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The Angel Experiment
(Maximum Ride #1)
by
Max soars above the world . . . but in James Patterson's thrilling adventure, fantasy can come crashing down to reveal the nightmares of the Angel Experiment.
Maximum Ride and her "flock" -- Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel -- are just like ordinary kids, only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living ...more
Maximum Ride and her "flock" -- Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel -- are just like ordinary kids, only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living ...more
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Paperback, 422 pages
Published
April 1st 2007
by Hachette Book Group
(first published April 1st 2005)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, #1)

Aug 12, 2008
Joe
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
individuals with a high tolerance for bad writing
Now this is a terrible book.
Written with all the wit and grace of a one-legged puppy, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment reveals its intentions within the first chapter alone. This is not a book of striking prose or even serviceable but entertaining MOR lit. It is merely a cash cow, another mindless series designed to appeal to reluctant readers. It is, in a word, soulless.
Maximum Ride follows the adventures of six children, each of whom is the product of a genetic experiment: they are 98% human ...more
Written with all the wit and grace of a one-legged puppy, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment reveals its intentions within the first chapter alone. This is not a book of striking prose or even serviceable but entertaining MOR lit. It is merely a cash cow, another mindless series designed to appeal to reluctant readers. It is, in a word, soulless.
Maximum Ride follows the adventures of six children, each of whom is the product of a genetic experiment: they are 98% human ...more

Well that wasn't too bad!

You have six kids that are human and have some bird in them. Huh, and all this time I thought they were angels 😄 Goes to show you have to read to know.

I'm glad this was on one of my challenge lists because I have wanted to read it. I think I will keep checking them out on Overdrive to see what else happens. I mean they all escaped and have people/things after them.
Happy Reading!
Mel ❤️ ...more

You have six kids that are human and have some bird in them. Huh, and all this time I thought they were angels 😄 Goes to show you have to read to know.

I'm glad this was on one of my challenge lists because I have wanted to read it. I think I will keep checking them out on Overdrive to see what else happens. I mean they all escaped and have people/things after them.
Happy Reading!
Mel ❤️ ...more

I want you, the reader, to take a moment and scroll down to the lists this novel has been shelved in. “Best Young Adult Books,” “Best Books Ever,” “What To Read After Harry Potter,” “Best Female Lead Characters,” and “Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books”. If you haven’t guessed by the titles, these are pretty big and popular lists. If you click into them and view the lists, you will see that this book is pretty high up the ranks. And if you looked behind the book, you’ll see raving review after
...more

Take a bit of the child-like innocence vs. evil of Harry Potter, some of the artificially-created destiny from Ender's Game, throw in the flying fantasies from Eragon and mix them in with Patterson's trademark flippant characterization, and you've got Maximum Ride.
This is the book I'm going to recommend when everyone's recovering from the end of Harry Potter later this month. Really. It's that good. And the best part is there are two more books after this one. There's already a waiting list for ...more
This is the book I'm going to recommend when everyone's recovering from the end of Harry Potter later this month. Really. It's that good. And the best part is there are two more books after this one. There's already a waiting list for ...more

Sep 27, 2016
Clumsy Storyteller
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2016-reading-assingment,
dystopian
2.5 Stars!
“The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective.”
Well that was fun, i LOVED MAX she was great, annoying at times. but funny, and loving big sister. The writing was okay, The story had potential but was poorly executed.




...more
“The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective.”
Well that was fun, i LOVED MAX she was great, annoying at times. but funny, and loving big sister. The writing was okay, The story had potential but was poorly executed.






