Max

March 16, 2009
The fifth entry in Patterson's all-ages Maximum Ride fantasy/thriller series finds the teenaged title character facing her greatest challenge yet. Max, leading her flock of virtually indestructible part-human/part-bird hybrids, must rescue her human mom, kidnapped by a criminal mastermind with an elaborate plan to wreak worldwide ecological catastrophe. But in order to rescue her, 14-year-old Max and the five younger members of her flock (genetically developed by an environmental group) must team up with the U.S. Navy to determine why millions of fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii. All this, and Max is falling in love, too. Patterson doesn't spend much time on character development, opting to propel his wild story with quick action scenes, plenty of dialogue and chapters seldom longer than three or four pages; unfortunately, though, life-and-death situations are often solved by implausible plot turns. Max narrates with a precocious, snarky voice, but makes it relatively easy to jump into her complicated tale midstream. Not surprisingly, the open-ended conclusion begs for a follow-up; it's also little wonder that a movie franchise is in the works.

Samuel Goldwyn said: "If you want to send a message, call Western Union." Patterson apparently missed that memo when writing this fifth book in his Maximum Ride series as the story and its characters take a backseat to environmental preaching. Nevertheless, what the book misses in character and plot, it makes up for in action and snappy dialogue. Max and her flock of part-bird teenagers fly to Hawaii to help the Navy find out what is killing millions of birds. In the process, they discover new talents and encounter new enemies. Jill Apple reads capably but lacks the spunky energy of the book's 14-year-old heroine. Many of Max's sassy observations are delivered flatly. The reading is accompanied by background music and sound effects, which add aural scenery to an otherwise flat adventure. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine