for money. Due to the whitecoats' experiments to enhance his night vision, Iggy is effectively blind, though he can see if his surroundings are white. His powers include being able to "feel" colors and identify people by feeling their fingerprints. Despite his blindness, the Flock often leave things up to him that require precision or detail, such as cooking or doctoring. He and Gazzy are best friends and have a habit of building bombs out of most anything. His parents mention that his birth name is James Griffiths. In Angel, Ella, Max's half sister, has a crush on him. In Angel Iggy seems more caring toward Ella and even puts his arm around her.

Gazzy

Gazzy, also called the Gasman or Gaz, is eight years old (nine in Fang). He has a mischievous nature and makes fun of Max sometimes. He has a problem with his digestion, hence the nickname. Iggy is his best friend, and they enjoy building bombs together. He has blond hair and blue eyes and is Angel's older brother. It was revealed that his and Angel's parents sold them to the School for money when they were both really little. One of his powers is the ability to make a green cloud of gas that will fill an entire room and smell so bad that it can make people almost pass out. Gazzy also has the ability to perfectly mimic and occasionally throw voices along with mimicing any animal sounds. Gazzy has a picture of himself as a baby with his parents; the Flock sees it many times accidentally (sometimes not so accidentally), throughout the series.

Nudge

Nudge is an 11 year old (12 in Fang)brown haired, brown eyed chatterbox/fashion diva. In 'The Angel Experiment she is said to be very beautiful, like a model. Her real name is revealed to be Monique and she actually managed to track down who she believes to be her mother, but never actually met her. The Flock calls her the Nudge Channel because she is constantly talking, hardly pausing to take a breath. Nudge can hack into computers with her ability to sense leftover emotions (psychometry) and can also draw metal to her by will. Nudge is described as Max's best supporter, the peace-maker, etc. In MAX, Nudge leaves the flock to attend a school because her heart just isn't into saving the world. Not long after she leaves, though, Nudge returns to the Flock, telling them that her taste of a 'normal life' wasn't worth losing them, and how she missed them far too much to stay apart. Nudge also has a huge thing for fashion; in the books she is constantly trying to get more stuff that is "cool".

Angel

Angel is six years old (seven in MAX) and is the Gasman's younger sister. She has blue eyes and curly blond hair. She obtains seemingly random powers at random times, such as the ability to breathe underwater, talk to fish, and read and control minds. She acquires the ability to swim in deep water at pressures that would crush a normal human. She is eventually able to change her appearance into a 'bird of paradise' form and change her skin, hair, and eye color, although after the initial introduction to this power it is never mentioned again. Though she may look innocent, she is actually very intelligent and dangerous. Her ability to control people's minds puts her in reach of extreme power. In Fang Angel believes that she is the strongest of the Flock, and in holds a vote, temporarily kicking Max out of the group. She also has a 'Voice' in her head, like Max, but this is not revealed to the reader until Fang; the Flock does not know this. She is portrayed as calculating and ruthless in Fang, and has pointed a gun at her to make enemies back off. Max describes her in MAX as "two parts adorable blonde cherub, two parts unholy demon, and two parts of something unrecognizable but even scarier."

In Angel, she seems to have mellowed out and helps Max to balance her feelings for Fang and Dylan. She appears to be content with her role and no longer bids for power, but advises Max. (Max is still suspicious of her.) In the end, she volunteers to go undercover in a new evil organization. She goes missing after she and Gazzy fail to defuse a bomb, and the others think she is dead. In fact, she is being held captive in an unknown location, and is continually told she is 'most superior'.

Total

Total is a black Scottie whom Angel saves from the Institute at the end of The Angel Experiment. He is described to have the characteristics of a Scottish Terrier. When Total is rescued from the Institute, he is described as Toto from The Wizard Of Oz, which would make him a Cairn Terrier. Total's character is not fully developed until School's Out – Forever, when it is discovered that he has the ability to talk. He is usually the funny one in the flock. In Fang, Total marries Akila, an Alaskan Malamute whom he met in Antarctica. He is shot in the tail in "Max" but is alright. He is known to be a fan of culture, including theatre and cuisine. He has the ability to jump to great heights, and eventually grows his own tiny wings. His funny remarks provide the Flock with laughter and smiles, although sometimes he gets on Max's nerves. He is also a notorious licker, which disgusts Fang and Max.

Jeb Batchelder

Jeb Batchelder is a brilliant scientist. He used to work at the School where the Flock was experimented on. He rescues the Flock and brings them to the mountains, where he raises them as his children for two years. Jeb then disappears, leaving the Flock alone to fend for themselves. The Flock thinks Jeb is dead, but he reappears in later books. In The Angel Experiment, the flock discovers Jeb back at the School when they are recaptured. This initially leads the Flock to believe he is a traitor, but he later comes back to the Flock and helps them on numerous occasions. Jeb is Ari's and Max's biological father. Max does not trust him after discovering his identity. Jeb is shot at in the sixth book, but he is shown to be making a steady recovery. Though Jeb and Dr. Martinez are Max's biological parents, there is a professional-only relationship between them. Jeb donated his chromosomes, which were matched with those of Dr. Martinez to create Max. In Angel, Jeb tells Max she needs to breed with Dylan after the world ends, and later goes missing with Max's mom.

