A ‘Ride’ worth taking

By Sarah Abbott
South Charleston High School

These are some things you might find on Maximum Ride’s to-do list: figuring out her true feelings for her best friend, taking care of her brothers and sisters, finding out who her real parents are and saving the world.

It’s all in a day’s work, right?

Max has starred in two installments of the “Maximum Ride” trilogy by James Patterson. The final book, “Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports,” is not only a nail-biting action novel, it’s a nail-biting action novel with heart. The bonds between the now-familiar main characters continue to develop satisfactorily, especially the relationship between Max and the darkly silent Fang.

Many fans will agree that the youngest character, a blonde 6-year-old named Angel, is infinitely creepier than all the villains in all the books combined. She doesn’t seem to understand that using her gift of mind-reading to influence others is wrong, and she’s difficult to peg. Just when you begin to believe she’s going to the dark side, Patterson adds another element that makes you wonder about her all over again.

The only drawback to this book is that it can be a tad confusing at times, resulting in having to go back and reread parts before moving on. If a reader is willing to think and make conclusions on his or her own without being hand-fed information, then they should enjoy the challenge.

Early in the spring, Patterson began a contest on his website: if he could get a million hits, then he would write a fourth book in the series. He rapidly got a million and a half and announced that if he got three million, he would sign the rights to the “Maximum Ride” movie, which is now in production.

This goes to show that the author is involved with his fans. Although he is a well-known adult author, he is making a name for himself with teenagers as well.

Patterson is never predictable. Just when readers think they have the plot figured out, when they’re getting a little bored, he adds a new (and often delicious) plot twist that keeps the story spinning in their heads.

In fact, after reading the three books in succession, it may be wise to take a while to digest everything that has happened.

The best element of the series is Max’s wonderful sarcasm. She’s only human (OK, two percent superhuman — close enough) and she makes mistakes, but her resilience also attracts readers. Despite having wings and recombinant DNA, she just might remind them of a kid in their gym class at school.

In “Saving the World,” all of the events that have been building up in the previous books come to a head, and most of the secrets are uncovered. As a result, this is a fast-paced, satisfying read for those who have followed the series.

One thing that I did not enjoy while reading this book - or the other books either — is that even though Patterson is a brilliant adult author, he seems to feel the need to talk down to a younger audience, so sometimes his tone can be a little condescending. However, this novel leaves a bit more up to a person’s own intelligence, and that puts it a notch above the rest.

Really, the entire series is a notch above. It’s a refreshing change from the overwhelming amount of chick lit in the YA section of the bookstore.

For a good laugh, an intellectual plotline and high-quality action chases, this book is a good choice — although reading the books in order is very much advised. So travel along with Max as she finds out that some enemies, such as the ones inside herself, are the hardest to fight.