#inspired50 fast facts:
Book(s): Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
Genre/Audience: Science fiction & fantasy; for teens/YA
Spoiler-free Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, 98% human and 2% avian, is the leader of her flock of fellow bird kids: Fang and Iggy, 14; Nudge, 11; the Gasman (Gazzy), 8; and Angel, 6. They were born and raised as science experiments in a place known as the School. A few years prior to the series’ beginning, their father-figure Jeb broke them out of the School and taught them how to survive, fight, and master their wings. But then Jeb disappeared, and the flock was left alone. They were doing just fine—until they weren’t. The Maximum Ride series follows the flock on their journey to save the world, one butt-kicking fight at a time.
Series rating: 5/10
Worth the read?: It depends on several factors. If you are a reluctant reader, are in middle school, or read the books when you were younger—sure. However, if you’re looking for something substantial, with good plot lines, well-developed characters, and gut-wrenching emotion…steer clear. Steer very, very clear.
SERIES OVERVIEW
First of all, grab yourself a drink (and a snack!) and settle in; we’re about to embark upon a long and difficult ride (ride…get it?).
what does the series do well?
When I was in 6th grade, my language arts teacher made me read the first Maximum Ride book, The Angel Experiment. Well, she made the whole class read it, but it felt like intentional torture to me. I hated reading, but I hated being told what books to read even more. So I kicked and screamed, and I can’t tell you how many times I complained to my parents that the book was awful. But by the end, my tune had changed. I kind-of-sort-of-maybe liked it. This reluctant reader was transformed: I had to find out what happened next.
This is the biggest value that the Maximum Ride series offers young readers—it is different from so many other books in the young reader market, which makes it interesting and genuinely fun to read. Every book in the series begins and ends in a flash. They read in rapid-fire succession, thanks to James Patterson’s quick pacing and the intense action of each book. The chapters are short—some less than a page long—and the crazy amount of characters means there is always something happening.
heavy subject matter
Additionally, the series tackles some pretty weighty topics, like ethics in science, climate change, violence, and evil-genius-billionaires (an ethical debate we all face daily, no doubt), but it does so in a way that doesn’t feel heavy. I think Patterson hits the target audience well in that regard. That said, the amount of violence in the books is actually insane; you can’t blink without missing a bloody brawl. Patterson, however, manages to keep death to a minimum—almost unbelievably minimum given the scope of the series.
plot connections
Patterson also manages to string each book together with a few recurring plot drivers, notably Jeb, Dr. Martinez and Ella, and, most notably, Max’s “Voice.” Within each book, the flock faces new and improved enemies whose sole purpose is to put an end to their existence. This allows for some flexibility in reading the books; technically, you could probably pick up the series halfway through and still understand what’s going on. That said, there are definitely connections from book one to book eight. The final pro for the series is the relationship between Max and Fang—in all honesty, had it not been for their budding romance, I probably would have quit reading after book three.
what does it do poorly?
Oh, buddy—what a loaded question. There are so many problems with these books.
First, and most simply, the earliest books use the word “schizo” multiple times. Bad, bad, bad. For that reason alone, I’d never let my child read them without serious discussion about mental illness and inclusive, non-offensive, person-first language. Poor word choice aside, the first three books are by far the best. After these three, the books seem to be haphazard and written solely for the purpose of selling a bunch of books.
The stories invite the reader in, literally, and at one time the blog Fang wrote was even a live website where readers were encouraged to interact. It was cool and cutting-edge at the time, but now it just seems silly. Fang’s blog doesn’t make any sense and is just…bad.
weak narration
Most of the series takes place from the first-person perspective of Max, the natural-born leader of the flock and the girl destined to save the world. But the problem with this is that James Patterson has no idea what it’s like to be a teenage girl. His attempts to write inside the brain of a young woman are pitiful, shameful, embarrassing, and so incredibly, awkwardly, and tragically wrong. I think that about covers it. Although Max is notably not a “girly-girl,” there are many places in the series—such as when dealing with her feelings for Fang—that Max’s narration feels inauthentic and completely unrealistic.
In those moments of narrative weakness, the reader is jarred from the story and struck with the disturbing realization that the narrator isn’t, in fact, a 14-year-old genetically modified “Avian American,” but rather a rich, middle-aged white man. It takes a lot of time to recover from the realization that highly emotional and/or romantic scenes between young teenagers were penned by a much older guy…from the perspective of practically a little girl (even though Max would probably beat me up for calling her that, since she’s got 14 years of Hell behind her. “Who you callin’ little girl?!”). If he were better able to write from a female perspective, these unsettling moments wouldn’t be a problem for the reader—countless authors have succeeded in this realm.
also, third person?
