Customer Reviews

Maximum Ride Book #2: School's Out - Forever

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

It's been too long since Patterson released Maximum Overide. I had to go back and re-read the story to catch back up on the characters Max, Nudge, Angel, Gasman, Fang, Iggy, and Trouble (the now talking dog!). That book was also delightful, but it felt unfinished - leaving me feeling like I'd left a movie in the middle. I wanted to know if the winged kids would find their parents or get caught by the erasers, what additional skills they might develop and how well they would enter the "real world."

Patterson's sequel, Schools Out Forever, is quite simply "magical." I loved it. It is filled with very short chapters (some less than a page), keeping things rolling at a high-pitched pace. The characters come across as real and unique. He's taken the time to develop their personalities, and you feel like you know and love them.

In this second part (of many I hope), Ari (a particularly troubled eraser thought to be dead) is on the hunt for Max. I think it's cool that the villian is driven by complex (animalistic) urges (love, hate, lust, envy) rather than just being blindly evil. A fight with the erasers leaves Fang badly injured, and in seeking medical attention the group is exposed. Fortunately, rather than being taken back for more experiments, they are adopted by a kind FBI agent, Anne Walker. Anne seems more intereted in getting Max and her flock functioning as a well adjusted family than finding out their secrets, and she quickly gets them enrolled in public school. I don't want to spoil things, but let me say that nothing is as it first appears! Then there's Max 2, the improved replacement that thinks it will be a piece of cake to just step in and take over.

This is a very fun light read, and I recommend it to anyone that doesn't take life too seriously. It reminds me of some of the better works by Koontz. It has broad appeal to many audiences (my wife and 8 year old daughter also loved it).

Written by Arthur Bradley, author of "Process of Elimination" - an action packed thriller that pits a martial arts expert against a world-class sniper who is out to shape the next Presidential election.

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Stop! Unless you've read the first book in the MAXIMUM RIDE series, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride), you should not read this review. Although MAXIMUM RIDE: SCHOOL'S OUT--FOREVER, could be read alone, you'll do much better if you read Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride) first. Trust me. Read the first book, and then this one, and you'll end up thanking me. Now, if you promise you've already read the first book in the series, hold on to your hats, because the action heats up significantly in this second installment.

Twenty-four hours after Max killed Ari, the bird kids are once again on the run. The whole gang is together again and in one relatively unharmed piece--Max, Fang, Iggy, Gasman, Nudge, Angel, and stray dog, Total. Max is trying hard to forget that when it came to escaping the Erasers (half-human, half-werewolf, read the first book!), she had no choice but to kill Ari in their fight for freedom.

Except, surprise, Ari isn't dead! Jeb and the other doctors at the "school" are still trying to recapture them, and Fang has been deathly wounded. Max knows there is no choice but to get Fang to a real hospital, and she's not even really surprised when the FBI turns up to question them. What does surprise her is the appearance of Anne Walker, a head-honcho who wants Max and the gang to come to her home, where she can protect them, feed and clothe them, and study them. Fang still needs rest, and a roof over their heads and food in their belly at regular intervals sounds like a good idea. Although she's wary of Anne's true motives, Max and her flock move, temporarily, into Anne's home. They're even enrolled in school--a real school, not a cover for psychotic men in white coats to perform horrible experiments on them--and although that doesn't turn out so great, the time they spend at Anne's is helping everyone to forget some of the pain they've suffered.

But the Erasers show up, as they always do, and Anne turns out not to be as wonderful as she first appeared, as also seems to happen on a regular basis. Not-dead Ari is determined to destroy the flock, especially Max, once and for all, and the Voice in Max's head is getting increasingly annoying as to her duty to save the world.

This second book in the series is as full of adventure, heart-stopping adrenaline, and edge-of-your-seat action as the first book was. I loved the newfound powers that many in the flock gained in this installment, as well as Total's ability to talk. I can't wait to see what happens next, especially in regards to Itex and how it figures in with the seemingly imminent destruction of Earth. Kudos to Mr. Patterson for another winner in the MAXIMUM RIDE series. The only thing I hate is that it will probably be another year or so before we find out what happens next!

James Patterson's second book in the Maximum Ride series is a fun thrill ride sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats!

Max, Nudge, Angel, the Gasman, Fang, Iggy, and Trouble are still fleeing from the Erasers. For those unfamiliar with the series, Max and her flock are the results of a mysterious experiment in which human and bird DNA was combined, resulting in kids with wings. In addition to flying, the flock members are beginning to develop other talents, such as Angel's ability to read and control minds. Trouble is a dog rescued from the same doctors/scientists and Erasers are part wolf, part human, and determined to destroy the flock.

