Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

Last updated
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
Maximum Ride1.jpg
The first edition United States cover for The Angel Experiment
Author James Patterson
Cover artistKamil Vojnar & Roger Wood
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult fiction, science fiction
Publisher Flag of the United States.svg Little, Brown
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Headline
Publication date
Flag of the United States.svg April 11, 2005
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg July 4, 2005
Pages432 pp (hardback)
413 (paperback) [1]
ISBN 0-316-15556-X
Followed by Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever  

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is the first book in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. The book was released in the US on April 11, 2005, and in the UK on July 4, 2005. [2] [3] The story follows the Flock, a group of human-avian hybrids (98% human, 2% bird) on the run from the scientists who created them.

Contents

Summary

The Flock, led by Maximum "Max" Ride, are a group of kids genetically altered to have wings. They live in hiding in a house in the woods after being freed by one of the scientists, Jeb Batchelder, now presumed deceased. The youngest member, Angel, is abducted by wolf-human hybrid "Erasers" and taken back to "The School", the lab where the Flock was created and raised in cages. Max, Fang and Nudge set out to rescue Angel while Iggy and the Gasman stay behind. On the way, Max stops to rescue a girl named Ella but is shot in the shoulder; Ella's mom, a vet named Dr. Valencia Martinez, nurses her back to health and discovers a microchip implanted in her arm. Meanwhile, Iggy and the Gasman booby-trap their home and blow it up in a battle with the Erasers. Nudge and Fang follow up on a possible lead to Nudge's biological mother, but it turns out to be a trap by Ari, the Eraser leader. Ari appears physically mature but is actually only seven years old, and resents the Flock. He is Jeb's son and feels that Jeb chose them over him.

The Flock reunites, but they are captured by Erasers and brought to the School. There, they meet Angel and discover that Jeb is alive and working for the School. The Flock break out. Angel has gathered information about the Flock's biological parents, and Max has a sudden vision instructing her to go to the School's other location in New York, the Institute for Higher Living.

The Flock heads there, exploring the city while evading Erasers and living on the run. Max begins hearing a Voice in her head, giving her cryptic information and guiding her. It leads them to the Institute, where they find a lab full of other experiments as well as more information on their parents. The Flock frees their fellow experiments and Angel adopts a genetically altered dog which she names Total. Max fights Ari again as they escape, and accidentally kills him; Jeb tells Max that she's killed her own brother. The Flock flies off, heading to Washington D.C. in search of their parents.

Reception

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment has received generally positive reviews. Cleveland Plain Dealer described it as "like the best sort of video game or action movie, in book form" and commented that it "shows the promise of becoming a favorite" as well as comparing it to the Boxcar Children series: "Think of this group of six, from 14-year-old Max to 6-year-old Angel, like the 'Boxcar Children' of a new millennium." [4] The School Library Journal delivered a more lukewarm review, calling the book an "exciting SF thriller that's not wholly original but still a compelling read". [5] Booklist described it as "an action-packed cross between Gertrude Chandler Warner's Boxcar Children and Marvel Comics' X-Men", also noting how "Patterson occasionally forgets his audience here, as evidenced by his sardonic tone and such glib adult asides". However, Booklist also praised Patterson for stepping out of his normally adult-genre books as it said, "He's picked a comfortable formula (orphans protecting one another and making a home together)". [6]

Film adaptation

Plans for a film were first announced in January 2007, but it lingered in development for years with different directors and writers. [7] [8] The finished film, directed by Jay Martin, was released on Digital HD in August 2016 and followed the events of the first half of The Angel Experiment. It ends with the Flock escaping from the School with Angel, and leaves out the events in New York.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Patterson</span> American author and philanthropist (born 1947)

James Brendan Patterson is an American author. Among his works are the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women's Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, NYPD Red, Witch & Wizard, Private and Middle School series, as well as many stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction, and romance novels. His books have sold more than 425 million copies, and he was the first person to sell 1 million e-books. In 2016, Patterson topped Forbes's list of highest-paid authors for the third consecutive year, with an income of $95 million. His total income over a decade is estimated at $700 million.

A fang is a long, pointed tooth found in many animals, notably mammals, snakes, and spiders.

<i>The Lake House</i> (Patterson novel)

The Lake House is a 2003 novel by James Patterson, a sequel to When the Wind Blows. Elements of this series also appeared in Patterson's Maximum Ride series for younger readers.