When Max isn’t present for narration, a third-person omniscient narrator takes the reigns. Many chapters written from this perspective end with messages intended to be deep and philosophical, though they tend to read as spacy and soap-opera dramatic. It often took a second reading to understand the intended message.
Narration is so fundamental to a good story, and it is incredibly weak in this series. The Maximum Ride narration only manages to work because everything moves so dang fast that it’s hard to pause and ask if something really makes any sense—with the exception of those, ahem, private moments between love interests.
oh, the absurdity
The final bone I have to pick with the overall series is how absolutely absurd it all is.
When I was complaining about this to a friend the other day, I fell into a bit of a panic—were the books always this absurd, even as a kid, or am I losing touch with my imagination? Is this when I cross over into adulthood? Have I become…a fuddy-duddy?! *shivers*
But, seriously, this series is ripe with evil geniuses—evil geniuses who have billions of dollars—and all of them are spending their money on trying to kill all of humanity, take out this flock of six bird kids, and generally destroy the Earth and all its resources? At the same time? Undetected, undeterred, unstoppable by the United States government—the only remaining world superpower?
a bad case of world building
The world that Patterson builds makes no sense and is beyond comprehension, and it only gets worse the further you get into the series. The stories take place in present-day (well, mid-2000s) America (occasionally overseas), and yet science has progressed enough to create human-bird hybrids. The flock are under wraps so much that the FBI has only heard whispers of their existence, but by the end of the series, they are a media phenomenon—but are still not being protected by the U.S. government (ignore that Max doesn’t want to be protected—no matter how strong she believes she is, the story itself even recognizes she isn’t powerful enough to override the government).
Max and Angel meet a fictional U.S. President. The flock visits Disney World, London, New York City, and Paris. The story has one foot in the world and one foot out. This is where it teeters awkwardly between science fiction and fantasy. Am I supposed to believe this is happening right now, today, or am I supposed to believe that this is a crazy advanced fantasy universe? I’m not sure, because the story never really clarifies.
book-by-book breakdown
Note: spoilers ahead, although I have done my best to minimize them (while also maximizing detail). Tread carefully if these books are on your TBR.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
Rating: 7.5/10
The first installment hooks the reader with the wonder of flight and fight. The story is action-packed from beginning to end, and it is fun.
In book one, the youngest member of the flock, Angel, is kidnapped from the Colorado home where the group live free of adult guidance. For the first time since Jeb, the former bad guy turned good guy turned missing guy, broke them free of the School, the flock must fight for their lives against Erasers, the human-wolf hybrids bred to defend the School and to take out the escaped bird kids. They flee their home with one task—save Angel from the “whitecoats.”
Book one sets a solid foundation for the books that follow, and Patterson weaves clearly unbreakable bonds between characters.
Max is undoubtedly the flock’s leader, while Fang serves as the dark-eyed, brooding second-in-command. Iggy is the blind navigator, chef, and explosive extraordinaire, while Nudge is a gifted computer hacker, fashion lover, and Max’s biggest supporter. Gazzy is a smelly comedian also extraordinarily talented with explosives, and Angel, the youngest member, is the flock’s wildcard—she has the most unusual and extraordinary “enhancements.”
Not to mention, The Angel Experiment reveals enemies galore. Enemies that will only continue to multiply for seven, count them seven, more books.
Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever
Rating: 7/10
The second book features near-death experiences, FBI agents-turned-mom figures, school (like, real school), lots of explosives, and none other than young love. There’s even a trip to Disney World!
Finding everyone’s real parents is the primary objective of School’s Out – Forever. Naturally, locating the parents of children who don’t know if they were kidnapped, sold, or born of test tubes is not an easy task. And the list of enemies is ever-growing for the group. Paranoia has become the kids’ only way of life, much to the chagrin of the younger flock members. They wish for nothing more than stability and normalcy, but sweet, innocent Nudge seems to struggle the most with their constant movement.
Max and Fang spend a lot of alone time together in book two while on the hunt for everyone’s real families—and, you know what, I’m here for it. From beginning to end, I am here for it!
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
Rating: 7.5/10
This, folks, is the last book worth reading unless you’re dedicated to wading through page after page of muck to see it all through. A whole lot of muck. Five entire books of it. Things go downhill drastically from here on out—don’t say I didn’t warn you.