This book was okay, but I just felt like it didn't have a lot of substance. I didn't really take anything away from it, almost like it didn't have a lot of deep meaning. And it wasn't terribly entertaining, either. I just would have liked the characters to be a little deeper, I guess. I doubt I will read the rest of the series.
Reviewed for: http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/ ...more
Reviewed for: http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/ ...more

Do Not Finish at page 145.
I want to finish this book, but after a while I remember life is too short for reading one crappy book after another.
If I read The Angel Experiment when I was 12 years old, I guess I would have been oh-so impressed.
But readers who possess the mental maturity of a 13 years old or above are free to skip this book.
And James Patterson, I'm blacklisting you. I will not read any other of your books. Trick me one, shame on you; trick me twice, shame on me. ...more
I want to finish this book, but after a while I remember life is too short for reading one crappy book after another.
If I read The Angel Experiment when I was 12 years old, I guess I would have been oh-so impressed.
But readers who possess the mental maturity of a 13 years old or above are free to skip this book.
And James Patterson, I'm blacklisting you. I will not read any other of your books. Trick me one, shame on you; trick me twice, shame on me. ...more

Nothing massively wrong with it but the writing was just way too young for me.

Sep 08, 2011
Jared Vincent Lacaran
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no-one
Shelves:
books-that-i-fucking-hate,
gave-up-on
This is a really terrible book. It's even worse than the whole Twilightand Eragon series combined together. The plot is extremely obnoxious, it features cardboard characters, and it has awfully absurd twists. It's dialogues are really horrible, like an old man trying very hard to sound young. this book is very,very,very badly written. A 12 year old could probably do better. The battle scenes, if you could call them that, are also poorly written and not realistic. Not even in the least. This book
...more

Jun 27, 2007
Jane
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fantasy fans twelve years and up
One of my students recommended this book, and while I was intrigued by the premise, and the fact that the protagonist is a female action hero, I found the dialogue beyond basic (only an adult would imagine that kids really communicate like this) and the plot was a liitle repetitious. it's part of a trilogy - but I don't care enough about these characters to read more.
...more

Jan 30, 2008
Denae Christine
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
the rebellious at heart
Reader thoughts: Max is a sarcastic and tough teen with amazing wings. She's leader of her flock of bird kids, and they work hard to stay away from the troublesome adult scientists. Max struggles to keep her flock together, discover her destiny, and save the world while she's at it.
Finding their parents would be a nice bonus, too, if only the whitecoats would stop trying to kill them.
(Sadly, only the first 3 books of the series are good. But they are so good!)
Writer thoughts: It's amazing that ...more
Finding their parents would be a nice bonus, too, if only the whitecoats would stop trying to kill them.
(Sadly, only the first 3 books of the series are good. But they are so good!)
Writer thoughts: It's amazing that ...more

1.5 stars
I’m sorry, but this was awful. I listened to the audio of this book, the narrator is Evan Rachel Wood and she’s pretty excellent so if you wish to listen to this book I recommend it. That being said, this story was all over the place, it would be convoluted but more like giant chunks of backstory were missing, and all the teens did was fly around and constantly get attacked. Then something at the end happened that made my stomach curl and completely killed what little of the book I en ...more
I’m sorry, but this was awful. I listened to the audio of this book, the narrator is Evan Rachel Wood and she’s pretty excellent so if you wish to listen to this book I recommend it. That being said, this story was all over the place, it would be convoluted but more like giant chunks of backstory were missing, and all the teens did was fly around and constantly get attacked. Then something at the end happened that made my stomach curl and completely killed what little of the book I en ...more

Warning:
If you dare to read his story,
you become part of the Experiment.
I know that sounds a little mysterious-
but it’s all I can say right now.
-Max
I read a lot of Patterson adult thrillers, and after a while, I kind of got bored of him (I mean how many sequels can a book have?!). So, with that said, I had really low expectations for this one, but the book really took me by surprise. This book is just pure fun. 400 pages of action packed fun, that leaves you wanting more. I also found out that I ...more
If you dare to read his story,
you become part of the Experiment.
I know that sounds a little mysterious-
but it’s all I can say right now.
-Max
I read a lot of Patterson adult thrillers, and after a while, I kind of got bored of him (I mean how many sequels can a book have?!). So, with that said, I had really low expectations for this one, but the book really took me by surprise. This book is just pure fun. 400 pages of action packed fun, that leaves you wanting more. I also found out that I ...more

