Not For Adults!!!
I wanted to like this series. My daughter asked me to read them and we have enjoyed many books in the young adult catagory. Unfortunately, this is not one. James Patterson had a good idea and the beginings of some good characters but after the tenth amazing escape and all the really poor dialog I had to stop. Although James is experiencing success with this series, his characters are a really poor rendition of the super hero. Even the teen angst falls flat. If you are looking for a book to read with your teen stick to Harry or try the Stephanie Meyer series Twilight.

I was extremely dissapointed in this book, and a little relieved that it should be the last. The story was terrible, and was not believable at all. The kids would have had to be extremely stupid to go to anartica. The entire book read like an infomercial for the Green movement. It lacked all the saving graces of the first book. It was a waste of money.

Book Three did not let me down -- another exciting ride with Maximum and her "family'. I highly recommend this saga to young and old alike.

My kids & I really enjoyed this book, and the previous books in the series. I think the female lead is a little masculine in her voice & choices. I think some of the "miraculous healing power" is kind of a cheat to make up for doing serious violence to the characters, and yet keeping them moving for an adventurous pace. But, I think this is one of those fun romping stories you just let yourself skip the thinner details for the sake of the experience. We'll keep reading.

Third book in the Maximum Ride series.

Max and the flock are back. They will finally discover their true enemy and uncover a plot to take over the world. The Re-Evolution plan, aka the By-Half Plan, involves reducing the population by half--only those deemed "useful" will be allowed to live in the new world. Even as Max races to save the world from the mad scientists, she never takes herself too seriously. My favorite thing about Max is her sarcasm. As in her internal conversation with The Voice, which has an irritating habit of butting into her head, but never answering a direct question: "You wanna explain that? Or is that one of those kung fu koans I'm supposed to meditate on at the top of a mountain? Ommmm."

Another action-packed adventure that fans of the series will enjoy.

Purchased for my 15 year old son, his review:
The first two books were great to read, couldn't put them down. This third book from the Maximum Ride series was just as interesting as the others...Once you start, you can't stop reading!!! Can't wait to read the next one!!

Again, the only thing I can say about this series is that it is flat out a lot of fun. These books are not going to win any awards for literary content, but if you are looking for a fun, quick read that will entertain you, this series is for anyone of any age.

Saving the World (Maximum Ride, Book 3)I received the book in a great condition and very fast.

He used to be a non reader but he plowed through these books in no time and is anxiously waiting for the next book. He loved them!

So the white coats decide to kill the flock, but instead of gassing the flock to death in the flock's room, the white coats gas the flock unconscious in the room and then take the kids outside and lock them in a barred cage in the middle of a field where the they're allowed to regain consciousness so they can be shot by "men with guns," apparently through the bars on one side of the cage without hitting the bars on the other side of the cage, thus sparing the spectators, who have already arrived although the men with guns have not, which gives Ari time to rip open the bars of the cage allowing the flock to escape while the white coats fail to invoke the unexplained weapon that neutralized Max and Fang on page 129 where Angel, apparently with Max's consent, fails to intervene in order to make possible an excursion that neither of the characters would ever have considered.

Prefer stories that proceed by the author's arbitrary choices? This one's for you. Not insulted by attempted manipulation? It doesn't get much better than this.

I loved this series! I was apprehensive to read these as the first book made it seem like it would be a boring kids book....but alas, it was not! After reading the first book I was hooked and had to quick get on Amazon to buy the rest of the series! I love Max and root for her and her flock to save the world, and get with Fang.
This book had me on the end of my seat as Max and her flock are out to stop the end of the world again. Max finally finds out who her mother and father are and the adventures are on. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone, and parents would like them as they are older kid friendly. Great job!

Book was in good condition, & I rec'd it in a shor t amount of time.

Plot SPOILERS all over the honking place!!!

Raised in a laboratory, kept in dog crates, tortured and experimented on. Grafted with avian genes, granting them retractable wings and the wondrous gift of flight. 14-year-old Maximum Ride (call her Max) and her younger charges, her flock, escaped from the infernal School four years ago. And they've been on the run since then. The School isn't about to let them go, constantly sending out its murderous enforcers, the genetically manipulated, werewolf creatures called the Erasers. Sucks for Max and the others, but the School has a way to always trace them. The flock lives day to day, in fear, with Max desperately striving to keep everyone together and safe.