At this point, the flock is no longer a hidden wonder—people all over the world have heard of them and are following along in newspapers and through Fang’s blog. This book features the most complex story line of the series and, I believe, may be the best-written. The first half of the story leads the reader to back to an old enemy, the School, but the trajectory rapidly shifts after a violent, high-impact escape scene. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports sees the first cracks in the flock’s unbreakable bonds, and the book packs more emotional oomph than any previous or future installment in the series.
This book, for all and intents and purpose, is where the series should end. In my mind, I classify this as the end of when James Patterson cared (or the last one before ghostwriter?!). The next book is in its own little universe, and the final three are basically an entirely new story line.
Maximum Ride: The Final Warning
Rating: 3/10
The bad news? This is the worst book of the series, hands down.
The good news? It’s the shortest—and it does get better again. Marginally.
I don’t have much to say about this book. It’s so bad. Also, the cover art. My, oh my.
In The Final Warning, Max and the flock take on a new role—climate change (“global warming”) activists. They are sent on a mission to Antarctica to help collect data and do research with a team of scientists so that they can bring awareness to the dangers of climate change. Max and Fang, nearly a couple, are at odds with each other almost the entire book, and the climactic scenes begin as a result of Angel getting herself stuck in a trench. After everything else, the superhuman bird kids almost die of freakin’ frostbite.
And then, in true Maximum Ride fashion, they are kidnapped by a billionaire bad guy and taken hostage in Florida. But a hurricane is on its way—caused by global warming—and it doesn’t matter how rich or evil the bad guy is, nobody can fight a hurricane. (Also, the “Uber-Director” is literally a human without a body—his organs are in clear plastic boxes attached to his head on a stick…I think?) Spoiler alert, but the flock survives, and Max is invited to give a speech about climate change. In front of Congress. Because this book and this series have the weirdest, most unbelievable world building ever.
Maximum Ride: Max
Rating: 4.5/10
Although this book is whack, it does have my favorite cover art.
Jumping off of the environmental concerns in the previous book, Max addresses the effects of chemical dumping in the oceans. Patterson cleverly takes the flock out of their environment, forcing them into U.S. Navy submarines as they attempt to rescue Dr. Martinez, who Max met in the first book (and who ties into all of the books). Without the use of her wings, Max is more paranoid than ever and she struggles to trust the crew members on ship. There’s also the problem of Angel, who defies Max around every corner and at times threatens the flock’s safety.
If it weren’t for how this book ends, I think my rating would have been higher. Let’s just say that the bird kids discover they aren’t the freakiest recombinant/mutated life form out there.
Oh, but in other news, the Max and Fang love hour continues. Things get pretty teenage-steamy down in that submarine, let me tell ya. (I’m still here for it.)
Maximum Ride: Fang
Rating: 5/10
Of the second half of the books, this one is my favorite. Similar to Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, the plot of Fang is more complex than the previous two books.
Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen, a scientist experimenting with vaccines that allow humans to self-heal from almost any pathogen, finds the flock while they are on a mission in Africa (because why not?). He introduces them to Dylan, who is part of the latest generation of human-avian hybrids. But Dylan isn’t just a new bird kid. He’s also Max’s perfect other half.
Can anyone say love triangle? (Finally! We’ve been waiting five whole books for some drama!)
After rejecting Dr. GH’s request to work together, the flock returns to the States. Frustrated by Max’s leadership, the kids kick her off the island via a Survivor-style vote. Fang, dissenting, follows her. But before the blowup at home, there’s another, more literal blowup—when Jeb arrives with none other than Mr. Perfect, Dylan, at his side.
And then, as always, poop hits the fan. And everyone, everywhere, wonders how it will end!?!
I have bad news.
Fang and Max break up, and we all cried.
Maximum Ride: Angel
Rating: 4.5/10
With Fang gone to start his own gang of mutants, Max and the remaining flock (+ Dylan) are left to fight the newest enemy, the Doomsday Group.
As always, there are explosions, hand-to-hand combat, and enemies galore. I genuinely can’t keep them straight anymore.
There is a big boom in Paris. And Angel is gone.
Maximum Ride: Nevermore
Rating: 4/10
Save yourself the time, and let me tell you how it ends:
Max saves the world. Fang comes back. Angel too. They live happily ever after.
And it was good.
(You know, except for the part where all the people died and the world ended…we don’t talk about that.)
concluding thoughts
What is there left to say except “oh my, my, what a maximum ride…”
Have you read the Maximum Ride series before? If you’ve made it this far, surely you have. And if not, I hope you’ve learned your lesson before making any big mistakes. (Unless you qualify for my “worth the read” stipulations at the beginning, in which case, go for it!)
Nikki
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