Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

Plot

In the third book of the Maximum Ride series, Max and her flock are faced with the task of saving the world from a massive company called Itex, and its leader known as the Director. They plan on cutting the world's population in half, and have already terminated a majority of their recombinant life forms. In this book, they replace Erasers (wolf/human hybrids that are sent to hunt the flock) with robotic ones called Flyboys.

While Max really wants to stop Itex, Fang is trying to convince her to stop and go live life somewhere isolated where they wouldn't have to fight. She lets him take her to go look for a place to stay, in which they spend the night in a cave and Fang gently kisses Max. But, while all of this is happening, the rest of the flock gets captured by Erasers and put in a truck. They notice that Angel is no longer with them. When Max and Fang return from their trip, they see the tire tracks leading away from the hide out and attempt to find the flock. When they find the truck, though, they are captured too. Angel tells them that she is no longer a part of the flock and is helping Itex now.

When they get back to the School, Jeb tries to convince them that everything they've ever experienced is just a dream and that it's now time for them to be "retired" (lab-coat term for killed). Fang refuses to believe him. Ari, Jeb's son and the flock's worst enemy, suddenly becomes very nice to Max. He shows her that his expiration date has come up; this is a tattoo like patch that appears on the back of their necks to tell them that they are going to die soon.

Right before the flock is retired, they find a way to escape. Angel was just pretending to be on Itex's side, and uses this to her advantage. Max brings Ari with them, although most of the flock is very against it, and get really angry. They end up spending the night in a cabin, and Max and Fang get into a big feud about Ari being there. Fang decides to split up the flock. Max, Nudge, Ari, and Angel go their way while Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy go another way.

Max's flock heads to Europe to take down Itex from its roots, while Fang is trying to get his blog readers to help fight back in the US. Max and her gang get captured, though, so she emails Fang to get help for them in Germany. It's revealed that Jeb is Max's father,and Dr. Martinez is her mother.

Fang's blog readers take down Itex branches all over the world. This causes Itex to fall apart. Meanwhile, Max and the gang are still trapped at the Itex Headquarters in Germany, where she is forced to fight against Omega. Omega is Itex's most-successful experiment; He looks human, but he is really superhuman. During this battle, Ari's expiration date kicks in, and he dies on the field. With Jeb's help, Max eventually beats Omega. Thanks to a hand from kids around Germany coming to Fang's aid, good overpowers evil. After the battle and a short trip to France, Fang and his part of the gang contact Max and the rest of the Flock and they reunite, swearing to always stick together.

Reception

The novel received Critical Acclaim, receiving nearly perfect ratings on most reading sites.