Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel (Book 6) [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 15, 2010 | Age Range: 10 and up | Series: Maximum Ride (Book 6) | Lexile Measure: 680L (What's this?)

Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the flock makes her fear the worst. Then, a cryptic message from a young girl arrives, warning them "The sky will fall." And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die.

Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-9–Patterson has created another thrilling adventure that is sure to capture readers' imaginations. Max is the leader of a group known as the Flock, and the story revolves around her struggles and emotional dilemmas. These winged mutants are set upon by an evil scientist who wants to use their special talents to suit his own ends. However, that is just one of Max's problems. After a dire prediction by Angel, she is terrified that Fang will die. He is the love of Max's life, and she can not bear the thought of losing him. The author's strong writing style will draw readers into the situations that arise as Max tries to protect the Flock from peril while attempting to avoid Fang's impending doom. The love triangle between Max, Fang, and another winged mutant is also well developed and creates tension throughout. The story line moves readers from the dry, sweltering heat of Africa to the bright lights of Hollywood as Max tries to maintain unity in the Flock and shelter them from danger. The action builds throughout, and there are enough plot twists and surprises to keep readers guessing about what will happen next as the young Flock is eventually snared in the villain's web. Patterson's quick-paced tale of adventure, betrayal, and redemption is full of vibrant and memorable characters. It truly has bite.–Greg Stone, Oak Mountain Middle School, Birmingham, ALα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

The Maximum Ride series' flock of winged children is off to Africa for a photo op while providing humanitarian aid. Then Max's rival, Angel, prophesies that best-friend Fang will be the first to die and it will happen soon. When Dr. Gunther-Hagen introduces Max to Dylan, a gorgeous new bird kid who has been designed to be Max's perfect mate, Max's voices tell her Dylan is perfect for her. But how does this affect her commitment to Fang? This will excite the legions of fans waiting for this installment in the flock's story. Grades 7-9. --Diana Tixier Herald

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 Reprint edition (March 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316036196
• ISBN-13: 978-0316036191
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (264 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It is no surprise that in January, 2010, The New York Times Magazine featured James Patterson on its cover and hailed him as having "transformed book publishing," and that Time magazine hailed him as "The Man Who Can't Miss." Recently, NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams profiled Patterson's prolific career, AARP named him one of the "50 Most Influential People Who Make Our Days a Little Brighter," and Variety featured him in a cover story highlighting his adventures in Hollywood.

In 2011, it was estimated that one-in-four of all hardcover suspense/thriller novels sold was written by James Patterson, he is the first author to achieve five million ebook sales (and is expected to hit ten million in early 2013), and he holds the Guinness record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers of any author. And his success isn't based solely on thrillers like the perennially popular Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club and Michael Bennett series. Patterson is now also the current bestselling author in the young adult and middle grade categories.

He's been called the busiest man in publishing, and that's not just because of his own books. For the past decade, James has been devoting more and more of his time to championing books and reading. From the James Patterson Pageturner Awards, to his website ReadKiddoRead.com, to his College Book Bucks scholarships and his regular donations of hundreds of thousands of books to schools here in the states and troops overseas (see interviews on Fox & Friends, The Dennis Miller Radio Show and CNN.com), Patterson has passed on his passion of books and reading and supported those who do the same. Jim personally funded a major ad campaign re-printing a recent opinion piece on CNN.com about how it is our responsibility to get our kids reading. The ad has run in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and USA Today. Those ads are a call to action to parents to make their kids reading a top priority; and were featured by USA Today here. Patterson believes that we cannot rely on schools, teachers or the government to get our kids reading; only parents can make this crucial change in the reading habits of our kids. Here are links to some interviews on his first-ever dual lay down (two books, one for parents and one for kids, in one day): AOL's You've Got, NBC's "Today Show" with Hoda and Kathie Lee, USA Today and Family Circle, NBC's "Today Show" with Al Roker, as well as an interview with AARP.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#2 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#1 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#2 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#2 in Books > Literature & Fiction