<i>When the Wind Blows</i> (Patterson novel) 1998 novel by James Patterson

When the Wind Blows is a novel by James Patterson, followed by the sequel The Lake House. It also served as inspiration for the Maximum Ride spinoff series for teens.

Nudge or Nudging may refer to:

<i>Maximum Ride: Schools Out Forever</i>

Maximum Ride: School's Out—Forever is the second book in the sci-fi action-adventure series Maximum Ride by James Patterson, published by Little, Brown. The book was released in the US and the UK on May 23, 2006. The series centers on the Flock, a group of six super-powered human-avian hybrids on the run from the scientists who created them.

<i>Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports</i>

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is the third book in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It was released in the United Kingdom and the United States on May 29, 2007. The series is set in modern times, and revolves around the 'flock', a group of human-avian hybrids on the run from the scientists who created them.

<i>MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel</i> Book by James Patterson

MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel is the fifth book in the Maximum Ride series, written by James Patterson. The book was released on September 15, 2009. MAX was published by Little, Brown and Company.

<i>Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel</i>

Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel is the sixth book in the Maximum Ride series written by James Patterson. It was released on February 5, 2010 in Australia, New Zealand and the UK and was released in the US on March 15, 2010. Its tag line is: He has always been there for her. Now he may be gone forever.

Maximum Ride is a series of young adult science fantasy novels by the author James Patterson. The series centers on the adventures of Maximum "Max" Ride and her family, called the Flock, who are winged human-avian hybrids created at a lab called, The School. The series is a reboot of Patterson's earlier novels When the Wind Blows and The Lake House, which were aimed for older audiences.

<i>Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel</i> Book by James Patterson

Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel is the seventh novel in the Maximum Ride series created by James Patterson. It was released on February 14, 2011.

<i>Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances</i> 2008 novel by three authors

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances is a fix-up novel comprising three separate stories that intertwine with one another. It was released on 2 October 2008 through Speak. The stories are "The Jubilee Express" by Maureen Johnson, "A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle" by John Green, and "The Patron Saint of Pigs" by Lauren Myracle. The book follows three different teenagers as they experience a huge snow storm in the town of Gracetown during the Christmas season.

James Patterson has written or co-written many "Bookshots" or novellas, and has co-written books with many authors. The list below separates the works into four main categories: fiction written for adults, for young adults and for children, and non-fiction.

<i>Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure</i>

Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure is the eighth book in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It was released on August 6, 2012.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a young-adult fantasy book series written by Laini Taylor and published by Hachette Book Group, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. It is a complete trilogy, Daughter of Smoke and Bone being published on 27 September 2011 in the United States; Days of Blood and Starlight on 6 November 2012 in the United States; and the third book Dreams of Gods and Monsters on April 1, 2014. The books have been published in a variety of different languages.

<i>Private L.A.</i>

Private L.A. is the third book of the Jack Morgan series. The Goodreads website considers this the seventh book of the series, as four spin-off novels have been written about Private operations in other locations. This novel was written by James Patterson and Mark T. Sullivan. It appears more books in this series are to follow.

<i>Maximum Ride</i> (film) 2016 science fiction film

Maximum Ride is a 2016 American science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by James Patterson. It adapts the first half of The Angel Experiment, the first book in the series. YouTube personality Jenna Marbles served as an executive producer of the film.

Morag Hood is a Scottish writer and illustrator of children's books. Her primary medium is lino printing, although she uses a variety of techniques in her work. Her stories rely on interplay between text and illustration, creating space in the narrative for young readers to fill in. Many of her stories concern relationships, inclusion and prejudice. She has an MA in children's book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. Hood was the winner of the UKLA book awards in the 3–6 category in 2018, for Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea, and in 2019 for I am Bat. Her books have been nominated for several other awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

<i>Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World</i> 2021 young adult novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is a New York Times best selling young adult novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, published October 12, 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. It is the sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

References

  1. Amazon.co.uk: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride): James Patterson: Books
  2. Amazon.co.uk: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment: James Patterson: Books
  3. Amazon.com: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1): James Patterson: Books
  4. Patterson, James. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, inside cover.
  5. Amazon.com: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment: James Patterson: Books: Editorial Reviews
  6. Barnes and Noble.com: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment: James Patterson: Books
  7. "Catherine Hardwicke Takes Maximum Ride". ComingSoon. 17 March 2009.
  8. Fleming, Michael (August 7, 2008). "Columbia takes 'Maximum Ride'". Variety.