Fang is badly injured in a skirmish with the Erasers and Max and the flock are forced to seek the services of a hospital. Naturally, the hospital doctors call in the FBI and the gang ends up temporarily living with FBI Agent Anne Walker while Fang recuperates. For a brief period, all seems normal and they even enroll in school. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems and soon Max will be forced to confront the reason for their existence as well as a supposedly improved version of herself and the return of the not-dead-after-all, Ari.

MAXIMUM RIDE: SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER is an enchanting tale for all ages. Just about everyone has dreamed of having the ability to fly at one time or another and Max and the flock bring this dream to life. Part of the sheer joy of this series is based simply on this fact. WHEN THE WIND BLOWS and THE LAKE HOUSE were such big hits because they also featured angel children but please note that, despite the similarity of the situation and the main character having the same name, those two books are not connected in any way to the Maximum Ride series. The first book in the series was a little tough for this reviewer as the plot kept getting confused with WHEN THE WIND BLOWS but the series has really hit its stride with MAXIMUM RIDE: SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER. It is not necessary to read the first book in the series but most will probably want to do so as the adventures of Max and the flock are such a delight to read.

James Patterson has put the flock in some rather ordinary circumstances and it was fun to see how the winged kids dealt with the daily hassles of attending school, making friends, and even dating. All of these circumstances are ones the reader will relate to and yet see in a different light while viewed through the eyes of the flock. Trouble, the talking dog, was a welcome addition to the series and helped keep the book fresh as he provided some very pithy comments that had this reviewer laughing out loud.

MAXIMUM RIDE: SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER is one ride readers will not want to miss! James Patterson has got it all in this book- great characters, non-stop action, and intrigue all told with a bit of humor to keep the story from becoming too dark.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Saw the advertisement for the first book in a magazine and immediately purchased it. Was not disappointed! Really enjoyed reading it. The author will keep you spellbound page-by-page as you fly with the winged children and journey with them on their adventure to stay alive. You will come to know and love the characters. If you like sci-fi and reading an imaginative book, then this is a must buy for you. Passed the book to my dad and he also enjoyed reading it. When I saw that this book was the sequel to the first one, I immediately purchased it. Can't wait to see what happens to Max. Great job, James.

Picking up right where the first book left off, Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever takes Max and the rest of the flock on a whirlwind adventure. The flock is still on the run from some of the same old baddies, but now they have new foes to deal with as well, including a Max clone. However, they're not entirely on their own, and help comes from some unexpected people. But are they really trying to help? Only time will tell.
And not only do they have to worry about staying alive, grades now hang in the balance for the flock. Once again, they find themselves in school... but this time it's for real. New challenges are faced every day, with classes, teachers, an evil principal, field trips, and even possible romances, all while new powers are being discovered and developed.
With this book, James Patterson manages to prove once again what a great storyteller he is. I'd never even read any of his books before, but Maximum Ride has turned me into a true fan. Fun and enjoyable to read, with a great plot and interesting characters, it will not disappoint. Full of surprising twists and turns, School's Out - Forever will leave fans feeling satisfied, yet eagerly anticipating the next Maximum Ride.

I love the premise behind the books, but the first two make it very clear that Patterson plans to make this a series. Each book in a series should be able to stand on its own. "School's Out" repeats a great deal of information that we learned in the first book to the point that I wanted to shout, "Yes, I know Max is supposed to save the world; Yes, I know the kids are able to stand together against all odds, etc." I wanted a plot that had an ending. Even if the story line continues to the next book in the series, each book should have a definite focus and some kind of resolution at the end (even if it is incomplete.)

I love Max, Fang and the rest of the gang. They are great characters. I just felt that something was missing.

If you liked The Angel Experiment, you'll probably like the sequel. Max and Co. are just as humorous as ever and still finding trouble around every turn.

As the novel unfolds, Patterson slowly reveals more secrets about the bird children while giving them about two-hundred pages worth of trying to act like normal school kids (complete with pranks, field trips, and yes, even a date!). Of course, things never go smooth for long. Their lives are periodically interupted by the diabolical Erasers, who have evolved somewhat from book 1, intent on capturing the children and bringing them back to Jeb (aka Max's father/scientist).

While this novel does add a few interesting plot twists, don't expect too much to be resolved. School's Out--Forever is clearly only book 2 of a longer series. For me, that's a good thing. But for those wanting a conclusion, you'll have to keep waiting.