The Erasers

The half-human, half-wolf 'Erasers' were bred by the School to be guards, but their bigger mission later involves hunting down and even killing the members of the Flock. They have the ability to morph into wolves, super-human strength, and eventually gain wings that are crudely grafted onto their shoulderblades. Jeb's son, Ari (who was turned into an Eraser at a very young age), is one of the last to die when Itex 'retires' all the Erasers and replaces them with the 'Flyboys.' The Erasers are originally killed off because they expire, but Erasers make a surprise appearance in Fang when they attack all of the flock but Max and Fang, who are not at the house with the others. It is believed that when Itex was disbanded, some scientists took Eraser DNA with them, creating these new Erasers, though they are never mentioned after the events of the surprise battle. They are always armed, but rarely use their weapons in the later novels (after The Angel Experiment).

Ari

Ari is Jeb's son who was turned into an eraser when Jeb was helping The Flock escape from the school. The whitecoats used him as an experiment to see if erasers would be stronger if they were mutated after birth. The wolf DNA turned Ari into a "super-eraser" although he is always partially morphed. In 'Saving The World And Other Extreme Sports', Max and Fang get into a fight because after Ari broke them out of The School, Max was convinced that he was no longer evil. The Flock splits up: Max, Nudge, Angel, Total, and Ari go to Europe; Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy go to Hollywood. Max and the gang go to ITEX where there is a super-mutant named Omega. Ari tries to help Max fight him, but then his expiration date kicks in and he suddenly dies. At Ari's make-shift funeral, the girls and Total break down in tears.

Dylan

Dylan is an 'Avian-American' hybrid who joins the Flock in Fang. He is said to be Max's 'perfect other half,' causing Max to refer to him as 'Mr. Perfect.' He is described as being over six feet tall with a 15-foot wingspan, and handsome with dark-blond hair and turquoise eyes. He is in love with Max and was 'programmed' to feel that way. Because of this, he and Fang never see eye-to-eye. Dylan nearly dies at the end of Fang after a failed suicide attempt using a hypodermic needle. He is described as extremely attractive and has a beautiful singing voice. He too was made in a lab, from a clone of a boy who had died. He is 8 months old in Fang. He learns how to fly from Max, and in Angel Max realizes that he has copied her fighting style. In the excerpt for James Patterson's new novel Angel, Max and Dylan share a kiss in the air after Max is seen by Dylan, missing Fang. Later in the story, Dylan and Max kiss when Max flies away from Fang and Maya In Angel, Dylan still hates Fang for everything he's done. His relationship with Max is complicated, but she does actually start to like him. In Fang he is portrayed as somewhat meek, but appears to grow a backbone, even arguing with Max in Angel.

Reception

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment received generally positive reviews. The School Library Journal called the book an "exciting SF thriller that's not wholly original but still a compelling read". Booklist described it as an "an action-packed cross between Gertrude Chandler Warner's Boxcar Children and Marvel Comics' X-Men. John Ritchie of the ALAN Review wrote a negative review, saying that Patterson "slips in his attempt to write an action-adventure series for kids". He called the book "filled with every possible comic book/Saturday morning cartoon cliche" and described Patterson's writing style as "uneasy" and Max's dialogue as "horribly fake". In January 2010, the webcomic Penny Arcade poked fun at James Patterson based on the description found on the back of the first book.

The second book, Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever, received mixed reviews. The School Library Journal said there was no "distinctive plot" and compared it to a soap opera, saying that "very little actually [happens]." It also criticized the story for being "disappointingly anticlimactic and violent," though it praised the character of Total for being "sure to entertain." Booklist delivered a positive review, praising Patterson's "ability to write page-turning action scenes" and noting that he "leaven[ed] the suspense with some surprising humor." It also mentioned that fans of the first book would be "delighted" with the sequel. Erin Collazo Miller from About.com praised the "fast-paced" novel, "fun characters," and "interesting premise," but criticized the characters and plot lines for "lack of depth and development." The review said that "[a]fter 400+ pages, readers may wish they were a little further into the plot and that more of their questions had been answered."

Other works

OEL manga

Illustrated by NaRae Lee and released by Yen Press, the first chapter of the original English-language manga adaptation 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). The first volume of the series was released on January 27, 2009, the second volume was released on October 27, 2009, and the third volume was released on August 17, 2010, with a fourth volume scheduled for release in April 2011 and six more volumes expected to be published.

Film adaptation

In September 2007, it was announced that a film would be created based on the Maximum Ride series. [James Patterson] will be the executive producer. Avi Arad, (Spider-Man, X-Men) will also produce alongside Steven Paul. In an interview with [James Patterson], it was revealed that Arad has already planned out the first two movies. On August 7, 2008, it was announced that Columbia Pictures bought the screen rights to the franchise. The film was slated for an 2013 release. Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) will direct the first movie, with Don Payne writing the script. In January 2010 it was announced that the film will go into pre-production. Hardwicke asked for a script rewrite to include more action in the film, delaying its release until 2013. However, in February 2011, the Maximum Ride Facebook page posted that "The Maximum Ride Movie is Coming – In 3D!" and asked its Facebook fans who they would like to play Max in the movie.

External links

• Maximum Ride Official Website
• Maximum Ride book page at James Patterson Official Website
• Maximum Ride at the Internet Movie Database