Maximum Ride by James Patterson

Thanks for Sync for this free audio book! I know I don’t actually belong to the target audience for either the book or the free book offer, but I do appreciate anything that doesn’t cost me and is entertaining.

Maximum Ride is the first in a series of 7 books for young adult readers. Maximum, or Max, is one of several children who grew up as a lab rat, cage and all. They are, in short, all the products of scientific experimentation. They are also the most successful of the experiments. Most of the creatures created in the lab don’t last very long, so after so many years, Max isn’t sure how long she and the others have. What’s so special about Max and Co? Well, for one they have functioning wings and can fly. They are also faster and stronger than normal humans, so it’s no wonder the scientists want to keep them under lock and key. However, four years prior to the beginning of the book, one of the scientists, Jeb, took pity and helped them escape. Ever since, the children have lived together in a cabin, fending for themselves even after Jeb disappears. Everything is going smoothly and they are all fairly happy until one day, their idyllic existence end abruptly as the lab security personnel drop in on them unexpectedly. They only get away with one of them, but one is too many for Max who sets out to find the lab again and free her friend.

I liked the characters, the plot and the creativity in this one. I think a young reader would find it quite fascinating and I’m not at all surprised there are more in the series. Personally, however, I found the writing geared too much to a younger audience to be really enjoyable. There was too much repetition and too much explanation. Sometimes I felt like I was being hit over the head with a hammer in that Max’s character would stop and explain a reference like the reader wouldn’t be able to get the point on their own. I got it the first time and didn’t need the explanation so it bothered me. A younger audience on the other hand, might have found the references useful and a skilful teacher could even put it all to good use in teaching the basics of literary tools such as foreshadowing, metaphors, symbolism, etc., so I don’t really want to add that as a general negative, just a personal negative. One thing that did bother me as a whole is that the ending is rather abrupt and isn’t really an ending. It feels more like a new chapter should start than a new book. Even if you are going to have a series, some sort of conclusion is in order, otherwise why bother finishing the book?

This is the kind of series I would continue reading if I had access to a free library, but since I haven’t got that option and I don’t have children who would read them as well, I won’t. It just wasn’t good enough for me to justify spending my money on more.

3/5

The Children of Hurin, Not Dead Enough, One Step Behind

My latest reads are The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkein, Not Dead Enough by James Patterson, One Step Behind by Henning Mankell and Ten Second Staircase by Christopher Fowler

The Children of Hurin is the Pre-History of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It tells the story of the lord of Dor-lómin's, Hurin's, children. Hurin is captured by Morgoth, who is similar to Sauron in the LotR trilogy. Morgoth tries to break Hurin, but cannot and susequently curses Hurin's family. Most of the book is about Hurin's son, Turin, who is a proud, but upright man, who, either through curse or pride, brings death and sadness to those around him. Everything he touches goes well for a time, but then goes wrong. Often, this is a result of Turin's poor judgement, but it is implied that it's the curse at work. Turin is constantly going in quest of one thing or another, but keeps changing his goals as he wanders through Middle-Earth. Perhaps his greatest failing is lack of constancy and direction. Had he stuck to one goal or another instead of constantly changing his mind and fleeing from his problems, he might have spared himself and his family much pain. The book itself reads like a cross between the Bible and a Greek Tragedy. It's a fairly dark book, but enjoyable all the same. I listened to this rather than read it, but think it might have been better to read it in print what with the elvish influence on the language. I might go back and read it one day, just to give myself a better grasp of the novel.

Not Dead Enough is a crime/mystery novel along the lines of Ian Rankin's works. It centres around a man whose wife is murdered in their own home. The next victim is a friend of his, with whom he is alleged to have had an affair, but of which he knows nothing. To say more would give the story away. It is a good read though. Not quite as good as Rankin's books, but high enough up on my list to warrent reading more in the series. I wish I had started with the first in the series, but Audible doesn't have it (yes, surprise, surprise it's an audiobook). I will go back and start from the beginning though. It will give me something relaxing to read on a Sunday when I have time and can manage not to fall asleep after two pages.

Speaking of which, I just finished Henning Mankell's One Step Behind, which is out of the Wallander series. I enjoyed this one much more than the first in the series, Faceless Killers (also good, but not as good as this one). Another good crime/mystery novel, perfect for Sunday reading (yes, this one was an actual book).

I also recently finished Ten Second Staircase, another one of Christopher Fowler's Peculiar Crime Unit books. Again a good read. Very perplexing, as all the PCU books are, with comfortable characters and pleasent dialogue. His books are something of a cross between Agatha Christie and The X Files (more "Scully" than "Mulder"). This one had a rather ingenius solution which is acutally quite chilling if you think about it. Again, if I say any more, it will give the plot away. Another good Sunday read, although this was a weekend audiobook. Still, perfect for relaxing at the weekend.