#4 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#1 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#2 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#2 in Books > Literature & Fiction

#4 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Containnnns spoilers! April 14, 2010

By anonymousss

Format:Hardcover

Alright. Just finished the book. About 15 minutes ago.
At first I wasn't going to read it, because to tell you the truth, I was kind of upset with Mr. Patterson here. I felt like after the third (or second?) book, he kind of just gave up on the series. Got lazy. Became all about the money, less about the plot. This angered me. So, I had a Maximum Ride fast for about a year. And on March 15, this book came out.
And unlike all the other books, I DIDN'T GO OUT AND BUY IT. In fact, I really didn't even think about it for a while.

...Until this morning. At FOUR IN THE FREAKING MORNING. When I very randomly woke up, wide awake, with the intense craving to read Maximum Ride. I tried not to, I really did. But I guess my will-power just couldn't keep up. I guess long-term grudges just aren't really my thing.
And so I read. And read...

And then, I caved and bought FANG today. I'm not proud of myself, but I just couldn't resist.

So I gotta say, I'm a pretty big fax fan. Or more like just a Fang fan. So this book was just perfect for me.
(Now I'm kind of confused about whether I liked the book for the book, or just because Fang was in it a lot. To be determined later.

So now for my review:
For starters, one of the main reason I started my so-called "fast" was because I felt like James would start theories about 'the big picture' and just leave them hanging and never develop them. I liked how he actually brought them up in this book! Like the whole 'Max-looking-in-the-mirror-and-seeing-an-eraser' thing. Okay, so he didn't REALLY develop them. But at least it was mentioned. I felt like he had completely forgotten about them, so it was comforting that he hasn't...yet.

Dylan. I don't know about him.... He seemed pretty okay to me, but just kind of..boring. And dependent on the scientists. Like the whole 'I'm programmed to love Max thing'? What was up with that? I don't know. But I didn't completely hate him, he was just a little boring. Never met Max in my life but I already love her? She's my SOULMATE? Please. Give it a rest, James. Oh, and I have this theory that he's Max's voice! I'm kind of proud of myself for coming up with this one: Think about it. He was created 8 months ago. If you remember, Max and the Flock left their home about a year ago. Max really didn't start to hear the voice until a while later...say, maybe FOUR months later? (Dylan's creation...hmmm...)

Hey, uhm, Fang? Yeah, WAY TO GIVE ME A FREAKING HEART ATTACK. Seriously. I never cry during books. Ever. It really hasn't ever happened. Did I cry during this book? Yeah. TWICE. Don't know what is wrong with me. So Fang died, and I just burst into tears for a good 20 minutes. It was a sad sight. And then, wooh, he's back! Okay, I said to myself, calm down. Everything's okay. Fang's alright. Everyone's alright. (Oh, by the way, Dylan's suicide attempt? WTH?) And then Akila and Total got married? Uhm, okay, whatever floats your boat... but I was good. Satisfied. Fang was safe.
So then Patterson decides he couldn't POSSIBLY have everything be fine and dandy. He had to make Fang write the saddest. letter. ever. I cried even harder that time. If that's possible. And I just kind of sat there in shock for a while. (Why was I in shock? Still don't know. This is totally a thing Mr. Patterson would do, since he likes to play with our emotions...)

Liked the Fang blog. Added some mmph into it. Wish I would've saved it for later after I experienced all the emotions of the book to their full potential. I'm such a sap.

LOVED VEGAS. Love, love, loved it. Especially the jackpot scene. Made me laugh.

Dr. G-H was interesting. I guess.

Mr. Chu...huh? green kid? Do I want to know?

Still hating Angel. Why can't she just be HAPPY?! or at least content??

So, I'm thinking a four outta five. What say you? Read more ›

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Take it for What it Is: a Preview March 6, 2010

By Franny Syufy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read with interest the one star reviews by certain readers, given as protest to the use of "free preview" vs "free sample" vs initial free books. My thoughts are:
- Free samples are given for already-published books, and are a good way to decide whether or not to spring $$ for the full book
- Free previews (a relatively new feature) are given for upcoming books, and also are valuable as a decision-making tool.
- Free full books, have been used mostly for first-time authors, or possibly genres such as "Christian Fiction," which are newly making the scene on Kindle.