Whoa!!! This book is sooo good. It's really, really, REALLY fast-paced and action-packed. Even the very first chapter throws you headfirst into straight-on action. It's a very easy read, with short chapters that flow right into the other with cliffhangers. It's not something you can start/stop reading; once you start, there's no turning bag. You're dragged into the story from the very first page, willingly or not, and nothing can tear you from the book- only forceful things, like school, homewor
...more

Oct 01, 2011
Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Readers of YA adventure/science fiction novels
Recommended to Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) by:
Diane (firefly)
Alright, I thought the narration on this book was way cheesy initially. But, like the bookcrazy girl I am who is a sucker for a good story, I got sucked in.
This book is many things:
*Fun aimed at kids, but fun that an adult who isn't terribly cynical and superior could enjoy.
*Penetrating, insightful look at human nature and society (don't laugh--it is).
*Utterly disturbing view of the unscrupulous applications of modern science. I truly did feel my stomach lurch at some of the experimentation on ...more
This book is many things:
*Fun aimed at kids, but fun that an adult who isn't terribly cynical and superior could enjoy.
*Penetrating, insightful look at human nature and society (don't laugh--it is).
*Utterly disturbing view of the unscrupulous applications of modern science. I truly did feel my stomach lurch at some of the experimentation on ...more

All the way back in 2007, I discovered the Alex Rider series by listening to an audiobook version of the first book, Stormbreaker. I'd seen the celluloid adaptation advertised in Nintendo Power, but it flopped, and, as I now know after seeing it, for good reason. Though I was already a Facebook member, they didn't have all the apps and such like they do now, so, I posted a review of it on the only place I knew to do so: Amazon. Soon after, that humongous shopping website recommended the Maximum
...more

Feb 08, 2010
Hope
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone with any sense of humor or adventure.
Recommended to Hope by:
Jensen Schlabach
The only reason this book doesn't get five stars from me is because I'm so confused by some things. But I liked it A LOT. A lot a lot.
First, I didn't feel like it really went anywhere. It's like you can tell it's trying to go somewhere but it's not really doing it.
Basically, this book was just full of the flock running, getting caught, running, getting beat up, running, getting chased by the cops, running... Over and over. After a while it was kind of predictable (not to mention painful). It t ...more
First, I didn't feel like it really went anywhere. It's like you can tell it's trying to go somewhere but it's not really doing it.
Basically, this book was just full of the flock running, getting caught, running, getting beat up, running, getting chased by the cops, running... Over and over. After a while it was kind of predictable (not to mention painful). It t ...more

1.5 stars. On the "plus" side, this novel has a very interesting premise and the book was a very fast read. On the "negative" side, there is not a whole lot of substance to the story and the character development is weak. I was really hoping that the author would do something really great with the very cool concept of children genetically enhanced with avain DNA, but it just didn't happen. Bottom-line, the book, while not horrible, was one I really didn't like.
...more

Title: The Angel Experiment
Author: James Patterson
Series: Maximum Ride #1
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary: In James Patterson's blockbuster series, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time...like when Angel, ...more
Author: James Patterson
Series: Maximum Ride #1
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary: In James Patterson's blockbuster series, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time...like when Angel, ...more

Feb 20, 2008
Jennifer Carafa
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This series is a mess. The author took it in such a weird direction and really should have stopped after 3 books. However, this series (especially this book) was actually the reason I got so heavily into reading. I was in grade 6 at school (age 11) when my friend in grade 7 told me they were reading this book in class. I begged mum to buy it for me because my friend really loved it. By the time I got to grade 7 and read it in class, I had already read the first 3 books in the series. I actually
...more

A bizarre plot with a terrible beginning. Without any sort of background we are plunged into action. It works for Riordan but unfortunately not here. Could not bring myself to read past the first 20 pages.
P.S - Mr. Patterson? Kids do NOT speak like that. You just sound like an adult trying too hard to talk in a way he thinks kids these days might talk.
Bad sentence formation just now, you say? Yeah, that about sums up your book.
P.S - Mr. Patterson? Kids do NOT speak like that. You just sound like an adult trying too hard to talk in a way he thinks kids these days might talk.
Bad sentence formation just now, you say? Yeah, that about sums up your book.

