Fang- James Patterson

Fang is the sixth book in the Maximum Ride series. There is a little bit of background information I should give you before you read the rest of the review. Maximum and her six best friends, pretty much her family have been running from a megalomaniac for a few months. Before that they were running from a different insane corporation. A few things you need to know about the flock as they're called.

Gazzy at age 8 can make anything you give him into an explosive and is also known as the gasman. You can probably guess why. Angel at age 6 can read minds and "persuade" people or a better way of saying it is, control minds.Nudge at age 11 can hack into almost anything and can pull metal to her body without touching it. Iggy at age 14 is blind but he can see colors. Fang at age 14 can sneak up on anyone and also breathe underwater. Max at age 14 has a voice in her head that tells her what choices to make. It mainly tells her that she has to save the world. Also, they all have wings.

They were all raised in dog crates and escaped with a man named Jeb. Jeb left them to their own devices when Max turned 12. Max ended up taking control and raising the other kids. She became a sort of mother to them and in return they all trust and follow her orders.

Max and her flock are on their way to help the starving children in Chad, Africa. As they fly in they get shot at by men on camels. That's just the usual routine for these kids. In Chad they meet a maniacal scientist named Dr. Gunter-Hagen. Who wants Max to subject herself and her flock to more tests and terrible treatment. Of course Max's first priority is the flock so she absolutely has to say no. Little Angel has been trying to steal the leadership of the flock, and she wants to be "improved". However, Max can't let that happen. Max escapes the crazy doctor by leaving Africa altogether. She settles down in Colorado but that results in even more problems. Like the reappearance of erasers. (Erasers are large wolf like creatures. Like werewolves. They are one of the retired or failed experiments and were all supposedly killed off.) Dealing with fighting is easy for Max she knows how to act in that situation. When it comes to solving the problems of her emotions, she is completely useless. Max has been pining after her best friend and second in command for awhile, so when she finally gets him you'd think that everything would be all fine and dandy. Well, for Max of course it can't end like that. Max slowly finds herself focusing more and more on Fang and less on the well being of her flock. The two of them are always trying to get alone time and the flock can't handle the disappearance of their leader and mother. Max and Fang can't be together and focus at the same time, so how will they make their relationship work? When Angel realizes that the flock may be in need of a new leader she is more than ready to step up for the job. Though Angel may think she knows everything, in reality she can't handle being a leader. The flock needs Max but in their hour of need, she might not be there for them.

This book is not only about saving the world but also about the experimentation aspect of the world. You may be thinking, "There are not any kids with wings running around as far as I know!" Well, that's true but that's also not the aspect that I feel the book really focused on. I think the book and series in general are about where genetic experimentation may go in the future. Sure, for now we can only take human genes out of and insert human genes into embryos. But what about when scientists decide they want to broaden their horizons? It may be blonde hair and blue eyes now, but all it takes is one scientist who thinks that creating a new kind of creature would be fun and bam! We suddenly have kids with wings that can read minds. Genetic experimentation may be helpful now but what if your child was the one that had to grow up in a dog crate? Change is good but changing too much can affect everything and not only in a positive way. I believe that is a deeper meaning within this book.

While you can read this book without reading any of the others I encourage you to read them in order. Everything you as a new reader need to know is explained in each book but it will make a lot more sense and be a more thrilling read if you read the other books first. I love this book. It is suspenseful and action packed, the romance is a side story compared to the action that goes on. I give this book an A+ rating.