The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel (Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

James Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2009 | Age Range: 11 and up | Series: Maximum Ride (Book 4)

FIRST SHE WAS WATCHED.

In this breathtaking new story from the astonishing imagination of James Patterson, a girl has to save herself from an army assembled just to capture her - and maybe save the planet while she's at it.

THEN SHE WAS THREATENED.

Maximum Ride is a perfectly normal teenager who just happens to be able to fly, the result of an out-of-control genetic experiment. Max and the other members of the flock - five kids who share her remarkable ability - have been asked to aid a group of environmental scientists studying the effects of global warming. The expedition seems like a perfect combination of adventure, activism - and escaping government forces who are watching the flock all the time.

THIS IS HER FINAL WARNING.

But even in Antarctica, enduring in the harshest weather on our planet, Maximum Ride is an irresistible target in constant danger. For whoever controls her powers could also control the world. . . .

Maximum Ride is James Patterson's greatest character, a heroine who manages to be human and fearless at once. The Final Warning is an unrelenting new adventure from the writer Time magazine has called "The Man Who Can't Miss."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adrenaline galore...action-packed chapters end breathlessly, with twists at every turn." (Kirkus Reviews )

"A never-ending series of twists and action." (Virginian Pilot )

"The Maximum Ride series is top-flight." (Free Lance-Star (VA) )

From the Inside Flap

Join six extraordinary kids for their coolest ride yet . . .

In one of the world's most extreme environment - he freezing South Pole - Max and the flock are in serious trouble. The grotesque Uber-Director has put a price on their heads, and a worldwide auction for the genetically modified kids is about to begin. His mutant army is heading down south to track down the winged gang, and with no built-in function for mercy, the soldiers aren't about to take pity on anyone.

Oblivious to the Uber-Director's evil plans, the flock is on a special government mission to save the Earth. But in a brutal environment like the South Pole, being able to fly isn't always an option for escapingf rom your worst nightmares . . . --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 11 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780446194051
• ISBN-13: 978-0446194051
• ASIN: 0446194050
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (350 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction

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 

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#2 Overall (See top 100 authors)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

243 of 263 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Condescending... March 17, 2008

By Pat

Format:Hardcover

I've read all of James Patterson's other Maximum Rides books and I loved them, they are clearly meant for teenagers without the effort you see other acclaimed writers make to make something appeal to children. Throughout those other novels, I had never really noticed that it had subtle things he thought would appeal to children, the children against the adults concept and so on...

So I really loved his past books and faithfully 'clicked' for the new Maximum Ride book over and over. Now that it's out I find it condescending and he seems to think that teenagers have no intelligence. James Patterson tries to blatantly sell the concept of global warming to his readers, which I understand at 14 I'm rather more well-versed in politics and important issues than other readers, but his writing about it made it seem like he was writing to a little five year old. Much of the book was him blatantly expressing the effects of global warming, and very little of the nail-biting action I've come to expect of this series.

I have absolutely no issue with authors trying to express their opinions through their books, however, when it's done as blatantly and boringly as this is it seems as if it's like an insult to my intelligence. Am I not supposed to notice that this book is basically him trying to sell the concept of global warming to the more impressionable readers? It wouldn't have been bad if he had bothered to be subtle, sort of like the Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (still getting off his controversial ideas to the younger set, yet leaving the chance for ignorance of the underlying themes there), but instead he chose to spend half the (small) book lecturing the reader on Global Warming by Max's sarcastic (for the most part) narration of it.

The beginning of the book was promising, with less adventure than usual but still interesting. Some slightly random events happened that were never fully explained (for those of you who read the book the green wire incident), but on the whole interesting and I was ready for the huge climax and the fun battles or whatever... Yeah not so much . .. By the end I felt like I had read a book meant for a five year old, like all of those little picture books with a moral or point (like telling the story of Hurricane Katrina). Even the 'Bad Guys' were more like something you would come to expect from a show like 'The Replacements' on Disney Channel than something supposedly meant for teenagers.

And the most annoying thing is, he would never have done this in one of his adult series. Anyways, I'm really let-down by how condescending the book seemed after all the excitement and I really hope he'll release a new one next year that mirrors the excitement and suspense of his earlier three books.

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Major Letdown April 4, 2008

By Karin Perry

Format:Hardcover

The release of a sequel is an anticipated event, especially if the sequel is written by a wildly-popular, best-selling author like James Patterson. Approximately 4.8 million copies have been sold of the previous three books in the Maximum Ride series, so hopes were high that Final Warning, the new installment, would be just as entertaining. When a sequel fails to live up to the standards of the previous books in the series, readers feel let down.

There are three issues that affect the quality of Final Warning. First, there is a lack of adventure in this installment of the action-packed Maximum Ride adventure series. It seemed to be more of an extended brainstorming session instead of actual problem-solving. Second, the length of this book is an issue. For a novel that has a retail price of $20, 272 pages is pretty skimpy -- especially when you consider that The Angel Experiment, the first book in the series, had 432 pages. Finally, and most importantly, is the story itself. If the story had been interesting and new, the reader would be able to overlook the page length. Instead of adding anything new to the story, Patterson chose to focus on the issue of global warming and have The Flock, the six bird kids we've come to love, assist with scientific research in Antarctica. Final Warning appears to be more of a filler book than a necessary part of the series. In fact, if a reader were to skip Final Warning, there probably wouldn't be a problem catching up when a fifth book is published.

Instead of a character-driven storyline, Patterson has given us an extended public service announcement on global warming, and while global warming is a serious issue we need to think about, a young adult adventure novel might not be the best place to hammer the issue home.

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Just Okay March 17, 2008

By A. Contarino

Format:Hardcover

I expected a lot more from the next chapter in the Maximum Ride saga. After all, the first three books were all about heart-pounding action, excellent character development, and just the right amount of romance to keep it interesting. Now take all of the first three books and squash them together into a single miniature version without any of the action, and you have The Final Warning. Granted, there are some good points, not to spoil any, but most of them happen towards the beginning of the novel. The last three quarters were, in my opinion, mainly rehashed storylines from the first three books. The action is only seen from the point of view of two characters including Max and Fang's meaningless 'book blog', not the actual blog that exists on the Web. Then there's the fact that the series has become a huge environmental tree-hugging plug as well. Yeah, we know the environment needs to be saved, but you don't have to beat it into our brains by making Max Ride the Eco-Lady of Popular Literature. Is this book what we Maximum Ride fans clicked a million times for? I think not. This one needs a sequel, if the Flock is to be saved.