Moving on now to MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD & OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the third entry in James Patterson's riproaring, bestselling Maximum Ride novels, which picks up four days after the flock's escape from the Itex Corporation's Floridian headquarters (check out School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride, Book 2)). This one, for all intents and purposes, puts the capper on the series, even though a fourth book did come out later. But SAVING THE WORLD has Max and her fellow fugitives, after four years of endless running and being relentlessly hunted down, at last coming face to face with the head of that shadowy organization which had been plaguing them all their young lives. This is the one where Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel (and, yes, even Total the talking dog) are pushed like never before. The one where the globe-spanning Itex Corporation's alarming By-Half Plan is finally exposed (and, yes, it's pretty diabolical). Itex, by the way, is the controlling entity behind the School and the Institute. And where Max is pitted against her most lethal adversary yet, a mutant who happens to be the ultimate in genetical manipulation. But, thing is, this mutant, he doesn't have Max's heart...

Other things that happen (remember, SPOILERS): Fang's blog really takes off; the Erasers are decomissioned; Itex plays head games with the flock; Max and Fang have an argument which divides the flock; the conflicted Eraser, Ari, is showcased more; several of the kids go gallivanting around Europe (but Paris is their favorite); we find out what's up with Max's inner Voice; and Max finds out some deeply personal stuff. Oh, and the flock kind of saves the world.

MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD & OTHER EXTREME SPORTS might be a ponderous title, but that doesn't change the fact that it's also exciting and unputdownable and reads like you're watching a riveting sci-fi/fantasy/action movie. Patterson makes you care for these characters, and, above all, for Max, who continues to narrate the story from her very conversational, first-person perspective. She remains a person you'd want to root for, with her guts and her resoluteness and her moments of despair and fear and, as ever, her caring for her friends. Plus, she's got that snarky, sarcastic, irreverent vibe going on...

Even though James Patterson wrote this book for a much younger generation, I, an old dude, tore thru this one like a mongoose after a rattler. I defy any reader to not fall in love with the flock and the sheer wonder of their world. It's a cautionary tale on a humongous stage, yep, but you can't help but marvel at the genetical variations which the nasty, evil Itex Corporation has come up with. I dearly enjoy reading Patterson's Alex Cross suspensers, but I'd drop Alex like a hot potato if given a chance to read more of Maximum Ride's adventures. Only some of my favorite moments in SAVING THE WORLD: the battle taking place over Los Angeles (involving the flock, robots, and gangbangers), the flock's hilarious frustrating of that scientist ter Borcht (you know, with the thick German accent), Max's touching reunion with Dr. Martinez and her daughter Ella, and Max's contest with Omega.

Now, here's the downside: Enjoyable as it is, the book could've used some tightening up. Patterson does get lazy with some of his writing and ends the book with several dangling threads. How the School keeps tracking the flock is never really explained (Was it Max's chip? Was it Total? Was it someone else in the flock?). And what about Ari, whose conversion is so abrupt it gave me whiplash? Oh, and, somehow, somewhen, a streak of environmentalism manages to sneak in from out of the blue. And if I let myself, I can even fixate on how this megalomanical cabal of genius scientists turns out to be a pretty lame bunch of fumblers in the end. To me, the showdown with the Itex Corporation could've had more punch; the mad whitecoats should definitely have been given more of a smackdown. Still, even if the bad guys aren't that well developed, the young protagonists are overwhelmingly appealing and remain the series' strongest asset. Who hasn't had dreams of flying? James Patterson takes that fondest of wishes and applies it in a hell of a thrillride. But it wouldn't have worked as well if you didn't give a crapolla about these kids. The flock endearingly exudes childish glee and vulnerability while flaunting formidable abilites (mind reading, breathing underwater, explosives expertise, computer wizardry, uncanny mimicry, and, of course, flying). And Max, the leader of the bunch and the toughest of the lot, well, shucks, she's simply unforgettable.

The Maximum Ride books (so far):
- Maximum Ride : The Angel Experiment (Teen's Top 10 (Awards))
- School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride, Book 2)
- MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS
- The Final Warning (Maximum Ride, Book 4)

And, if you're curious about the book which inspired this series, look up James Patterson's excellent When the Wind Blows, which features a winged character named Max (but not this same Max).

I snared this one when its paperback form hit the shelves last February. I had read the two earlier installments of the series, and I was eager to continue, so I went into 'Saving the World' with a good deal of interest.

And I'm pretty disappointed. The Maximum Ride series has never been a showcase for good literature. Patterson wipes the floor with character development, detail, and realism and replaces it with big doses of nonstop action. This worked for the first two books, and it works for this one, but 'Saving the World' is a bit different.