Face it: they are ALL marketing ploys and are readily recognized as the same.

As to the disgruntlement over "Cluttering up best-seller lists," readers with normal intelligence will recognize free samples and previews, and yes, free full books, as what they are. Whether or not the reader wants to bother downloading and reading them is a personal preference. However, If you don't like the practice, don't download the free previews. But also, please *don't* publish one-star reviews as a means of protest. If you haven't *read* a book or preview, you've no real business reviewing it. That's just cluttering up these reviews, which is just as bad as what you're protesting.

I am a fan of the Maximum Ride series, and have bought and read every book in the first series. I probably would have pre-ordered "Fang" without benefit of the "free preview," and indeed, have ordered it after reading the preview.

The book begins in a remote area called Chad, where the Max's band have been asked by Max's mother to take part in a charitable group, which is donating food and medical supplies/treatment to the starving people.... We are shortly made aware of the ongoing conflict between Max and Angel, who seems determined to take over as ruler of the winged kids. We also see evidence of the continuation of Max's and Fang's poorly-hidden lust for each other. Yes, I agree somewhat with the reviewer who took exception to the "chick read" reactions of Max when Fang is around. However, I am *well-past* the age of consent, and the blushing, stammering, and gulping brought back instant memories of my first love, now deceased, whom I married too many decades ago to count. Whether or not Patterson is out of his league with this genre is moot at this point, as far as I'm concerned.

But I digress. Max and Fang are joined by a scientist who gives them a private introduction to a handsome young man in his group. Although the scientist seems somewhat sinister at first, Max receives a mental message from her creator-father, implying that the scientist is trustworthy. The preview ends with a surprise when the young man removes his shirt an reveals a five-foot wingspan of radiant white wings. Is this new character to be a replacement for Fang?

For those who decried the lack of a full free book for this new series, there's a surprise at the end of the preview: a web site where you can download the full book in PDF form. I know there's a way to import PDF files into Kindle, but have never tried it. however, because of my loyalty to Amazon.com, I have pre-ordered my copy of the full book here. Read more ›

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, not as good as the first three but better than the Final Warning March 15, 2010

By rebelutionarywriter

Format:Hardcover

Well, my bro bought this book today and I read it before him, as usual. I enjoyed the book less than the first three, but more than Final Warning, so it's about as good as Max. I thought it could have been summed up in a few dozen pages, and the whole Max/Fang thing went a little overboard. I mean, they're in survival situations constantly- so they don't exactly have time to be all mushy-mushy like they are. I guess that's love? More like obsession. Love is more than a feeling- it's an action, and Patterson doesn't capture that. Whatever. In any case, not as good as we were all hoping, but not as ridiculous as Final Warning.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I Miss The Original Plot June 10, 2010

By Astro 599

Format:Hardcover

Anyone else feel that this series has gone seriously downhill? The original three books were so great, with such a good arc. The next three made no sense, not even as singular episodes.

Character development, plotlines, and overall cohesion have all disappeared. *Sigh* Things are just getting silly now. Maybe whichever ghost writer of Patterson's is writing this series now should quit while they're not too far behind.

42 of 56 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Why clutter the store with "previews" when Kindle/Amazon already offers samples. February 13, 2010

By B. Bradley

Format:Kindle Edition

While it may say "preview" in the title, I don't like the direction authors or publishers are going by cluttering up the "bestseller" list with previews when Amazon/Kindle already offers the ability to see/read samples of books. Bestseller lists should ONLY contain actual books.

I gave this a single star as a statement against publishers/authors who use this option of cluttering up the bestseller list with pointless downloads. Work within the system (allow amazon/kindle to handle the samples), don't screw up the system (clutter up the bestseller list).