Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride is a series of young adult fantasy novels by the author James Patterson, with a manga adaptation published by Yen Press. The series is centered on the adventures of Maximum "Max" Ride and five other characters after their escape from the lab facility known as The School. Their group is labeled the Flock, reminiscent of the fact that each of the main characters are avian-human hybrids, (they have wings) a result from the Flock's past involvement with The School. The series was inspired by but is not a reboot of Patterson's earlier novels When the Wind Blows and The Lake House.

Plot

The Angel Experiment

The first book in the series by James Patterson gives an overview of the Flock: Maximum Ride (the leader), Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. These children, ages 6 through 14, are far from normal. They are only 98% human, while the other 2% is avian, giving them wings and special powers. This book covers some of the back story of the flock, explaining how they ended up on their own in their remote mountain home. It also covered the antagonistic half-wolf, half-human creatures known as Erasers. The youngest flock member, Angel, is abducted by the Erasers and taken back to "The School", the lab where they were genetically altered and raised in cages. Max and the remaining Flock leave their home in an attempt to rescue Angel, but are also captured and placed in dog crates similar to the ones they were raised in. While captured, Angel learns about "The Institute", a place in New York City that may hold some secrets to their past. After the flock escapes to New York, Max begins hearing a voice inside her head. Unsure of whether the voice is a friend or foe, Max decides to follow its cryptic instruction. The voice leads Max and the flock to The Institute, where they find a lab similar to The School and information on their unknown parents. The book ends with the flock beginning their journey to Washington D.C., in search of their parents.