This time, the flock uncovers the true plans of 'Itex' (The School), and thus begins the slow death of the franchise. Patterson makes the bad guys laughably bad, the kind of villains you'd commonly see on Disney and Cartoon Network shows. Their master plan of domination is as equally clichéd and ridiculous. I personally liked the series a hell of a lot more when it was just the Erasers chasing them. Sure, they still get chased by them this time, but the fight scenes are nearly nonexistant. The flock settles, the Erasers come, the flock escapes.

The characters are just as flat and typical as they have been, with Angel spewing out her seemingly endless array of powers. This time, she can take over peoples' minds and block out basically anything 'unusual' they might see, meaning the flock (and Ari) can now ride in airplanes and tour Europe without anyone getting suspicious. Cheap.

Patterson also decides to add a new element to his storyline - Global Warming! This was probably the worst thing he could have done, and when I was finished with 'Saving' I could only begin dread what the next installment would end up looking like. My fears were right, and the fourth book turned out to be just as bad as I thought. Bummer.

Nonetheless, the book has enough going on and enough thrills to excite both fans of the series and people (probably of the younger age) looking for a fast-paced adventure.

Alas, while the first two installments were great, this one, and the following one, killed my love of the series, and any respect I had for Patterson.

My son loves this series. I turned him on to Patterson since I own all his books (at least all the ones in paperback)! Seems like Patterson has another die hard fan in my kid.

The "Maximum" series is definitely a winner, and this third book in the series is as spellbinding as the first two. I know these books are geared more toward "young" adults, but this "old" adult enjoys them too. I can hardly wait to get started on the fourth one.

this story is phenominal for readers who 1, love fiction as much as the writers and 2, enjoy crazy sinious roller coasters with max fang iggy gazzy angel nudge and don't forget total

This one is not as good as the first two, but overall, not a bad book. Easy read.

Another Maximum Ride release, "Saving the World...." brings Max and Fang to the brink of confessing their love for one another. While dealing with this issue, it was -- naturally -- important for Max and Fang to save the world. To destroy the evil-mad scientists who were preparing to reduce the world's population by one-half and to keep the flock together.

While the Maximum Ride series is designed for the preteen (maybe teen) reader, it is actually a lot of fun for anyone. An esteemed author with the mission of truly writing something that would engender excitement to a young person while still being easily readable ... Patterson holds to a creative style of writing with a positive message.

It might be a little too much "tree-huggish" even for a youngster. But, still, it's a slam-bang roller coaster adventure with Max and the gang of ... ummm .... bird-kids and talking dogs ... I think.

Has a good beat. Easy to dance to. I give it at least a 90.

Densel Myers
Yukon, Oklahoma

More than half the book is actual blank pages. There is no story to speak of, except "wouldn't it be cool if I could fly like Max?" Huge gaping inconsistencies in the tale, and it is repetitive to the point of nauseating. It shamelessly tries to drive you to web sites that can generate more money for this loser project. No redeeming qualities, I wasted a week of my life hoping for some salvation in the end. Boy was I fooled. I'm no snob when it comes to books, but it's an insult to 9 year olds to say this would be good for them. Shame on you Patterson, I will not read you again because of this insult to readers of all ages.