This is my first James Patterson, so I'm not entirely sure about his writing style, but I guess the way he's written this book was as if it was the protagonist. Patterson writes in the voice of the girl hero Maximum Ride, and ends mostly with small cliffhangers, which compels the readers to continue reading. (I couldn't really put it down; I kept wanting to find out what happened to the characters.)
Patterson didn't only place small cliffhangers at the end of the chapters, he added a huge one for ...more
Patterson didn't only place small cliffhangers at the end of the chapters, he added a huge one for ...more

I usually really enjoy YA books but this one was more young than it was adult and occasionally irritating because of that. Initially I thought I had picked up the series on the second book because of constant references to what has happened before. I ended up wondering why the author had not started his story at the beginning. His characters were also very poorly drawn which made it difficult to be concerned about any of them. The story did become reasonably exciting and I read through to the en
...more

James Patterson's contribution to young adult fantasy. It's actually pretty good. I guess if you are a good writer you can write anything.
...more

It would've been enjoyable if I didn't read the manga and got all the spoilers from that. Also, the chapters weren't very effective when it came to the cliffhangers at the end of it because there were 3 pages in every chapter or less. Personally, I enjoyed this a little less than the manga because it was perfect in that form. It's a very action packed book that deserves the pictures in that manga.
...more

What an action-packed book!
Max (Maximum Ride) is one of six kids who were genetically engineered to be able to fly. The kids are all different but care for each other deeply as a family since they've never had another family. They don't even know if they were test tube babies or if they had parents. How did they end up in the institution that experimented on them? That is just one of the mysteries that exist in the book.
While I loved the pace and the cat-and-mouse game they play with their hunte ...more
Max (Maximum Ride) is one of six kids who were genetically engineered to be able to fly. The kids are all different but care for each other deeply as a family since they've never had another family. They don't even know if they were test tube babies or if they had parents. How did they end up in the institution that experimented on them? That is just one of the mysteries that exist in the book.
While I loved the pace and the cat-and-mouse game they play with their hunte ...more

Summary: Genetically engineered Max and her friends are 98% human and 2% bird. An adventure story about young adults struggling to survive and discovering whom they are and why they were created along the way.
Personal Response: A very fun and engaging book. I do not know of anyone that has not dreamed they could fly. The characters are enjoyable and the special bond they have with each other and feel they're longing to belong to a family engages you. The characters make the reader think about ...more
Personal Response: A very fun and engaging book. I do not know of anyone that has not dreamed they could fly. The characters are enjoyable and the special bond they have with each other and feel they're longing to belong to a family engages you. The characters make the reader think about ...more

- I need to go on a re-reviewing spree soon. Gosh, my old review made me sound like a huge idiot. YAY. This will be fun. -
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Addicted to YA: Fang (Maximum Ride) | 6 | 385 | Nov 11, 2020 06:33AM | |
Fans of Maximum ride ... what should i read next | 46 | 297 | Jan 27, 2020 06:08PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Young adult book, kids in a house in the mountains with magical abilities, no parents. [s] | 6 | 41 | Feb 24, 2019 09:51AM | |
I am writing an argumentative essay for class and I need reasons that Maximum Ride is better than Percy Jackson, or vice versa. | 2 | 10 | Feb 21, 2019 07:59AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...:
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163 | 174 | Jan 26, 2019 01:19AM |
Official US Site
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JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more
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“Because what’s worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?”
—
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“Man, you weigh a freaking ton," he told me. "What've you been eating, rocks?"
"Why, is your head missing some?" I croaked. His mouth almost quirked in a smile, and that's when I knew how upset he'd been”
—
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"Why, is your head missing some?" I croaked. His mouth almost quirked in a smile, and that's when I knew how upset he'd been”