I've read Mr. P's other books about the bird-kid mutants and assumed this was a continuation of their adventures. But he notes at the beginning that Max and the kids are not the same freak/hybrid kids from the earlier books...oh, really? Anyway, these six kids had escaped from the `School' (a/k/a lab) and are now trying to make their way to Washington DC to find their parents, or save the world or do whatever Max's Voice is telling her. Fang is injured by an Eraser (a bird-wolf mutant) during an Eraser attack. The FBI steps in to help the kids, including one of the officers taking the kids into her home...yeah, right. The kids' adventures, travels, fights with Erasers, Disneyland and meeting the other Max round out this delightful fantasy.

The premise for these Maximum stories is so off-the-wall, wild and crazy and makes for a totally fun read! The humor is a nice touch, too.

James Patterson originally featured the character Maximum Ride and her friends in WHEN THE WIND BLOWS and THE LAKE HOUSE; however, when MAXIMUM RIDE:THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT (Amazon review 4/24/05) was published, he expressly noted that the characters in that book were not the same characters as in the earlier stories and that this new series had a different backstory which would gradually be revealed. That book was an extreme example of my criticisms of several of Patterson's recent books, specifically that a potentially interesting plot and characters with great potential were very disappointingly apparently sacrificed to a tight publishing deadline and lack of adequate editing. THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT also suffered from the inclusion of a lot of inconsistencies and unbelievable sequences - even a fantasy should be internally consistent.

MAXIMUM RIDE:SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER is certainly a substantially better written story than the first entry in the series. The storyline is better, the characters benefit from the further development possible in a series, and the story is much more internally consistent. The major characters from the first book are all here, Max and her flock (either angel experiments or mutant freaks depending on your viewpoint), Jeb Batchelder, his son Ari and the Erasers, and of course Total, transparently modeled on Dorothy's companion in the WIZARD OF OZ. The members of the flock are still looking for their real parents, and the mysterious Voice is still giving Max advice and confirming that her role is to save the world. The kids even briefly get to lead normal lives, attend school, and live in a real house and sleep and eat on a regular schedule, all courtesy of the mysterious Anne Walker, who intervenes to save them from the FBI when Fang's hospitalization causes the disclosure of their mutant nature and special talents. Of course, they are eventually forced to flee and undergo several subsequent bouts with danger. For younger readers or adults who want a very easy, light fantasy read, these attributes may be sufficient to provide adequate enjoyment and even some moments of real fun to make this a worthwhile read. In addition, Patterson does actually gently manage to insert a fair amount of moral reasoning about such values as family, loyalty, fairness, etc.

So why only three stars? First, and most important, these two stories are now obviously meant to be part of a continuing serial in book form. However, in my opinion, even books that are part of a series should have self contained storylines (as do even comic books for the intended audience), and these books fail completely on that basis. The endings are rather of the "to be continued later" cliffhanger variant more suitable to magazine serialization or TV soap operas, and in effect are unfair attempts to induce the reader to purchase the next book. Second, and almost as frustrating, while the story is certainly filled with sufficient adventure, just as in most serialized fiction but not generally true of book series there is almost no additional meaningful knowledge provided about the characters and their circumstances. We still don't anything meaningful about Jeb, not even if he a good guy or a bad guy. We have no more information about Max's mission, and the origin of The Voice is still completely unclear. (This fact is especially frustrating because of the crucial role that it plays in Max's actions.) In fact, the primary achievement of this installment is to introduce more unexplained complexity, e.g. the role of very powerful Itex Corporation and the origin of the new character who tries to infiltrate the flock. Even the fun of a very intelligent and personable (if this is possible) talking dog and Angel's unique use of her special powers (the shark scene is great) don't counterbalance these two major flaws.

The one five star feature of this novel is the price; the publisher is to be commended for a price low enough (especially as widely discounted) to be affordable for the pre-teen market - which is clearly the targeted audience. However, since in all respects (type size, length, format) the quality of this book is equal to that of Patterson's adult novels in the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series, it does make it obvious how immensely profitable those series must be and how much his loyal readers are overcharged.

Tucker Andersen

The winged children series: These books are wonderful for ages 13+. A 50 year old young man got me addicted to this series as well as James Patterson's many other books. The story takes you through the trials of living in our world and being drastically different. From the school run by scientists, to the children they meet in their travels, the love and innocence of the young, versus the jaded and curious at any cost adults. Take the ride, read the series. You won't want to put the book down til you've read each and every page of all the series and want for the next book to hurry up and be available.

Thank you James Patterson for an escape from my reality. Reads much better than any of the crap on tv today. Except of course for the "Women's Murder Club" Kudos!!!Maximum Ride : The Angel Experiment (Teen's Top 10 (Awards))