7. If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?
8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is a science fiction and the first book in the Maximum Ride series written by James Patterson. It tells a story about a group of kids experimented on mixed with 2% bird's genes and have extraordinary powers that a bird would have. Now their on the run, evading from the evil scientists who created them, and trying to find out about their origin. Apparently Angel, one of the youngest member of the group, was captured by the Erasers(half man half wolf) and taken back to the "school" to be experimented on again. Now Max and the rest of the group, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, and the Gasman are trying to rescue Angel and away from the clutches of the evil scientists.
James Patterson's style of writing is pretty weird to me, or just something new, because I thought that all writings of any kind your suppose to stick to one type of narrative. He writes in first person narrative with whatever Max is doing,thinking, and feeling, then switches off to third person narrative a few times on different characters around the book. At first I was confused on whats going on in the book and whether or not the author is still talking about the main character, Max. I didn't know you can write in both narratives form, thought it was bad English if you write something like that. I don't remember at all about learning two forms of narrative in the same story from any teachers I had previously. The writing style was just something new for me that I had to get used to and this wasn't the first time I encounter this. Another book I read called, Pendragon, written by D.J. MacHale, was also similar with this book I'm reading. Pendragon, one of my favorite books, talks in first person and third person also in its series. For D.J. MacHale's style of writing, it's a bit different compare with Patterson, because it doesn't jump straight off to first then third narrative like Patterson, it enter in first person by reading a letter in the past and present time with third. On Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, it just goes straight to third person without a hint or clue for the readers, which I usually get confused at those time. Both of these writing are very unique to me and frankly these are the only books I know that put two forms of narrative person into a story. I will show you two quotes from the book, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, when he uses the first and third person.
I pressed my lips together. I was doing the best I could. "Maybe not," I admitted. "We'll never know. Jeb's dead. Now everyone get your gear together." (35)
"Okay, okay," the Gasman said suddenly. "I have an idea. It's risky, and Max will kill is when she finds out." Iggy raised his head,. "Sounds like my kind of idea." (122)
Well the closest genre that comes close to my mind right now with Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is The Hunger Games, mostly because their both doing something about survival. Maximum Ride is where Max and the rest of the group are trying to run away and escape from the Erasers who are pursuing them, while Katniss in the Hunger Games is fighting to her death in an arena to survive. These two books share some similarity about surviving in the real world and also with animal mutation like the mockingjay in the Hunger games and Erasers in Maximum Ride. Maximum Ride seem more on the fantasy side with superpowers and evil scientists for young readers, while the Hunger Games seem more realistic that could actually happen in our world set in the future. For me, I prefer the Hunger Games more than Maximum Ride, because it has a more sophisticated storyline compare to Maximum Ride which set on one main thing, trying to save Angel who was captured by the Erasers and their origin. The Hunger Games talks more than just some bloody game with a fight to the death thing, it talks about how everything came to be, their hardships living, and revolution throughout the place. I have more interest for the Hunger Games, because it is more realistic to me and has more of my favorite genres like romance, action, post-apocalyptic, etc. I like the superpower thing in Maximum Ride with their ability to fly, read/control minds, and abnormal strengths, but that is about it so far. Even though both the books share similar genres, the plot and characters are completely different with 98% human 2% bird while the other one is about a bloody game. The Hunger Games seem to catch my interest more on the storyline compare to Maximum Ride with a typical saving the world thing.
The most surprising character that stood out to me was the main character, Max, which apparently I thought she was a boy until page fifty when they actually indicate she's a girl.
"Shut up," said the Gasman, and Iggy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Look. This sucks so bad. Max left us here 'cause she thought we couldn't keep up."(50)
So at that time, I thought she was a boy which never cross my mind that she was a girl, probably because it showed a lot of her masculine side with her tough attitude and her actions. The name even seem to trick me, since not a lot of girls I know have the name Max and commonly known for boys. She is the leader of the six member flock including herself, and the oldest out of all the other 98% human and 2% bird. Max have the ability to fly along with the rest of the flock because of the 2% bird genes that the evil scientists experimented on. Max is the type of person who puts family first and than the rest of the other priorities last, because she cares for anyone even strangers she don't even know. In the book, when Angel got captured by the Erasers, Max swear to herself and the rest of the flock that they would bring Angel back safely in their hands. I like this type of characteristic that Max has, and will do anything for anyone when their in need for help like Angel and Ella. She doesn't think and just act straight away to save people in trouble, which is a good thing to do, but I think it may also be a weakness for her, because she won't realize the full danger of what she got herself into and might actually get killed. For example, when Max saved Ella from a couple of people bullying her, Max got herself wounded with a gunshot on her wing which those people apparently had guns. Max needs to be careful when saving people in order to not get herself hurt again, other than that she is very brave for the things she did that she thought was right.
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