Adults will find the third in the Maximum Ride series, the immodestly titled, "Saving the World" disappointing. Although some reviewers have chosen to favorably compare James Patterson's DNA enhanced flying kids series to the Harry Potter series, this reviewer says: No Way No How. J.K. Rowling gave us a complex society of wizards and witches. Everything was carefully thought out, from the dragon feather in Harry's wand, to the temperamental goblins who ran the bank where Harry's long dead parents had stashed their fortune for him (money is just one of the things the kids always have access to that Patterson doesn't seem to have explained - unless it was in an earlier book in the series). In contrast, Patterson gives us genetically enhanced kids without going into much detail as to how this was done - unlike, say, Jurassic Park - unless, again, this was covered in an earlier book. It seems to be the work of, as the heroine Max is fond of saying, "Mad Scientists." Can you imagine Rowling dismissing Lord Voldemort's similar plans to take over the world as the work of "Mad Wizards?" No, she had more respect for her reader's intelligence than that. Voldemort's plans to assume power had a carefully crafted, meticulously macabre aspect to them, and his power was unasailable, except ultimately by Harry himself, and even then, almost by accidents stemming from Potter virtue than from magic. In contrast, Patterson actually expects us to believe that a team of Mad Scientists (there's that term again) could form a multinational corporation, apparently without scrutiny of any kind except by various high-level politicos who go along with the dream of genetically "re-evolved" humans uncritically, even though the Mad Director's dream include annihilation of half - or more - of humanity as well. They do all this in largely unprotected factories - they have to be largely unprotected or else how would the seven member "flock" be able to enter and escape from them, repeatedly, while foiling Itec's dasteredly plans? Patterson talks down to his tween readers. Rowling never does. Since this is not a review of Rowling's work, I'll just say she gave us worlds; Patterson gives us flying kids in our world, and as such they fall flat. Flat is a way to describe their personalities too; aside from Max - whose singular trait is a smart-alecky attitude, only Total, the talking Scotish Terrier, seems to have much personality. The other kids have abilities - or disabilities, in the case of blind Iggy, who is, inexplicably able to fight and fly without any apparent trouble, just like the others - but they don't have much character. Perhaps if I had read the first in the Maximum Ride series I would have had more sympathy for Max and the gang, whom we are led to believe have had a pretty rough childhood so far, but as it is, Max's relating to the reader in the first person her troubles, doesn't allow us to feel them for ourselves as Rowling did in the Potter series. One feels sorry for Harry long before we know he has powers, due to his living situation with the Dursleys, and when his powers become gradually apparent, we are glad because they promise a way out for *him,* not because he can use them to Save the World - though, ultimately, that is what he will do. Another contrast between these two authors is that Rowling, while focusing on the kids, still has a firm place in the world for adults - as teachers, beloved, or feared, parents etc. - while Patterson sees the adults as either evil and too dumb to realize their plans could never work - if for no other reason than that a world suddenly devoid of half its population would be so chatoic as to be not worth being Grand Empreror over, (or whatever title the Mad Director ultimately envisioned for herself) - or the adults are simply too dumb to realize the evil plans exist. Is this how tweens see adults? Really?
True, a certain set of tween readers, mostly boys, I think, will enjoy the action uncritically, and judging by the numbers, they are already buying this book in large numbers (Full discloser: my two volume novel, Neitherworld Neitherworld Book One Akiiwan (CreateSpace Version) Neitherworld Book Two Ishpiming is so NOT selling in these numbers), but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. Saving the World is a low altitude thrill ride.

Not many of you will know that Patterson published books 1 & 2 twice! When the initial series became a hit, he sold the movie rights, and then completely rewrote the series, changing crucial parts and in many readers opinions, not for the better! Patterson employs other writers on many books so let the buyer beware!

Ordered for my son for Christmas gift. Arrived when expected, packaged very well, as advertised, was in new condition. Would def. buy through this vendor again.

This is a great series! James Patterson does it again except he did it for teenagers! I highly recommend this series.

From When the Wind Blows to Maximun Ride, Saving the World..., Patterson has continued to keep me on the edge of my seat while reading each and every book. Saving the World has not disappointed me at all, and I'm axiously awaiting his next book in the series. The way the world is going,today, it's nice to lose ones self in the fantasy world of Max and her flock. Hope he continues the series! Thanks, James Patterson!

Good ideas but more than a little simplistic and preachy about world peace. Too much bad corporations and, "only the good kids can save us", in this one.

I LOVED all of the other books and this one was no different. It started out a little slow compared to the other two but it was still really good.

If you saw this book first and think you can read this series out of order, your wrong. You should read the first two ("Angel Experiment" and "School's Out- Forever") they are just as good, if not better than this one. Enjoy!

This is the last installment in the Maximum Ride trilogy. At least Patterson thinks that this is the end, but after finishing it, I can see that he can wring at least another couple of books out of the characters and the story line.

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is the "final" book concerning Max and her "flock." In case you aren't familiar with the characters, they are all genetically altered humans as they have avian DNA in them. They have wings, so they are referred to as a flock. Max and her friends have been on a mission to save the world. The first two books have built up to this climax. Unlike the other books, this one finds her flock separated. Half stay in the United States, while Max and the others are in Europe. This is the first time they have been apart and it provides some additional suspense and more character development. And, keeping current, one character has a blog. Some of the chapters are excerpts of the blog, which added to the story, as they enlist help from the children of the world to assist in saving the world.

If this is the end of these books, Patterson has concluded the story in a very satisfactory manner. Most of the major questions have been answered: Does Max save the world? Who are her parents? Does the flock survive? Why are the scientists genetically altering people? All of those questions, and more, are answered for you. From that standpoint it was a very good ending to the series. There was, however, one part of the book that really threw me. And from that point on, I was questioning everything that came after. I think that Patterson alleviated some of thoughts, but I still couldn't shake the 'revelation.' All in all, this was a very good series. I think that most children (and adults) will enjoy the books, as they are well written, tight, and speak about some very global issues. Plus, there is a satisfying ending.